What is true beauty? Our culture tries to tell us what is
beautiful; models and actors are some people’s idea of beauty. True beauty may
be the opposite of the prevailing popular thought. Artists render images of
Jesus before and after his death, but what does Jesus look like now? Does the
Bible tell us? It actually does give us some clues, but it seems that most
artists have not noticed these details. It seems likely that Jesus was not
blond haired and blue eyed, and he didn’t glow or have a halo; his image after
his crucifixion is more distinct then we realize. What should spark our
attention is a phrase from Revelation, there is a big clue here and we can put
the pieces together from supporting scripture. We see some discrepancies in the
text between the Greek and Hebrew regarding Jesus’ appearance at the
resurrection, so we will explore this. But Jesus said something curious that
should also catch our attention. He told us that it would be better to enter
into life with one eye or one hand if those body parts cause us to sin. What
does that mean?
One of the first sections we need to look at is in the Book
of Isaiah. The Septuagint reads differently than the modern texts, but it may
be that the modern texts are correct in this case. Let’s explore this prophecy
regarding Jesus.
Isaiah 50:4 The Lord even God gives
me the tongue of instruction, to know when it is fit to speak a word: he has
appointed for me early, he has given me an ear to hear: 5 and the
instruction of the Lord, even the Lord, opens mine ears, and I do not disobey,
nor dispute. 6 I gave my back to scourges, and my cheeks to blows;
and I turned not away my face from the shame of spitting: 7 but the
Lord God became my helper; therefore I was not ashamed, but I set my face as a
solid rock; and I know that I shall never be ashamed, 8 for he that
has justified me draws near; who is he that pleads with me? let him stand up
against me at the same time: yea, who is he that pleads with me? let him draw
nigh to me. 9 Behold, the Lord, the Lord, will help me; who will hurt
me? behold, all ye shall wax old as a garment, and a moth shall devour you. http://ecmarsh.com/lxx/Esaias/index.htm
We know Jesus was beaten, whipped, hit, and spit on. He
endured this brutal pummeling for our sake. Let’s compare Isaiah 50 verse 6 of
the Septuagint to verse 6 in the Amplified.
Isa 50:6 I gave My back to the smiters and My cheeks to
those who plucked off the hair; I hid not My face from shame and spitting.
[Matt 26:67; 27:30; John 19:1.] AMP
Here we see that Jesus’ hair from his beard was pulled out.
Why the discrepancy? The word in question here is actually G575, translated from but it actually means off.
Isaiah 50:6G3588 G3577My
backG1473 G1325I have
givenG1519toG3148whips,G3588 G1161andG4600my
jawsG1473 G1519forG4475slaps,G3588 G1161andG4383my
faceG1473 G3756I did
notG654turnG575fromG152the shameG1715.2of
ones spitting.
G575 ἀπό - Strong's Greek Lexicon Number
LSJ Gloss: ἀπό from, away from. c. gen.
Strong's: ἀπό "off,"
i.e. away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation;
literal or figurative) Derivation: a
primary particle; KJV Usage: (X
here-)after, ago, at, because of, before, by (the space of), for(-th), from,
in, (out) of, off, (up-)on(-ce), since, with.
In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure,
cessation, completion, reversal, etc.
Thayer: 1) of separation
1a) of local separation, after verbs of motion from a place i.e. of departing, of fleeing, ...
1b) of separation of a part from the whole
1b1) where of a whole some part is taken
1c) of any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed
1d) of a state of separation, that is of distance
1d1) physical, of distance of place
1d2) temporal, of distance of time
2) of origin
2a) of the place whence anything is, comes, befalls, is taken
2b) of origin of a cause
1a) of local separation, after verbs of motion from a place i.e. of departing, of fleeing, ...
1b) of separation of a part from the whole
1b1) where of a whole some part is taken
1c) of any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed
1d) of a state of separation, that is of distance
1d1) physical, of distance of place
1d2) temporal, of distance of time
2) of origin
2a) of the place whence anything is, comes, befalls, is taken
2b) of origin of a cause
ἀπό apo apo'
A primary particle; “off” , that is, away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literally or figuratively)
The Hebrew takes that word off and translates it #4803, to pluck off the hair.
Isa 50:6
|
yw]G@
my back 1460 G¢wî |
yT!t^n`
I gave 5414 n¹¾attî |
<yK!m^l=
to the smiters, 5221 l®makkîm |
yy~j*l=W
and my cheeks 3895 ûlµ¹yay |
|
<yf!r+m)l= to them that plucked off the hair: 4803 l®mœr‰îm |
yn~P*
my face 6440 p¹nay |
aý
not 3808 lϡ |
yT!r+T^s=h!
I hid 5641 histartî |
|
toMl!K=m! from shame 3639 miklimmô¾ |
.qr)w`
and spitting. 7536 w¹rœq. |
(Interlinear Transliterated Bible. Copyright ©
1994-2011 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. [For more detail see the full
copyright page.])
OT:4803 marat (maw-rat'); a primitive root; to
polish; by implication, to make bald (the head), to gall (the shoulder); also,
to sharpen: KJV - bright, furbish, (have his) hair (be) fallen off, peeled,
pluck off (hair). (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance
with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft,
Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:4803
marat —
to bare, to
polish, to make smooth or bald or bare
a) (Qal)
1) to make bare
2) to scour, to polish
b) (Niphal) to be made bald
(from The
Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew
Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed
from the Institute for Creation Research.)
The Hebrew takes the idea of something being pulled off the
cheeks, a beard, and translates it in that way. We see the Orthodox Jewish
Bible puts brackets around the words the
beard to indicate that the word beard is not actually in the text but implied
by the context.
6 I [Moshiach] offered
My gev (back) to them that deliver blows, and My lekhi (cheeks) to them that
pulled out [the beard]: I hid not My face from kelimot (humiliations, shame)
and rok (spitting, saliva).
This then seems to indicate that Jesus had a
beard that was pulled out at the time of his crucifixion. All Jewish men of
that time had beards, but Jewish men did not have long hair on their heads but
short hair. So it may be that our pictures of Jesus with a short beard and long
hair are the opposite of what he looked like. Let’s continue with Isaiah 52 in
the Amplified
Isa 52:14-15 [For many the Servant of God
became an object of horror; many were astonished at Him.] His face and His
whole appearance were marred more than any man's, and His form beyond that of
the sons of men — but just as many were astonished at Him, 15 So shall He
startle and sprinkle many nations, and kings shall shut their mouths because of
Him; for that which has not been told them shall they see, and that which they
have not heard shall they consider and understand. [Rom 15:21.] AMP
People were astonished at how badly Jesus
looked, his face was marred so badly that he didn’t even look human anymore.
Knowing that his face was hit, and his beard pulled out his face would have
been bloody, bruised, and swollen, and he would have truly looked non-human.
While he hung on the cross his face must have looked unrecognizable. Kings will
be surprised because they hadn’t been told about Jesus’ appearance. Let’s go
onto Isaiah chapter 53.
Isa 53:1-2 WHO HAS believed (trusted in, relied
upon, and clung to) our message [of that which was revealed to us]? And to whom
has the arm of the Lord been disclosed? [John 12:38-41; Rom 10:16.] 2 For [the
Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root out of
dry ground; He has no form or comeliness [royal, kingly pomp], that we should
look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.
When Jesus was growing up he didn’t look
special in any way. He didn’t glow or have a special presence about him. He
didn’t look like a supermodel or an all-star quarterback. He looked average. But
people despised and rejected him.
Isa 53:3-6 He was despised and rejected and
forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and
sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we
did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him. 4 Surely He has borne
our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and
pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten,
and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. [Matt 8:17.] 5 But He was wounded
for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the
chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and
with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. 6 All we like
sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord
has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all. [1 Peter 2:24,25.]
By and through his beatings we are healed. A
question we will look at a bit later is when we will be made whole. Today we
are not made whole, as sickness abounds; certainly we may be healed from sickness
or disease today, but sometimes it seems like we just get sick again tomorrow.
Isa 53:7-12 He was oppressed, [yet when] He was
afflicted, He was submissive and opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led
to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not
His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His
generation, who among them considered that He was cut off out of the land of
the living [stricken to His death] for the transgression of my [Isaiah's] people,
to whom the stroke was due? 9 And they assigned Him a grave with the wicked,
and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, neither was
any deceit in His mouth. [Matt 27:57-60; 1 Peter 2:22,23.] 10 Yet it was the
will of the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief and made Him sick. When
You and He make His life an offering for sin [and He has risen from the dead,
in time to come], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His
days, and the will and pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 He
shall see [the fruit] of the travail of His soul and be satisfied; by His
knowledge of Himself [which He possesses and imparts to others] shall My
[uncompromisingly] righteous One, My Servant, justify many and make many
righteous (upright and in right standing with God), for He shall bear their
iniquities and their guilt [with the consequences, says the Lord]. 12 Therefore
will I divide Him a portion with the great [kings and rulers], and He shall
divide the spoil with the mighty, because He poured out His life unto death,
and [He let Himself] be regarded as a criminal and be numbered with the
transgressors; yet He bore [and took away] the sin of many and made
intercession for the transgressors (the rebellious). [Luke 22:37.] AMP
What we see is that before Jesus was crucified,
he did not look like one of the Elohim. People had no problem identifying
angels, but Jesus didn’t look like an angel. Abraham and Moses recognized
Yahweh/Jehovah, but when he came to earth in human form no one could understand
it was the same one that Moses and Abraham knew. That is why Jesus announced
himself to the Pharisees as I AM. He didn’t look any different than any other
human, he looked ordinary. When he was beaten he was so badly disfigured that
people couldn’t even look at him on the way to Golgotha. While technically we
know that the Jews did not beat him, clearly they forced the hands of the
Romans to beat him. He endured this not only for us, but for the Jews as verse
8 tells us. He is the only atonement for sin today and it pleased the Heavenly
Father to bruise him. Do you understand that the accuser, satan, had been
accusing the Jews before the throne of God on the mount of the congregation for
years, and legally the only way to take away their sins was to offer someone who
was sinless. After his crucifixion, Jesus rescued the righteous, redeemed dead,
those who died believing the Messiah would come, and took them out of Hades.
Jesus then took the keys to hell and death and opened Paradise for the
righteous redeemed people who believe on Jesus as Messiah.
But what will Jesus look like on the day of
redemption? He will look like a lamb who was slaughtered.
Rev 5:6 And there between the throne and the
four living creatures (beings) and among the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin]
I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain [4969], with seven horns and
with seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God [the sevenfold Holy Spirit]
Who have been sent [on duty far and wide] into all the earth. [Isa 53:7; Zech
3:8,9; 4:10.] AMP
NT:4969 sphazo (sfad'-zo); a primary verb; to
butcher (especially an animal for food or in sacrifice) or (generally) to
slaughter, or (specifically) to maim (violently):KJV - kill, slay,
wound.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
(To understand the seven spirits in Revelation:
http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-seven-spirits-in-book-of-revelation.html)
We need to add to what we know so far. Let’s
look at the prophetic foretelling of Jesus’ crucifixion from Psalms 22.
Ps 22:1 MY GOD, my God, why have You forsaken
me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
[Matt 27:46.] AMP
Remember these words were spoken on the cross.
How could David have written the words Jesus would speak on the cross?
Ps 22:6-10 But I am a worm, and no man; I am
the scorn of men, and despised by the people. [Matt 27:39-44.] 7 All who see me
laugh at me and mock me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
[Matt 27:43.] 8 He trusted and rolled himself on the Lord, that He would
deliver him. Let Him deliver him, seeing that He delights in him! [Matt
27:39,43; Mark 15:29,30; Luke 23:35.] 9 Yet You are He Who took me out of the
womb; You made me hope and trust when I was on my mother's breasts. 10 I was cast
upon You from my very birth; from my mother's womb You have been my God. AMP
In verse 9 we are shown Jesus’ human
beginnings. When we look ahead to verse 14 we see that Jesus’ bones were out of
joint, which must have caused great pain.
Ps 22:14-18 I am poured out like water, and all
my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is softened [with anguish]
and melted down within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay
pottery; [with thirst] my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You have brought me
into the dust of death. [John 19:28.] 16 For [like a pack of] dogs they have
encompassed me; a company of evildoers has encircled me, they pierced my hands
and my feet. [Isa 53:7; John 19:37.] 17 I can count all my bones; [the
evildoers] gaze at me. [Luke 23:27,35.] 18 They part my clothing among them and
cast lots for my raiment (a long, shirtlike garment, a seamless undertunic).
[John 19:23,24.] AMP
Verse 16 has a Masoretic alteration in some
texts which eliminates the word pierced
and changes this section to: (16) Dogs are all around me, a pack of villains
closes in on me like a lion [at] my hands and feet https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+22&version=CJB Such alterations were done
to disqualify Jesus as Messiah.
Ps 22:22 I will declare Your name to my
brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise You. [John 20:17; Rom
8:29; Heb 2:12.] AMP
Ps 22:31 They shall come and shall declare His
righteousness to a people yet to be born — that He has done it [that it is
finished]! [John 19:30.] AMP
After Jesus’ resurrection he still didn’t look
like a supermodel. Jesus still bears the marks of a back that was whipped,
hands/wrists and feet/ankles that were impaled with stakes, and a hole in his
side. He also bears the marks of a face that was beaten beyond the recognition
of human form, with chunks of his beard missing from his face. Jesus also has
scars on his head from the crown of thorns that were pounded into his scalp. He
looks like he was slaughtered. We will be surprised on the day of redemption to
see a man who was slain rather than a blond haired, blue eyed, renaissance type
portrait of a man. In today’s world of image, fashion, and beauty, Jesus’
grotesque look will be shocking to everyone.
On the road to Emmaus the two disciples didn’t
recognize him, he didn’t look the same, but also, he was wearing a coat, which
had a hood. Many cultures think it is rude to look into someone’s eyes, so they
probably all looked down at the ground while walking. It wasn’t until Jesus
lifted his hands to bless the bread that they saw the nail holes in his wrists
while his hood probably slipped back exposing his face.
Luke 24:16 But their eyes were held, so that
they did not recognize Him. AMP
Luke 24:30-31 And it occurred that as He
reclined at table with them, He took [a loaf of] bread and praised [God] and
gave thanks and asked a blessing, and then broke it and was giving it to them
31 When their eyes were [instantly] opened and they [clearly] recognized Him,
and He vanished (departed invisibly). AMP
A short while later, Jesus popped in on the
disciples and showed them his hands and feet. That tells us they still had
holes in them. So even if they couldn’t recognize his face, they knew him by
his hands and feet.
Luke 24:38-40 And He said to them, Why are you
disturbed and troubled, and why do such doubts and questionings arise in your
hearts? 39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Feel and handle Me
and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have. 40
And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. AMP
We also know that Thomas actually touched Jesus
in his resurrected body.
John 20:27-29 Then He said to Thomas, Reach out
your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place [it] in My
side. Do not be faithless and incredulous, but [stop your unbelief and]
believe! 28 Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God! 29 Jesus said to him,
Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)?
Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet
have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me. AMP
Jesus probably isn’t still bruised and bloody
but he most certainly bears the marks of disfigurement. Let’s look closely at
what John says about Jesus’ appearance when John was on Patmos. John heard a
voice and saw a man with a long robe on.
Rev 1:12-17 Then I turned to see [whose was]
the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden
lampstands, 13 And in the midst of the lampstands [One] like a Son of Man,
clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about
His breast. [Dan 7:13; 10:5.] 14 His head and His hair were white like white
wool, [as white] as snow, and His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire. [Dan
7:9.] 15 His feet glowed like burnished (bright) bronze as it is refined in a
furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. [Dan 10:6.] 16 In His
right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth there came forth a sharp
two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday.
[Ex 34:29.] 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His
right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last, [Isa
44:6.] AMP
Jesus’ hair was white as wool or snow, and his
eyes flash like flames. Jesus may have looked as bright as the sun, and the
brightness was centered around his head as his feet were like polished bronze.
Jesus simply glowed. John, who surely saw him in his resurrected body, didn’t
wonder who he was, however Jesus’ glory was very bright. John doesn’t tell us
that Jesus had holes in his wrists or feet, or flesh pulled off his cheek. Yet
John’s description speaks of Jesus’ beauty. This is not the beauty of the
world, but the beauty of our resurrected Lord and Savior. Just a short time
later, as the redeemed have been gathered on the day of redemption and are awaiting
the one who can open the seals, the only worthy one looks like he was
butchered. Yet instead of weeping and wailing, the redeemed who are the
episunogogue or the above assembly, start singing about being redeemed by
Jesus’ blood and being made to be kings and priests. That is a different
picture of beauty than the world promotes today. What if what we are presented
with in this world as beauty, is really not true beauty?
2 Cor 11:13-15 For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no
wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore
it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers
of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. NKJV
If satan transforms himself to look like an
angel of light, and his people on earth who sell out to satan’s power can
transform themselves to look like apostles and ministers, then we certainly
know that what we have been schooled to think regarding Jesus’ appearance of a
blond haired, blue eyed handsome man is not accurate. The devil has pushed the
world into believing in his idea of beauty which is always the opposite of
God’s idea of beauty. Now having said that, many people have seen visions of
Jesus, but let’s remember, Jesus knows where we are in our belief and maturity.
If Jesus appeared to people as a man who was murdered, most people wouldn’t’
know what to think. Also, keep in mind our limited dimensionality. In our
three/four dimensions Jesus had to come back with flesh and bone, but outside
our limited dimensions he does not need flesh and bone. On the day of
redemption, the day Jesus calls from the clouds, every eye will see him, and
what will he look like?
1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are [even here and] now
God's children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be
[hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as
God's children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He
[really] is. AMP
We will see Jesus in his glorious resurrected multi-dimensional
body, which while bright and glowing, bears the marks of a brutal killing. What
is beauty, the smoothed skinned individual, with flowing golden brown hair or the
scarred, disjointed body with holes, and a face that looks marred? This brings
up Jesus’s words regarding entering life without body parts if those body parts
would cause you to go to hell.
Mark 9:43-48 And if your hand puts a stumbling
block before you and causes you to sin, cut it off! It is more profitable and
wholesome for you to go into life [that is really worthwhile] maimed than with
two hands to go to hell (Gehenna), into the fire that cannot be put out. 45 And
if your foot is a cause of stumbling and sin to you, cut it off! It is more
profitable and wholesome for you to enter into life [that is really worthwhile]
crippled than, having two feet, to be cast into hell (Gehenna). 47 And if your
eye causes you to stumble and sin, pluck it out! It is more profitable and
wholesome for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes
to be thrown into hell (Gehenna), 48 Where their worm [which preys on the
inhabitants and is a symbol of the wounds inflicted on the man himself by his
sins] does not die, and the fire is not put out. [Isa 66:24.] AMP
Leaving a body part behind in this context is a
soul issue. If we have sin, we need to control ourselves; and if controlling
our sin means cutting off a hand or foot, it is better to do it then to keep on
sinning and end up in hell. Our life in the millennial kingdom is determined by
how much of our soul we put into subjection to our spirit. The righteous redeemed
dead will have no pain or torment in Paradise, and their spirit and soul will
enter the kingdom of heaven in whatever condition their body was in on earth.
When we previously looked at Paul and Ignatius, the first century pillars of
faith, they both had no concern about being martyred. Polycarp was burned
alive, and John was boiled in oil although he didn’t die from that but of old
age. They will wear the appearance of their martyrdom in Paradise, yet they
will also be clothed in glory. In his resurrected body, Jesus ate, drank, and
walked through walls, but scripture clearly shows that he still had holes in
his body. And as he told the disciples, a ghost does not have flesh and bones. Notice
Jesus didn’t say anything about blood, just flesh and bones. Yet Paul says flesh and blood cannot inherit
the kingdom of God, 1 Corinthians 15:50. On earth, Jesus came back with flesh
and bone for forty days, to witness his resurrection. His resurrected body had
a multi-dimensional ability as our new bodies will have when we come back to
earth with him to war for Israel. http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2012/12/our-new-bodies-sagittarius-jesus-coming.html
Jesus is not the only one who was raised from
the dead, there are other people recorded in both the Old and New Testaments
who have been raised from the dead. The difference is that all the others
eventually died again, but Jesus is still alive. Some of the heroes of the
faith will enter into life without body parts, but again that will not impair
them in the future kingdom.
Heb 11:35-40 [Some] women received again their
dead by a resurrection. Others were tortured to death with clubs, refusing to
accept release [offered on the terms of denying their faith], so that they
might be resurrected to a better life. [1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:25-37.] 36
Others had to suffer the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and
imprisonment. 37 They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting
offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered
by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins
of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated — 38 [Men] of whom the world was not worthy —
roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and
caverns and holes of the earth. 39 And all of these, though they won divine
approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was
promised, 40 Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in
view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come
to perfection apart from us [before we could join them]. AMP
These people won divine approval by their faith,
but they have not been made perfect just yet because of us. The number of Gentiles
hasn’t been fulfilled yet. There is a resurrection of the dead, but by the time
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, people had mistakenly thought the dead were not
going to rise.
1 Cor 15:16-20 For if the dead are not raised,
then Christ has not been raised; 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your
faith is mere delusion [futile, fruitless], and you are still in your sins
[under the control and penalty of sin]; 18 And further, those who have died in
[spiritual fellowship and union with] Christ have perished (are lost)! 19 If we
who are [abiding] in Christ have hope only in this life and that is all, then
we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied. 20 But the fact is that
Christ (the Messiah) has been raised from the dead, and He became the
firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death]. AMP
The dead are not asleep, as in not being
conscious, but their bodies look as if they are sleeping when they are laid in
the grave. However, they are very much alive, as Jesus told us. God is not the
God of the dead but of the living. The issue is that we are three part beings,
spirit, soul, and body. We have three parts, the body does not enter the
kingdom, but the spirit and soul do. The spirit of man is either made alive
through Christ or is unsaved. That determines where you go upon physical death.
Your soul is connected to your reward and position in the kingdom. The bride
qualifies to come back with Jesus at the end of the tribulation because of
his/her actions on earth. Pluck out your eye if it might keep you from the
blessings of God, that is what Jesus was communicating. The physical body
decays in the earth, the soul is an impression of the body it lived in. Jesus
says God is the God of the living.
Mark 12:25-27 For when they arise from among
the dead, [men] do not marry nor are [women] given in marriage, but are like
the angels in heaven. 26 But concerning the dead being raised — have you not
read in the book of Moses, [in the passage] about the [burning] bush, how God
said to him, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?
[Ex 3:2-6.] 27 He is not the God of [the] dead, but of [the] living! You are
very wrong. AMP
Understand that when we rise we will be like
the angels. Angels have bodies when they come to earth, but they are not like
ours (Jude said the fallen ones left their own habitation meaning their angelic
bodies). In Moses’ day, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were dead, however they were
not asleep, or unconscious, they were alive and are still awaiting the
resurrection. The understanding that the dead are awaiting the resurrection and
are quite alive is not a new idea. In Job we find a missing section of
scripture in the very last verse that indicates the resurrection was well
known. Some people suspect Moses to have written the book of Job, and some
believe that it was one of the first books written, even before Genesis. With
that in mind, resurrection is not a new idea. Let’s note the last section of
the last verse in the book of Job.
Job 42:16 And Job lived after his affliction
a hundred and seventy years: and all the years he lived were two hundred and
forty: and Job saw his sons and his sons’ sons, the fourth
generation. 17 And Job died, an old man and full of days: and it is
written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up.
[ job.42.17 ] και [AND] ετελευτησεν [CAME TO AN
END] ιωβ [IOB] πρεσβυτερος [AN OLD MAN] και [AND] πληρης [FULL] ημερων [DAYS]
γεγραπται [IT IS WRITTEN] δε [BUT] αυτον [HIM] παλιν [AGAIN] αναστησεσθαι
[ANASTEHSESTHAI] μεθ [AFTER] ων [WHICH] ο [THE] κυριος [THE LORD] ανιστησιν
[ANISTEHSIN] ουτος [HE] ερμηνευεται [ERMEHNEUETAI] εκ [ON]
The Complete Koine-English Reference Bible: New Testament, Septuagint and
Strong's Concordance by Joshua Dickey
These Greek words in the New Testament for resurrection and rise are the same words that we see in Job.
NT:386 anastasis (an-as'-tas-is); from NT:450;
a standing up again, i.e. (literally) a resurrection from death (individual,
genitive case or by implication [its author]), or (figuratively) a (moral)
recovery (of spiritual truth):KJV - raised to life again, resurrection, rise
from the dead, that should rise, rising again.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
NT:450 anistemi
(an-is'-tay-mee); from NT:303 and NT:2476; to stand up (literal or figurative,
transitive or intransitive): KJV - arise, lift up, raise up (again), rise
(again), stand up (-right).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
This brings us to the understanding that the
dead are not dead but alive and awaiting the resurrection of the dead; when the
dead in Christ rise first then the living are caught up with them. That is what
Jesus said in Mark 12. Job was a righteous man and through all the trials he had
he did not curse or blame God. Job was accused by the accuser of the brethren
and made it through the trials to be announced as one who will rise again when
the Lord raises his called out. Paul has to deal with this issue of the dead
and the future resurrection when talking to the Corinthians because there was
obviously some confusion.
We are not lost if we are in union with Christ,
that is our hope. Paul tells us that Jesus was the first one raised and we know
that when Jesus was in the grave he was not asleep, but witnessing to the
imprisoned spirits, setting the captives free, and taking back the keys to hell
and death. Jesus did all these things with a marred and scarred body.
1 Cor 15:21-23 For since [it was] through a man
that death [came into the world, it is] also through a Man that the resurrection
[386] of the dead [has come]. 22 For just as [because of their union of nature]
in Adam all people die, so also [by virtue of their union of nature] shall all
in Christ be made alive. 23 But each in his own rank and turn: Christ (the
Messiah) [is] the firstfruits, then those who are Christ's [own will be
resurrected] [386] at His coming. AMP
One day our bodies will be transformed like Jesus’
body. On the day of redemption we will be conformed to be like him, but we will
look the way we do now. However, as we have previously studied we will have new
bodies. Bodies that defy the dimensions we are limited to now. Those bodies are
the ones that are invincible in the end time battle when we come back with
Jesus just before Jesus’ millennial kingdom begins.
Phil 3:20-21 For our citizenship is in heaven,
from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who
will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body,
according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to
Himself. NKJV
Jesus’ body is glorious, even if he looks like
a lamb that was murdered. Jesus will rule and reign and everyone will see and
know that he was the one crucified. Our first look at Jesus may be a surprise
as we might be expecting our Messiah to look like a supermodel, but we will
know exactly who he is. Imagine his reign as King of kings and Lord of lords,
when everyone knows and sees him the way he really is. Imagine the reaction of
those who disbelieved Jesus was the Messiah and had him beaten and crucified.
Everyone will see what he endured for every human being on earth. On the Day of
Lord, at the end of the tribulation people will see him and mourn. Let’s close
with Zechariah.
Zech 12:10 And I will pour out upon the house
of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace or unmerited
favor and supplication. And they shall look [earnestly] upon Me Whom they have
pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and shall
be in bitterness for Him as one who is in bitterness for his firstborn. [John
19:37; Rev 1:7.] AMP
