A Glimpse into Eternity

Luke 20:35-36 (ESV) Those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Do you even wonder what your afterlife will be like? Death functions like a curtain that hides eternity from our eyes. Hollywood has given us some memorable images of what their scriptwriters imagine Heaven will be like. The church through the centuries has also given us some interesting thoughts. The best place to go with a question like this is the Bible, of course. Yet, even the Bible does not tell us everything about our coming eternal life. As I Corinthians 2:9 says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” Yet, every so often the Bible gives us a glimpse into what our eternity will be like. This passage from Luke 20 is one of those opportunities.

The Sadduccees tried to trap Jesus with a story about seven brothers who shared the same wife, each after the older passed away. Their question, “Whose wife will she be in the resurrection?” was ironic, since they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Jesus escaped the trap by answering their question and overturning their mistaken beliefs. Along the way, he gives us some interesting insights. The first is that there will be no marriage in what we typically call heaven. Although there is something romantic about the notion of being married to our earthly partner “forever,” our eternal marriage will be with Jesus. He is our ultimate true love. That does not mean we will not enjoy a new level of intimacy with our life partners. Our relationships there will not be tainted with the selfishness and sin that damages earthly marriages. We will be together in true fellowship.

The second insight may be a bit more obvious: we will not die anymore. Since death is the root of most fear, that panic and dread that drives so much bad behavior and depression will be gone forever. As Revelation 21:3-1 describes it, “The dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Third, we see we will be like angels. Decades ago, Hollywood began corrupting some church traditions that removed the like (or equal to) from this verse and gave us the idea that we would become angels and that all angels are former human beings. (“Heaven Can Wait,” Spencer Tracy’s “A Guy Named Joe,” and Richard Dreyfuss’ “Always” are a few examples). The Greek word makes a clear that resurrected humans share some traits with angels that pre-resurrection humans do not while remaining distinct beings. Yet, both the Old and New Testaments clearly show angels as distinct beings with a distinct mission even now.

Finally, we see that eternity is for the “living.” (Luke 20:38) Jesus turns the Sadducees’ argument against them by quoting God’s words to Moses at the burning bush using the present tense: “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” The wording stresses the fact they are alive. Eternal life is truly eternal life. Yet, Jesus’ words clarify that eternal life is not automatic. His repeated warnings throughout the Gospels show there is a real judgment to come. Those who receive him have life. These wonderful promises of the afterlife apply to those who believe in Jesus.