Weekly Message
CHRISTIANS WILL RISE FROM THE DEAD!
Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Mark 12:24,25)
Recently, a man who attended a Homegoing Service (Funeral) at our church spoke to a visiting minister about his beliefs. He did not believe in the resurrection of individuals after death. In essence, he believed that once a person dies, they cease to exist. Since I overheard the discussion, I joined in and tried to persuade the individual that there "is" life after death. I must admit however, that he did not change his mind during our conversation.
Of course, he is not the first person to disbelieve the resurrection of believers. The Bible tells us that the Sadducees also believed that the resurrection of the dead did not exist (Mark 12:18). They did not believe in immortality, nor in spirits, nor in angels. This is remarkable because some of them held high positions in Jewish circles.
In the passage above, Jesus makes it clear that the Sadducees underestimated the power of God. God can surely resurrect an individual who He created in the first place. On top of that, they did not know Scripture. They refused to believe beyond the Pentateuch, God's Word.
The Sadducees wanted to prove their point by asking Jesus a question about Marriage. Their example depicted a woman whose husband died. She later remarries and that particular husband dies as well. It goes on like that through 7 husbands. Eventually, when she dies, the question of which one will be her husband in heaven arises. The Sadducees wanted Jesus to concede that belief in the resurrection was ridiculous. Jesus told them that they had made a serious error (12:27b). He tells them that marriage as we know it now, will not exist in heaven. He goes further by stating that we will be "like" angels. Note however that Jesus did not say that we would "be" angels. Only that we would be like the angels.
It should be comforting to every Christian to know that we will all rise from death as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did. In addition, we can know that relatives and friends who die will also rise. Do you believe in the resurrection of Christians? If so, great, because if not, like Jesus said, you are mistaken.
