Called Forth from Their Graves

Did Lazarus who was raised from the dead go on to live a normal life and die again?

Joh 11:21  Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

Joh 11:22  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

Joh 11:23  Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

Joh 11:24  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Joh 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Joh 11:27  She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

Joh 11:28  And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.

Joh 11:29  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.

Joh 11:30  Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.

Joh 11:31  The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.

Joh 11:32  Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

Joh 11:33  When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

Joh 11:34  And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

Joh 11:35  Jesus wept.

Joh 11:36  Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

Joh 11:37  And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

Joh 11:38  Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

Joh 11:39  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

Joh 11:40  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Joh 11:41  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

Joh 11:42  And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Joh 11:43  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

Joh 11:44  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Joh 11:45  Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

Joh 11:46  But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

Did Lazarus ever die after being resurrected from death?

Yes.

Lazarus was given back his life just as several throughout Jesus' ministry were brought back from death.

Mat 9:18  While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

Mat 9:19  And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

Mat 9:23  And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,

Mat 9:24  He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

Mat 9:25  But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

Mar 9:25  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

Mar 9:26  And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

Mar 9:27  But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

Luk 7:12  Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

Luk 7:13  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

Luk 7:14  And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

Luk 7:15  And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

Mat 10:5  These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

Mat 10:6  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Mat 10:7  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

So, did Lazarus die again or is he supposedly still walking the earth along with all the others Jesus and Jesus' disciples brought back from the dead? Clearly a fiction writer could go crazy with stories about this, but the truth is, there isn't a single person alive today that cannot die.  Jesus bringing the people back to life- was bringing them back to live out their life in the flesh, it was NOT the resurrection to eternal life because we know this--

1Th_4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Lazarus was not raised to meet Christ in the air.  Lazarus and all the others lived normal lives after being brought back from death, but they were still subject to death. The children brought back continued to grow to adulthood, they weren't made a spectacle of living on as children forever and ever.

This death they experience and the death we experience is a long sleep.  This is why our Savior could raise Lazarus and the others, they had just fallen into that long sleep. 

Were  ANY that had been in the graves for years and years and years live again?  It is possible--

Mat 27:50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

Mat 27:52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

Mat 27:53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Bodies of the saints which slept arose- came out of the graves-appeared unto many. These saints that slept in graves- clearly DEAD- arose… and ONLY after the resurrection of Jesus a few DAYS later did these people go into Jerusalem and appear to many!  Just imagine people buried in a cemetery (tombs) outside the city are once more alive! They are alive and then after getting themselves reoriented to living again they went and once more appeared to many people. Did these people, like the others who were raised from the dead by the Savior and His disciples, go on to live their lives or were they heaven bound- I don't know- I can't find that answer in God's word, though I will continue to search.

The point needed to be made here is death is a reality, what happens after we die- our thoughts perish- we sleep death's sleep, a special sleep.  Those people in their graves when Jesus died weren't in heaven, they weren't called back from heaven why would that every happen, what would be the purpose in such a thing?!  How horrific to imagine that God would call people back from heaven into earthly bodies to suffer earthly ailments and eventual death all over again.  It makes NO SENSE.

Lazarus and all the others resurrected by our Savior and the disciples through our Savior, lived on only to die again and enter death's sleep.  They will be resurrected from the grave when our Savior returns and the last trump is sounded.  Those who were raised from their graves when Christ died, very well could have ascended like Christ ascended because their bodies had to be altered having been severely decaying in their graves, they very well could have been given immortal flesh, but I don't know.  We do know that death's sleep is a long sleep- some- like Abel have been asleep for a long, long time. Abel will rise again upon hearing that call from the last trump as our Savior returns to take ALL who are His, those in the graves over the thousands of years of death, and those who are alive never tasting death's sleep.

Please LORD, please, come soon.  This world is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah, it has to be! Please, Father, please let the cup be full soon. Please! We long to hear the last trump sound, we long for our Savior to return. We feel it's all but hopeless living in this awful, awful world, but our HOPE is in YOU, save us! Please, save us. All by the love and mercy, the grace and the righteousness of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord!

Amen!