Who Are They?

in the resurrection neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but are as angels in heaven.

Here are all the quotes from the Gospels.  This material may be referred back to as you read the discussion below, or now as you like.

Matt 22:28-32, At the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? for they all had her. 29And Jesus answering, said to them: You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they shall neither marry nor be married; but shall be as the angels of God in heaven. 31And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you: 32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (ASV)

Mark 12:23-27, In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise again, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. 24And Jesus answering, saith to them: Do ye not therefore err, because you know not the scriptures, nor the power of God? 25For when they shall rise again from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be married, but are as the angels in heaven. 26And as concerning the dead that they rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You therefore do greatly err. (ASV)

Luke 20:33-38, Consequently, in the resurrection, of which one of them does she become [the] wife? For the seven got her as wife." 34 Jesus said to them: "The children of this system of things marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 In fact, neither can they die anymore, for they are like the angels, and they are God's children by being children of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised up even Moses disclosed, in the account about the thornbush, when he calls Jehovah 'the God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob.' 38 He is a God, not of the dead, but of the living, for they are all living to him." (NW)

Luke 20:33-38, In the resurrection therefore, whose wife of them shall she be? For all the seven had her to wife. 34And Jesus said to them: The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35But they that shall be accounted worthy of that world, and of the resurrection from the dead, shall neither be married, nor take wives. 36Neither can they die any more: for they are equal to the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. 37Now that the dead rise again, Moses also shewed, at the bush, when he called the Lord, The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; 38For he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live to him. (ASV)

An examination of what is said in all of the various Gospel account permits a conclusion on what Jesus was talking about.

It must be emphatically stated that a proper understanding depends not only on what was said, but also why it was said, and to whom it was said!

Why did Jesus say what he did?
To whom was Jesus speaking?

Was he teaching scriptural points to his disciples? No, he was not!
Was he answering opposers who were trying to trap him? Yes!

His answer reflects this difference. His answer is curt; it cuts to the point and kills their objections.

In his answer the following points are made:

1. This world is opposed to that world.
2. The resurrected to that world will not marry, nor be married.
3. They are like the angels in heaven.
4. They cannot die!
5. They are God's children.
6. The part that mentions the patriarchs is used to prove that people will be resurrected!
7. This latter part is in fact separate from the first part. Jesus makes a subject break between the two parts.

Particularly, the account in Luke sheds the most light on what Jesus actually referred to.

1. In this world, people marry as will be the case in Paradise under God's kingdom rule. In that world they do not! What known world exists where nobody marries? Only the heavenly one!

2. They are like angels in heaven. Who are like angels in heaven? Those that receive the heavenly resurrection, that's who!  And none other!

3. They cannot die! Can those who are resurrected to earthly life not die? What about those who are receiving the resurrection of Judgment? Can they die? Assuredly some shall die. That is what the final testing at the end of the thousand year reign is all about.

Everyone living on earth, the people of the Great Crowd, the resurrected Other Sheep, the righteous ones from the Law Covenant's domain, the unrighteous resurrected will all be tested. Anyone failing at that time must die!

The Born Again, the 144,000, the kings and priests of Christ who receive the first resurrection are the only ones that cannot be affected by the second death. (Rev 20:6) These are the only ones that may be said as a group to be unable to die according to Revelation 20:6.

4. The Saints, Born Again, Anointed, Chosen ones, the 144,000 King-priests are the ones called God's children, God's sons! (Rom 8:16) These are the ones that become like angels when they receive heavenly bodies.

5. The mentioning of the patriarchs is the second part of his answer in which he uses this known fact to prove that the resurrection will take place. It does not relate to whom Jesus talked about in the first part.

Christ's rebuttal of the Sadducees had two parts.  Just as any proof usually has parts; this page has five final parts!  The part about the patriarchs served the purpose of establishing that the resurrection happens without a doubt. The first part served the purpose of of answering a foolish one according to his foolishness and to dismiss the stupid question.