The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and his adversary. Gospel of John, Chapter 9
- Chapter 197 -
Jesus and the Sadducees. Marriage in Heaven.
2
I said: "Oh, then you are greatly mistaken and you do not know the Scriptures and even less the power of God. In the resurrection, which you did not understand, men will be completely equal to the angels of God and will not marry or be taken into marriage. Because marriage in Heaven is different from yours on this Earth.
3
In the same way as here on Earth when a righteous man and a righteous woman are united with each other, so in Heaven love and wisdom are united with each other.
4
But if you are so well versed in the Scriptures, then you surely must also have read that it is written that God has spoken understandably and as follows: 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob'. And God is not a God of the dead but a God of the living. Now if God is truly a God of the living and not of the dead, then Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - who according to you are entirely destroyed - must still be living and must have been resurrected already a long time ago for true eternal life. For if this were not so, then God would have spoken an untruth to Moses when He said: 'I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob', because God can only be a God of those who live and not a God of those who do not live, who do not exist anywhere. For to claim and believe such thing would be the greatest foolishness of the world.
5
However, when Abraham was still walking on Earth in the flesh, and the prophecy came to him that once I Myself would come in the flesh in this world as a Son of men - which is now being fulfilled before your eyes - and when it was also promised to him that he would see My day and My time in this world, he was filled with great joy.
6
And I can truthfully assure you that he also saw My day and My time on this Earth and is still continuously seeing it and he is fully rejoicing over it. Would he also be able to do that if he would not have been resurrected a long time ago or if he would be entirely dead and, as you believe, would be destroyed forever."
7
The totally defeated Sadducees said: "If you show us the resurrected father Abraham we will believe what you have told us here."
8
I said: "If you do not believe My words, you will also not believe the appearance of Abraham, which is easy to accomplish. You would say: 'Now look what a magician this Man is and how he wants to throw sand into our eyes'. But I say to you: I Myself am the live and the resurrection, whoever believes in Me has life and the resurrection already in himself.
9
Look, here are many who are still walking in the flesh and they are already resurrected in the spirit. Therefore, they will not feel nor taste death but will live from now on eternally. Those have already seen and spoken to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and know what they can expect. But you by far do not know what to expect, although you live and also think and will. Did you understand Me?"
10
When the Sadducees received this lesson from Me they did not say anything anymore and they withdrew.
11
The people however was simply amazed because of My great wisdom and they said to themselves: "This One is truly more than a simple prophet because He speaks as an arbitrary Lord. If He would only be a prophet He would not speak like a Lord full of the highest power from God. For the one who says: 'I Myself am life and the resurrection, whoever believes in Me will not see death, feel nor taste it, for he already has life in himself' - no one can say this about himself, except God. We know however, that a Messiah is promised to all the Jews and whose name will be great. Because He will be named Immanuel, that is: 'God with us'. This Man must surely be the One. Otherwise, from where could He have such power and wisdom?"