Future Hope (Lesson 5) Resurrection: The Dead Raised Before the Cross Day 6: Lazarus

There is life beyond the grave. But to experience it, certain conditions must be met.  While living on this earth, Jesus brought several people back to life again. What does this say about His power to resurrect those sleeping in the grave when he returns?

Sin, Evil, Death, Dying, and What Happens After We Die

This series addresses the concerns we all have: the concern for sin, evil, death, dying, and what happens after we die. Is there hope after death? When God created us humans, he intended for us to live forever in a loving, peaceful relationship with him. But this relationship has been broken by sin.

Here, we address the origin of sin and look more closely at death and dying.

But, instead of looking at death negatively, we look at it in the context of hope, the promised hope based on what Jesus did for us when he died and came back to life again.

From the Sabbath School Adult Bible Study Guide 2022 Quarter 4: Sabbath.School (See also Hope Sabbath School and 3ABN Sabbath School)

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Inviting the Holy Spirit

Father, we are helpless human beings. We are incapable of saving ourselves from sin and eternal death, thus our faith is in Jesus, the one who promised that whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Save us! In Jesus’ Name Amen 

Lazarus, Mary and Martha’s brother, was very sick. He was dying. His sisters sent word to Jesus, who had been a close friend of the family letting him know that he was dying in hopes that he would come immediately and prevent his death. What was Jesus’ response: 

John 11:4 says

When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4 )

Read about the entire incident to see Mary and Martha’s response and what Jesus did. How did Jesus bring honor to himself and honor to God? How does this incident relate to us today?

In our previous lesson, we found that Jesus often refers to death as sleep. Review Day 5 at SabbathSchoolDaily.com. See what Jesus did for Jairus when his 12-year-old daughter died. 

When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick and near death, he uses the metaphor sleep to refer to Lazarus’ death. In John 11:11 He said, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” (In John 11:11) Now, Some of Jesus’ followers thought that Jesus meant literally Lazarus was asleep

in bed according to John 11:12-13.

12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”

13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. (John 11:12-13) (Split)

But in John 11:14 it says:

14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. (John 11:14).

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, where

Lazarus lived; Lazarus had already been dead four days. His dead body was already

rotting as we find in John 11:17, 39.

John 11:17

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” (John 11:17, 39)

We know that when a dead body starts decomposing, over time it starts to smell. At that point there is no question: the person is dead.

Even in this decomposed state, Jesus says to Martha in John 11:23 “ ‘Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:23)

Martha responded by affirming that she believed in the final resurrection.

Here is where it gets interesting, Then Jesus pronounces to Martha in John 11:25-26:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Here Jesus was referring to the final resurrection. It is the time when Jesus returns to this earth to wake His people from the dead at the Second Coming. At that point, we will never die. (Split)

 Then Jesus added in John 11:40 , “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40) in this Jesus was referring to the life-giving power of God. (John 11:40 NIrV).

The Bible in Genesis 1:20–30 and Psalms 33:6 says that God created all life by his word.

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. (Psalms 33:6) 

By His command, God can recreate life, as in the case of Lazarus.

After a short prayer, it says in John 11:43, Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43). 

When the crowd saw Lazarus walk out of the grave, they saw that Jesus had the power to bring the dead back to life again. They saw the life-giving power of God. They saw the same power that spoke our world into existence. Martha saw God’s glory in Jesus when He resurrected Lazarus from the dead.

This same power at the end of time will call the dead back to life. Jesus will wake up the dead at His Second Coming. This is what is referred to as the resurrection of the dead. 

“In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. ‘He that hath the Son hath life.’ 1 John 5:12. The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life. ‘He that believeth in Me,’ said Jesus, ‘though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ Christ here [in John 11:25, 26] looks forward to the time of His second coming. Then the righteous dead shall be raised incorruptible, and the living righteous shall be translated to heaven without seeing death. The miracle which Christ was about to perform, in raising Lazarus from the dead, would represent the resurrection of all the righteous dead. By His word and His works, He declared Himself the Author of the resurrection. He who Himself was soon to die upon the cross stood with the keys of death, a conqueror of the grave, and asserted His right and power to give eternal life.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 530.

So, when Jesus woke up Lazarus, Jesus

gave proof that He controls death. How much more proof do we need that he can wake us from the dead at his second coming if we believe in him?