TR Hartley

What does it mean that Jesus was the “firstborn from the dead“?

Let’s take a quick look at the different accounts of someone being raised from the dead in the Bible, both the New and Old Testament.

1. Elijah raised the son of the Zarephath widow from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-22).
2. Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite woman from the dead (2 Kings 4:32-35).
3. A man was raised from the dead when his body touched Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20- 21).
4. Many saints rose from the dead at the resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 27:50-53).
5. Jesus rose from the dead (Matt. 28:5-8; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:5-6).
6. Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead (Luke 7:11-15).
7. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Luke 8:41-42, 49-55).
8. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44).
9. Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36-41).
10. Eutychus was raised from the dead by Paul (Acts 20:9-10).

(J. L. Meredith, Meredith’s Big Book of Bible Lists, (Inspirational Press, NY; 1980), p. 115)

What does it mean that Jesus is “the firstborn from the dead”? (See Colossians 1:17-19.)

Jesus clearly wasn’t the first person to be raised from the dead in the Bible. However, everyone else in the Bible that was raised from the dead died again. They were re-given a mortal body.

Jesus was different. Jesus was raised from death into everlasting life in an everlasting body.

This is the resurrection that God has for all His people.

The resurrection that God has for His people is a permanent removal from the sting of death.  It is entering into resurrection life, or eternal life!  Wherein death NEVER will touch again a person.  That is what Christ did for the first time, and what God ultimately has for all His people.

That’s Good News for everyone to hear.