The tragic death of 2-year-old Olive Heiligenthal on December 14 rattled the Christian community of Bethel Church in Redding, CA. And their prayers for her resurrection ignited a national conversation.
At the time, blogs, news reports, and the church’s own social media provided exhaustive coverage. And as I read these reports and blogs, I noticed that in the clamor to condemn or condone something critical was either brushed past too quickly or ignored altogether.
So, at Easter, I want to revisit that event and to regroup around one pivotal biblical truth that we can’t afford to miss in the shuffle.
But first, let’s back up to December. Following Olive’s tragic death, Kalley Heiligenthal, Olive’s mother and a worship leader at Bethel, posted on Instagram, “Her time here is not done, and it is our time to believe boldly, and with confidence wield what King Jesus paid for. It’s time for her to come to life.” That began a two-week prayer vigil for little Olive’s “resurrection.”
“We’re asking for prayer,” she wrote. “We believe in a Jesus who died and conclusively defeated every grave, holding the keys to resurrection power.” And again, “We are asking for bold, unified prayers from the global church to stand with us in belief that He will raise this little girl back to life,” she pleaded.
Her posts elicited widespread responses, equal parts praise and criticism, affirmation and ridicule, from Christians and nonchristians alike.
Bill Johnson, the pastor of Bethel, was pressed by the criticism to post a video on social media, explaining their rationale and his willingness to lead the church to pray for the “resurrection” of Olive from the dead. If Jesus could do it, he argued, so should we.
Prayers continued. Criticisms and support continued. But Olive did not rise. On December 27, 2019, the Heiligenthals and the Bethel Church community laid little Olive to rest.
Before I go further, let’s agree that it is callous and reprehensible to ridicule or mock the faith of the Heiligenthals at the worst moment of their lives. In fact, I commend them for their faith and for their willingness to trust God for something great, something beyond even human imagination (Eph. 3:20-21).
But, I would offer that the story of the prayer vigil of the people of Bethel Church exposes a misunderstanding in the Christian community that has nothing to do with prayer or faith or grief. It’s a misunderstanding about what we mean by “resurrection.” And if the Christian responses I read in December are any indication, this misunderstanding reaches farther than the confines of Bethel Church’s community of faith.
What misunderstanding? Simply this—despite their consistent call for little Olive’s “resurrection,” the Bethel Church community was not, in fact, praying for her “resurrection.” They were praying for her resuscitation. And knowing the difference is knowing a critical distinction in the Christian worldview. Here’s what I mean.
When Jesus raised people back to life, it was truly a miracle performed by the power of God through Him. Lazarus, the son of the widow of Nain, and Jairus’ daughter had all truly and physically died. Their hearts were not pumping blood. And in the case of Lazarus, Jesus intentionally waited four days before calling him back to life so that there would be no mistake that his friend was actually dead, a staggering demonstration of the power of God in Jesus Christ to raise people to life (John 11:1-44).
But here’s the thing. Without exception, every one of those people that Jesus raised to life died again. They were resuscitated, not resurrected. But each one demonstrates that God has the power to do what He promises He will do—raise those who trust Christ to eternal life. To confuse Jesus’ acts of resuscitation with resurrection is to diminish both.
So, this Easter, let’s refresh ourselves on resurrection and why it is not the same thing as a resuscitation. After all, if you are going to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, be sure you know why.
Remember these key facts about resurrection:
- Jesus Christ’s resurrection foreshadows our own
When we celebrate the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are also celebrating what resurrection means for the believer in Christ. His resurrection validated all that He taught, and, chief among those, is that we also would experience resurrection and life through Him. He is the “firstborn from the dead,” meaning that His resurrection shows us what ours will be like (Col. 1:18).
All of His promises, all of His power, and all of His miracles are validated by His resurrection, including His power to give us eternal life. “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too” (John 14:19).
- Jesus Christ’s resurrection secures our eternal life
Christ’s resurrection from the dead both provides our salvation and secures our salvation (John 14:1-6, Rom. 6:4, 8:11). And your resurrection life begins at the moment of your salvation in Christ. The source of your eternal life is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Eph. 1:19-20).
That’s what the Bible means by “eternal life.” That life is, in fact, resurrection life (John 11:25-26). Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates His power to slay sin and death and give you eternal life. That happens spiritually as soon as you trust Him as your Savior. And as you await your bodily resurrection, you are already living your new, resurrection life in Christ.
Paul says the Christian is “in Christ.” What does that mean? It means God “made us alive with Christ,” “raised us up with Christ,” and “seated us with him” in the heavens (Eph. 2:5-6).
And, each time we are told what God did, to make us “alive with,” “raised with,” and “seated with” Christ, Paul uses the word that gives us our word “sync.” That is, being “in Christ” means that your resurrection life is eternally synced with His.
Let that sink in. In much the same way that your computer files sync in the cloud so they are always the same everywhere, you are synced with God in Jesus Christ, so you are eternally with Him everywhere. Your salvation is secure, permanent, and eternal, not because of your plans, but because of what God did for you in the resurrection life provided in Christ.
- Our bodily resurrection is a future event we all anticipate
Jesus rose from the grave bodily, not just spiritually (John 20:17, 27). So, God isn’t finished. He created you body, soul, and spirit, so his plan is to make the believer in Christ a new creation body, soul, and spirit (2 Cor. 5:17).
Bodily resurrection is the exchange of mortality for immortality, of the corruptible for the incorruptible. We will receive a resurrected body as the final installment in God’s plan of salvation. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we know what that body will be like. And while it is a “body,” it is not like the body you are wearing now. It’s designed for eternity (1 Cor. 15).
That is, the person who is resurrected is not like the person who is resuscitated in this one critical and glorious way—they will never die again.
When Kalley Heiligenthal said “We believe in a Jesus who died and conclusively defeated every grave, holding the keys to resurrection power,” she was right. But she was ahead of schedule. Right now, you, me, Lazarus, little Olive, and Kalley Heiligenthal are all waiting for, and will one day experience, our own bodily resurrection.
And Kalley will see little Olive again
I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live.
John 11:25