Why are People Still Given in Marriage?
(An Analysis of Luke 20)  

By Ward Fenley

     Here is an analysis of Luke 20. I hope this will answer the question of why people are still given in marriage today.

In Luke 20 we read:

Luke 20:27-35  Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him, {28} Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. {29} There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. {30} And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. {31} And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. {32} Last of all the woman died also. {33} Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife. {34} And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: {35} But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

Whatever the Sadducees believed regarding the nature of the resurrection, it was obviously VERY close to, if not, a physical resurrection (i.e. whose WIFE shall SHE be etc.)

In Matthew Jesus answers them FIRST with this statement:

Matthew 22:29 Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God."

This tells us something: Their view of resurrection was ENTIRELY erroneous. It is not a matter of them having the right view at all. Jesus answered them with the correct view.

Matthew 22:30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

There is no marriage. As we have seen, the transformation was transforming the first century believers from OC death and glory into NC life and glory (2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 8:13; 9:6-12). But because they had already been given the Spirit, it could be said of them:

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

There is neither MALE NOR FEMALE, for they are all ONE IN Christ. This corresponds perfectly with Christ's statement that there is no marriage in the kingdom of heaven. We are all one in Christ and there is neither male nor female. His kingdom has nothing to do with this world, for His kingdom is not of this world. Therefore, the fact that there is still marriage in this physical life does not negate the fact that there is NOT marriage in the kingdom anymore than the fact that there are males and females in this physical life does not negate the fact that there are NOT males or females in the kingdom.

Also, remember that they are like the angels. The angels are spirits and in Christ we are spirits just like Christ was raised a life-giving Spirit. Peter says Christ was put to death in the flesh and made alive in the spirit.

Luke says:

Luke 20:34 Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.

    There are TWO primary worlds or ages according to the Bible. Jesus described them as "this age" and "the age to come" or "the age about to come."

Full preterists usually define the OC age as the "this age" of which Jesus spoke and the "age to come" as the New Covenant age. A question we must consider is, have we obtained that New Covenant age?

Now, if those who affirm that physical death accomplishes the resurrection addressed in Luke 20 then, because they marry and are given in marriage, do they consider themselves children of the Old Covenant age?

Furthermore, if they consider themselves SONS of THAT age, how is it from the passage that they conclude they have that age but have not obtained the resurrection?

The passage also says:

Luke 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

What passages come to mind here?

John 8:51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

Will we ever see death?

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

 Will we ever die? There was only ONE death to be swallowed up in victory, therefore Christ had to be referring to this death. Keep in mind that this is the exact same situation in John 11. Christ was addressing a woman who had an errant view of the resurrection. Christ corrected her by saying "I AM the resurrection and the life." Just like Christ is the Bread, Water, Light, Life, Way, Truth, so also He IS the resurrection. This brings us to an important point.

Consider this verse:

Acts 28:20 For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

 What was this hope?

Acts 23:6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.
Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there is about to be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

 So then, the hope of Israel was the resurrection. What does the Bible say the hope of Israel is?

Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory:

 Since the HOPE of Israel is the Lord, and since the hope of Israel was the resurrection, and since Christ IS the resurrection, then if we are IN Christ then we have partaken of the exact same resurrection blessings of Israel. After all, in the resurrection (In Christ) they are neither married nor given in marriage (male nor female), for they are all one in Christ:

John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

Why were they already one? Because they were already given the Spirit at Pentecost, by which they were being transformed into Christ NC IMAGE and GLORY. They were being raised a spiritual body IN Christ. Therefore they could already be identified as one in Christ through this transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

The passage in Luke then reads:

Luke 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

 Notice that IN the resurrection or IN Christ they are the children of God:

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

 Through the transforming work of the Spirit, Paul and the first century believers were already firstfruits of this same glorious resurrection of the OC body of death into the NC body of life IN Christ Jesus. They were the children of God. The whole purpose of the AD 70 event was to make MANIFEST the children of God (Romans 8:18-23). Christ was clear: IN the resurrection (IN Christ) they were the children of God:

Galatians 3:26-29 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. {27} For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. {28} There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. {29} And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Heirs of what promise? The promise for which Abraham looked. Abraham died in faith WITHOUT the promise of the better resurrection. He could not be made perfect (resurrected) without the firstfruits of the first century:

Hebrews 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Hebrews 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Hebrews 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

The difference between those living in the first century and those OT believers who had died is this-Jesus said:

John 11:25-26  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (OT believers), yet shall he live: {26} And whosoever liveth (NT believers) and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Notice it is through FAITH IN Christ. Paul said:

Galatians 3:28-29  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. {29} And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Paul also seems to make this distinction between OT believers and first century believers, but nevertheless says they will all be manifested as the children of God. This would be the complete redemption of the OC body of death/law into the NC body of life or Christ:

Romans 8:18-23  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. {19} For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. {20} For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, {21} Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. {22} For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. {23} And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our (plural) body (singular).

The completion of the NC would result in the fullness of life for the first century believers who were being transformed (children of God) and the resurrection of OT believers into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Christ goes on to say in Luke:

Luke 20:37-38  Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. {38} For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

There is a grave misinterpretation of the verse by some in saying that under the OT, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were "living." However, we must remember that the whole context begins with: "In the resurrection." Therefore when it says God is not a God of the dead but of the living, it is speaking of that time "in the resurrrection." The context is clear. In other words, in the resurrection:

1) They are as the angels
2) They are not married nor given in marriage
3) They are sons of the age to come
4) They cannot die anymore
5) God is the God of the living

It would be foolish to say he was the God of the living (the resurrection) during the time of Abraham. This would FORCE a difference in definitions of resurrection and "living." There is no such difference, neither does the passage even hint at such a difference.

Finally Christ says, "In the resurrection…all LIVE UNTO HIM."

Consider these passages:

Romans 6:9-11,13 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. {10} For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he LIVETH UNTO GOD. {11} Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but ALIVE UNTO GOD through Jesus Christ our Lord. {12} Let not sin therefore reign in your (plural) mortal body (singular-OC body of death), that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.{13} Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves UNTO GOD, as those that are ALIVE FROM THE DEAD, and your members as instruments of righteousness UNTO GOD.

 It is incredible that Paul says RECKON or UNDERSTAND yourselves to be alive from the dead JUST LIKE Christ is alive from the dead. Because they had already been given the downpayment of the Spirit, they could already be dubbed as ALIVE from the dead since they were in fact being changed from their DYING mortal body of death (OC body of death) into the glorious image and body of Christ. Therefore they, LIKE CHRIST were to reckon themselves as ALIVE UNTO GOD. What did Christ say?

Luke 20:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for ("in the resurrection") all live unto him.

 Paul confirms this:

Galatians 2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live UNTO GOD.

 At the destruction of Jerusalem Christ came to indwell His people and the fullness of their (OT believers and first century believers) were blessed with the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of resurrection life in Christ Jesus, their Glory and their Resurrection.

In heaven,

Ward

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Date: 17 Aug 2006
Time: 09:43:37

Comments:

I am looking for information on the essenes. I was told that Jesus was an essene and only at uncooked foods. apparntly the dead sea scrolls tell us a little bit about them. It is actuall a religion for some people. If you have any good information please share. Thank you

Date: 28 May 2007
Time: 12:32:10

Comments:

John 16:25 destroys full preterism. After the gospels Jesus words through the inspired prophets could no longer be taken as figurative or veiled in any way. That means that 1 Peter means exactly what it says about the earth melting with fervent heat. 1 Cor. 15 also means what it says. No more constant allegorical interpretation! Jesus said he would no longer speak that way.
 

Comment:
 
What a terrible article. This is the bottom of the barrel for Full-Preterist "explanations" on things that we've all (according to them) been to stupid to understand for the past 2000 years. He says that there is no marriage in Christ's kingdom? Is he joking? Does that mean then that all married Christians are not really saved, or that God doesn't care about marriage anymore and that it was just some old covenant thing. I'm suprised that the Full-Preterists' just don't say that any Christian who is married is not saved and not part of the kingdom. It would certainly be more consistent with their view of Scripture and with their Pagan & Gnostic similarities.
 
He says that Martha had an errant view of the resurrection. What part was errant? She speaks of the resurrection at the last day and so did Jesus! (John 6:39-40). Both speak of it as an event happing at the last day. Martha knew that Lazurus would rise again, but she didn't think it was going to happen till the last day. Jesus's statement that He is the resurrection and the life means that He can raise anyone when He wants to, not having to wait till the last day and final bodily resurrection. Just like said that He was the Lord of the Sabbath; meaning that He decided when one was keeping the Sabbath, not on what the Books of Moses or the Pharasees said.
 
This article is so bad, I find arguments made by King James Onlyist more convincing.