“For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven” (Mark 12:25).
TEXT — Mark 12:18-27
Message
In an outreach, a Christian lady spoke to a woman of another religion, asking her if she believed there is heaven. “Of course, I believe there is”, she answered. The sister then asked again, “Will you like to be there?” The woman said “Yes”, and added that “everybody wants to go to heaven”. The sister then asked again, “Will everybody go to heaven?” and the woman said she did not know. Of course, the Christian lady went ahead to explain to her God’s conditions of admitting people into heaven, pointing out that everyone has equal opportunity to desire it and to get there, since salvation is freely available through Christ.
The Sadducees who never believed in resurrection had come to Christ with a story bordering on levirate marriage, about seven brothers who married the same woman. They all died without an offspring. The woman also died and they wanted to know who would marry her eventually “at the resurrection”. The Lord denounced their error and ignorance of the Scriptures and of the power of God, pointing out there will be no marriage at the resurrection.
Believers’ hope that one day they shall be resurrected like their Master to be with Him in heaven, is the anchor of the soul and the ultimate reward for a life lived in conformity to God’s will. Such blessedness is a living hope that dims the effects of the pressures of all present challenges and afflictions the believer is going through.
Certainly there is a rest for the people of God. Though for now, we have to labour to enter that rest through faith, righteousness, watchfulness, prayerfulness and perseverance. Let us be patient; that day will come soon.
Thought for the day
He who serves God with perseverance invests greatly for time and eternity.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
3 comments
Lord, that I may know you and the power of your resurrection is my heart’s cry.
Lord, that I may know you and the power of your resurrection is my heart’s cry.
The God of the living is faithful and powerful.
Lord help me to partake in the resurrection of the saints in Jesus’ name. Amen.