The topic of a literal resurrection of the dead divided even the Jews in the 1st century. The Pharisees believed in it, and the Sadducees did not. Was it literal or figurative? Did it happen in the 1st century, or is this something for the future?

In Matthew 22:22-33, Mark 12:18-27, and Luke 20:27-40, the Sadducees tried to test Jesus by challenging the concept of the literal resurrection of the dead. Jesus told them that he believed just as the Pharisees did, that there would be a literal future resurrection of the dead for all people. He proved it to them when he referenced God calling himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (present tense) to Moses at the burning bush, even though Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were long dead at that time. Jesus concluded that since God was only the God of the living, God would have raised those pre-Moses patriarchs from the dead in the future, thereby making what He said to Moses a true statement. In John 11:24-29, Martha demonstrates a belief in the final resurrection when she confronts Jesus about Lazarus, and Jesus confirms to her that He is the reason for the resurrection and that believing in Him leads to post-resurrection eternal life. Also in Luke 14:14, Jesus mentions the first resurrection as a reward for a dinner host who invites the poor, lame, and blind to their parties instead of just their rich friends. Jesus confirms that there are two resurrections, one for the righteous and one for the wicked, in John 5:28-29.

The resurrection was prophesied in the Old Testament, but it was a point on which Pharisees and Sadducees disagreed. The Pharisees believed in it since it is written in the Tanakh (Ezekiel 37:12-14 and Daniel 12:1-2). That’s why Paul appealed to his former fellow Pharisees, who were on trial before the Jewish leaders for preaching the gospel (Acts 23:6-10), because, like him, they believed in the resurrection. This is why the Pharisees, such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, were more likely than the Sadducees to accept Jesus.

In 2 Corinthians 4:14, Paul says God, who raised Jesus from the dead, will also raise us from the dead. He said “will”, not “did”. Meaning Paul was not speaking in allegories about spiritual renewal. He said “will,” which is the future tense. We will experience a literal resurrection just like Jesus did. Additionally, Colossians 1:18 states that Jesus is the head of the body of Christ and the firstborn among those who have risen from the dead.

Furthermore, Paul refers to Jesus’ resurrection as the first fruit of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:20-23) and the first of many brothers (Romans 8:29). 1st Corinthians chapter 15 was written in response to some people in the 1st Century who claimed the resurrection wasn’t going to happen (Sadducee teachings). Paul said to believe such a thing was a denial of Jesus’ resurrection, and therefore a denial of our salvation through it (1 Cor 15:12-34). Then he goes on to talk about the new heavenly bodies that covenant believers will inherit at that moment. These bodies will be free from sin and therefore free from death, which is why they will last forever, hence, eternal life. Sin and death are still here, which means that it hasn’t happened yet. Paul’s teachings on the new bodies and the first resurrection can also be found in Romans 8:23, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, and Philippians 3:20-21. He says in 2 Corinthians 5:3 that there are no bodiless spirits in heaven and that everyone who goes to heaven needs a new heavenly body. Since the new bodies are not distributed until the resurrection of the righteous, no saved person goes straight to the eternal Kingdom when they die, but goes to paradise until the resurrection. As for the unsaved, they wait in Sheol/Hell and then are condemned to the lake of fire on judgment day, after being resurrected according to Revelation 20:11-15. Paul also discusses the first resurrection, when Jesus appears to “catch up” the saints in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. That’s why, in the parable of the bridesmaids/virgins in Matthew 25:1-13, the virgins are all standing outside the door, waiting for the groom. They can’t go inside until the groom arrives to escort them in. Likewise, we can’t enter the Kingdom until our groom escorts us in. Furthermore, Paul warned against false teachers, such as Hymenaeus and Philetus, who claimed that the resurrection had already occurred (2 Timothy ch. 2). The idea that the resurrection had already happened contradicts the hope of the resurrection to eternal life for everyone who receives Jesus after the first century.

To say that the resurrection of the dead is impossible is expected from an unbeliever, but not someone claiming to be a believer, since the whole faith is based on the resurrection of Jesus. According to the Gospels, Jesus was literally raised from the dead (Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-21:25). Jesus also raised others, such as Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56), a widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17), and Lazarus (John 11:1-44). Also, in the Old Testament, Elijah raised a child from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24) as did Elisha (2 Kings 4:18-27). A dead man was raised after coming in contact with Elisha’s dead body in his tomb. (2 Kings 13:20-21) Even after Jesus, Peter raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-42), Paul did the same with Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12).

Anyone who believes in the God of the Bible (Old or New Testament) really can’t claim that resurrection itself is impossible, since the Bible is filled with it. The promise of eternity with God itself comes after we receive the new bodies in the resurrection, not before it. This means eternal life doesn’t start when we die, it begins after the resurrection (1 Cor 15: 42-56, 2 Cor 5:5). Jesus’s point with the Sadducees was that God told Moses in Exodus 3 that he is the God of the Genesis patriarchs, even though he is only the God of the living. Since the Genesis patriarchs were dead before Moses’ birth, God must be speaking of the future when they are resurrected. Since we are not alive while dead, we can’t have eternal life while dead; thus, eternal life starts with the resurrection. This is something to look forward to for those who are expecting eternal life.