Shayla: Are there any examples of the unrighteous dead being raised from the dead?

Meforshim:

Going through the Bible in a systematic way, I can only think of eight instances of individuals (other than the Lord Himself) being raised from the dead.

There was the Zarephathite widow’s son who was raised by the prophet Elijah.

• 1 Kings 17:17-24 HCSB After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness became very severe until no breath remained in him. (18) She said to Elijah, "Man of God, what do we have in common? Have you come to remind me of my guilt and to kill my son?" (19) But Elijah said to her, "Give me your son." So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. (20) Then he cried out to the LORD and said, "My LORD God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?" (21) Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the LORD and said, "My LORD God, please let this boy's life return to him!" (22) So the LORD listened to Elijah's voice, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. (23) Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, "Look, your son is alive." (24) Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know you are a man of God and the LORD's word in your mouth is the truth."

The Shunammite woman’s son was raised by Elijah’s disciple Elisha.

• 2 Kings 4:18-22 HCSB The child grew and one day went out to his father and the harvesters. (19) Suddenly, he complained to his father, "My head! My head!" His father told his servant, "Carry him to his mother." (20) So he picked him up and took him to his mother. The child sat on her lap until noon and then died. (21) Then she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in, and left. (22) She summoned her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can hurry to the man of God and then come back."
• 2 Kings 4:32-37 HCSB When Elisha got to the house, he discovered the boy lying dead on his bed. (33) So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. (34) Then he went up and lay on the boy: he put mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand. While he bent down over him, the boy's flesh became warm. (35) Elisha got up, went into the house, and paced back and forth. Then he went up and bent down over him again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. (36) Elisha called Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite woman." He called her and she came. Then Elisha said, "Pick up your son." (37) She came, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; she picked up her son and left.

The young man who was apparently raised by mere contact with Elisha’s bones.

• 2 Kings 13:20-21 HCSB Then Elisha died and was buried. Now marauding bands of Moabites used to come into the land in the spring of the year. (21) Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a marauding band, so they threw the man into Elisha's tomb. When he touched Elisha's bones, the man revived and stood up!

The widow’s son that Jesus raised.

• Luke 7:12-16 HCSB Just as He neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was also with her. (13) When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, "Don't cry." (14) Then He came up and touched the open coffin, and the pallbearers stopped. And He said, "Young man, I tell you, get up!" (15) The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. (16) Then fear came over everyone, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen among us," and "God has visited His people."

The synagogue leader Jairus’ daughter.

• Luke 8:49-55 HCSB While He was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader's house, saying, "Your daughter is dead. Don't bother the Teacher anymore." (50) When Jesus heard it, He answered him, "Don't be afraid. Only believe, and she will be made well." (51) After He came to the house, He let no one enter with Him except Peter, John, James, and the child's father and mother. (52) Everyone was crying and mourning for her. But He said, "Stop crying, for she is not dead but asleep." (53) They started laughing at Him, because they knew she was dead. (54) So He took her by the hand and called out, "Child, get up!" (55) Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then He gave orders that she be given something to eat.

Probably the second most famous raising, Lazarus.

• John 11:38-45 HCSB Then Jesus, angry in Himself again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. (39) "Remove the stone," Jesus said. Martha, the dead man's sister, told Him, "Lord, he already stinks. It's been four days." (40) Jesus said to her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" (41) So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You heard Me. (42) I know that You always hear Me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so they may believe You sent Me." (43) After He said this, He shouted with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" (44) The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him and let him go." (45) Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what He did believed in Him.

Tabitha/Dorcas was raised by the Apostle Peter.

• Acts 9:36-42 HCSB In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. She was always doing good works and acts of charity. (37) In those days she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs. (38) Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who begged him, "Don't delay in coming with us." (39) So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them. (40) Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, "Tabitha, get up!" She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. (41) He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her alive. (42) This became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

Eutychus fell asleep during Paul’s sermon, fell out a window and down three stories. Paul raised him as well.

• Acts 20:7-12 HCSB On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he extended his message until midnight. (8) There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were assembled, (9) and a young man named Eutychus was sitting on a window sill and sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept on speaking. When he was overcome by sleep he fell down from the third story, and was picked up dead. (10) But Paul went down, threw himself on him, embraced him, and said, "Don't be alarmed, for his life is in him!" (11) After going upstairs, breaking the bread, and eating, he conversed a considerable time until dawn. Then he left. (12) They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.

Of the eight examples, I can think of, at least four are clearly children or teens and thus would come under the age of accountability:

1. The Zarephathite widow’s son
2. The Shunammite woman’s son
3. The synagogue leader Jairus’ daughter
4. Eutychus

A rather strong argument could be made that the widow’s son that Jesus raised would likely have been a teenager. The term Jesus used to address the corpse was neaniskos (Strong’s #3495). Neaniskos was routinely used in the sense of “youth”, “boy” or “lad”. Thus he very likely also fell under the age of accountability.

Of the three that remain, two are definitely identified as righteous:

1. Lazarus
2. Tabitha/Dorcas

This leaves only the man who was raised by making contact with Elisha’s bones. There is no statement that I know of in regards to his spiritual state but I tend to assume that he was righteous from the fact that seven of the eight were either deliberately righteous (i.e. had chosen an obedient relationship with the Lord) or fell under the age of accountability.

Then one must consider the mass raising of the dead that took place at the moment of the Lord’s death.

• Matthew 27:50-53 HCSB Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit. (51) Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked and the rocks were split. (52) The tombs also were opened and many bodies of the saints who had gone to their rest were raised. (53) And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.

Again, we see that only the righteous dead were raised.

There is one more example that, though not an actual resurrection, I think pertains to the issue. That is the recall of Samuel’s spirit by the witch of Endor.

• 1 Samuel 28:6-19 HCSB He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets. (7) Saul then said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her." His servants replied, "There is a woman at Endor who is a medium." (8) Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes and set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, "Consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the one I tell you." (9) But the woman said to him, "You surely know what Saul has done, how he has killed the mediums and spiritists in the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed?" (10) Then Saul swore to her by the LORD: "As surely as the LORD lives, nothing bad will happen to you because of this." (11) "Who is it that you want me to bring up for you?" the woman asked. "Bring up Samuel for me," he answered. (12) When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, and then she asked Saul, "Why did you deceive me? You are Saul!" (13) But the king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" "I see a spirit form coming up out of the earth," the woman answered. (14) Then Saul asked her, "What does he look like?" "An old man is coming up," she replied. "He's wearing a robe." Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed his face to the ground and paid homage. (15) "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Samuel asked Saul. "I'm in serious trouble," replied Saul. "The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. He doesn't answer me any more, either through the prophets or in dreams. So I've called on you to tell me what I should do." (16) Samuel answered, "Since the LORD has turned away from you and has become your enemy, why are you asking me? (17) The LORD has done exactly what He said through me: The LORD has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David. (18) You did not obey the LORD and did not carry out His wrath against Amalek; therefore the LORD has done this to you today. (19) The LORD will also hand Israel over to the Philistines along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the LORD will hand Israel's army over to the Philistines."

Though Samuel was not actually raised from the dead, the fact that his spirit was still conscious of what the current situation was and accurately predicted the next day’s events sheds some light on “that great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) that have gone on before us.

I do not (as some do) argue that this was not actually Samuel but some angel or demon. The text itself definitively identifies the person speaking as Samuel, above and beyond the witch’s testimony (who did not know Samuel well) and Saul’s (who did). Besides, Samuel’s spirit accurately repeated what Samuel in his corporeal life had often preached to the King and accurately predicted the next day’s events. The first of those two precludes a demonic presence and the second further identifies this spirit as the prophet Samuel.

The Bible categorically condemns the use of spiritists, mediums and witches, but it does not say that it is IMPOSSIBLE to contact the dead. It simply teaches that it is WRONG. Doing this added the long list of reasons why King Saul lost his kingdom.

• 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 HCSB Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD because he did not keep the LORD's word. He even consulted a medium for guidance, (14) but he did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

And the Lord kept His word in regards to the punishment of someone who consults a witch. The very next day Saul and his sons died.

• Leviticus 20:6 HCSB "Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists and prostitutes himself with them, I will turn against that person and cut him off from his people.

However, in getting back to the shayla you asked, even in this strange case it was a righteous man’s spirit who was raised.

So in my opinion, the unrighteous dead may not be raised. Even if we had the miraculous gift of raising the dead, the Spirit (who is the source of life in the first place and who was instrumental in the raising of the Master from the dead (Romans 8:11)) would preclude the raising of the unrighteous.

We also need to give heed to the fact that in some 6,000 years of recorded biblical history only Elijah, Elisha, the Lord and the Apostle Paul were able to raise the dead. To count one’s self in that august company would, in my opinion, smack somewhat of hubris.

As a last note on the matter I think it’s interesting to consider the case of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). The rich man ended up in the Gehenna (Hades) side of Sheol. Apparently, he understood that he would not be given a second chance because he did not even asked to be raised from the dead; he asked that Lazarus, who was on the Gan Eden/Paradise/Abraham’s Bosom side of Sheol, be raised. For further information on the two compartments that were in Sheol prior to the Lord’s resurrection, go consider the shayla “Did Jesus really descend to hell?”, or “Do you believe in soul sleep?”