People don’t talk much about the return of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead anymore, even though that’s a huge focus in both the Old and New Testaments.
Up to the time of Jesus, most Jews who believed in God and the Torah expected a physical resurrection of the dead at the end of the age. You can see this in the Gospels and Acts where they argue about the resurrection a lot. Somewhere along the line, we’ve taken a few individual verses and built a whole system of an “in-between” stage – g... morePeople don’t talk much about the return of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead anymore, even though that’s a huge focus in both the Old and New Testaments.
Up to the time of Jesus, most Jews who believed in God and the Torah expected a physical resurrection of the dead at the end of the age. You can see this in the Gospels and Acts where they argue about the resurrection a lot. Somewhere along the line, we’ve taken a few individual verses and built a whole system of an “in-between” stage – going straight to heaven or hell as disembodied souls – and then treated that as the main Christian hope.
To be honest, I’m not completely sure what that in-between stage is, or even exactly how it works, if there is one. I do think there’s something, but I’m cautious about being dogmatic. We have to remember: we belong to Christ, but our churches also carry traditions that may or may not line up perfectly with the Bible. No denomination is 100% right, and no denomination is 100% wrong.
Early Christian voices like Irenaeus (a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of the apostle John) pushed back against overly “Greek” ideas of a purely ethereal heaven/hell, and leaned heavily into bodily resurrection and a renewed creation. The New Testament hope of the apostles and first believers is very clearly centred on Jesus’ return and the resurrection of the dead, not detailed descriptions of the in-between.
Paul even warns about groups saying “the resurrection has already happened,” and in 1 Corinthians 15 he makes it clear that those who are alive at Christ’s coming don’t go ahead of those who have died. The big event is still future: “the dead will be raised” and we will be changed.
So I’m not denying there may be some kind of conscious “with the Lord” reality after death – the Bible hints at something – but it says far less about that than it does about the day of resurrection. My point is this: maybe we should be preaching and sharing more about the resurrection of Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, and the hope of His return, and a bit less about trying to nail down every detail of the in-between state. Not because it isn’t real, but because it might not be exactly what we’ve assumed – and the New Testament emphasis is clearly on His coming and our resurrection, not on floating off forever as disembodied spirits.
See some of the scriptures below that show what the apostles – and Jesus Himself – put the spotlight on:
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Old Testament resurrection hope
Daniel 12:2
“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Isaiah 26:19
“Your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy.”
Ezekiel 37:12–14
“I will open your graves and bring you up from them… I will put my Spirit in you and you will live.”
Job 19:25–27
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth… in my flesh I will see God.”
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Jesus on resurrection and the last day
John 5:28–29
“An hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”
John 6:39–40
“This is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day… everyone who believes in the Son may have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
John 11:23–24
“Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’”
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The apostles’ hope: return of Christ and resurrection
Romans 8:23–25
“We eagerly wait for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.”
1 Corinthians 15:20–23
“Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep… in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”
1 Corinthians 15:51–52
“We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13–16
“We do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death… the dead in Christ will rise first.”
2 Timothy 2:17–18
“They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.”
2 Timothy 4:8
“There is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord… will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
Titus 2:13
“We wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
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New creation and reigning with Christ
Revelation 20:4–6
“They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years… Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection.”
Revelation 21:1–4
“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth’… Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them… There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”
SGT Dinah Scivoletti
Joan of Arc Priory
God Above All
