The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a central doctrine of Christianity that affirms that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day. Without the resurrection, the Apostle Paul or Saint Paul declared, Christian preaching and belief are useless and meaningless. The resurrection is the point at which God's intention for Jesus become clear and the faithful, believers and followers are assured that Jesus is the "Christ." [Messiah]

However, "Resurrection" is to be distinguished from "Resuscitation" of the human physical body.

The fact is, brothers and sisters, and I want you to realise this, the Good News I preached is not a human message that I was given by men, it is something I learnt only through a revelation of Jesus Christ. - Gal. 1:11-12 -

Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ Jesus, Himself cannot have been raised, and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless. - 1 Cor. 15:12-14 -

This news is about the Son of God who, according to the human nature he took, was a descendant of David: it is about Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that was with him, was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead. Through Him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all pagan nations in honour of His name. - Rom. 1:3-5 -

In fact, "Resurrection" has three (3) primary meanings or definition in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible.

1. - Miraculous Healing. In this usage, resurrection refers to individuals who have been brought back to life, that is, 'Resuscitated' in this present world. Such raising were: (a) - performed by prophet Elijah on Zarephath widow's son.

It happened after this that the son of the mistress of the house fell sick; his illness was so severe that in the end he had no breath left in him. And the woman said to Elijah, 'What quarrel have you with me, man of God? Have you come here to bring my sins home to me and to kill my son?' Give me your son' he said, and taking him from her lap, carried him to the upper room where he was staying and laid him on his own bed.

Elijah cried out to Yahweh, 'Yahweh my God, do you mean to bring grief to the widow who is looking after me by killing her son?' He stretched himself on the child three times and cried out to Yahweh, 'Yahweh my God, may the soul of this child, I beg you, come into him again!' Yahweh heard the prayer of Elijah and the soul of the child returned to him again and he revived. Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. 'Look' Elijah said 'your son is alive.' And the woman replied. 'Now I know you are a man of God and the word of Yahweh in your mouth is truth itself.' - 1 Kin. 17:17-24 -

(b) - performed by prophet Elisha on the Shunammite woman's son.

Elisha said to Gehazi, 'Tuck up your cloak, take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet them; if anyone greets you, do not answer them.' You are to stretch out my staff over the child.' But the child's mother said, 'As Yahweh lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' Then Elisha stood up and followed her. Gehazi had gone ahead of them and had stretched out the staff over the child, but there was no sound or response. He went back to meet Elisha and told him. 'The child has not woken up' he said.

Elisha then went to the house, and there on his bed lay the child, dead. He went in and shut the door on the two of them and prayed to Yahweh. Then he climbed on to the bed and stretched himself on top of the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes to his eyes, and his hands on his hands, and as he lowered himself on to him, the child's flesh grew warm. Then he got up and walked to and fro inside the house, and then climbed on to the bed again and lowered himself on to the child seven times in all; then the child sneezed and opened his eyes. He then summoned Gehazi. 'Call our Shunammitess' he said; and he called her. When she came to him, Elisha said, 'Take up your son.' She went in and, falling at his feet, bowed down to the ground; and taking up her son went out. - 2 Kin. 4:29-37 -

(c) - performed by Jesus on Jairus' daughter.

While Jesus was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the synagogue official to say, 'Your daughter is dead: why put the Master to any further trouble?' But Jesus had overheard this remark of theirs and he said to the official, 'Do not be afraid; only have faith.' And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the official's house and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly.

Jesus went in and said to them, 'Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.' But they laughed at him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child's father and mother and his own companions, Jesus went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha, kum!' which means, 'Little girl, I tell you to get up.' The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At this they were overcome with astonishment, and Jesus ordered them strictly not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat. - Mark. 5:35-43 -

(d) - performed by Jesus on Lazarus; Mary and Martha, the sister of the sick man, Lazarus.

There was a man named Lazarus who lived in the village of Bethany with the two sisters, Mary and Martha, and he was ill............ Jesus said that and added, 'Our friend Lazarus is resting, I am going to wake him.' The disciples said to Jesus, 'Lord, if he is able to rest he is sure to get better.' The phrase Jesus used referred to the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by 'rest' he meant 'sleep' so Jesus put it plainly, "Lazarus is dead; and ............ When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house.

Martha said to Jesus, 'If you had been here, my brother would not have died but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.' 'Your brother' said Jesus to her 'will rise again.' Martha said, 'I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.' Jesus said:

'I am the resurrection.
If anyone believes in me, even though he/she dies he/she will live,
and whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Do you believe this?'

'Yes, Lord, she said 'I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.'... When the Jews who were in the house sympathising with Mary saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

Mary went to Jesus and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.' At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who followed her, Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart. 'Where have you put him?' They said, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept; and the Jews said, 'See how much he loved him!' But there were some who remarked, 'He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man's death?'

Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, 'Take the stone away.' Martha said to him, 'Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.' Jesus replied, 'Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?' So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said:

'Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer,
I knew indeed that you always hear me,
but I speak
for the sake of all these who stand round me,
so that they may believe it was you who sent me.'

When Jesus had said this, he cried in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, here! Come out!' The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him, let him go free.' - John 11:1-44 -

(e) - performed by Peter Simon on Tabitha or Dorcas in Greek.

At Jaffa there was a woman disciple called Tabitha or Dorcas in Greek, who never tired of doing good or giving in charity. But the time came when she got ill and died, and they washed her and laid her out in a room upstairs. Lydda is not far from Jaffa, so when the disciples heard that Peter Simon was there, they sent two men with an urgent message for him, 'Come and visit us as soon as possible.'

Peter went back with them straightaway and on his arrival they took him to the upstairs room, where all the widows stood round him in tears, showing him tunics and other clothes Dorcas had made when she was with them. Peter sent them all out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the dead woman and said, 'Tabitha, stand up.' She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the saints and widows and showed them she was alive. The whole of Jaffa heard about it and many believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter stayed on some time in Jaffa, lodging with a leather tanner called Simon. - Acts 9:36-43 -

(f) - performed by Paul (Saul) on Eutychus at Troas.

On the first day of the week we met to break bread. (Holy Eucharist/Holy Communion/Holy Mass celebration) Paul was due to leave the next day, and he preached a sermon that went on till the middle of the night. A number of lamps were lit in the upstairs room where we were assembled, and as Paul went on and on, a young man called Eutychus who was sitting on the window-sill grew drowsy and was overcome by sleep and fell to the ground three floors below.

He was picked up dead. Paul went down and stooped to clasp the boy to him. 'There is no need to worry' he said 'there is still life in him.' Then Paul went back upstairs where he broke bread and ate and carried on talking till he left at day break. They took the boy away alive, and were greatly encouraged. - Acts 20:7-12 -

"In these raisings, that is, 'Miracle Healing' or so called 'Resurrection' there is no suggestion and understanding that the person will not again experience death."

2. - "LORD JESUS CHRIST RESURRECTION" Our Lord's Resurrection. (Kindly refer to the coming page: 'A comprehensive sharing of the "Resurrection of Jesus Christ."')

This "Resurrection" is explicit, and is clearly linked with the overcoming of the powers of Satan, Evil and Death. Therefore, Christ's resurrection is the basis for the doctrine of general resurrection.

Brothers and Sisters, I want to remind you of the gospels I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you - believing anything else will not lead to anything.

Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the sacred scriptures; that Jesus was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the sacred scriptures; that Jesus appeared first to Cephas (Peter) and secondly to the Twelve.

Next Jesus appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still alive..............

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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -