Detours
He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong. Mark 12:27 ESV
You are quite wrong – The central theme of the Bible is life! Everything about God’s instructions, everything about the concern with sin, everything about deliverance and redemption is about living! Perhaps we semi-unconsciously know this, but in Scripture it jumps off the page. Why? Because everywhere in the times and cultures of Scripture people are surrounded by death!
Perhaps we don’t appreciate the enormity of this declaration because we have insulated ourselves from the reality of our world. We focus our lives on air-conditioned comfort, on investment plans, on the latest technology and the “have-to-have” fashions. We keep death clinically removed from sight. We don’t talk about it (except how to avoid it) and we certainly don’t see it. There are no deaths at home anymore. Death is something that happens in the hospital or at a crime scene and everyone makes quite sure none of the children are upset.
But such was never the case in the first century, or in any century except ours, and even then, only in our tiny part of the world. Step away from the plastic protection and you will find this ancient foe everywhere. Death and taxes, they say, but only taxes are socially acceptable. If just for a moment you can put aside this false sense of immunity, if you can focus for just a moment on the great sense of terrible loss that comes packaged with being human, then you will realize why Yeshua says that these men who asked a fictitious question about the resurrection are planasthe – dead wrong!
We like to recite the first part of this verse. It comforts us. But without the second part, this is nothing more than a religious platitude. What question prompts Yeshua to call these men completely mistaken? Yeshua is commenting on the resurrection. He connects the resurrection to the “power of God.” He cites Exodus 3:6. But Exodus 3:6 doesn’t seem to apply at all. It is not a statement about resurrection. It is a statement about YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Why does Yeshua provide this apparently obscure verse? Because he implies that God has the power to bring back to life Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. YHWH is not the God of some long-dead ancestors. He is the God who will resurrect the faithful and return the righteous to the living. The reason these men are dead wrong is that they think of their ancestors as gone, in the grave, only now memories or examples of what God once did. But Yeshua does not think of them that way. He thinks of them as waiting to be restored to life because God will never, not ever, be the God of dead believers. He is the God of living sons and daughters and His plan is to bring all of them back. The Sadducees looked at their world and saw observable reality as the only reality. Yeshua looked at the world and saw the olan ha’ba – the coming reality. Death is the issue. God is the answer.
Topical Index: death, resurrection, planasthe, Mark 12:27, Exodus 3:6
KJV says, “…you greatly err”
another version says, “..you then go greatly astray.”
Wow, thank you, Skip, for bringing out this verse.
I knew He is not the YHWH of the dead, but of the living, because He has no pleasure in the dead,
BUT, of course HE will bring forth the dead back to the living! Amein!
That is what resurrection is all about, and this verse takes it into a clearer light, reinforcing that. 🙂
What a word!
I fall on my face before my Creator and worship Him………” Yeshua will never, NOT EVER, be the God of dead believers” you said. Wow, yes, !! AMEN! that gives me so much hope as I sit here today overwhelmed with all the complexities of my life and how to help my family who don’t believe as I do, don’t believe in a living God.
~ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain ~ (Philippians 1.21)
~ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus the Messiah! ~ (I Corinthians 15.57)
What did He say? To die is gain? (better?- more gooder? new and improved?) That’s what He said..
Was Solomon right when he said, “better is the day of one’s death than the day one’s birth?” (Ecclesiastes 7.1)
Who is (in many cases) Public Enemy #1? (and he quickly added..) Who has completely rendered “inop” or powerless or without authority- Public Enemy #1?
Who has ~ set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying? ~ (Hebrews 2.15)
Yes, what is tHis Name?
~ Verily-verily. (Truly-truly. Amen-amen. It is so-it is so.) ~ I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die- it abides alone, but if it die it brings forth much fruit. ~ (John 12.24)
To die is to live and Today is a good day to die. (?)
What meaneth this? lol! ~ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me ~ (Philippians 1.21)
We may need to camp out here awhile on this one. The believer’s identification. Who are we? Better said, Whose are we? – Who do we belong to? As His sheep- isn’t He our (always) Good Shepherd? -and does He ever love and care for His own?
What does this mean? “I am crucified with Christ?” The short answer? (is there ever a short answer? lol!) “So long, self” See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya! Less of “me” and more of Him! ~ He must increase but “I” must decrease ~ Self must go, Self must die in order that Christ may live. Out with the old (me) and in with the new (Him).
Say, -Who wants to be crucified today? raise your hand! Not me! That’s for sure! ~ then all the disciples forsook Him and fled! (me included!). No. We must come to the place (the place of kneeling and voluntary submission) and say the same as (confess)- I must follow Him and be willing to die..to pray ~ Not my will (what I want), but Yours (what You want-what pleases You) be done ~ Less of me-more of Him. And I (too) along with Paul and many others, must die daily. Practice dying to self. Where is EGO? It is to Edge God Out.
Friends, do you remember? ~ “ONLY” by pride comes contention? (Proverbs 13.10) How is selfish pride (EGO) rendered “inop?” Through death. What about envy or covetousness? ~ but you (Mr. or M’am) are now dead and your life is hid with Christ in God! ~ (Colossians 3.3)
(Formerly) dead men, now walking, buried in the likeness of His death, raised to walk in newness of life! But this time we are walking by faith- and NOT by sight! What advantage does the dead man have? Yo, dead man you want a smoke or a drink or a drug? No thanks, I’m dead. Yo, dead man.. how about this blingy temptation over here? You interested? No thanks.. “I’m dead.” There is great “blessing” in being a living dead man. Sin and even the temptation to sin -the power/authority of sin is rendered “inop.” ~ Sin shall no longer have dominion over you (dead man). ~
But the real question is- Are we left in the grave? For God is not the God of the dead (only) He is the LORD of life! – Here is where “the good stuff” begins! On the “other side” of Death. Resurrection life (the very life-breath of Christ) is ours today! It is Christ (the resurrected Christ) in you- the hope (a glad certainty) of glory! Booyah! er.. amen. ~ You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
~ and He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ..~ It is a beautiful day to die.. And unless we do, a single seed will lie useless in the ground and in the grave. Is there death before life? Yes. There is. ~ He must increase, but we must decrease ~ More of Him- and less of us.
There is a promise, a place and a peace to claim, our Canaan, but to get there we must first pass over a river, the very same river where our dear Savior was immersed. ~ and, on this very day, to die is gain! ~ and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. ~
~ Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (living in right-relationship- with God and man)? Romans 6.16
~ May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours! ~ (Philippians 1.2)
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all recorded this discussion.
The Sadducees entirely misunderstood the meaning of their own Scriptures. They denied the power of God to raise the dead — whence their name –any who think The Giver of Life is unable to resurrect is “sad-you-see”. (a little church humor)
Those that deny the resurrection do “greatly err”, not a minor point at all.
This fading world needs the unfailing hope of a glorious resurrection and eternal life.
Thanks Skip for this Ecclesiastes style reality check in your word study today about life and death!
Truly indeed God’s Word is all about life and restoration of life. As I read your post, several Scriptures shot through my mind. The Gospel of John is loaded – here are a few that the community may enjoy:
” I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, HE WILL LIVE FOREVER; and the bread which I shall give for THE LIFE OF THE WORLD is my flesh.” (John 6:51)RSV
“he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood HAS ETERNAL LIFE, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:54)RSV
“As the LIVING Father sent me, and I LIVE because of the Father, so he who eats me will LIVE because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will LIVE FOREVER.” (John 6:58)RSV
“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have ETERNAL LIFE; and it is they that bear witness of me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have LIFE.” (John 5:39-40)RSV
In these few Scriptures and in many more, it is evident that salvation is of God. It is His free gift to us through the great redeeming act of His Son sacrificing His Life:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23) RSV
The hope of resurrection to life is core to our beliefs as followers of Yahshua. The apostle Paul know this very well:
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only, we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (1Cor 15:14)
Those are strong words from Paul but of course, we all know the Good News – Christ beat the rap of death and was resurrected from the dead as prophesied and recorded by multiple witnesses! Paul goes on to tell us in the next verses:
” But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall ALL BE MADE ALIVE. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. THE LAST ENEMY TO BE DESTROYED IS DEATH. “For God[a] has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “All things are put in subjection under him,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.” (1Cor 15:20-28)
1 Corinthians chapter 15 is a precious section of Scripture. Its to be treasured for the theology and the hope contained therein. Combining it with chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation we get a brief picture of how God is going to bring eternal LIFE to everyone!
For those who have not tuned me out already as a heretic (!), here then is a timeline of God’s life line from 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation.
At the second coming of Messiah, his beloved first fruits will be resurrected to rule with Him for 1000 years. Support scriptures:
“But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:23)
Jumping to Revelation:
“They (the first fruits) came to life and reigned with Messiah a thousand years.” (Rev 20:4)
“This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who shares in the FIRST resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and they shall reign with him for one thousand years.”
Then, by the end of the Millennium, planet earth will have been made ready by Yahshua and His priest / kings (you and me!) for the massive resurrection of the remainder of humanity who have ever lived (including all those aborted babies!). Scripture tells us:
“The rest of the dead did not come to life till the thousand years were ended.” (Rev 20:5)
This final “rest of the dead” are then resurrected to face judgment at the ‘great white throne” of Yahshua. The Father has committed judgments to the “Son of man”. It seems that the twelve apostles and perhaps many other first fruits will participate in this judgment process as well. It is important to understand that this resurrection will includes a number of groups: those Christians who did not make the first fruit cut, those who had committed the so called “unpardonable sin” against the Holy Spirit, those who have never known the true God and His Son, and those who have practiced lawlessness and wickedness. All will be judged with equity and mercy and justice according to the Books of the Law – the Torah. Support Scriptures:
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; (Rev 20:11)
“And I saw the dead, great and small standing before the throne, and books were open. Also, another book was opened which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.” (Rev 20:12)
“This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:14)
God does not tell us a lot about how Judge Yahshua will handle the duration of the punishment of those in the lake of fire. Suffice it to say here that it is not what many churches have taught for almost 2000 years and that is – sinners suffering in endless agony for time without end. For control purposes, it suited the catholic church to do that. They were influenced greatly by the writings of Augustine. In any event, endless punishment is not taught by Scripture. In Torah, we find God’s punishments are always corrective and restorative. For an extensive and deep study on this subject matter, I refer you all to a book by Dr. Stephen E. Jones titled: Creation’s Jubilee. It can be read for free on his web site: http://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.net or purchased in hard copy for $20.
The Word tells us that it is God’s desire that all men be saved. Paul wrote Timothy:
“This is good and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1Tim 2:3-4)
Surely, the Sovereign God of Creation will have his desire met. Everyone will eventually bow their knee to their King and Redeemer and accept “the life that is life indeed” (1Tim 6:19)