Did Jesus Die a Second Time? Christ’s Death Explained

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Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection are core events within the Christian faith, but the latter years of Christ’s life and ministry on Earth can get a bit muddled. Some people mistakenly believe that Jesus died a second time—but this isn’t actually the truth, according to Christian doctrine. Read on to learn more about what Christians believe about Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, and why they don’t believe in such a thing as a “second death.”

Things You Should Know

Jesus only died once when he was crucified—he did not die a second time.
Jesus ascended into Heaven after being resurrected. He was fully alive when Ascended, so Christians don’t consider His Ascension to be a second death.
Although practicing Catholics honor Jesus’s crucifixion during Mass, they don’t believe that they’re actually killing Jesus a second time.

Did Jesus actually die a second time?

No, Jesus didn’t die a second time. According to the Bible, Jesus only died once, when he was crucified during what’s now celebrated as Good Friday. Forty days after his resurrection (which is celebrated on Easter Sunday), Jesus ascended into Heaven to be with God the Father. When Jesus ascended, He was fully alive.

Common Myths about Jesus Dying Twice

False: Jesus died when he ascended. Depicted in the New Testament books of Luke and Acts, the Ascension details when a resurrected Jesus returned to Heaven to be with God the Father. Although “returned to Heaven” sounds like some sort of second death, this is not the case—the Bible states that Jesus was fully alive when he ascended, and the Ascension was not any type of second death. The Ascension happened 40 days after Jesus was raised from the dead.

False: Jesus is re-crucified during Mass. The symbolism of Catholic Mass (a traditional Catholic church service where the Eucharist/presenting of Jesus’s body and blood is performed) can be mistakenly viewed as a second sacrifice or “death” of Jesus. While attending Mass, Catholics aim to honor and remember Christ’s sacrifice, but they don’t believe that they are physically crucifying and killing Jesus again in the process.

False: Jesus experienced the “second death” highlighted in Revelation. The “second death” refers to the spiritual death that Christians believe happens to non-believers after their physical death. In this “second death,” nonbelievers are cast down to Hell and permanently separated from God. As the deity and pillar of Christianity, Jesus would not be subjected to this “second death.” According to Christian beliefs, people experience the second death because they deny Jesus. By this logic, it wouldn’t make sense for Jesus to experience this.

Jesus’s Death in Other Religions

Islam teaches that Jesus was never crucified and passed normally. According to Muslim beliefs, Jesus was human—not the divine Son of God, as Christians believe. Instead, he died as any other human would: naturally, and just once.

Judaism teaches that Jesus was not the prophesied Messiah. While the Jewish community has different opinions on the whole of who Jesus was, all agree that he wasn’t divine or the Son of God. With this in mind, followers of Judaism don’t believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, or that he experienced any kind of “second death.”