Matthew 22:23-33
That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her? Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead-have you not read what God said to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead but of the living." When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
What will happen when one dies and goes to heaven? The Sadducees don't believe that the dead would resurrect and be with God eternally. Therefore they asked this question with the intention of putting Jesus in a difficult spot, but they committed a few fundamental errors. First, when we are in heaven, we will no longer living in earthly pattern, without eating, drinking, nor marriage. In other words, when we are in heaven, we no longer have physical needs, but we will be united in the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, when we are in heaven, our eyes will be set on Jesus Christ, not any other person. Our relationship with the Lord will far exceed our relationships with others. In fact, when we are in heaven, it will be impossible for us to focus on others, because we will be totally attracted by the Lord, to a point we would neglect relationships with others and focus on the Lord. When we are attracted by the Lord, our relationships with others will start to vanish.
Thirdly, our God is the God of the living, not God of the dead. In other words, do not worry about death, but live well for Him today, which is more important. We are often concerned about afterlife, but in reality, we ought to be more concerned with how we live our life today. Do you know the God who created you? Do you understand His will for you? Our God is not only the God of Abraham, He is also the God of Isaac and Jacob. Every generation needs to know God for themselves, it is not about you having a spiritual mother or a wife that is fervent to the Lord; it is about whether you come before God and get to know Him.
Jesus rebuked the Sadducees by saying "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." Many of us have the same problem - We don't understand what God said in the Bible, and we don't understand the power of the Spirit. No wonder we often can't experience the grace of God in our daily lives. May God have mercy on us so that this won't happen to us!
Dear Lord, I thank You, for You are not God of the dead, but you are God of the living. You reign in all circumstances. May You draw us near You so that we can overcome any circumstance and attack from the evil one. I thank You and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!
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