Life After Death

Mark 12:24-27; I Corinthians 15:50-58

GOLDEN TEXT: “Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
—I Corinthians 15:57

IF THERE be no resurrection of the dead then there is no hope of a future life for either the church or the world. This is the unswerving testimony of the Scriptures and is the essence of the Easter message that is conveyed in out lesson for today. This fact contradicts the pagan theory of inherent immortality, for, as Paul so clearly states, it means that even Christians who have “fallen asleep in Christ are perished,” if there be no resurrection of the dead.—I Cor. 15:18

The Jewish sect of the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, nor did they believe in the existence of spirit beings such as angels. In an effort to prove that the resurrection of the dead would be impracticable and lead to confusion and sorrow they presented Jesus with a hypothetical case of a woman who had successively married seven husbands, and then asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection.

Jesus’ reply stresses two points, one that the Sadducees did not properly appreciate the great power of God, and the other that they were ignorant of what the Scriptures taught on the subject of the resurrection. Presumably they claimed to have faith in the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures, so Jesus reminded them that the Scriptures taught the resurrection which they denied.

The passage which the Master cited to prove the doctrine of the resurrection was the statement of the Lord to Moses at the burning bush, when He said, “I am the God of, Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.” (Mark 12:26,27) At the time these words were spoken these three patriarchs were asleep in death. Jesus’ reasoning is that, as they were dead the Lord wouldn’t speak of being their God except for the fact that they were not permanently dead, but merely “asleep,” in the sense that they would later be awakened and live again.

Not only were the Sadducees ignorant of the Scriptural teachings concerning the resurrection, but their question, “Whose wife will she be in the resurrection?” indicated that they did not take into consideration the great power of God. Jesus pointed out to them how a failure to take God’s power into consideration limited their conception of what the resurrection hope really means.

The Master went on to explain that in the resurrection the marriage relationship is to cease: that in this respect resurrected mankind will become like the angels in heaven. This was originally true of Adam, before Eve was separated from him; and when the work of restoration, or resurrection, is complete the resurrected ones will have reverted to that condition. The separation of male and female, so far as humanity is concerned, was only in order that the earth might be filled with their progeny. That accomplished, the procreation of the race will no longer be necessary, and all will become as Adam was when first created.

What Jesus said about there being no marriage in the resurrection is equally true concerning the “first” resurrection of those who will be in the spiritual phase of the Kingdom. Indeed, it will be even more true of the church than of mankind because they will not be human beings at all. They will be like the angels also in the sense that they will not be flesh and blood beings; but will, however, be much higher than the angels because they will be like the resurrected Jesus. Of Him it is said that He was highly exalted above “angels, principalities and powers.”—Eph. 1:21; Heb. 1:4

St. Paul tells us about this higher exaltation of the church in the resurrection. He speaks of it as “this mortal” putting on “immortality,” and “this corruptible” putting on “incorruption.” “Then” he says, that is, following the exaltation of the church, “shall be brought to pass the saying, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”—I Cor. 15:54,55

These are promises of restitution for the world. One is recorded in Isaiah 25:8, and the other in Hosea 13:14. Paul is saying that not until the church puts on immortality will these restitution promises to the world he fulfilled. Then he adds, “Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Not only is the church highly exalted in the resurrection, but the purpose of this is that she may share with Jesus in the work of destroying sin and death.

No wonder the apostle closed with the assurance, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” Did the Christian not have the hope of glorious victory for the divine cause in the Kingdom, it would often appear that his labor is in vain. But because of resurrection possibilities we know that there is to be a glorious, a victorious result of our now being “baptized for the dead.”—I Cor. 15:29,30

QUESTIONS:

Why is the resurrection so vital a part of the Christian’s hope?

How does God’s statement to Moses at the burning bush prove the doctrine of the resurrection?

Why was the question put to Jesus by the Sadducees a foolish one in the light of the Scriptural teachings concerning the resurrection?

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