What do you think of people who preach of a Resurrection that is not physical, but rather spiritual only.?

Question

There seem to be a lot of clergy these days that have a new doctrine regarding the Resurrection. They say that Jesus did not physically rise from the dead. Instead - they say - that His resurrection was a spiritual one in the minds of His followers.

Personally, I find this troubling and unacceptable. My beliefs concerning the Resurrection are that it was both physical and spiritual. Thomas put his fingers in the wounds, didn't he?

The following article from wikipedia has some interesting things to say about 'false prophets':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antichrist#In_the_Old_Testament

So my question to you is... what do you think about people calling themselves Christians and saying that Jesus' Resurrection was not a physical one? What are your feelings about this? And do you think that the biblical teachings regarding 'false prophets' could be a forecast of the kind of ultra-liberal teachings about the Resurrection that we are seeing and hearing today?

Thanks.

I call myself neither a conservative nor a liberal. And I might not take every single word of the Bible literally. I also probably hold some theological and religious views that are, in fact, quite liberal. But I see this issue of the Ressuraction to be a central tenet in the Christian faith. It is, in my view, the most important moment in human history and the answer to the question of who Jesus was and is.

Answer 1

Peter says that EVERYTHING will be destroyed...

2Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The HEAVENS WILL DISAPPEAR with a roar. Fire will DESTROY EVERYTHING in them. God will judge the earth and everything in it.
11 So EVERYTHING WILL BE DESTROYED. And what kind of people should you be? You should lead holy and godly lives.

...NOTHING will be "left behind." NOBODY will be “left behind.” The pop-theology “rapture” is an INTERPRETATION of figurative language that conflicts with the clear language of 2Peter. One of the primary rules for Biblical interpretation tells us that any interpretation of figurative language which conflicts with clear language CANNOT BE TRUE.

Here is a long section from Paul's writing which explains several things which go against the pop-theology "rapture:"

1Corinthians 15:23 But here is the order of events. Christ is the first of those who rise from the dead. When he comes back, those who belong to him will be raised. 24 Then the end will come. Christ will destroy all rule, authority and power. He will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. 25 Christ must rule until he has put all his enemies under his control. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

1Corinthians 15:50 Brothers and sisters, here is what I’m telling you. Bodies made of flesh and blood can’t share in the kingdom of God. And what dies can’t share in what never dies. 51 Listen! I am telling you a mystery. We will not all die. But we will all be changed. 52 That will happen in a flash, as quickly as you can wink an eye. It will happen when the last trumpet sounds. The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised to live forever. And we will be changed. 53 Our natural bodies don’t last forever. They must be dressed with what does last forever. What dies must be dressed with what does not die.
54 In fact, that is going to happen. What does not last will be dressed with what lasts forever. What dies will be dressed with what does not die. Then what is written will come true. It says, “Death has been swallowed up. It has lost the battle.” 55 “Death, where is the battle you thought you were winning? Death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin. And the power of sin is the law.

The scriptures do not support the "rapture" eschatology which many people teach. The Jews for centuries had the same misconceptions about the kingdom, expecting Messiah to be an earthly ruler which was never in God's plan.

THE CHURCH WAS NOT A BACKUP PLAN BROUGHT ABOUT BY SOME FAILURE OR FAULT IN THE DIVINE PLAN, BUT WAS GOD'S PLAN FROM THE BEGINNING. Humans CANNOT defeat or delay God's plan! That is an unacceptably weak view of God.

...Jesus resurrection WAS physical, BUT, at his return, the entire physical realm WILL CEASE TO EXIST.

Someone quoted part of the 1Corinthians 15 context but left out the section around verse 50 where he writes about CHANGED BODIES which were not "flesh and blood" - In other words, these are not physical realm bodies.

Answer 2

This theology is not new. It is a form of Gnosticism, which had the belief that the spiritual was "good" and the physical was "bad." The Gospel of Judas even makes him into a hero by relieving Jesus of His physical body, so that His spiritual self could go to heaven.

In its logical conclusion, the body was going to be destroyed anyway, so anything in the body that was sinful was okay. (See Colossians and I John as letters speaking against this heresy.)

Further, I Corinthians 15 clearly speaks of a resurrection body. Later, Revelation 20 speaks of bodies being raised from the dead; some to judgment, others to eternal life.

Answer 3

Jesus isn't yet another angel. Hebrews a million:a million-13 is all it took Paul to blow with the help of those pretend causes of the scribes of the time that were perpetuated by present day gnostic scribes. _______ 2 John a million:7 for most deceivers are entered into the global, who confess no longer that Jesus Christ is come contained in the flesh. it truly is a deceiver and an antichrist. _ This verse applies to both pre and submit crucifixion. _______ no subject matter hopping allowed AKA pink herring? Description of pink Herring - A pink Herring is a fallacy in which an irrelevant subject matter is provided with a view to divert interest from the unique situation. the necessary idea is to "win" an situation by prime interest faraway from the argument and to a special subject matter. this variety of "reasoning" has proper the following type: subject matter A is less than talk. subject matter B is proficient less than the guise of being correct to subject matter A (at the same time as subject matter B is genuinely no longer correct to subject matter A). subject matter A is abandoned.

Answer 4

Jesus clearly stated that he had flesh and bones when he resrrected and said this is unlike a spirit.

If Jesus didn't really resurrect from the dead, then there is no afterlife, all souls die because of sin and the Christian faith would be nonesense.

Answer 5

"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
I Corinthians 15:12-20

Answer 6

All Christains are united through the "Baptism" in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Sprirt ... professing the Pascal Mysteries, "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again".

You are describing a faith not following this unity, thereby separating themselves from Christains.

So, what do I think about such a statement? I think it's like saying, "Man didn't goto the moon, it was all filmed in Hollywood" --- aka faith is missing.

Answer 7

If Jesus didn't rise bodily from the dead, just as he predicted he would, than we are all still trapped in our sins and doomed to hell for eternity.

There have always been false prophets and heretics.

People are so confused these days, they fall for almost anything, and make very easy targets.

Answer 8

Well, Jesus did things and said many things that were symbollically spiritual in nature....it would not surprise me in the least if this was a spiritual resurrection. I'm not saying that is the answer, nor preaching it. I wasn't around during that time period (or if I was I don't remember it!!!!)....so, it's purely speculation, either way.

Peace, Love, and Blessings
Greenwood

Answer 9

Jesus was physically resurrected and took his body with him when he ascended to heaven.