How Does Jesus' Return Swallow Up Death?

March 31, 2024

How Does Jesus' Return Swallow Up Death?

Isaiah 25:7-8; Mark 16; 1 Corinthians 15:54

Hank Hoaglund

Big Book Idea

He is Risen!

He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.

7 And he will swallow up on this mountain
    the covering that is cast over all peoples,
    the veil that is spread over all nations.
8     He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
    and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
    for the LORD has spoken.

Introduction to Isaiah

Timeline

Author and Date

Isaiah was called to his prophetic ministry “in the year that King Uzziah died” (6:1), around 740 B.C. He lived long enough to record the death of Sennacherib (37:38), in 681. However, most of the book can be dated only in very general terms because few specific dates are given.

Theme

The central theme of the book is God himself, who does all things for his own glory (48:11). Isaiah defines everything else by how it relates to God: is it rightly related to him as the center of all reality (45:22–25)? God’s people find strength only as they rest in the promises of their God (30:15). They find refreshment only as they delight themselves in his word (55:1–2). To serve his cause is their worthy devotion (ch. 62), but to rebel against him is endless death (66:24).

Simplified Overview of Isaiah

	Isaiah 1–39	Isaiah 40–55	Isaiah 56–66
Date and Setting	The eighth century B.C. (700s); the Assyrian threat	Prophecies for the sixth century B.C. (500s); the Babylonian exile	Prophecies about all times and occasions until the end
Audience	God’s rebellious people craving worldly security	God’s defeated people under worldly domination	All who hold fast to God’s covenant
Actions	God purifies a remnant of his apostate people through judgment	God encourages his discouraged people in exile	God prepares all of his true people for his promised salvation
Message	“In returning and rest you shall be saved; . . . But you were unwilling” (30:15)	“the glory of the LORD shall be revealed” (40:5)	“Keep justice, and do righteousness” (56:1)

Key Themes

1. God is offended by religious practices that come from an empty heart or a careless life (1:10–17; 58:1–12; 66:1–4).

2. God’s true people will someday become a multinational community of worship and peace that will last forever (2:2–4; 56:3–8; 66:18–23). They will be the predominant culture of a new world (14:1–2; 41:8–16; 43:3–7; 60:1–22).

3. God opposes human pride (2:10–17; 13:11; 23:9).

4. The foolish idols that man creates are destined for destruction (2:20–21; 44:9–20; 46:1–7).

5. God’s judgment will reduce Israel to a remnant. From this remnant he will raise up a holy people (1:9; 6:1–12:6; 40:1–2).

6. God sometimes judges people by making them deaf and blind to his saving word (29:9–14).

7. The only hope of the world is in one man. He is the promised Davidic king (7:14; 9:2–7; 11:1–10), the servant of the Lord (42:1–9; 52:13–53:12), the anointed preacher of the gospel (61:1–3), and the victor over all evil (63:1–6).

8. God uses everything, even human sin, for his own glory (44:24–45:13).

9. All people are called to repent of sin and trust in God alone (12:2; 26:3–4; 32:17–18; 50:10; 66:2).

10. Often, when God’s people feel abandoned by him (40:27), they foolishly trust in worldly powers (31:1–3; 39:1–8).

11. God will vindicate his cause with a world-transforming display of his glory (11:10; 40:3–5; 52:10; 59:19).

12. God is guiding all of human history (41:1–4; 44:6–8; 46:8–11).

13. God’s faithfulness and the certainty of his final victory should motivate his people to pray and to be obedient (56:1–2; 62:1–64:12).

14. The wrath of God is to be feared above all else (9:19; 13:9, 13; 30:27; 34:2; 66:15–16).

Outline

Introduction: “Ah, Sinful Nation!” (1:1–5:30)
God Redefines the Future of His People: “Your Guilt Is Taken Away” (6:1–12:6)
God’s Judgment and Grace for the World: “We Have a Strong City” (13:1–27:13)
God’s Sovereign Word Spoken into the World: “Ah!” (28:1–35:10)
Historical Transition: “In Whom Do You Now Trust?” (36:1–39:8)
Encouragement for God’s Exiles: “The Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed” (40:1–55:13)
How to Prepare for the Coming Glory: “Hold Fast My Covenant” (56:1–66:24)

The Near East at the Time of Isaiah

c. 740 B.C.

The prophecies of Isaiah took place during the rise of the Assyrian Empire. Assyria posed a great threat to Israel and Judah as well as the entire Near East.

The Global Message of Isaiah

A God-centered Vision of All Things

Dating from the eighth century B.C., and centering on God’s promises of protection, deliverance, purging, and restoration for his guilty and defiled covenant people, the book of Isaiah presents an incredibly rich landscape of salvation history in all its eternal and global scope. God has a purpose and plan, and his eternal decree will stand. It will be neither thwarted by strong and aggressive nations (Isa. 14:26–27) nor derailed by unfaithful ones (1:4, 9). God has a message for the world that he created, and he declares without equivocation,

“I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” (Isa. 46:9–10)

At the center of this global and eternal stage stands the Lord. He stands as the sovereign God (Isa. 43:13), the Holy One of Israel (1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5, 60:9, 14), our redeemer (41:14; 43:14; 47:4; 48:17; 54:5), and the only Savior of the world (43:11).

Judgment and Salvation for All Nations

A righteous God. God himself is our salvation (Isa. 12:2; 17:10; 33:2, 6). He alone is “mighty to save” (63:1). He is incomparably great (40:25), and he is “holy, holy, holy” (6:3). The message of the book of Isaiah to the world begins with warning. Human pride and boasting are utterly foolish and a great danger before this righteous God (2:11–17; 10:33; 13:11; 16:6; 23:9; 28:1–4). Indeed, a day of judgment is coming (2:12–22, 24:1–23), so let all the nations of the earth take heed. Whether it is corporate greed, national pride, individual self-dependence, or Babel-like self-exaltation (Gen. 11:1–9), this is a message for our world today. Sin will not go unpunished. The sovereign Lord is watching.

A saving God. But warning gives way to merciful promises of salvation. The message of the book of Isaiah to the world is that there is indeed a Savior, the Messiah, who has humbly, painfully, and gloriously won salvation for sinners and for all who would trust in him (Isa. 4:2; 7:14; 9:6–7; 11:1–5; 42:1–4; 52:13–53:12; 61:1–3). Death itself is swallowed up, and our reproach is removed (25:8). What an astonishing salvation! There is no one in our world today too sinful to be saved, too hurt to be healed, too lost to be found, or too far away to be brought near. God, our Savior, is Immanuel, God with us (7:14). He saves. It is who he is.

A global God. This salvation is for all nations. God’s promise to Abraham to bless the nations of the world (Gen. 12:1–3) is affirmed throughout the book of Isaiah. Even as the seraphim declare that “the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isa. 6:3), so it shall be, and so it is coming to pass even today, that the whole world will be filled with God’s glory (Hab. 2:14; Num. 14:21; Ps. 72:19). In Isaiah 19 we read that one day even the hated nations of Assyria and Egypt, both of whom at some time enslaved Israel, will be included within God’s gracious purposes (Isa. 19:16–25).

A trustworthy God. Our confidence in our global missionary endeavor is not in our techniques, resources, or strategies. It rests instead upon the promises and faithfulness of God. As declared in Isaiah 25:5–7, the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind will see it; the feast of the Lord Almighty will be enjoyed by all peoples, and the veil of sin, ignorance, and death will be removed from all peoples and nations! No tribe, language, people, or nation will be excluded from the salvation of the Lord (Rev. 5:9). This is not the language of exaggeration. It is the declaration of the invincible determination of our almighty and trustworthy God (Isa. 46:9–10).

Gospel Freedom and Proclamation to All Nations

A divine liberation. The gospel is a message of freedom to a world that is weary from bondage. So many among the nations are burdened—burdened by the relentless demands and empty promises of mankind’s religions, philosophies, and idols. Such things are “borne as burdens on weary beasts” (Isa. 46:1). But God’s message to a weary world today is that, rather than being a burden to us, the Lord himself has borne his people; he has carried us from the womb, and will carry us to our dying day, finally saving us (46:3–5).

A proclaimed salvation. God’s people worldwide have the glorious privilege of proclaiming this message of freedom: “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD” (Isa. 43:10, 12; see also Acts 1:8). Indeed, our very lives are an indispensable part of our witness that God uses to attract the nations to himself. As Christ taught, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). The glory and goodness of God is reflected in and through his people, by their words and by their actions.

A fearless proclamation. As we serve our God, make known his deeds among the peoples (Isa. 12:4; 66:19), and herald the good news from high mountaintops (52:7), we are commanded not to fear (40:9). Because God is our salvation, we “will trust, and will not be afraid” (12:2). To those persecuted because of their witness to Christ around the world today, we have the great comfort of Isaiah 43:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isa. 43:2)

God will protect, renew, and restore his global people. Our assurance rests in his deeply comforting words to us:

“Because you are precious in my eyes,

and honored, and I love you,

I give men in return for you,

peoples in exchange for your life.” (Isa. 43:4)

He has proven this love in an ultimate way by sending us his Son to give his life in exchange for ours.

A Message of Cosmic Significance

We have a glorious message to proclaim to the world. We are to be “beautiful feet” bringing good news of happiness and salvation to the nations (Isa. 52:7). We are privileged and called to “walk in the light of the LORD” (2:5). We are to present to the world the open invitation of God—the invitation for cleansing and forgiveness (1:18). The invitation to receive compassion, feeding, care, and life (55:1–3). The invitation to seek the Lord and turn from our wicked ways (55:6–7).

With joy we will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isa. 12:3), and on that day we will all say,

“ Give thanks to the LORD,

    call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the peoples,

    proclaim that his name is exalted.

“Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;

    let this be made known in all the earth.” (Isa. 12:4–5)

Datable Events in the Book of Isaiah

Uzziah’s death; Isaiah’s call	ch. 6	740 B.C.
Days of Ahaz	ch. 7	c. 735
Assyrian invasion	chs. 36–38	701
Sennacherib’s death	37:38	681
Babylonians will destroy Jerusalem	39:6–8	586
Israel will return from Babylonian exile	chs. 40–48	538

Simplified Overview of Isaiah

	Isaiah 1–39	Isaiah 40–55	Isaiah 56–66
Date and Setting	The eighth century B.C. (700s); the Assyrian threat	Prophecies for the sixth century B.C. (500s); the Babylonian exile	Prophecies about all times and occasions until the end
Audience	God’s rebellious people craving worldly security	God’s defeated people under worldly domination	All who hold fast to God’s covenant
Actions	God purifies a remnant of his apostate people through judgment	God encourages his discouraged people in exile	God prepares all of his true people for his promised salvation
Message	“In returning and rest you shall be saved; . . . But you were unwilling” (30:15)	“the glory of the LORD shall be revealed” (40:5)	“Keep justice, and do righteousness” (56:1)

Activity of the Writing Prophets during the Reigns of the Kings of Israel and Judah

Timeline	King of Judah // Event	Prophet to Judah	Prophet to Israel	King of Israel // Event
780 B.C.				Jeroboam II (781–753)
770
760	Uzziah			(c. 760)	(c. 760)
	(Azariah)			Amos	Jonah
	(767–740)
						(c. 755)
						Hosea	Zechariah (753–752)
							Shallum (752)
750		Jotham				Menahem (752–742)
		(750–735)	Micah (c. 742)	Isaiah (c. 740)			Pekahiah (742–740)
740							Pekah (740–732)
	Ahaz (735–715)					Hoshea (732–722)
730
720						Fall of Samaria (722)
710	Hezekiah (715–686)
700
680	Manasseh (686–642)	Nahum (c. 660–630)
660	Amon (642–640)
640	Josiah (640–609)	Zephaniah (c. 640–609)
		Habakkuk (c. 640–609)
620		(c. 627)
600		Jeremiah
	Jehoahaz (609)
	Jehoiakim (609–597)		(c. 605)
	Jehoiachin (597)		Daniel
	Zedekiah (597–586)			(c. 597)
				Ezekiel
	Fall of Jerusalem (586)	Obadiah
		(after 586)
580
560
540
520	1st return of exiles (538)	Haggai (c. 520)
	Temple rebuilt (516/515)	Zechariah (c. 520)
500
480
460	2nd return of exiles (458)	Malachi (c. 460)
440	3rd return of exiles (445)

Major prophets
Minor prophets

Joel is not displayed as the dates are uncertain and estimates range from the 9th to the 4th centuries B.C.

Micah’s prophecy was likely directed toward both Judah and Israel.

Study Notes

Isa. 25:6–8 God relieves human sorrow.

Isa. 25:7–8 the covering . . . the veil. The pall of death hanging over all human activity under the curse (see Gen. 3:17–19). God will swallow it up and give back life (see Rev. 1:17–18). At some future time God’s people will no longer experience death but will live forever.

The Resurrection

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

[Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.]^{1

16:9
Some manuscripts end the book with 16:8; others include verses 920 immediately after verse 8. At least one manuscript inserts additional material after verse 14; some manuscripts include after verse 8 the following: But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. These manuscripts then continue with verses 920}

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

9 [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

The Great Commission

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]

Footnotes

[1] 16:9 Some manuscripts end the book with 16:8; others include verses 9–20 immediately after verse 8. At least one manuscript inserts additional material after verse 14; some manuscripts include after verse 8 the following: But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. These manuscripts then continue with verses 9–20

Introduction to Mark

Timeline

Author, Date, and Recipients

The apostle Peter passed on reports of the words and deeds of Jesus to his attendant, John Mark, who wrote this Gospel for the wider church as the record of Peter’s apostolic testimony. The book was likely written from Rome during the mid- to late-50s A.D. (though the mid- or late-60s is also possible). Mark’s audience, largely unfamiliar with Jewish customs, needed to become familiar with such customs in order to understand the coming of Jesus as the culmination of God’s work with Israel and the entire world, so Mark explains them.

Purpose and Theme

The ultimate purpose and theme of Mark’s Gospel is to present and defend Jesus’ universal call to discipleship. Mark returns often to this theme, categorizing his main audience as either followers or opponents of Jesus. Mark presents and supports this call to discipleship by narrating the identity and teaching of Jesus. For Mark, discipleship is essentially a relationship with Jesus, not merely following a certain code of conduct. Fellowship with Jesus marks the heart of the disciple’s life, and this fellowship includes trusting Jesus, confessing him, observing his conduct, following his teaching, and being shaped by a relationship with him. Discipleship also means being prepared to face the kind of rejection that Jesus faced.

Key Themes

Jesus seeks to correct messianic expectations and misunderstandings (1:25, 34, 44; 3:12; 4:10–12; 5:18–19, 43; 8:30; 9:9).
Jesus is man (3:5; 4:38; 6:6; 7:34; 8:12, 33; 10:14; 11:12; 14:33–42).
Jesus is the Son of God (1:11; 3:11; 5:7; 8:38; 9:7; 12:6–8; 13:32; 14:36, 61; 15:39).
Jesus is the Son of Man with all power and authority (1:16–34; 2:3–12, 23–28; 3:11; 4:35–41; 6:45–52; 7:1–23; 10:1–12).
Jesus as the Son of Man must suffer (8:31; 10:45; 14:21, 36).
Jesus is Lord (2:28; 12:35–37; 14:62).
Jesus calls his followers to imitate him in humble service, self-denial, and suffering (8:34–38; 9:35–37; 10:35–45).
Jesus teaches on the kingdom of God, and implies that God continues to call a people to himself (compare 1:15; 9:1; 14:25; 15:43).

Outline

Introduction (1:1–15)
Demonstration of Jesus’ Authority (1:16–8:26)
1. Jesus’ early Galilean ministry (1:16–3:12)
2. Jesus’ later Galilean ministry (3:13–6:6)
3. Work beyond Galilee (6:7–8:26)
Testing Jesus’ Authority in Suffering (8:27–16:8)
1. Journey to Jerusalem (8:27–10:52)
2. Entering and judging Jerusalem (11:1–13:37)
3. Death and resurrection in Jerusalem (14:1–16:8)
4. “Longer ending of Mark” (16:9–20; see note)]

The Setting of Mark

The events in the book of Mark take place almost entirely within Palestine, from Caesarea Philippi in the north to Beersheba in the south. During this time Palestine was ruled by the Roman Empire. The book opens with Jesus’ baptism by John during the rule of Pontius Pilate and the tetrarchs Antipas and Philip. It closes with Jesus’ death and resurrection about three years later.

The Global Message of Mark

The Central Message of Mark

The central message of Mark’s Gospel is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come to earth (Mark 1:1), that “the kingdom of God is at hand,” and that all should “repent and believe in the gospel” (1:15).

Mark establishes early in his Gospel that Jesus is indeed the very Son of God—as we see when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. When Jesus came up from the water, immediately the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, and the voice of God the Father spoke from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:9–11). These verses show clearly that the One True God of the Bible exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Other books of the Bible also show that Jesus is the Creator of everything in the universe, including this earth and every human being on it (John 1:1–3). The apostle Paul writes that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:15–16).

The global significance of this is massive. Because Jesus created everything, he is the rightful ruler of everything. But the tragic reality of human existence is that life on this earth is deeply damaged by cruelty and suffering, by evil and injustice, by sickness and finally death.

Global Good News

Mark’s Gospel starts off with global good news—the triumphant announcement of the arrival of the kingdom of God: “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15). The long-awaited worldwide kingdom—in which all would be put right and justice would prevail—dawned when Jesus came into the world. Though injustice and evil still ravage this world, the King of creation, the rightful righteous ruler has landed! Evil’s defeat is certain and imminent. God’s cosmic, global restoration has begun—in the coming of Christ, in his life and death and resurrection.

Immediately after announcing that the “kingdom of God is at hand,” Jesus calls his first disciples from among a group of fishermen (Mark 1:16–20). Here we see a pattern that has been reflected in Christianity around the world throughout history and down to the present. It is not the social elites that Jesus calls to leave everything and follow him, but common people from every walk of life. The gospel is for all peoples, not limited to a select few who outwardly observe a list of rules (7:3–4). Jesus underscores the inclusion of people from every nation—by showing mercy to the Gentiles (e.g., 7:24–30) and by welcoming “whoever does the will of God” into his own family (3:35).

We also learn, right from the start of Mark’s Gospel, that Jesus cares deeply about physical suffering—as he heals a leper, a paralytic, and a man with a withered hand (1:40–45; 2:1–12; 3:1–6). Later on Mark says that wherever Jesus went “in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces,” and all that touched “the fringe of his garment” were made well (6:53–56). Likewise, Mark’s Gospel tells how Jesus miraculously fed a great crowd of five thousand, having “compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (6:34). On another occasion he fed a crowd of four thousand who had been with him three days and had nothing to eat (8:1–10). Many other times throughout Mark we see Jesus caring for people’s physical needs (e.g., 7:31–37; 8:22–26). While spiritual sickness is the fundamental disease that Jesus came to heal (2:5, 17), Jesus cared deeply about the physical well-being of people as well, because all are made in the image of God. Thus the proclaiming of the gospel of God in word (1:14) was likewise demonstrated in deed.

Mark also has much to say about global poverty. On the one hand, Jesus encourages his followers to be generous toward the poor, even exhorting one wealthy man to sell all that he has and give it to the poor (Mark 10:21). Such generosity is not only for the rich, for Jesus makes a point to praise the generosity of the poor widow who gives a tiny amount, which was “all she had to live on” (12:41–44). Sacrificial giving to alleviate the poverty of others is not restricted to a certain class but is something to which all believers are called. At the same time Jesus makes clear that he himself is the greatest treasure (14:7; compare 2:19). While material poverty is close to Jesus’ heart, and is something that global Christians are called to alleviate, Jesus himself—not money or anything else—is the fundamental need of every human heart. Jesus is our supreme treasure, and release from spiritual bondage and poverty is our greatest need.

Lastly, Jesus teaches the divinely ordered relationship between people and government. When the religious officials of the day tried to trap Jesus in his teaching, he astonished them with his answer: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). Thus Jesus teaches the appropriate submission to government that helps ensure social well-being while also indicating, more deeply, that God’s kingdom transcends earthly kingdoms, and that the Christian’s deepest loyalty must be to God.

The Global Message of Mark for Today

What then is the global message of Mark’s Gospel today? Clearly the kingdom of God has come near in Jesus’ ministry of word and deed. Clearly Jesus calls all who believe in him and call him Lord to “proclaim the gospel of God” and to demonstrate the fruit of the gospel in all of life. “If anyone would come after me,” Jesus said, “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). If Christ is the Lord of life, he must be the Lord of all of life. The first great commandment, Jesus said, is, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (12:29–31).

It is not a matter of either/or. If we truly love the Lord with all our heart, we will love our neighbor as ourself. Thus the grave questions that face the global church are at the heart of our calling as Christians—not only to bring the gospel to every corner of the earth but also to care for orphans and widows; to uphold the dignity of each individual; to defend the sanctity of every life; to feed the hungry; to relieve poverty; to work for justice; and to care for the creation that God has entrusted to us.

We do these things because Christ is Lord of all. But we also do them knowing that we can do nothing in our own strength (John 15:5). So we look to Christ as our strength and our salvation. We trust in his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins and for our redemption. And we look to the day when he will come “with great power and glory” to gather his own “from the four winds, from the ends of the earth” to establish his eternal kingdom (Mark 13:26–27).

Harmony of the Events of Holy Week

Day	Event	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Friday/Saturday	Jesus arrives in Bethany				12:1
	Mary anoints Jesus				12:2–8
	Crowd comes to see Jesus				12:9–11
Sunday	Triumphal entry into Jerusalem	21:1–11	11:1–10	19:28–44	12:12–18
	Some Greeks seek Jesus				12:20–36
	Jesus weeps over Jerusalem			19:41
	Enters temple		11:11
	Returns to Bethany	21:17	11:11
Monday	Jesus curses the fig tree	21:18–19	11:12–14
	Clears the temple	21:12–13	11:15–17	19:45–46
	Returns to Bethany with the Twelve		11:19
Tuesday	Disciples see the withered fig tree on the return to Jerusalem	21:20–22	11:20–21
	Temple controversies in Jerusalem	21:23–23:39	11:27–12:44	20:1–21:4
	Olivet Discourse on the return to Bethany	24:1–25:46	13:1–37	21:5–36
Wednesday	Jesus continues daily teaching in the temple			21:37–38
Wednesday	Sanhedrin plots to kill Jesus	26:3–5	14:1–2	22:1–2
Wednesday/Thursday	Preparations for the Passover	26:17–19	14:12–16	22:7–13
Thursday	Passover meal/Last Supper	26:20–35	14:17–26	22:14–30
	Upper Room Discourse				13:1–17:26
	Jesus prays in Gethsemane	26:36–46	14:32–42	22:39–46
Friday	Betrayal and arrest (after midnight?)	26:47–56	14:43–52	22:47–53	18:2–12
	Jewish trial:
	—before Annas				18:13–24
	—before Caiaphas and part of the Sanhedrin	26:57–75	14:53–72	22:54–65	18:19–24
	—before full Sanhedrin (after sunrise?)	27:1–2	15:1	22:66–71
	Roman trials:
	—before Pilate	27:2–14	15:2–5	23:1–5
	—before Herod			23:6–12
	—before Pilate	27:15–26	15:6–15	23:13–25	18:28–19:16
	Crucifixion (approx. 9:00 A.M.to 3:00 P.M.)	27:27–54	15:16–39	23:26–49	19:16–37
	Burial (evening)	27:57–61	15:42–47	23:50–54	19:38–42
Sunday	Empty-tomb witnesses	28:1–8	16:1–8	24:1–12
Sunday	Resurrection appearances	28:9–20	16:9–20	24:13–53	20:1–21:25

Study Notes

Mark 16:1–2 Once the Sabbath is over (at sundown on Saturday evening), the women can buy oils for embalming of the corpse after sunrise on Sunday morning (the first day of the week). This occurred on the “third day” (see 8:31; 10:34).

Study Notes

Mark 16:5 they saw a young man. An angel. Luke 24:4 and John 20:12 give additional information and say there were two angels, but Mark and Matthew mention only one (see Matt. 28:2–5).

Study Notes

Mark 16:7 go, tell his disciples. In NT times, the testimony of women as witnesses was not always believed, especially in a court of law. After the initial encounters with the risen Jesus in Jerusalem, Galilee again served as a place of preparation (as Jesus had predicted in 14:28). Jesus thus avoided the possibility that the disciples might expect him to usher in a political, messianic kingdom in Jerusalem. However, see Acts 1:6.

Study Notes

Mark 8:27–16:8 Testing Jesus’ Authority in Suffering. Having displayed his messianic authority and power (1:1–8:26), Jesus is now tested as the Messiah of God.

Mark 14:1–16:8 Death and Resurrection in Jerusalem. The final three chapters of Mark tell of the final week of Jesus’ earthly life: his betrayal, arrest, trial, death, and resurrection.

Mark 16:8 they said nothing to anyone. Their silence would be only temporary (see Matt. 28:8).

Study Notes

Mark 16:9–20 “Longer Ending of Mark.” Some ancient manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel contain these verses and others do not. Early church fathers did not appear to know of these verses. Eusebius and Jerome state that this section is missing in most manuscripts available at their time. And some manuscripts that contain vv. 9–20 indicate that older manuscripts lack the section. As for the verses themselves, they contain various Greek words and expressions uncommon to Mark, and there are stylistic differences as well. Many think this shows vv. 9–20 to be a later addition. In summary, vv. 9–20 should be read with caution. As in many translations, the editors of the ESV have placed the section within brackets, showing their doubts as to whether it was originally part of what Mark wrote. Most of the content of these verses is found elsewhere in the NT, and no point of doctrine is affected by their absence or presence. Verse 18 does not command believers to pick up serpents or to drink deadly poison; it merely promises protection if such a thing were to occur (see Acts 28:3–4; James 5:13–16).

See chart See chart

Harmony of the Events of Holy Week

Day	Event	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Friday/Saturday	Jesus arrives in Bethany				12:1
	Mary anoints Jesus				12:2–8
	Crowd comes to see Jesus				12:9–11
Sunday	Triumphal entry into Jerusalem	21:1–11	11:1–10	19:28–44	12:12–18
	Some Greeks seek Jesus				12:20–36
	Jesus weeps over Jerusalem			19:41
	Enters temple		11:11
	Returns to Bethany	21:17	11:11
Monday	Jesus curses the fig tree	21:18–19	11:12–14
	Clears the temple	21:12–13	11:15–17	19:45–46
	Returns to Bethany with the Twelve		11:19
Tuesday	Disciples see the withered fig tree on the return to Jerusalem	21:20–22	11:20–21
	Temple controversies in Jerusalem	21:23–23:39	11:27–12:44	20:1–21:4
	Olivet Discourse on the return to Bethany	24:1–25:46	13:1–37	21:5–36
Wednesday	Jesus continues daily teaching in the temple			21:37–38
Wednesday	Sanhedrin plots to kill Jesus	26:3–5	14:1–2	22:1–2
Wednesday/Thursday	Preparations for the Passover	26:17–19	14:12–16	22:7–13
Thursday	Passover meal/Last Supper	26:20–35	14:17–26	22:14–30
	Upper Room Discourse				13:1–17:26
	Jesus prays in Gethsemane	26:36–46	14:32–42	22:39–46
Friday	Betrayal and arrest (after midnight?)	26:47–56	14:43–52	22:47–53	18:2–12
	Jewish trial:
	—before Annas				18:13–24
	—before Caiaphas and part of the Sanhedrin	26:57–75	14:53–72	22:54–65	18:19–24
	—before full Sanhedrin (after sunrise?)	27:1–2	15:1	22:66–71
	Roman trials:
	—before Pilate	27:2–14	15:2–5	23:1–5
	—before Herod			23:6–12
	—before Pilate	27:15–26	15:6–15	23:13–25	18:28–19:16
	Crucifixion (approx. 9:00 A.M.to 3:00 P.M.)	27:27–54	15:16–39	23:26–49	19:16–37
	Burial (evening)	27:57–61	15:42–47	23:50–54	19:38–42
Sunday	Empty-tomb witnesses	28:1–8	16:1–8	24:1–12
Sunday	Resurrection appearances	28:9–20	16:9–20	24:13–53	20:1–21:25

Introduction to Mark

Timeline

Author, Date, and Recipients

Purpose and Theme

Key Themes

Jesus seeks to correct messianic expectations and misunderstandings (1:25, 34, 44; 3:12; 4:10–12; 5:18–19, 43; 8:30; 9:9).
Jesus is man (3:5; 4:38; 6:6; 7:34; 8:12, 33; 10:14; 11:12; 14:33–42).
Jesus is the Son of God (1:11; 3:11; 5:7; 8:38; 9:7; 12:6–8; 13:32; 14:36, 61; 15:39).
Jesus is the Son of Man with all power and authority (1:16–34; 2:3–12, 23–28; 3:11; 4:35–41; 6:45–52; 7:1–23; 10:1–12).
Jesus as the Son of Man must suffer (8:31; 10:45; 14:21, 36).
Jesus is Lord (2:28; 12:35–37; 14:62).
Jesus calls his followers to imitate him in humble service, self-denial, and suffering (8:34–38; 9:35–37; 10:35–45).
Jesus teaches on the kingdom of God, and implies that God continues to call a people to himself (compare 1:15; 9:1; 14:25; 15:43).

Outline

Introduction (1:1–15)
Demonstration of Jesus’ Authority (1:16–8:26)
1. Jesus’ early Galilean ministry (1:16–3:12)
2. Jesus’ later Galilean ministry (3:13–6:6)
3. Work beyond Galilee (6:7–8:26)
Testing Jesus’ Authority in Suffering (8:27–16:8)
1. Journey to Jerusalem (8:27–10:52)
2. Entering and judging Jerusalem (11:1–13:37)
3. Death and resurrection in Jerusalem (14:1–16:8)
4. “Longer ending of Mark” (16:9–20; see note)]

The Setting of Mark

The Global Message of Mark

The Central Message of Mark

Global Good News

The Global Message of Mark for Today

54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Introduction to 1 Corinthians

Timeline

Author, Date, and Recipients

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian church in the spring of A.D. 53, 54, or 55. This was near the end of his three-year ministry in Ephesus. Altogether Paul wrote four letters to this church: (1) the previous letter mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:9; (2) 1 Corinthians; (3) the tearful, severe letter mentioned in 2 Corinthians 2:3–4; and (4) 2 Corinthians. Only 1 and 2 Corinthians have survived.

Theme

The Corinthian church, divided because of the arrogance of its more powerful members, should work together for the advancement of the gospel. They should repent of their rivalries, build up the faith of those who are weak, and witness effectively to unbelievers.

Purpose

Paul received an oral report and a letter from the Corinthian church. These revealed a church struggling with division, immorality, idolatry, and theological confusion. He wrote them this letter so that they would become a true dwelling place for God’s Spirit (3:12, 16), stay faithful to the gospel, and be “guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:8).

Key Themes

The church is the dwelling place of God’s Spirit. Thus, the people who make up the church should work for unity by building each other up (1:10–4:21, especially 3:10–16; 14:12).
Christians should build up the church in four practical ways:

a. they should be sensitive to those with fragile faith (8:1–9:18; 10:28, 33).

b. they should win unbelievers to the faith (9:19–23; 10:27, 32–33).

c. they should conduct worship services in such a way that unbelievers might come to faith (14:16, 23–25).

d. their corporate worship should use spiritual gifts not out of personal pride, or for evaluating who has the better gift, but to build up the church (11:2–16; 12:12–30; 14:1–35).

Sexual relations form a union between man and woman as deep as the union of the believer with Christ. Therefore sexual activity should be confined to marriage (5:1–13; 6:12–20; 7:5, 9, 36).
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are important. Yet both are less important than personal trust in the gospel and living in the way God commands (1:14–17; 10:1–5; 11:17–34; 15:29–34).
The bodily resurrection of Jesus (and of his followers) from the dead is a key truth of the Christian faith (6:14; 15:1–58).

Outline

Introduction to the Letter’s Main Themes (1:1–9)
Divisions over Christian Preachers (1:10–4:21)
A Report of Sexual Immorality and Lawsuits (5:1–6:20)
Three Issues from the Corinthians’ Letter (7:1–11:1)
Divisions over Corporate Worship (11:2–14:40)
The Futility of Faith If the Dead Are Not Raised (15:1–58)
The Collection for the Saints and Travel Plans (16:1–12)
Closing Admonitions and Greetings (16:13–24)

The Setting of 1 Corinthians

c. A.D. 53–55

Paul wrote 1 Corinthians during his third missionary journey, near the end of his three-year ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:21–22). Both Corinth and Ephesus were wealthy port cities steeped in pagan idolatry and philosophy. Corinth benefited both militarily and economically from its strategic location at one end of the isthmus that connected the southern Greek peninsula to the mainland.

The Global Message of 1 Corinthians

The global message of 1 Corinthians is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is relevant to every dimension of church life. To a church facing many problems, Paul writes of God’s empowering grace and the need to know Christ alone and him crucified. There is much for the global church today to learn from this important letter.

First Corinthians and Redemptive History

Paul’s vision in 1 Corinthians stretches all the way back to the first man, Adam (1 Cor. 15:21–22), and all the way forward to the future return of Jesus (15:23–24). Paul places his letter to the Corinthian church against the backdrop of the massive sweep of world history. The Corinthians themselves are part of that history. And as equal members of the body of Christ, so are Christians today, wherever in the world they may live.

Because Christ is the center point of all human history, we see Paul connecting both the Old Testament past and his own present ministry to Christ himself. Indeed, for Paul, because Christ has come we are now those “on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor. 10:11). Paul warns the Corinthians against idolatrous desires by reminding them of what had become of Israel when they wandered in the wilderness. Yet Paul also makes the surprising statement that the rock from which Israel drank was Christ himself (10:4). All of God’s divine provision for his people foreshadows, and is fulfilled in, Jesus Christ.

Today, then, we live as those “on whom the end of the ages has come.” We live mindful of Christ and the supreme provision God has worked out for us in him, freely available to all those around the world who will forsake worldly ways of thought and life and trust in him.

Universal Themes in 1 Corinthians

The folly of human wisdom. Paul speaks in the opening chapters of 1 Corinthians of the folly of human wisdom—that is, worldly patterns of thinking that exalt human competency and cleverness. This is contrary to the cross of Christ, where God turned the world’s wisdom upside down by providing salvation through a crucified man rather than a conquering king. As Paul puts it, “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:22–23). The gospel addresses every culture around the world at the very point where it believes itself to be strongest, and offers Christ instead as an alternate source of wisdom (1:28–31).

The power of the Spirit. The Corinthian church was infected with a view of life that focused on worldly glory, human triumph, eloquent speech, and natural strength (e.g., 1 Cor. 4:7–20). For this reason, when Paul came to preach to them, they disrespected him due to his lack of style and eloquence (2:1–5; 4:1–7). Yet Paul’s lack of worldly impressiveness was precisely what unlocked the power of the Spirit in his life and through his ministry. His preaching was effective not because of any words of human wisdom but because it involved a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (2:4). Across the globe, this remains the crying need of preaching, regardless of the cultural garb in which the preaching is clothed: the church must proclaim the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in human wisdom, so that the faith of the hearers “might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (2:5).

The body of Christ. The fullest biblical description of the church, the body of Christ, is in 1 Corinthians. Paul tells us in chapters 12–14 that all the various members of the Christian church—whatever their particular gifts, whatever their particular location—are part of Christ’s own body. And the significance of the various parts of the body ought not to be underestimated. Indeed, some body parts that appear least important are in fact crucial to the proper functioning of the body (1 Cor. 12:22–25).

The Global Message of 1 Corinthians for Today

In the world, but not of the world. The heart of the problem in the church at Corinth was that the world was influencing them rather than they influencing the world. In the opening chapters especially, Paul reminds the Corinthians that the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world, and the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God. The Corinthians were not only in the world but also of it, whereas Christ calls believers to be in the world but not of it (John 17:14–19). Christians around the globe today are called to live in faithful presence among their unbelieving neighbors, influencing them with the love of Christ rather than being infected by worldly patterns of thinking (Rom. 12:1–2). We are to be salt and light to a lost world (Matt. 5:13–16).

Global unity. In his final prayer for the church, Christ prayed above all for unity among the generations of believers who would follow the apostles (John 17:20–21). Yet the situation in Corinth was a mess of dissension and factions (1 Cor. 1:10–17; 3:1–8, 21–23). Down through history and around the world such disunity has often plagued God’s people. This is deeply offensive to the heart of God, and it is also confusing to nonbelievers as they wonder why Christians don’t “practice what they preach.” The global church is called, now as much as at any other time in history, to labor for unity—never by compromising doctrinal truth, but rather by celebrating our common fellowship in the family of God wherever genuine faith in Christ is exercised. The way such common faith is expressed may be quite different culturally or in other ways, but the beauty of the body of Christ will be seen in a single, unitive, though diversely expressed, love for Christ.

Love. The main way unity of faith will be seen is through love (1 Cor. 8:1; 13:1–14:1; 16:14). Across cultures, classes, languages, and borders, nothing is more central to the Christian life than love. Indeed, love is definitive of Christian living (1 John 4:7–12). Beneath the various surface-level distinguishing marks of Christian people, the global church is called to clothe itself with love toward one another and toward the world. Such love, moreover, will be more than words; it will also be actions:

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16–18)

1 Corinthians Fact #3: pastoral letter

Fact: pastoral letter

First Corinthians is a pastoral letter to a spiritually troubled church. Paul deeply loved the church at Corinth, but he was distressed by some of the behavior prevalent among its members. He wrote to the Corinthians to address such issues as the relationship between Christians and the surrounding culture, divisions within the church, and matters of personal morality.

Luke Fact #28: Resurrected as real people!

Fact: Resurrected as real people!

Resurrected as real people! After his resurrection, Jesus had a real physical body. He was not just a disembodied spirit. He could eat and be touched (24:39–43). Christians will also experience real, physical resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15).

The Setting of 2 Corinthians

c. A.D. 55–56

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians from Macedonia a year or so after writing 1 Corinthians, during his third missionary journey. He had just finished his three-year ministry in Ephesus and was visiting the churches in Macedonia as he made his way to Corinth. In Macedonia he met Titus, who had returned from Corinth with news about the church there.

The Setting of 1 Corinthians

c. A.D. 53–55

Major Events in the Life of the Apostle Paul

A.D. 5–10?	Born in Tarsus, an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin and a Roman citizen (Acts 22:3, 28; Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5); raised in either Jerusalem (Acts 22:3?) or Tarsus
15–20?	Trained as a Pharisee by Gamaliel I (Acts 22:3; 26:5; Gal. 1:14; Phil. 3:5–6)
30/33?	Death, resurrection of Christ
31–34	Present at Stephen’s stoning; persecuted Christians (Acts 7:58; 8:1; 22:4a; 26:9–11; 1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13; Phil. 3:6)
33/34*	Converted, called, and commissioned on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:1–19; 22:6–11; 26:12–18; Gal. 1:15–16)
33/34–36/37	Stays in Damascus a short time (Acts 9:19b); leaves for Arabia (2 Cor. 11:32; Gal. 1:17); returns to Damascus (Gal. 1:17; Acts 9:20–22?); escapes through city wall to avoid arrest (Acts 9:23–24; 2 Cor. 11:32–33)
36/37*	Meets with Peter, sees James, in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26–30; Gal. 1:18) Hellenists seek to kill him; flees to Tarsus (Acts 9:28–30; Gal. 1:21)
37–45	Ministers in Syria/Cilicia (2 Cor. 11:22–27?)
44–47*	Ministers with Barnabas in Antioch (Acts 11:25–26) Second Visit to Jerusalem; time of famine (Acts 11:27–30; Gal. 2:1–10)
46–47	First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:4–14:26): 1.5 years?
48*	With Barnabas, spends “no little time” in Antioch (Acts 14:28; Gal. 2:11–14); writes Galatians
48–49*	Returns to Jerusalem for the apostolic council (Acts 15); Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch (Acts 15:30–33), but dispute over John Mark causes them to part ways (Acts 15:36–41)
48/49–51*	Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36–18:22): 2.5 years?
49	Paul and Silas travel to southern Galatia through Asia Minor, on to Macedonia (Philippi [1 Thess. 2:2]); Thessalonica [1 Thess. 2:2; Phil. 4:15–16]; and Berea [Acts 17:10–15]), and then to Achaia (Athens [1 Thess. 3:1] and Corinth [2 Cor. 11:7–9])
49–51*	Spends 1.5 years in Corinth (Acts 18:11); appears before Gallio (Acts 18:12–17); writes 1 and 2 Thessalonians
51	Returns to Jerusalem? (Acts 18:22)
52–57*	Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:23–21:17): 5 years?
52	Travels to Antioch, spends “some time”; travels through Galatia and Phrygia (Acts 18:23)
52–55	Arrives in Ephesus (Acts 19:1; 1 Cor. 16:8); ministers for three years (Acts 20:31) and writes 1 Corinthians; makes brief, “painful visit” to Corinth (2 Cor. 2:1), then returns to Ephesus and writes “severe letter” (now lost) to Corinth (2 Cor. 2:3–4; 7:8–16)
55–56*	Travels north to Macedonia, meets Titus (Acts 20:1; 2 Cor. 2:12–13); writes 2 Corinthians
57*	Winters in Corinth (Acts 20:2–3; 2 Cor. 9:4), writes to the Romans from Corinth; travels to Jerusalem; is arrested (Acts 21:27–36)
57–59	Transferred as prisoner to Caesarea, stays for two years (Acts 24:27)
60*	Voyage to Rome; shipwrecked, spends three months on Malta (Acts 28:11); finally arrives in Rome
62*	Under house-arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30–31), writes Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon
62–67	Released from house-arrest in Rome, travels to Spain (?), writes 1 Timothy (from Macedonia?) and Titus (from Nicopolis); is rearrested, writes 2 Timothy from Rome, is martyred

* denotes approximate date; / signifies either/or

The Epistles

Book	Author	Date	Recipients	Place of Writing
James	James	40–45	Jewish Christians in or near Palestine	Jerusalem?
Galatians	Paul	48	South Galatian churches	Syrian Antioch
1 Thessalonians	Paul	49–51	Church in Thessalonica	Corinth
2 Thessalonians	Paul	49–51	Church in Thessalonica	Corinth
1 Corinthians	Paul	53–55	Church in Corinth	Ephesus
2 Corinthians	Paul	55–56	Church in Corinth	Macedonia
Romans	Paul	57	Church in Rome	Corinth
Philippians	Paul	62	Church in Philippi	Rome
Colossians	Paul	62	Church in Colossae	Rome
Philemon	Paul	62	Philemon	Rome
Ephesians	Paul	62	Churches in Asia Minor (circular letter?)	Rome
1 Timothy	Paul	62–64	Timothy	Macedonia?
Titus	Paul	62–64	Titus	Nicopolis
1 Peter	Peter	62–63	Churches in Roman provinces in Asia Minor	Rome
2 Peter	Peter	64–67	Churches in Roman provinces in Asia Minor?	Rome
2 Timothy	Paul	64–67	Timothy	Rome
Jude	Jude	Mid–60s	Jewish Christians in Egypt? Asia Minor? Antioch?	Unknown
Hebrews	Unknown	60–70	Jewish Christians in Rome or in or near Palestine	Unknown
1 John	John	85–95	Churches near Ephesus?	Ephesus
2 John	John	85–95	Church or churches near Ephesus	Ephesus
3 John	John	85–95	Gaius	Ephesus

Earthly Bodies and Resurrection Bodies (1 Corinthians 15)

Verse	Earthly Bodies	Resurrection Bodies
v. 42	perishable	imperishable
v. 43a	exist in dishonor	raised in glory
v. 43b	exist in weakness	raised in power
v. 44	natural	spiritual
vv. 45, 47	first Adam a living being, from the earth	last Adam (Christ) a life-giving spirit, from heaven
vv. 48–49	those who are of earth bear the image of the man of dust	those who are of heaven shall bear the image of the man of heaven
vv. 53–54	mortal	immortal

Study Notes

See chart See chart

Earthly Bodies and Resurrection Bodies (1 Corinthians 15)

Verse	Earthly Bodies	Resurrection Bodies
v. 42	perishable	imperishable
v. 43a	exist in dishonor	raised in glory
v. 43b	exist in weakness	raised in power
v. 44	natural	spiritual
vv. 45, 47	first Adam a living being, from the earth	last Adam (Christ) a life-giving spirit, from heaven
vv. 48–49	those who are of earth bear the image of the man of dust	those who are of heaven shall bear the image of the man of heaven
vv. 53–54	mortal	immortal

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In the face of a looming death, how can anyone be courageous, steadfast, and immovable (which Paul tells us to be)? The world's great strategy is to act like death doesn't exist. Well, that's not wise, simply because it does exist. God's Word has a better play: meditate (think deeply and prayerfully) on the future reality of Christ's return when He will give you an eternal, heavenly, and perfect body.

"I am not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can't fix." —D.A. Carson

This quote by Dr. Carson is interesting, and true in two ways:

Jesus' resurrection secures our deliverance from our biggest adversaries: sin, Satan, and death. What a relief!
Our earthly body, upon Christ's return, will be resurrected and transformed into a flawless heavenly body, causing us to never again suffer from weakness, illness, sin, or death. What a relief!

God "will swallow up death forever" after the Lord's return by transforming "our lowly body to be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:21), thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 25:8. All believers in Jesus will put on immortality.

This resurrection is a relief, it is astonishing, and it will happen even if we doubt that it will. So, brace yourself for God to pour out the riches of His mercy on you! The sufferings of our hardest days are not worthy of being compared to the all-satisfying grace we will be given on this day!

For eternal life has been promised to us by a God who cannot lie, and on this resurrection day, He will "wipe away tears from all faces" (Isaiah 25:8). And I know how we will respond. The Bible tells us what we will say, and it's beautiful:

"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:9)

But let us say now, "Come, Lord Jesus!"

This month's memory verse

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

– Romans 5:8

1. If all of your thoughts, emotions, and actions were written down in a book, would a reader of the book get the impression that you are courageous, steadfast, and immovable in the face of death?

2. Our current body is described as a body of death—as humble, mortal, perishable, and earthly. Its weakness causes us to groan (2 Corinthians 5:2). Be specific, in what ways do these words describe the experience you've had in your earthly body?

3. Our heavenly body is described as full of glory—as spiritual, eternal, immortal, and imperishable. It will be a body that resembles Christ's (1 John 3:2). What about this future reality are you most looking forward to? How often do you meditate upon this truth?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

Michael Sisson

Re: Isa 25:7 Isaiah 25:7 (NASB) And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even >>>the veil which is stretched over all nations.<<< See 2Co 3:15-16; Ep 4:18 Re: Isa 25:8 See 1Cor 15:54-55, Rev 7:17; Isa 26:19; Ho 13:14; Isa 15:3; Isa 30:19; Isa 35:10; Isa 51:11; Isa 65:19; Je 31:16; Rev 21:4; Ge 30:23; Ps 119:39; Mt 5:11; 1Pe 4:14; Rev 7:14; Isa 7:7; Ps 56:8

Michael Scaman

Kind of stunning that even in the Old testament Isiah points to death being swallowed up for even Gentiles and God wiping tears from their faces. He will wipe tearsf rom their eyes will also be in Revelation 7 and 21. Isaiah points to death being swallowed up for all peoples and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, ISAIAH 25:7–8 redemption for the gentiles and a tender mercy, wiping tears from all faces. Death swallows all and perhaps that was part of the reason God appointed a fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah's prey says he wasn't swallowed by a fish, he was swallowed by sheol. "You know if God wipes the tears away the sting of pain will be gone" RC Sproul I hear people quoting Revelation "God will wipe every tar from thier eyes" but not quoting the similar verse from Isaiah

Amy Lowther

1. Yes, because God is with me as I do things and as I make choices. 2. The words reflect me being myself as the world exists as itself. 3. The idea of eternal life sounds good. It helps me strive and reach towards the future in positive, productive ways. The truth of the Bible is something I think about daily. Hank - Thank you for sharing your ideas. I like your point, “For eternal life has been promised to us by a God who cannot lie, and on this resurrection day, He will "wipe away tears from all faces" (Isaiah 25:8)”. It is nice God is willing to listen.