This is a foundational doctrine in the Bible
and is central to the Gospel message, yet many Christians are not aware of what the
Bible says about it. It's time to UNLEARN the lies. UNLEARN Hey, welcome to UNLEARN. My name is Lex, and I'd like to invite you
to join us each week as we UNLEARN the lies and dig deeper into the truth of God's Word. Now, let's get started. According to the book of Hebrews, the resurrection
of the dead was considered one of the “elementary principles of Christ”, and was a foundational
doctrine among First Century believers. “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the
elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation
of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of
laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.” - Hebrews 6:1-3 The writer of Hebrews seems to indicate that
these things are so basic and fundamental that he did not see the need in laying again
the foundation. Unfortunately, the doctrine of the resurrection
of the dead is no longer a fundamental teaching among believers and this foundation needs
to be laid once again. Today, popular teachings about eternal life
speak about disembodied spirits in heaven rather than the hope we have in the resurrection. It seems the only resurrection that Christians
are aware of is the resurrection of Jesus. Most have little or no knowledge about their
own resurrection which will take place when Yeshua returns. In fact, a great number of preachers and teachers
have little or no understanding about the resurrection either, which is why they don’t
teach it to their congregations. Second century writers such as Irenaeus and
Justin Martyr wrote a number of arguments in favor of the resurrection of the body. Here is one example from Justin in which he
frankly states that anyone who denies the resurrection of the body is seeking to rob
us of the promise of eternal life. "They who maintain the wrong opinion say that
there is no resurrection of the flesh... And there are some who maintain that even
Jesus Himself appeared only as spiritual, and not in flesh, but presented merely the
appearance of flesh: these persons seek to rob the flesh of the promise." - Fragments of the Lost Work of Justin on
the Resurrection We also know from studying the writings of
the early church that the resurrection of the dead was still a foundational doctrine
among believers even in the fourth and fifth centuries. In fact, the “Apostles Creed” includes
a statement about the bodily resurrection. "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic
Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and
the life everlasting." - The Apostles’ Creed The Apostles Creed is a statement of belief
that was compiled around the fourth century, and is still in use today. Likewise, the "Nicene Creed", which was adopted
during the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in 381 AD, contains a similar statement about
the resurrection. "...we acknowledge One Baptism for the forgiveness
of sins, the resurrection of the dead and of the age to come." - Nicene Creed These early creeds were considered to be the
standard of faith for believers. They contained what was considered to be the
most important doctrines of their faith, and as such were recited every week during the
liturgy, as many still do today. This shows that not only was the resurrection
a confession of the early church, but that it has endured as a common creed until today. Yet, for some reason, this has not prevented
people from teaching contrary beliefs about life after death. The more I study the resurrection, the more
I am convinced of its importance to the Gospel message. In fact, I firmly believe that without the
resurrection we have no Gospel. “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ
is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is
futile; you are still in your sins!” - 1 Corinthians 15:16-17 Anyone who preaches the Gospel without speaking
about the resurrection of the dead is preaching an empty gospel, and according to Paul, their
“faith is futile”. The resurrection should be one of the very
first things we learn when we begin following Yeshua, that’s why the Bible says it is
an “elementary principle”. By definition, elementary principles pertain
to first things, these are the simple things that you learn first before moving on to more
difficult subjects. It’s the starting point and foundation for
building your understanding of other subjects. It was also a fundamental doctrine among the
Jewish people, who understood it for centuries prior. We see this in the dialogue between Yeshua
and Martha concerning the death of Lazarus, when she makes a matter-of-fact statement
about the “resurrection at the last day”. “Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will
rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will
rise again in the resurrection at the last day.'” - John 11:23 Martha had no idea that Yeshua was about to
raise her brother from the dead, and she thought He was trying to comfort her by reminding
her of the resurrection at the end of the age. This was obviously not new information to
her, as she seemed very familiar with the concept. However, she was in for a surprise when Yeshua
called Lazarus up from the grave, and she witnessed firsthand the power He has over
death itself. We know from other passages in the Bible that
there were mixed views about the resurrection. The Pharisees, who represented the orthodox
view, held to the belief in the resurrection of the dead, but the Sadducees were in opposition
to it. The controversy between Pharisees and Sadducees
over the resurrection of the dead is a topic that repeats several times throughout the
Gospels and Acts, and it’s one of the things we know for sure that Yeshua and His disciples
agreed with the Pharisees about. In fact, when Paul was on trial, we see this
was one of the arguments he made in his defense to gain the favor of the Pharisees. “But when Paul perceived that one part were
Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am
a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am
being judged!" And when he had said this, a dissension arose
between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
- and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose
and protested, saying, "We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has
spoken to him, let us not fight against God." ”
- Acts 23:8 The Sadducees also challenged Yeshua concerning
the resurrection of the dead. The Gospels record an account where some Sadducees
came to test Yeshua to see how He would respond to their difficult question. “The same day the Sadducees, who say there
is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if
a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring
for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having
no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even
to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife
of the seven will she be? For they all had her." Jesus answered and said to them, "You are
mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry
nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” - Matthew 22:23-30 After saying this, Yeshua explained that God
is not the god of the dead. “But concerning the resurrection of the
dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the
living." And when the multitudes heard this, they were
astonished at His teaching.” - Matthew 22:31-33 People often claim that the phrase “God
is not the God of the dead, but of the living” is a reference to people being alive in heaven. However, the context of this statement has
absolutely nothing to do with heaven, and everything to do with the resurrection. Yeshua contrasts the “god of the dead”
with the “God of the living”, showing that the God of Abraham is unique among all
other gods. When we study ancient pagan cultures such
as the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Greeks, we find out that they all believed in a “god
of the dead” who ruled over the underworld. Death deities were some of the most important
gods to early pagan societies because they glorified death and looked forward to the
afterlife as their reward. Many pagan religions have a god of death and
they each represent the same idea that when we die our soul goes to be with that god. Unfortunately, many in the Church hold this
same belief about God, claiming that when we die we will go to heaven to be with Him. However, this stands in contrast to what Yeshua
was saying about the God of Abraham. The souls of the dead do not go to heaven
to be with God because God is not the god of the dead. The dead rest in their graves until the God
of the living brings them back to life at the resurrection. The prophet Daniel spoke about this, saying: “And many of those who sleep in the dust
of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.” - Daniel 12:2 Yeshua spoke about this as well when He said: “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.” - John 5:28-29 Notice that some are resurrected to everlasting
life and others are resurrected to condemnation. The Bible speaks about a resurrection for
both the righteous and the wicked. “I have hope in God, which they themselves
also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.” - Acts 24:15 To believe in Yeshua means we must also believe
in the resurrection, because Yeshua is the resurrection and the life. “Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection
and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die,
he shall live.” - John 11:25 I think it’s time for us to make the resurrection
of the dead a foundational teaching once again. SHARE THE TRUTH
UNLEARN THE LIES Thanks for watching. If you found this video helpful then share
it with your friends and family so they can UNLEARN the lies with us. If you want to see more videos like this one,
subscribe to my channel. I want to say a special thank you to those
who support this ministry. We truly appreciate your prayers and generosity. Thank you so much. And remember, the truth will set you free. See you next time.
