Resurrection

Luke 20:35–36 – “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. In fact, they cannot die anymore, for they are like the angels.”

My faith in the resurrection began with my mother’s simple explanation: “We are all made from dust—atoms and molecules of the earth. If these elements were once organized into our bodies, giving us the ability to think, feel, and connect with the world around us, then the miracle of restoring that life again in the resurrection is no greater than the miracle of creating it the first time.”

Of course, seeing this truth confirmed in the Bible gave it even greater value. My first Bible translation often emphasized life after death as something existing beyond the physical realm. Nevertheless, there are plenty of scriptures that are hard to ignore—passages that clearly point to a physical resurrection.

As I continued studying, I discovered that the Bible does not merely speak about a spiritual continuation of life but clearly promises a resurrection to physical life on earth. The idea was no longer just a comforting thought—it was supported by many passages throughout the Scriptures. Each one confirmed that Jehovah’s purpose for mankind has always been life in a real, tangible body, surrounded by the beauty of His creation.

Below are some of the verses that helped me see this more clearly.

🌿 Jehovah’s Original Purpose and Promise

Genesis 2:7 – “Jehovah God formed the man out of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person.”
Genesis 3:19 – “For dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Job 14:13–15 – “You will call, and I will answer you. You will long for the work of your hands.”
Psalm 37:9–11, 29 – “The righteous will possess the earth, and they will live forever on it.”
Isaiah 25:8 – “He will swallow up death forever.”
Isaiah 26:19 – “Your dead will live. My corpses will rise up. Awake and cry out joyfully, you residents in the dust!”
Ezekiel 37:12–14 – “I will open your graves and bring you up out of your graves, my people.”

🌅 Resurrection in Jesus’ Teachings

Matthew 5:5 – “Happy are the mild-tempered, since they will inherit the earth.”
John 5:28–29 – “All those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.”
John 6:39–40 – “I will resurrect him on the last day.”
John 11:23–25 – Jesus said to Martha, “Your brother will rise.”
John 11:43–44 – Jesus called, “Lazarus, come out!” and he came out alive in a physical body.
Luke 7:14–15 – Jesus raised the widow’s son at Nain.
Luke 8:54–55 – “He took her by the hand and called, saying: ‘Child, get up!’ and her spirit returned.”
Matthew 9:24–25 – Jairus’s daughter was raised physically.

🌾 Prophetic Assurances of Earthly Life Restored

Daniel 12:2 – “Many of those asleep in the dust of the earth will wake up.”
Hosea 13:14 – “From the power of the Grave I will redeem them; from death I will recover them.”
Acts 24:15 – “There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Acts 26:8 – “Why is it considered unbelievable among you that God raises the dead?”
Romans 8:19–21 – “Creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption.”
1 Corinthians 15:21–22 – “Since death came through a man, resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.”
1 Corinthians 15:42–44 – Describes the body being raised as a transformed, incorruptible one.
Revelation 20:12–13 – “The dead were judged according to their deeds... and the sea gave up the dead in it.”

🌍 Earth Restored as a Habitable Home

Isaiah 11:6–9 – “They will not harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain.”
Isaiah 65:21–23 – “They will build houses and live in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage.”
Psalm 104:30 – “You send out your spirit, they are created, and you renew the surface of the ground.”
Revelation 21:3–4 – “Death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.”

✨ Examples of Physical Resurrections

1 Kings 17:21–22 – Elijah revived the widow’s son.
2 Kings 4:32–35 – Elisha restored the Shunammite’s son.
Acts 9:36–41 – Peter raised Tabitha (Dorcas).
Acts 20:9–12 – Paul revived Eutychus after his fall.

But there are also other scriptures that present a different perception of this term, suggesting that resurrection can be understood in more than one sense—beyond the physical restoration of life on earth, yet still involving the living human body at present.

🌤 Jesus’ Own Resurrection as a Spirit

1 Peter 3:18 – “He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” On many pages of this website, you can see the reasoning that Jesus was rightfully resurrected to the same state of existence he had before his human life.
Acts 13:33–34 – Quoting Psalm 2:7: “You are my son; today I have become your father,” applied to Jesus’ resurrection to immortal life.
Romans 6:4–5 – “Just as Christ was raised up from the dead through the glory of the Father, we also should walk in a newness of life.”
Romans 8:11 – “If the spirit of him who raised Jesus up from the dead dwells in you, he will also make alive your mortal bodies through his spirit.”
1 Corinthians 15:42–44 – “It is sown a physical body; it is raised up a spiritual body.”

👑 The Resurrection of the Anointed to Heaven

1 Corinthians 15:49–53 – “We shall bear the image of the heavenly one… this corruptible must put on incorruption.”
Philippians 3:20–21 – “Our citizenship exists in the heavens, and we eagerly wait for a savior… who will transform our humble body to be like his glorious body.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 – “The dead in union with Christ will rise first. Afterward we the living who survive will be caught away together with them in the clouds.” For a broader view of this scripture, see the subtitle “Is the Term ‘Heavenly Hope’ in the Bible?” on the page Angels vs. Humans.
Revelation 14:1–3 – The 144,000 “standing on Mount Zion” with the Lamb, singing a new song before God’s throne.
Revelation 20:4–6 – “They came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection.”
Luke 20:35–36 – “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. In fact, they cannot die anymore, for they are like the angels.”

🔥 Being “Raised” Now—A Spiritual Awakening

Ephesians 2:4–6 – “God made us alive together with the Christ… and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places.”
Colossians 2:12–13 – “You were buried with him in baptism, and by your faith you were also raised up with him.”
Colossians 3:1–3 – “If, however, you were raised up with the Christ, go on seeking the things above.”
Romans 6:8–11 – “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”
2 Corinthians 5:1–2 – “We know that if our earthly house… is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, everlasting in the heavens.”

✨ Transformation from Earthly to Heavenly Nature

1 Corinthians 15:35–38 – Illustrates the change of nature by comparing it to a seed sown and then raised in a different form.
1 John 3:2 – “When he is made manifest we shall be like him, because we shall see him just as he is.”
John 14:2–3 – “In the house of my Father there are many dwelling places… I am going my way to prepare a place for you.”
John 17:24 – Jesus prayed, “Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am.” Where was he when he said it?

The scripture that often drew my attention when thinking about marriage was Luke 20:35–36:
“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. In fact, they cannot die anymore, for they are like the angels.”

Even before I decided to marry, this statement stood out to me. I wanted to understand how it fit within my belief system—how it related to life, purpose, and resurrection. It seemed to challenge some of the most natural human hopes, especially the longing for companionship and family. I wondered: if the resurrection brings life again, what kind of life will it be?

The context of Jesus’ words helps to clarify this. The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection altogether, approached Jesus with a question intended to trap him. They referred to the Mosaic law about levirate marriage, proposing an extreme example: a woman who had been married to seven brothers, each dying in succession. “In the resurrection,” they asked, “whose wife will she be?” (Luke 20:27–33) Their reasoning sounded logical within the limits of earthly life, yet it ignored a vital truth—that death itself dissolves marital bonds.

Jesus’ reply exposed both their misunderstanding of Scripture and their lack of faith in God’s power. He said, “You do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) By explaining that those who experience the resurrection “neither marry nor are given in marriage,” he showed that resurrected life would not be a mere continuation of human institutions as they exist now. The Sadducees’ mistake lay in applying earthly logic to heavenly realities.

In my first perception of resurrection, I accepted that the Bible describes two distinct hopes: an earthly hope, associated with a physical body within the material universe, and a spiritual hope, involving a spiritual body existing beyond the physical world. Yet now, I find myself re-evaluating this entire concept—seeking to understand how these two hopes might harmonize, or, in a sense, how to “marry” the two.

Until I personally went through the experience of a transformation in my hope—or rather, the adoption of the heavenly hope as my own—I did not have the mental or spiritual capacity to connect with it. My focus was entirely on the earthly hope: the life I knew, the life I belonged to, the life in which I could clearly see Jehovah’s purpose. I never considered myself worthy of the special selection of the limited group of 144,000—until I realized that Jehovah was extending a personal invitation to me as well. Even now, I do not think of myself as more worthy than many others whom I deeply respect. But it is not merely about personal opinion; it is about accepting Jehovah’s undeserved kindness and pressing forward toward the higher calling. And if anyone else feels that this invitation may have been extended to them, I would encourage them not to hesitate and not to stumble over the number, which is clearly meant to be few.

Once my perception changed, it became time to reason through what Jesus meant by “not marrying in the resurrection.” First, let me emphasize that a spiritual resurrection now makes perfect sense to me. I can also see how Jesus was an eyewitness to this very reality already in his day.

📍 1. The Calling of Jesus’ Disciples — Spiritually “Risen” to New Life

When Jesus called men like Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew, they left behind their former lives and responded to the call of the Kingdom (Matthew 4:18–22; 9:9). Spiritually, this was a resurrection — a passing from death to life, as Jesus later described:

“Whoever hears my word and believes the One who sent me has everlasting life and does not come into judgment but has passed over from death to life. Most truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have paid attention will live” (John 5:24–25).

👉 Notice Jesus says “the hour is coming, and it is now.”
This refers to living people who respond to his voice — not the future resurrection of the dead from the graves (which he discusses in John 5:28–29).

When the disciples responded to Jesus’ call, their status before God changed:

They were no longer spiritually dead under sin.
They were counted righteous and drawn into a new relationship with God.
They became prospective heirs of the Kingdom.

This is exactly what Ephesians 2:5–6 later describes in retrospect:

“When we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with the Christ… and he raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in union with Christ Jesus.”

This “raising up” began while Jesus was still alive through their faith and discipleship.

📍 2. The Woman with the Sinful Reputation (Luke 7:36–50)

This woman approached Jesus while he was dining at Simon the Pharisee’s house. She showed deep repentance, washing his feet with her tears. Jesus declared:

“Your sins are forgiven… your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:48, 50).

She experienced a spiritual resurrection at that moment. She was spiritually “dead” because of her sins, but upon hearing and responding to the voice of the Son of God, she was raised to spiritual life — forgiven, reconciled, and given a new standing before God.

📍 3. Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1–10)

Zacchaeus was a notorious tax collector, spiritually “dead” in a corrupt life. But when Jesus came to his house, he responded with repentance and faith, vowing to restore what he had extorted. Jesus declared:

“Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:9–10).

Zacchaeus was not literally raised from the dead. But he underwent a complete spiritual transformation — a resurrection of a living person into a new standing before God, anticipating the heavenly Kingdom.

📍 4. The Criminal on the Stake (Luke 23:39–43)

Even while Jesus hung on the stake, the repentant criminal heard his voice, recognized him as King, and expressed faith. Jesus told him:

“Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Although this man would experience earthly resurrection later, notice what happened while Jesus was alive:

He repented, believed, and gained assurance of life.
Spiritually, he “heard the voice of the Son of God and lived” (John 5:25).
His spiritual resurrection took place in faith and repentance before death.

📜 Why These Examples Matter

All these cases fit Jesus’ words in John 5:24–25:

“The hour is coming and it is now when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have paid attention will live.”

This “hour” was already happening during Jesus’ ministry. He was spiritually raising the living — preparing those who would later receive the heavenly resurrection to immortal life (after his death and Pentecost), as well as those who would inherit life on earth in the future Paradise.

📝 Key Insight

👉 These are examples of the “more important resurrection” already beginning during Jesus’ life — not physical resurrections from the grave, but spiritual resurrections of living people, through repentance, faith, and response to the Kingdom call.

This is precisely why Jesus told the Sadducees:

“You don’t know the Scriptures nor the power of God.”

The resurrection he was emphasizing was already underway, not in tombs but in hearts.

🔹 Summary of Luke 20:35–36

When Jesus said that those “counted worthy of the resurrection neither marry nor are given in marriage,” he was addressing the Sadducees’ disbelief in any resurrection. His words pointed to a spiritual resurrection—a change of standing before God that leads to immortal life. Those resurrected in this way become spirit persons, beyond human reproduction, devoted fully to Jehovah’s service.

However, the earthly resurrection remains distinct. Those restored to human life will live again in physical bodies, capable of fulfilling Jehovah’s original purpose for mankind. From this view, the divine order appears to be: first, resurrection in human nature; then, at Jehovah’s appointed time, transformation or being “caught away” in spirit.

Thus, Jesus’ reply not only corrected the Sadducees’ reasoning but also revealed that resurrection unfolds in stages—beginning in faith and culminating in everlasting life according to Jehovah’s power and purpose.