Never Die | The Institute for Creation Research

Never Die

“And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:26).

These words of our sovereign Lord just prior to His raising Lazarus seem to be untrue. We attend funeral services of believers, see their dead bodies in coffins, and witness the coffins prior to their being lowered into the earth. How could Jesus say “never die”?

When a person has an arm or a leg amputated, the appendage dies, but the person lives on. Does something live on in the case of the believer when the whole body is amputated? The answer is emphatically, “yes!” The Lord taught us not to fear “them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). If the believer’s soul goes immediately to be with Jesus when he leaves his body (and this is the clear teaching of Scripture, e.g., Luke 23:43 and II Corinthians 5:1–10), can we truthfully describe him as being dead? He is not dead! He is with Life Himself!  “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). Yes, temporarily the believer is without a body, but even this will be remedied when the Lord returns and the souls of His people are joined to resurrected bodies made incorruptible (I Corinthians 15:52). The believer never dies—even as the Truth Himself (John 14:6) affirmed.

After speaking the words of our text, Jesus asked, “Believest thou this?” We all would do well to believe our Maker. He made us. He knows death by experience. He conquered death and ever lives. Our only hope for life beyond the prospects of bodily separation is Jesus. He alone knows the full truth about life and death.

The next time we are tempted to describe a departed believer as being dead, we may want to remember these words of Jesus and apply them to the situation. PGH

The Latest
NEWS
Creation's Easter Message
While many Christians still consider the creation doctrine a fringe issue, a proper understanding of the Christian message finds creation at its core...

NEWS
ICR Veteran Don Barber Retires
Don Barber   After 34 years with the Institute for Creation Research, Director of Enterprise Technology Don Barber will retire...

CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
The Sanctity of Life | Creation.Live Podcast: Episode 23
Abortion is a big issue culturally and in the church. How can believers love our neighbors and act as the hands and feet of Christ when it comes...

NEWS
Plant Receptors Are Designed to Control Immunity and Development
God has designed plants to continuously track their environment.1 They do so with specially designed detectors (also called receptors) on...

CREATION PODCAST
Homo Naledi: The Lies Behind Evolution's Rising Star | The Creation...
Homo naledi, once evolution's 'rising star,' was considered to be a prime example of human evolution. But is it really proof? Or...

NEWS
A Subsurface Ocean on Mimas?
Scientists have analyzed data obtained from the Cassini spacecraft and concluded that irregularities in the orbit of Saturn’s moon Mimas indicate...

NEWS
In Theaters March 20 & 21: The Ark and the Darkness
Is Genesis true? What about Noah’s Flood? How did Noah fit the animals on the ark? Wasn’t it a local flood? Have you asked these questions? Though...

NEWS
Enigmatic Fossil Plants
The pre-Flood world thousands of years ago was unlike the world of today.1 Unfamiliar animals and plants were common, and there were a lot...

NEWS
Surprisingly Colorful Fossil Snail Shells
Finding organic compounds such as flexible dinosaur collagen and complete bone cells1,2 is becoming common, much to the shock and consternation...

NEWS
March 2024 ICR Wallpaper
"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6 NKJV) ICR March 2024 wallpaper is now available for mobile, tablet,...