John 11:25-26

israfel627 · #1 Jul 29, '05, 11:59 am

"I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die."

After giving it some thought, I kinda became confused with this passage. Is Jesus referring to two different kinds of people? Those who believe in him, even if they die, will live. Isn't that all Christians? Who then are the people that live and believe? Was Jesus rewording himself?

Any help with this would be much appreciated. (BTW, this is my first post

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Lazerlike42 · #2 Jul 29, '05, 12:08 pm

He's not, He's just emphasizing the point by saying it in two different ways, and also making the distinction between physical and spiritual death.

"whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live" - Even if a believer physically dies, he/she will still spiritually live because they have eternal life.

"and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." - Anybody who lives physically (that is, is born: lives on earth, is ever alive, etc.) and believes in Him will never die spiritually.

Todd Easton · #3 Aug 1, '05, 12:22 am

Here's my

...

I think Jesus is referring to two groups of Christians, those who die before His Second Coming and those who are still alive at His Second Coming, as St. Paul discusses in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

13But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep [i.e. physically dead], that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; 17then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

And in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52:

51Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep [i.e. physically die], but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we [i.e. the living] shall be changed.

israfel627 · #4 Aug 1, '05, 3:34 pm

^ That one does indeed make more sense. Thanks to both!