Vox populi | dead man walking

C

an we raise people from the dead? This is a question that is garnering attention and debate in recent days, and the opinions on this are all over the map. Here are some of the arguments as I’ve heard them, and the list is not exhaustive:

1. Jesus was raised from the dead, and raised people from the dead, and told the disciples they would do greater things when the Holy Spirit empowered them, so we can and should raise people from the dead.
2. The sign gifts were meant for the Apostolic period only, and did not continue into the era of the church. Their purpose was to give authority to the apostles as they began to move the church outside of Jerusalem. As the book of Acts unfolds, we do not have any witness to the dead being raised in the later parts of the story.
3. God still raises people from the dead. Look at what doctors can accomplish now through medical means.
4. There are all kinds of people who claim to have raised the dead, and there are books and videos that bolster their claims.

Here’s my threefold take:

1. While Jesus sent the disciples out to heal the sick, raise the dead etc., this was prior to his own death and resurrection which brought victory over death, and the surety of the resurrection. When we introduce people to Jesus, and they become saved, they are immediately endued with the promise of resurrection into the presence of the Lord, and upon their death will be resurrected.

2. If my brother in the Lord dies, why bring him back from the dead? Isn’t he better off in the presence of the Lord? Scripture says, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). It seems the only option to bring someone back from the dead is in the case of intermediate states, where the soul/spirit of the person waits in limbo. I don’t subscribe to this theology.

3. My final point is more of a pragmatic approach, taking its conclusion much in the same way as “Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus”. In this famous story, the conclusion presumes the existence of Santa Claus based on the word of the editor of the Sun newspaper. My argument isn’t very spiritual, but I would suggest, the absence of any type of reporting about a phenomenon such as raising people from the dead might at least make a headline on Larry King, the BBC, CBC or some other type of investigative journalism show. I know of at least two people who claim to have raised a total of 600 people from the dead and I’ve never seen one report on this. Also, scripture only records a handful of claims to the same.

I believe God can raise people from the dead, but I believe He has accomplished this once for all through Jesus victory over death, and through the promise of resurrection hoped and realized. I don’t know why we’d want to bring a brother or sister back from the dead to face this life once they receive their reward for a faithful life. To this end I don’t think we can physically raise anyone from the dead, but anticipate this won’t be the last word on the matter.

Vox populi appears every Friday on theRubicon. Find past Vox populi posts and a bio of Capt. Rick Zelinsky here.

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