Far from Being a "New Testament" doctrine, the resurrection of the dead was anticipated and foretold by many who lived in Old Testament times.

NOTICE now how many Old Testament prophets spoke of man's resurrection back to life.

David wrote of the resurrection: "My flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (she'o/, the grave]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One [Christ] to see corruption" (Ps. 16:9, 10).

The apostle Peter, commenting on this very scripture, said: "Let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried.... He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption" (Acts 2:29, 31).

Christ's "soul was not left in hell [Greek, hades---the grave]," and his body did not decompose. It was buried in a rock-hewn tomb at a cool tine of the year; and it was resurrected before decomposition set in, before it began to decay or putrefy

Christ's resurrection was, in fact, a type of the resurrection which God promises to all those who faithfully obey Him.

The apostle Paul was inspired to write: "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you. fie that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [enliven] your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Roam. 8:11).

We have already examined the scripture in Psalm I6:9, 10, which clearly shows that David believed in a coming resurrection for the Messiah and also for himself. David said: ''My flesh also shall rest [in the grave] in hope [of the coming resurrection]. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell...."

Long, before the time of David, God's servant Job clearly revealed his faith in a coming resurrection. He asked: ''If a man die shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou [God] shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands" (.Job 14:14, 15).

Yes, Job knew the time was coming when his Creator would call him from the grave and clothe him with eternal life. "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh [Hebrew, without, or apart from my flesh]  shall I see God" (Job I9:25, 26).

He knew he would some day be resurrected to see his Redeemer.

The prophet Isaiah believed in the resurrection: "'Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead'' (Isa. 26:19).

Ezekiel also prophesied of a coming resurrection when The "whole house of Israel'' will be restored to life. His vision of a "valley which was full of bones" is well known: "O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you. ;and cover you with skin, ; and put breath in you and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I anm the Lord' (Ezekiel. 37:4-6).

Furthermore, God says through Ezekicl: "Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel" (verse 12).

The prophet Daniel also foretold a coming resurrection when "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt'' (Dan. 12:2).

An angel appeared unto Daniel and told him: "But go thy way till the end be: for thou shall rest [in the grave] and stand [stand up in a resurrection] in thy lot at the end of the days" (verse 13).

The primary definition of the word "resurrect" itself is "to raise from the dead: restore to life."

In the Arndt-Gingrich Greek Lexicon, the Greek word translated "resurrection" is anastasis, which means to "rise" or to be "resurrected" from the dead. In Hebrews 11:35 it is translated, "Women received their dead raised to life again..." This translation tends to clarify the meaning of the original Greek term, To be "raised to life again" after having once experienced death is to be resurrected. Raised has to do with being elevated out of the grave.

Hosea also believed in the resurrection: "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction ..." (Hosea 13:14).

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews gives a long list of faithful servants of God who, during Old Testament times, obeyed God and often would not accept deliverance from a horrible death "that they might [through their martyrdom] obtain a better resurrection" (Heb. 11:35).

Many have failed to realize that even Moses prophesied of the saints being glorified in a resurrection at the second coming of Christ when they will be united with Him. "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up front Seir unto them; hie shined forth from Mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints; front his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall [in the future] receive of thy words" (Deut. 33:2, 3).

The afore-quoted prophecy refers to the time of the second coming of Jesus Christ, when many thousands of saints will be resurrected from their graves (Israelites and gentiles) and will be joined unto Christ, as his Bride. Then Christ will give there His law to teach all nations in the wonderful, utopian World Tomorrow, in the Kingdom of God (see I Thes. 4:13-18).

The Encyclopaedia Britannica, commenting on Daniel 12:2, says: "it should be noted that it is not the immortality of the soul that is spoken of but the resurrection of the dead, who have remained dead ('sleep in the dust') until the end time (when 'your people shall be delivered'). This remains the hope and expectation normative in Judaism and Christianity ("Eschatology," 14th edition, 1973, V I I I, p. 696).

You will search the Bible in vain to find any other teaching. The Bible teaches the resurrection--- not the immortality of the soul.