¹⁷ but [only] from the tree of the knowledge (recognition) of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly ^[a]die [because of your disobedience].”

²⁴ So God drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He [permanently] stationed the ^[a]cherubim and the sword with the flashing blade which turned round and round [in every direction] to protect and guard the way (entrance, access) to the tree of life.^(A)

²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me [believing in Me as Master and Teacher], and allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead.”

Message to Sardis

3 “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[a]Sardis write:

“These are the words of Him who has ^[b]the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds; you have a name (reputation) that you are alive, but [in reality] you are dead.

⁵ even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment).^{(A) 6} And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus,

Two Resurrections

²⁵ I assure you and most solemnly say to you, a time is coming and is [here] now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will live.

¹⁴ For this reason He says,

⁵ and as the women were terrified and were bowing their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you looking for the living One among the dead?

⁶⁰ But He said to him, “Allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and spread the news about the kingdom of God.”