THE TRUTH ABOUT THE RESURRECTION

The Pharisees were a sect consisting of the seemingly most religious of the nation who favored Mosaic Law above and were beyond priestly authority. They were the ‘bureaucrats’ of that day and on one specific day, they sent to Jesus their disciples along with the Herodians. They were out to trick him about whom tribute should be paid, Caesar or God.

After their trickery was foiled by Jesus, along came the Sadducees, trying to make a fool of Jesus about the Resurrection; with all the marriage and remarriage going on because of deaths, whose wife would belong to whom after the Resurrection? That seemed to be a plausible question because people even ask that to this day!

“Jesus answered and said unto them, ‘You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Mat 22:29).

The Sadducees did not believe in the Resurrection. Their query was stated to get Jesus to say something irrational; perhaps, I have no idea, or that the woman would belong to all of them, contrary to scripture.

Jesus stopped them short, saying “You do err!” That would have been attack on them because they were the Jewish elite of that day; they were the Jewish version of the Roman patriarchs and were so Hellenized that they knew the answers to most of the philosophic questions. They were being very Platonian, essentially asking What is truth?

For them, the ‘truth’ was that there was no Resurrection because there was no Paradise.

Jesus endeavored to humble them further. “In the Resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” (Mat 22:30). Jesus didn’t say, “Perhaps there is no marriage in heaven,” but said it with authority. He had been to heaven and there was no marriage there. The root word in the Greek, translated marriage is gam — to bind; or for the woman to be put into bondage. This is the origin of the ‘marriage bond’ of modern times.

There will be no bondage in heaven because the blood, or genetics, of Jesus makes men free, and ostensibly women as well. Jesus had said to His disciples that followed Him and not the crowd, “If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

Jesus continued with Truth-telling about God to the Sadducees, quoting Old Testament scripture; “I Am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Mat 22:32). They were astonished and went on their way, excepting the Pharisees who quickly thought up another test about the Commandments.

Since both parties were political opponents and of different economies; Greek verses Jewish, the Sadducees seem to accept the evidence provided by Jesus, but the Pharisees were more stubborn. They believed in the Resurrection already, so they would not have been astonished, but they devised a test about the Commandments. However, for now, focus on “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

Jesus was recalling for the Sadducees ancient scripture: Exodus 3:6 and 15 — “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob… (they) sent me unto you: this is My Name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”

The word ‘generations’ implies so much: growth, existence, and life, or literally, from the Hebrew ‘dor,’ those living throughout the ages. His Name was a memorial to be remembered by the living throughout all the ages.

What was the Name of God under Mosaic Law? I AM (Exod 3:14). Jesus pointed out to the Sadducees that God that very moment was the same God as with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that He was still the God of the living. That astonished them, and it should astonish us as well.

The realm of God is not on Earth but in heaven (John 18:36). Jesus verified that there was another realm with living beings therein. Heaven consists of Paradise and Hades (Luke 16). Both places will be populated — Paradise by the faithful or Hell by the unfaithful. Everyone will be resurrected! That should astonish everyone!

Even if you do not believe in the Resurrection, it is real; the Resurrection is the process of leaving this world to enter another. The ‘living’ are those destined for Paradise, and the dead are those destined for Hell. As it turned out, John explained it better in his revelation: 

The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:13-15)

 The Sadducees did err! There is a resurrection for everybody. The Christians, even from their graves, will arise to be with Jesus in Paradise; that is astonishing, is it not? What is even more astonishing is that the sea and Hell will deliver up the dead. The soul is immortal; it will always exist throughout all the generations in time. How badly they erred; even they would be resurrected!

Now for a peek into life and death: the saved soul lives forever and the LORD GOD is their God. However, the lost souls die forever. The second death never ends; being cast into the Lake of Fire which never burns out nor consumes the souls of the dead. That should astonish even the followers of Satan and the world!

(Picture credit: NeverThirsty)