John 8:52 Commentary and Bible Study

Now you notice how immediately the Jewish leaders try to turn this into a purely earthly statement. They will not see it as being life beyond the grave. You are dispensing life, and you are saying that you have the power to deliver people from death, but Abraham died, and the prophets died – what blasphemy – you are saying you are greater than them.’ Now we know that you are a heretic. Now we know that you are false. Abraham died and no one is greater than Abraham. He died and all the prophets died, and now you come along and you say that a person who believes in you will not die. You see they have turned it into an earthly thing. It is quite obvious, or should be, that Christ’s promise applies to life after human death. But they try to make the crowd believe that Christ is claiming that people will never die at all. Well, that is not the meaning of his word. They twist it down to an absurd earthly meaning. But, of course, Christ was not saying that the believer in him would not see physical death; He was saying the believer in him would not see spiritual death, and lose salvation, and lose eternity.