A Glaring Problem with the Popular View of the Resurrection
Here is a simple argument showing the problem with the popular Christian view of the General Resurrection, which holds that it will be a physical-bodies-coming-out-of-graves kind of event:
- Jesus died in the Christian’s place (Rom. 5:6-8; Gal. 3:13; Isa. 53:5–6).
- Yet Christians still die physically.
- Therefore, Jesus did not overcome physical death (for Christians). He overcame spiritual death, which is defined as “separation from God because of sin.”
Here’s a variation of this argument:
- Jesus overcame death for Christians (2 Tim. 1:10; Eph. 2:5-6; John 11:26).
- Yet Christians still die physically.
- Therefore, Jesus did not overcome physical death (for Christians). He overcame spiritual death, which is defined as “separation from God because of sin.”
There’s no way around these logical arguments. The General Resurrection was a spiritual event that happened in the first-century! [1]
Note: I’m not denying Jesus’ physical resurrection. Jesus’ physical resurrection was the vitally important sign—or proof—which confirmed that the spiritual resurrection actually happened. In fact, Jesus’ physical resurrection is specifically called a sign (Matt. 12:38–40; John 20:30–31). Signs point to spiritual realities (Mark 2:9-12), and this is what Jesus’ physical resurrection was, a sign that he had overcame spiritual death. Anyone can claim to be the resurrection and the life, but Jesus proved it by rising from the dead!
For more about the Resurrection, please see my book The End Is Here: How the New Testament Prophecies Were Fulfilled, available NOW on Amazon!
By Alex Polyak, director of The Bible Fulfilled, 11/1/25
[1] While there certainly was an “already/not yet” aspect to the General Resurrection, the “not yet” part had to have been fulfilled soon after these statements (in Point #1) were uttered, within that generation—otherwise, it would defeat the purpose of using such a concept in the first place. It’s like when someone today says “dead man walking” to describe someone about to die. Nobody would use such a description unless the person was about to die. It’s the same with using the “already/not yet” concept. See my article The Already and Not Yet.
