It would seem we have a preview of the sort of resurrection body that awaits some at

the return of our Lord at His second coming and which was foretold by Paul in

I.Cor.xv.52: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment, in the

twinkling of an eye". Even as in that same chapter Paul reveals that there is more than

one kind of resurrection body so we know that the Lord Jesus Christ had the power to

first experience the resurrection hope of all His followers, of whatever dispensation or

form it will take.

The raising of Lazarus has also an important bearing on the miracle of our Lord's

resurrection. In that incident there are all the elements of a demonstration of God's

power that excludes doubt or denial. Many witnesses knew that Lazarus had been dead

four days and that, long after corruption in a hot climate had set in. Before the eyes of a

crowd the sealing stone of the tomb is rolled away and at the voice only of the Son of

God the dead one walks forth.

What are today's scoffers of miracles to say to this? What are some in the churches

today to say when they think to make the Bible acceptable by putting forward suggested

natural explanations of miracles? Christ walking on the water only looked like it, there

were hidden shallows! It was probably eczema not leprosy that Christ cured! If the

miracle of the raising of Lazarus took place and if God raised His Son as described in the

Word then surely we can accept the rest of the Bible with thankfulness. But if these two

miracles are a fabrication, what is left to man? Is it as Solomon suggested "There is

nothing better for a man, than he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul

enjoy good in his labour" (Eccles. 2: 24). Paul adds "If Christ be not raised . . . . . we are

of all men most miserable" (I Cor. 15: 17-19).

If the non-scientific person finds dematerialization difficult to conceive let him be

comforted by the fact that scientists exploring the composition of matter begin to find it

consists of electrical charges in a constant state of motion. We may well reconsider

Paul's words:

We stress the feature of resurrection for we all eventually come face to face with the

thought "Is it all really true?" either in thinking of our own decease but more often that of

a loved one we long to meet again and perhaps a cremation service confronts us. No

wonder our great God in His love towards us provided such irrefutable proof for our

comfort and assurance. This proof is undermined and destroyed by those who attack the

inerrancy of the Bible. We cannot pick and choose what we shall accept as true. If we

dishonour God's Word by doubting it we cannot expect His Holy Spirit to guide us into

all truth and the inexpressible joy of His presence.

The historic events leading up to the cross and after have no meaning to us today

unless the Bible's record is true and accepted. The transaction was planned and foretold