From the very beginning of Christianity the message has been that Jesus died, was buried, and was raised from the dead. In the first recorded sermon, Peter boldly proclaimed regarding Jesus: “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. … God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact” (Acts 2:23 – 24, 32). (All Bible quotations are from NIV.)

The “fact” to which Peter referred was nothing less than the conquering of death, the enemy of mankind since the beginning. This message — that there is life beyond the grave — quickly became the central theme of the preaching of the disciples of Jesus and the foundation of the Christian faith.

The resurrection from the dead is a common theme in the New Testament. The concept of the resurrection and life after death, however, had its beginnings in the Old Testament. In this issue we are going to briefly examine the resurrection in the Old Testament.

The Hebrew religion tended to place emphasis primarily on the present life. Blessings or punishment, for individuals or the nation of Israel, were seen as occurring at either the present time, or if in the future, through descendants. That is not to say, however, that there was no concept of an afterlife among the Hebrew people. There are passages in the Old Testament that many believe teach that life exists beyond the grave. Unlike the New Testament, however, there is no clearly defined doctrine of the resurrection in the Old Testament. The passages in the Old Testament provide at best a glimpse into the afterlife but nothing to compare with the hope expressed in the New Testament.

The development of the concept of the resurrection in the Old Testament begins perhaps as early as the Garden of Eden with the promise that came with the curse resulting from the first sin (Genesis 3:15). Over time the concept became more developed through further revelation especially in the books of the Wisdom Literature and the Prophets. Later in the Old Testament period the concept of the resurrection became more fully developed among the Hebrew people. This can be seen, for example, in the fact that Jesus condemned the Sadducees for their denial of the resurrection (Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38). Thus, by the time of Jesus there was some expectation of existence after death among the Jewish people.

Before looking at specific passages related to the concept of the resurrection it is necessary to first examine the concept of death as found in the Old Testament. The Old Testament concept of human beings consisted of a physical body made of flesh (basar), a spirit (ruah), and a soul (nephesh). Death, in Hebrew thought involved all three of these entities. The physical body is made of dust and returns to the dust after death (Genesis 2:7; 3:19). It was also believed that at death the spirit (or breath) is withdrawn (Psalm 104:29; Ecclesiastes 12:7), and the soul (nephesh) was sent to sheol or the place of the dead (Psalm 16:10).

Thus, in the Old Testament death is viewed as the end of physical life but not the termination of existence. The dead, though separated from this life, continued to exist.

Sheol represented a dark and unknown existence, but there was still some hope in the minds of the Hebrew people. David, for example, wrote in reference to God in Psalm 139:8: “If I make my bed in the depths (sheol) you are there.”

There are several examples in the Old Testament of God miraculously intervening in the natural processes of death. Although these are not directly related to the resurrection, they are important in understanding existence after death. These events related to death or the afterlife fall into three categories. The first of these events involved the raising of certain individuals from the dead. These include (1) the son of the widow of Zerephath (1 Kings 17:17 – 24), (2) the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:18 – 37), and (3) a man thrown into Elisha’s grave (2 Kings 13:20 – 21). In miracles such as these, known as revitalization or resuscitation, a person was returned to his or her previous life. Apparently, however, these individuals eventually died again.

The second of these events occurred when Enoch (Genesis 5:24; cf. Hebrews 11:5) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:10 –11) were taken by God from this life into another realm. The details are few, but it appears that Enoch and Elijah passed from this life into the next without experiencing death, as we know it.

The third event was the strange account of the “witch” of Endor calling Samuel from the grave (1 Samuel 28:3 – 25). Although this has little to do with the concept of the resurrection, bringing Samuel back from the dead would, like the previous examples, at least confirm that death is not annihilation and that individuals continue to exist after death.

In addition to these historical events there are also several Old Testament passages that refer either directly or indirectly to the raising of the dead or life after death. It is recorded, for example, that Hannah said in her prayer, “The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up” (1 Samuel 2:6). Although the language is not very specific, this passage would at least suggest that God could raise the dead and deliver a person from sheol.

In another passage, Job speaks of seeing God after death: “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet will I see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes — I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25 – 27). Not all scholars agree that this is a reference to the resurrection. It would seem, however, that the statement reflects at least a belief in an existence after death or even an actual reference to the resurrection.

There are several passages in the Psalms that give additional insight into life after death. One example is found in Psalm 16:9 –11, especially in verse 10, which reads: “because you will not abandon me to the grave [sheol], nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” This verse is especially significant in light of the fact that it was quoted by Peter in Acts 2:25  – 28 in reference to the resurrection of Jesus. Another is found in Psalm 49:15, which reads: “But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.” (See also Psalms 17:15 and 73:23 – 26.)

The clearest expressions in the Old Testament of belief in life after death and resurrection of the dead are found in the prophets, although not all Bible scholars are in agreement on the meaning of these passages. In Isaiah 25:8, for example, Isaiah prophesied that God “will swallow up death forever.” Another example is in Isaiah 26:19, which reads: “But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.” Some scholars interpret these prophecies in reference to restoring the people of Israel as a nation, while others, see these passages as clear references to a resurrection of the dead.

Isaiah 53:10 – 12 is another prophecy that is often seen as relevant to the concept of the resurrection. As a part of the Suffering Servant passages in Isaiah, this is especially applicable to the resurrection of Jesus.

The prophecy of Ezekiel concerning the dry bones coming to life certainly uses language that is suggestive of a resurrection of the dead (Ezekiel 37:1 –14). This passage is usually interpreted, however, as a reference to the future raising up and restoring of the nation rather than individuals. Many scholars also interpret the prophecy in Hosea 6:1– 3 as referring to the restoration of the people of Israel even though Hosea also used language suggestive of a bodily resurrection.

The Old Testament passage which is most commonly interpreted to be a reference to the resurrection of the dead is Daniel 12:2 which reads: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” Even this prophecy by Daniel is lacking in specific details. Like some of the other Old Testament passages examined here, however, it does point to a future time when the dead will be raised.

Thus, even though the Jewish people had a limited understanding of death and future life, they were not left without a future hope. And that hope, was to be manifested in the person of Jesus Christ, as he alone was able to conquer that enemy of mankind — death itself.

(In our next issue Phillip Eichman will continue with a look at the resurrection in the New Testament.)