There are millions of Christians worldwide who believe that Jesus would have risen from physical death. Jesus would have conquered physical death. If Jesus really would have conquered physical death, why do all these millions of Christians expect to die one day themselves anyway? It amounts to the same thing as having someone pay off our mortgage for us all at once and yet we continue to pay off our mortgage every month in the meantime.
If we want to understand Jesus and Paul properly, we will have to read the New Testament through their lenses. Seen from a darkened consciousness, physical death is an unpleasant reality that comes with life. Seen from the Christ consciousness, physical death is an illusion. Jesus and Paul walked in Christ consciousness. When they talked about death and resurrection, they were talking about the state of darkened consciousness / mistaken identity (death) and about the Christ consciousness (resurrection). See for example: Romans 6:4,11; Colossians 3:2,3; Galatians 2:19,20; Ephesians 2:1,5,6 (this texts can be read at the bottom of this article).
Jesus, as the Christ, descended into the state of darkened consciousness, making it completely dark on earth for three hours. That was His descent into hell (the darkest state of consciousness)! That was His death! Then they laid Jesus in a tomb. Whether he was actually physically dead or not is not the issue in the gospel. There are several indications that he was not; just consider the folded head cloth, which was normally wrapped around the head of the dead person. This cloth was apparently not used. Why? Was Jesus still breathing?
And then in those three days Jesus lay in the tomb, the greatest natural miracle in human history happens. The body of Jesus that had been torn open to the bone, utterly exhausted, near death, undergoes a metamorphosis through the resurrection power of Christ within him, into a glorified resurrection body. The Christ is resurrected right through the severely ravaged body of Jesus. That is the resurrection that the gospel is all about!
The resurrection power of Christ, the Spirit who raised Jesus from spiritual death, is also in you and in me and in all creation. Christ is all and in all, Paul wrote. And if that Spirit is in us, then that Spirit will also quicken your mortal body (Romans 8:11).
The resurrection of the Christ right through the darkness in which Jesus found himself is a foreshadowing of the Christ who will rise in every person and throughout creation. All that is perishable (not what is already dead!) will put on imperishability and all that is mortal (not what is already dead!) will put on immortality. This is the essence of the joyful message of the kingdom revealed to us by Jesus of Nazareth.
However, as long as we remain focused on the physical death and resurrection of Jesus and continue to believe that one day we ourselves will have to die, the resurrection power of Christ in us will miss its purpose.
Starting today – the day we celebrate the resurrection of the Christ right through the body of Jesus – will we truly begin to believe that the Christ is all and in all? That the resurrection power of Christ is actually able to overcome death so that the present creation and humanity will begin to put on imperishability and immortality? No matter what state creation or your body is currently in. Worse than Jesus’ condition after being taken down from the cross is not possible. And yet, in three days, his battered body underwent a metamorphosis into a glorified resurrection body, thanks to the resurrection power of Christ. What was possible for Jesus 2,000 years ago is also possible for you and is also possible for all of creation. Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
It is at least as powerful a testimony of victory over physical death if Jesus on the cross and Paul after his stoning did not die physically. They were so Christ-conscious that physical death had no hold on them.
“So then, whoever has become Christ-conscious is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, everything has become new“. (2 Corinthians 5:17; MV).
Below are the texts on death and life from the Christ consciousness.
“We were therefore buried with him by baptism into DEATH, that like as Christ (he speaks here deliberately of Christ and not Jesus) was RAISED from the DEATH by the majesty of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. … So it must also be established for you, that though you are DEAD to sin, yet ALIVE to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:4,11)
“Consider the things that are “above” and not those that are on the earth, for you are STORED and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:2,3)
“For I am … DESTORED to live for God. With Christ I am CRUCIFIED, and yet I LIVE, that is, no longer my self (ego), but Christ lives in/as me.” (Galatians 2:19,20)
“You also, though you were DEAD because of your transgressions and sins, …” (Ephesians 2:1)
“Us, though we were DEAD through trespasses made ALIVE together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and raised us up together and gave us a place in heavenly places together with Christ Jesus (the glorified Jesus).” (Ephesians 2:5,6)
All of these texts talk about people who are still physically alive and yet Paul speaks of dead, destored and even crucified.