Appendix

Chapter 1 – Recap

Claim – God raised His son Jesus from the dead. This is an historical fact, not merely a teaching. This action vindicated all that Jesus had been teaching and doing for the past 3^1/2 years. This man was not only alive again after being buried in a tomb for three days, but was transformed from a human to a divine nature. This reality became a matter of “first importance” when preaching the gospel (1Cor 15: 3). The fact of Jesus’ resurrection by God is the critical, core teaching of the Gospel, and the cornerstone of Biblical Christianity.

Understanding the truth about the resurrected Jesus will compel you to discard your misconceptions and share the true Bible teaching with others.

Conclusion – The fact of Jesus’ resurrection by God is the cornerstone of Biblical Christianity. Preaching and teaching the resurrection of Jesus to eternal life is a matter of first importance, as is his exaltation as a man who is given the title ‘Lord Jesus Christ’. The resurrection of Jesus confirmed the promises God made to Abraham and David. Resurrection to eternal life is the substance of the Christian hope. It is also the means whereby the faithful dead can be made alive again to serve in the Kingdom on earth.

The “truth” of the resurrection of Jesus Christ takes an uncompromising position against all other world religions and the skeptics of Scripture. It also is in opposition to:
(1) the doctrine of the Trinity,
(2) the teaching that man has an immortal soul, and
(3) the belief that when the faithful die, they
go to heaven.

References

#1 – 1Cor 15: 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

#8 – Acts 24:15 having a hope in God which these themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.
Acts 26:6-8 And now I stand here on trial for hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
Acts 28:20 For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
Rom 8:24 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved.

Points

#1 – 1. The resurrection is not an assertion but a conclusion based on evidence. The resurrected Jesus is a Bible fact.
2. Since Jesus was raised to eternal life by God, both dead and living believers have the opportunity to be made alive as he is alive..

#2 – 1. God raised the dead Jesus.
2. Jesus was raised because of God’s promises made to king David.
3. Jesus’ death and resurrection was part of God’s plan from the beginning.

#3 – 1. The ‘fact’ of Jesus’ resurrection is absolutely fundamental, a core teaching of Biblical Christianity, a ‘first principle’ of the NT gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. Belief is in vain if Jesus was not raised.

#4 – 1. By killing Jesus, the Jewish leaders were fulfilling predictions of the prophets.
2. Jesus’ resurrection would bring about the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

#5 – 1. Everyone who is made of flesh is under “the law of sin” in their body. 2. Jesus broke the hold of sin and death, giving us hope and deliverance from sin.

#6 – 1. Jesus chose to take on and perform the role of a servant, and so in humility, he emptied himself of all human aspirations.
2. Therefore, after his obedience unto death, Jesus was glorified and exalted by God.

#7 – 1. Jesus was and is the means by which people can be raised from the dead.
2. After the death of Lazarus, Martha calls Jesus “Christ”, affirming her belief in his kingship, and being “the Son of God”.

#8 – 1. The teaching of the resurrection was consistent with the law and the prophets.
2. The “hope of Israel” is the hope of resurrection to eternal life in the Kingdom.

So What

The eternal life given to Jesus entailed a body that cannot die and cannot sin. This Scripture teaching is unique in world religion and philosophy. Any religion that teaches an “immortal soul” is in conflict with basic Bible teaching. No reward or punishment is given to people at their death; that outcome depends on the verdict of Jesus the judge when he returns. All men die unless they turn from their sins. God wants to save people from their sins and perdition.

God and Jesus are clearly distinct beings. Thus the doctrine of the Trinity is non-Biblical. The sacrificial death of Jesus fulfilled OT prophecy. Salvation is not found in a crucified, dead Jesus, but in a risen, living Lord. The assertion that “everything was accomplished at the cross of Jesus” falls short of the full, true Bible teaching.

There is a place for Bible-based dogmatism. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are at the heart of the full gospel of Christ as well as being symbolized in the act of baptism of a disciple. The doctrine of a triune God takes away from the true: glory achieved by Jesus in the power of his Father.

Jesus and his apostles cited OT passages as proof of the resurrection. The promises made to Abraham and David are essential to rightly understanding the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Those men and women who have been baptized into Christ are considered the offspring of faithful Abraham and heirs of the same promise.

Jesus set men free from sin by his resurrection to eternal life, not his death on the cross. Jesus was God’s means of overcoming the “law of sin and death”, first for himself, and then for all who would believe in and follow him. A disciple’s #1 enemy is him/herself.

Jesus expects his disciples to work with him and like him, a man who is gentle and lowly in heart; when they do, his “yoke is easy”. The “Lord Jesus Christ” is an expanded title that indicates a special anointing by God. The exaltation of Jesus is depicted as a ‘risen’ Lamb worthy to be praised, having conquered Death and the grave.

God gave Jesus the power to resurrect and judge the dead. Giving this privilege makes no sense if there are co-equal gods. God has given Jesus the role of being the resurrection source and the executor of judgment. Jesus’ criteria are simple: hear my word and believe in him who sent me. Faithful disciples will be granted eternal life.

The Christian hope rests entirely on the resurrection of Jesus. No other world religion has such a teaching. No true Bible teaching will displace it from a central, foundation position. Teaching that man has an ‘immortal soul’ and ‘going to heaven for Christ’s reward’ is to teach error. Eternal life in God’s Kingdom on earth is true teaching.

Chapter 2 – Recap

Claim – A resurrection first requires the death of the one to be raised. Jesus was dead. He had died on the cross, his body taken down, hastily prepared for burial, and laid in a tomb. For three days, Jesus ceased to exist. The dead body of Jesus on the cross symbolized the victory of Jesus over sin.

Understanding the truth about the dead body of Jesus will compel you to discard your misconceptions and share the true Bible teaching with others.

Conclusion – Jesus died by crucifixion on a tree. No bones were broken, but his side was pierced by a Roman soldier. His dead body was taken down, bound in linen cloths with spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews” (Jn 19:40). The body was put in Joseph’s new tomb, whose great stone door was later sealed at the request of the chief priests and with the authorization of the Roman governor. For “three days” according to Jewish reckoning and his own prediction, Jesus ceased to exist.

The reality of Jesus’ death and burial had been prophesied in the Old Testament, and now had been fulfilled. Since he was a mortal human being, Jesus could and did die. However, his time in the grave would be short, since he had destroyed the power of sin represented by the serpent as foretold in Gen 3:15. The “law of sin and death” was to be superseded by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, the resurrected man.

Jesus likened himself to a dead snake on a pole. This shocking picture is not one of a victim but of victory. When Jesus died, it was the end of sin in and for him. While crucifixion is certainly a terrible and very painful thing, the cross of Jesus was the end of suffering and a superlative triumph over his #1 enemy.

References

#1 – Jn 19:33 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him; 33 but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.

Points

#1 – 1. The soldier piercing Jesus’ body with a spear doubly assured that Jesus was dead.
2. Prophets foretold details of Jesus’ death hundreds of years before it happened; all was happening according to God’s plan.

#2 – 1. Jesus was clearly dead on the cross – it was not a faint. His was the dead body taken down – no mistaken identity.
2. It took courage for Joseph to request the body. It also took faith for Nicodemus to join him in getting Jesus properly buried.

#3 – 1. Joseph buried Jesus in his own tomb, fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 53:9 that the one “smitten by God” would be buried in a rich man’s tomb.
2. Jesus was a true prophet: his prediction of being dead in the ground like Jonah was “in the belly of a whale”, proved true.

#4 – 1. Like the bronze serpent on the pole, Jesus’ dead body on the cross showed the defeat of sin and means of salvation.
2. People who know they are dying sinners can look to and believe in Jesus to be their savior; to not do so is to perish!

#5 – 1. Since Jesus died, there was a dead body, which could be buried, and then also raised from the grave.
2. All this was in accordance with Scripture, the inspired word of God.

#6 – 1. It was through Jesus’ death that the devil was destroyed. This happened at the cross.
2. Jesus resisted sin for his entire life; he killed sin on the cross; sin was eliminated in Jesus when he was given a spiritual body by God when he was raised to eternal life.
3. The true evil of sinful human nature was exposed and condemned by God in the sending and obedience of His Son Jesus.
4. To “destroy the works of the devil” is another way of describing how Jesus set men free “from the law of sin and death”.

So What

None of Jesus’ bones were broken during his crucifixion and death. This was a clear fulfillment of OT prophecy; Jesus was the flawless Passover lamb, who was also the Christ to take away the sin of the world. Men tried to thwart God’s purpose, but He foiled their evil deeds by raising Jesus from the dead, just as was prophesied.

The death state is clearly explained in Scripture. Since Jesus was dead; he knew, thought and felt nothing. Unless God intervened, Jesus had no hope of future existence or reward – the grave was his end. Joseph and Nicodemus were converted to believe in Jesus, and thus were not afraid to demonstrate their new faith in public and by their action.

Jesus predicted that after he was killed, he would rise again in three days. The Jewish leaders who plotted his death and saw him die on the cross were so worried about his dead body somehow coming out of the tomb, they took special precautions against such a thing happening. In doing so, they made the case for a resurrected Jesus extraordinarily strong. The actions of wicked men were turned into powerful evidence for the truth: it had to be God who raised Jesus.

The prophecy in Genesis 3:15 – the battle between the serpent and the seed of the woman – was fulfilled by Jesus. The serpent’s sinful thinking and behavior are still manifest in human beings today. It needs to be destroyed. Jesus pointed to himself as an example of how sin can be put to death in a person. Sin can be defeated by the disciple who finds salvation in Christ.

Jesus ceased to exist as a living person. But after a short ‘sleep’ in the tomb, God raised him up. These events establish the pattern of what will happen to those who die believing in Christ: they “fall asleep”, waiting for Jesus to return and resurrect them. Jesus died for our sins; not “in the place of” – as a substitute – but rather “on behalf of” – as our representative and the example to follow.

Analyzing and aligning the text of Hebrews 2, 1John 3 and Romans 8 show that their teaching about sin and the devil is the same, only in different words. Scripture uses the term “devil” to represent sinful human nature. To incorrectly identify the ‘devil’ [e.g., to think it is a fallen rebel angel] means your effort to resist it is likely misplaced! The Colossians 2:11-14 passage reinforces the teaching on how Jesus ‘destroyed his devil / condemned sin’ when he died on the cross. Men’s bondage to “the law of sin and death” and bondage to the law of Moses were both removed by the resurrected Jesus.
In the same way that David killing Goliath freed the Israelites to pursue their enemy, Jesus killing Sin on the cross frees us to fight our own sin nature and serve God wholeheartedly. Death no longer has the victory.

Chapter 3 – Recap

Claim – Life precedes death. Jesus existed. He was a real human being who ate and drank, who worked and got tired, and who had both friends and enemies.

Jesus was the superlative human being, who lived for the praise of God’s glory. For an intense 3^1/2 years, he preached the good news of God and went about doing good. He healed people physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Because he loved them, Jesus lay down his life for his friends, and prayed for his enemies. His enemies would kill him, but his friends would see him alive again!

Conclusion – Jesus chose to serve God every day of his life, and successfully did so for his entire lifetime. He was clearly no ordinary man, nor even an extraordinary man, but a unique man. He was a person prepared by God to do a job that no one else had done or could do (cf. Is 59:16-17, Rom 3:9-24). It would start with a unique birth, and continue on in every stage of Jesus’ life, as his Father perfected him through a process of discipline and suffering.

Physically, Jesus was a human being exactly like the rest of mankind. This was necessary for him to become and qualify as the ‘perfect’ sacrifice. For example, Jesus could be tempted, but he never yielded to the temptation, and therefore he never sinned. He focused completely on his assignment, which was to preach and enact the gospel of the Kingdom of God. He determined to be obedient to God in every way, even if it meant being falsely condemned to death and giving up his own will.

It was fitting that Jesus was not only mortal, but had free choice. He chose not to sin, and was killed for it! That life of obedience was the necessary path that led to eternal life, first for Jesus, and then for all who would follow the same path (cf. 1Cor 15:23).

References

#1 – Phil 2:7 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men…

Points

#1 – 1. Jesus was in the “form of God” in his role and mindset, not his physical nature.
2. Jesus had free will, as we do. He chose to take on and perform the role of a servant.

#2 – 1. God sent Jesus to preach, and Jesus made this assignment a priority.
2. Jesus went first to the Jews, but then also to the Gentiles.

#3 – 1. When Jesus was alive as a human being, he prayed to God for help, and was “heard for his godly fear”.
2. Jesus had to learn obedience; he was not born perfect, but was perfected [an ongoing process] by what he suffered.

#4 – 1. The ‘body prepared’ for sacrifice by God would work in conjunction with Jesus’ response of “I come to do thy will”.
2. Jesus’ sacrifice was voluntary, brought life, and could purify the conscience.

#5 – 1. Jesus was a flesh-and-blood man who shared human nature in every respect.
2. To be the first man ‘made perfect through suffering’, Jesus had to have human nature.

#6 – 1. Jesus knew the outcome of doing God’s will, but he still committed to do it.
2. Jesus prayed 3 times for an alternative, yet repeatedly said “thy will be done”.

#7 – 1. Jesus had the power to heal people completely and instantly; he was a loving, caring, master physician of all ills.
2. However, Jesus’ primary aim was to save people from their sins, i.e., spiritual healing.

#8 – 1. Jesus ‘lay down his life’ (a) for the sheep and (b) for his friends.
2. Friendship with Jesus and ‘bearing fruit’ tie directly with doing his commandments.

So What

Jesus’ ongoing choice to always obey his Father resulted in a life that always served the purpose of God. He used his free will to choose what divine angels do by nature. Unlike Adam who evidently presumed to “seek equality with God”, Jesus did not presume to take advantage of his status as God’s Son. Romans 5:12-21 compares and contrasts Adam & Jesus; the comparison is only valid if Jesus was a human being with choice, and thus not the triune God-the-Son.

Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom of God. This message entailed the land of Israel, the throne in Jerusalem, and peace and righteousness under the Messiah. However, the call for repentance and acceptance that Jesus was the Christ challenged the Jews. The full gospel includes the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and is incomplete if only the name of Jesus Christ is preached.

Though God’s Son, Jesus still had to learn obedience. His reverential fear was his freewill choice, and not inherent in his human nature. Jesus was unique as the only human being to never serve self but always serve God. The teaching that God and Jesus are co-equal beings takes away from the real struggle Jesus experienced and the significance of his being perfected for “a single sacrifice for sins”.

For Jesus, doing the will of God meant obeying gladly, with all his heart, mind, soul and strength. He loved doing it, because he loved his Father, and loved mankind. Jesus is the perfect example in how to be a “living sacrifice”: giving your whole self in the purpose of God and using your God-given talents to serve those you encounter.

Jesus benefited from his own sacrifice, and was used by God to open the way for others to follow. It is not Bible truth to teach that Christ pre-existed before his birth or that Jesus is part of a triune God. It is impossible to get it right with Jesus without knowing who he truly is.

Jesus’ asking for other possibilities proves he had free will right up until the end; he was not a God-man who must inevitably to right. Jesus agonized in Gethsemane to do right. His victory proves that the power of God coupled with a willing spirit does overcome the flesh.

Jesus often tied the physical healing with the forgiveness of sins (e.g., woman with flow of blood, crazy-man Legion, the paralytic). He could also raise the dead and did so on three different occasions (cf. a daughter, a son, Lazarus) as proof that God was the source of his power and therefore people should believe that he spoke for God.

Jesus began laying down his life from the start of his ministry, not just when he went to the cross. His “sheep” are those who hear and obey his voice; his “friends” are those who love, i.e., seek out the welfare and ultimate good of others. To not so love is to perish.

Chapter 4 – Recap

Claim – Jesus was born of Mary. His birth was unique, in that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, the power of God. Thus Jesus did not have a human father, but he was “the only begotten son of God”. Because Mary had not had sexual intercourse with Joseph [the man to whom she was engaged when she got pregnant by means of the Holy Spirit], Mary was definitely a virgin. This circumstance had been prophesied in the Old Testament Scripture, and was wonderfully fulfilled when Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Understanding the truth about Jesus being “born of woman” will compel you to reject false teaching on that topic and share the true Bible teaching with others.

Conclusion – Jesus was a descendant of both king David and the patriarch Abraham (Matthew 1:1). As shown in the family tree given in Luke 3:23-38, Jesus was also an offspring from the first man Adam and his wife Eve. Like every other human being since creation, Jesus was born of a woman. His mother Mary was a virgin, and it was by the power of the Holy Spirit of God that Jesus was conceived. Thus Jesus was the “only-begotten” Son of God. This unique event was a necessary first step in God’s plan to save the world, both Jew and Gentile, both men and women, from sin and perdition.

References

#1 – Lk 1:31 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Points

#1&#2 – 1. Mary was a virgin, but she was not ‘immaculate’ [sin-free]. She was specially chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus; the choice was obviously fitting.
2. Jesus was conceived by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. God was the Father.
3. The angelic announcement was prophetic and splendid. Jesus would be great, Son of God Most High, given king David’s throne, reign over the house of Jacob [Israel], and there would be no end to his Kingdom.

#3 – 1. Jesus was born king of the Jews. His family tree tracked back to king David, who was king over the 12 tribes of Israel, coming from the tribe of Judah [root word for Jews]
2. Being king of the Jews will have a future fulfillment when Jesus returns to reign in Jerusalem over all the world.

#4 – 1. Mary was a Jewess, Jesus was her boy, and both were obligated to keep the Law of Moses. Jesus did, but went much further: instead of an animal sacrifice, he made a single solitary sacrifice of himself.
2. Those “redeemed from the law” can now be “adopted as sons” into the family of God; this freedom is accomplished through Christ.

#5 – 1. The amazing prophecy in Isaiah about a virgin giving birth was fulfilled literally in Mary.
2. Jesus was so named because he would “save the people from their sins”.

#6 – 1. Jesus was the only begotten son of God. Adam was created, but Jesus was conceived.
2. Jesus is the one sent by God as His offer of salvation to mankind; believe it, or perish.

So What

To accept the Bible explanation of the virgin birth is to acknowledge that this is when Jesus came into existence like every other human being. He was born of a normal woman, had a nature that could sin, had a normal flesh-and-blood body, had free will, and feared God. God fathered a Son. Given the straightforward meaning of the relationship of ‘father’ and ‘son’, Jesus came into existence after God. Therefore, Jesus was not co-eternal or co-existent with God, as is claimed by Trinitarian teaching.
Jesus had human ancestors, king David being a special one of them. This descent from David “according to the flesh” is seen as a key New Testament teaching (Rom 1:3, cf. 2Jn 1:7)

Jesus is the ‘seed’ of David, and will be the one to fulfill the promises that God made to David concerning a Kingdom in Israel that will last forever. Jesus is also the one prophesied to be the child born to take on the everlasting government of Israel as “Wonderful Counselor…Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6-7). Jesus taught and practiced ‘servant leadership’ during his ministry, and stated that is how thing will be run in the Kingdom of God on earth when he returns as king. His disciples are to emulate God and Jesus in their servant-leadership.

Mary was a faithful but ordinary woman. The worship of Mary is not only misguided, it is wrong. Roman Catholic Church teaching about Mary is obviously at odds with the teaching of Scripture. Jesus was a Jew, whom God sent to save mankind regardless of race. Racial hatred against the Jews [anti-semitism] is not right.
God is the Redeemer, Jesus is the means of redemption. The law could not save, but only enslave. By belief and baptism into Christ, those redeemed from the Mosaic law no longer had to observe it (e.g., there was no longer any ‘unclean’ food if you could give thanks to God for it). Christ also freed people from their sins; they were taken out of bondage to Sin and made servants of God.

The Holy Spirit conception of Jesus was an act of God that made it possible for Mary, a maiden who had no prior sexual involvement with a man, to become pregnant. The rest of the story is easy to accept. However, this ‘virgin birth of Jesus’ is often rejected by higher critics and skeptics. A competent Bible student lets the Bible speak for itself, and is not sidetracked by the critics and skeptics.

God sent his only son, Jesus, into the world, knowing he would be killed, but that it would elicit people’s conviction and repentance. Christianity is unlike any other world religion: it offers a solution to man’s sinfulness and inevitable perdition. God shows mankind the way to overcome sin & death: through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter 5 – Recap

Claim – In direct contrast to the physical, flesh-and-blood body that he once had, Jesus was given a spiritual body, which is immortal [cannot die] and incorruptible [cannot sin]. He is still a man – not now with human nature but with God’s divine nature.

In this resurrected body, he was still recognized as Jesus. He talked, walked, was touched and ate. Now that he could not die or sin anymore, Jesus was perfect for the role of high priest on behalf of all believers everywhere. His kind of glorious body will be the reward given to faithful disciples.

Understanding the truth about Jesus having a spiritual body will compel you to reject false teaching on that topic and share the true Bible teaching with others.

Conclusion – The resurrected Jesus had a spiritual body that could neither die nor sin. It was an indestructible life. It was divine nature, just like his Father’s. He was still recognized as Jesus – a man who talked and walked, could be touched, eat and cook. Now that he was immortal & incorruptible, he was perfect for the role of high priest on behalf of all believers everywhere – from that first day of eternal life up to today and forevermore. The body he now has, and the life he now lives, is precisely what is offered to faithful disciples. What a reward for those who trusted Jesus! What an end for the faithless.

The reward of being given a spiritual body occurs when Jesus returns from heaven, not when a believer dies. Death then only has a temporary victory. Since there is no ‘immortal soul’ in a human being, it is incorrect to think that the ‘departed souls of dead saints live in heaven’. It is correct to believe that one day, Jesus will end Death forever. That experience can be yours!

References

#1 – 1Cor 15:44 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. …. 44 It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.

Points

#1 – 1. There is a spiritual body. It is compared to and contrasted with the physical body.
2. Jesus was given a spiritual body by God.
3. A “flesh and blood” body cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.

#2 – 1. Jesus was glorified by God when He raised him from the dead.
2. Jesus was given a glorious body by God.
3. Faithful disciples will be given the same kind of body as Jesus when he returns.

#3 – 1. Jesus was given an indestructible body.
2. This non-dying body qualified Jesus to become a Melchizedek-type of priest.

#4&#5 – 1. “Imperishable” means “incorruptible” = cannot be corrupted, by rot or by sin.
2. “Immortal” means “cannot die anymore” = has the same nature as divine angels.

#6 – 1. A spiritual body can eat, as illustrated by Jesus eating fish after his resurrection.
2. A spiritual body is solid, not like a ghost.

#7 – 1. A spiritual body can be touched, as shown by the women taking hold of the risen Lord.
2. They were urged to tell this fact to others.

#8 – 1. A spiritual body can be recognized as a regular person, as John did with Jesus.
2. Jesus replayed the same ‘miracle’ of the weary fishermen catching a great haul of fish, to again call them to be fishers of men.

#9 – 1. “I am alive forevermore” demonstrates that his resurrected body would last forever.
2. Jesus has the power to decide who comes out of the grave, and who is rewarded with eternal life.

So What

Like all men, Jesus was born mortal, and did not have an ‘immortal soul’. He was the first man to be given immortality. God gave Jesus the power to give this same new nature to faithful disciples. This reward is given when Jesus returns from heaven, not when a believer dies. Since there is no ‘immortal soul’ in man, it is incorrect to think that the ‘departed souls of dead believers live in heaven’.

When believers die, it is likened to a ‘sleep’ from which Jesus will wake them when he returns to the earth to raise the dead and reward the faithful. Eternal life is given as a reward, “further clothing” the mortal human being with immortality. This further indicates that man does not already have any inherent immortal component.

Faithful disciples have the prospect of unconstrained service as priests in the Kingdom of God. The reward of Jesus is more work from bodies that excel in service, not for endless vacationing.

Never dying and never sinning enable an everlasting relationship with God for the faithful from all the ages. This is how those disciples rewarded with eternal life will be able to rule with Christ for a “thousand years” in the Kingdom age.

Appearing in a real body as a real person was irrefutable evidence for the disciples who saw the resurrected Jesus. Their faith was based on substance, not on wishful thinking. This is the kind of faith expected of disciples from the beginning of the Scripture record.

Before he appeared to any of the twelve, Jesus provided a face-to- face encounter with faithful women, the first being Mary Magdalene. Such women are singled out as great examples in the Gospel record.

Jesus’ essential behavior is the same after his resurrection as before. Taking on a spiritual body appears to not change one’s character or personality. Jesus knew the needs of the early church, and provided the necessary leaders. He continues to do the same for his church today.

When Christ’s actual resurrection took place, Jesus was proven to be a true prophet. Jesus and God came back to work in the lives of the apostles by means of the Holy Spirit. Of those who are raised, some will receive eternal life, some will be cast out and die a second time. Jesus is the judge of these things, and he will not make a mistake.