Resurrection 4 Kids

Home >> Articles >> KIDZ - ZONE

Resurrection 4 Kids

It's hard for me to believe we can come back to life after we die. Most of my friends in high school don't believe it. I don't think my teachers believe it either. Can you tell me how people can come back to life again after they have been dead a long time?

Answer:

Mummy Land

Since you're almost all grown up I hope you don't mind me talking to you like an adult. Anyway, you're not alone. Many people can't believe in or refuse to believe in a resurrection of a dead body. Probably the only time they think about it is when they see a movie about mummies or when a relative dies. It's silly, but most of us believe more in "Mummy Land" than in "Resurrection Land."

Incarnation

That's too bad, isn't it? Because there are lots of reasons to believe we could come back to life. Probably the most important is that we believe in a God so big and powerful that he is smarter and bigger than anything we see in the universe. Most of us can't even imagine how big our universe is. So we certainly can't picture God in our minds. That's one reason why he became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ - so he could talk to us about himself. We call this the "incarnation."

AVATAR

Did you see the movie, Avatar? Did you know that the word "Avatar" means "incarnation" in Sanskrit? In that movie scientists download human consciousness (just like a software program) into beings genetically made to be like the Navi creatures. Then humans can talk to the Navi and try to convince them to move out of their territory.

That's kind of like what God did for us. He became one of us to convince us we should believe him about Jesus dying for our sins, about resurrection and about heaven. That way we can become alive again even after we die.

DNA Blueprints for Life

Apart from that fun movie, we now know that all living things have a blueprint or a plan inside them that we can use to make copies of them if we want. We call this blueprint "DNA."

If you saw the scary movie, Jurassic Park, it gives you an idea of what cloning from DNA is all about. In the movie scientists recreate dinosaurs from DNA harvested or taken from blood cells.

Cloning Defined

I'll bet you will study cloning in your science classes. So let's look at a definition of cloning. It will give you a head start.

Webster's New Dictionary defines "cloning" as "the offspring produced asexually from an individual (as a plant increased by grafting); a group of replicas of all or part of a large biological molecule (as DNA); an individual grown from a single body cell of its parent and genetically identical to the parent; one that appears to be a copy of an original form."

Here we see that cloning allows scientists to use DNA to make a copy of a life form. Does that sound a little bit like "resurrection" to you?

Recreating Pets?

Did you know that some rich people pay to have their pets cloned from DNA samples just like dinosaurs were recreated in the movie Jurassic Park? Just think about this. If scientists can recreate your dog or cat from their DNA samples then God can certainly recreate us the same way - only better. It is even possible that God may use cloning technology to do this. We just don't know exactly how God will choose to resurrect us yet.

Multi Dimensions

It's fun to think about it, though, isn't it? Maybe God will even "tweak" our DNA when he brings us back to life so that we no longer die and can walk through walls like Jesus did (John 20:26). This would give us an ability to slip in and out of multi-dimensional spaces just like our Lord.

Here is what I mean. We know that Jesus could materialize and dematerialize while his body was still touchable or "tangible" (Jn 20:19; Lk 24:31). If you grabbed his arm you could feel it (Lk 24:39) even though he could walk right through the wall (Luke 24:36; John 20:19, 26).

Jesus could also tell us what is going to happen in the future (Matthew 24). We even see some of these prophecies coming true today. It proves he exists outside of time and our understanding of time. Then when he came to life after he was dead for three whole days he showed he controlled the laws of physics, too. In other words, Jesus controls the death process.

Lots of Spacial Dimensions

There are some scientists like Hugh Ross and Frank Tipler who say that Jesus lives in at least 11 dimensions (Ross 1996, 59). Right now we only live in three and one-half dimensions. They are length, width, height and time. We only live in one-half dimension of time, though, because we can't move backwards in time - only forward as we plod slowly through the present into the future.

Use your Imagination

I can't imagine what it will be like to exist in more than three dimensions. Can you? Maybe we'll see new colors and hear more music notes. Maybe we can travel by thought. Maybe we will change forms like shape-shifters in science fiction. Maybe we can fly like angels. Perhaps we could visit other galaxies and help aliens or younger life forms. Just use your imagination. Anything is possible.

Becoming just like Jesus

We do know that God promises you and me that our bodies will be just like our Lord's when he returns to bring our bodies to life again. The apostle John tells us..."we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). That means we will be resurrected with really "cool" new bodies that can do lots of things we can't do yet. We will even "see" things differently.

Information Age

We live in an age of information. It appears that all God needs to resurrect us is the information encoded in our DNA. It is partly the combining of our DNA blueprints with our personality "software" that makes you or me who we are. Maybe even our "souls" are like software, too. What do you think?

Remember that DNA is nucleic acid that carries genetic information in each cell of all living things. It is like the master computer that gives instructions to each part of a cell. In fact, DNA is a digital, error-correcting, and self-replicating code.

Mother Computers?

But, we can't even make computers like that yet, can we? Do you know of any computers that give birth to baby computers who have billions of internal, self-regulating processes that "correct" or "heal" themselves?

I don't think so...

Taking up Space?

One more fact: Did you know that the DNA of around six billion humans only take up the space of two or three little aspirin tablets? (Tada 1995, 37). So it isn't even hard for God to keep our DNA records safe. Maybe God even keeps them in what he calls the "book of life" (Revelation 20:12 & Daniel 12:1).

Kinds

Also, this is incredible. Did you know that the Bible mentions something that we now know is probably a reference to DNA? It even alludes to or hints that DNA blueprints exist for all biological life forms.

"Then God said, 'Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind - livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals...each able to produce offspring of the same kind" (Genesis 1:24-25, NLT).

Replicating or reproducing animals "according to its kind" (NKJV) means the animal is copied or patterned after its own species.

Pets in Heaven?

It is the existence of DNA or animals reproducing after their kinds that convince me it is entirely possible God may resurrect our pets, too.

At any rate, it is a pleasure to think that DNA makes it possible for God to easily recreate our Christian relatives, friends, and even our pets in a future brand new world, a new universe and a new home we will call the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21 and 22).

That's why my favorite Bible verse is found in the book of Job. He said,

"As for me, I know that
my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take
His stand on the earth.
Even after my skin is
destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall
see God,
whom I myself shall
behold,
And whom my eyes shall
see and not another"
(Job 19:25-27, NASB).

Essence of Belief

It is very important that we believe in resurrection. It is the core or essence of our very belief system in the Christian faith. It is central to our faith to believe in a resurrection of the body. The apostle Paul tell us ... "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless"...and "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (1 Cor 15:17; Ro 10:9).

Isn't it terrific that modern science can assist us in believing in a resurrection?

Now that you have good reasons to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ you can become a true believer. Just believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). If you believed this I can't wait to see you in heaven! We'll have a great reunion!
________________________

References:

Genome scientist finds God. 2006. Koinonia House eNews. 20 June.

Rhodes, Ron. 2007. Intelligent design, quick reference guide. (Pamphlet). Eugene, OR: Harvest House.

Ross, Hugh. 1996. Beyond the cosmos. Colorado Springs: NavPress.

Tada, Joni Eareckson. 1995. Heaven. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Author Valorie Mays Emilio holds an M.A. in History from UCLA and a V.O.M. Certificate in Persecuted Church Ministries from Oklahoma Wesleyan University.