Kirumba, Mwanza

Death doesn’t have to be the end! It’s in the Bible, John 5:25-26, NKJV. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.”

Jesus has the power to give eternal life. It’s in the Bible, John 11:25, NKJV. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.’”

Was the resurrection real? It’s in the Bible, Matthew 28:5-6, NKJV. “But the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.’ ”

His resurrection was foretold by the prophets of the Bible. It’s in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, NKJV. “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

The resurrection of Jesus is a central truth of the Christian faith. It’s in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:14-17, CEV. “And if Christ wasn’t raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. If the dead won’t be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying that he raised Christ to life, when he really did not. So if the dead won’t be raised to life, Christ wasn’t raised to life. Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins.”

What will our resurrected bodies be like? They will be glorified and immortal. It’s in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44,, TLB. “Our earthly bodies which die and decay are different from the bodies we shall have when we come back to life again, for they will never die. The bodies we have now embarrass us for they become sick and die; but they will be full of glory when we come back to life again. Yes, they are weak, dying bodies now, but when we live again they will be full of strength. They are just human bodies at death, but when they come back to life they will be superhuman bodies”

The Bible mentions two resurrections. It’s in the Bible, John 5:28-29, NKJV. “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

When is the first resurrection? At Jesus’ second coming. It’s in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, NKJV. “ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”

Who is resurrected in the first resurrection? Those dead in Christ, or the righteous, will be resurrected first. It’s in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16, NKJV. “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”

How does the Bible describe those in the first resurrection? It’s in the Bible, Revelation 20:6, NKJV. “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

When is the second resurrection? After the 1,000 years. It’s in the Bible, Revelation 20:5, NKJV. “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished…”

Baptism is a symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection. It’s in the Bible, Romans 6:4-5, NKJV. “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.”

Jesus can resurrect dead relationships and those who are spiritually dead. It’s in the Bible, Ephesians 2:1-2, 4-5, NKJV. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”

Christ’s victory over sin and death proves He can give us victory over sin and death as well. It’s in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:55-58, NKJV. “ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

One day, we will reunite with our loved ones who have died trusting in Jesus and be together with them and Jesus forever. It’s in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18, NKJV. “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”