The Resurrection

In response to the August 15, 2014 Watchtower p. 29, in the "Questions from Readers" about Luke 20: 34-36, because they did not know the answer to the question if married people will still be married:

Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. (Luke 20:34-36 NIV)

In verse 36, when Jesus Christ said we would be just like the angels, he was saying we will all be equal as brothers and sisters, not as mothers, fathers or even small children. We will all be be exactly like Adam and Eve when they were first created. (Not that there will be no 2nd death) We will all be given a perfect body, as the Apostle says in 1st Corinthians 15:42. Paul was speaking in 3 categories. First, the 144,000 will [rule as priest on earth in Jerusalem with the Messiah and will have direct communion with heaven].

Second, the Great Crowd, those who survive the through the Great Tribulation and Armageddon, however, will be changed (1 Cor. 15:51) and be purified (Rev. 7:14-17), will be given incorruptible bodies, and have direct communion with the 144,000, Christ and God. The 144,000 will be directly responsible to instruct and guide the Great Crowd who will in turn be responsible to instruct and guide the resurrected.

Third, the resurrected, likewise with the Great Crowd, will all be given new perfect adult sized bodies but, like children will be devoid of sexual development, and like Adam and Eve, they had no sex drive until they after they had sinned. Like little children they were not ashamed of being naked and had no thought or desire for sex (Genesis 2:25).

Nobody will be resurrected in their former physical condition. There will not be any old people, no babies or children and of course no handicaps.

So again, when Jesus said in the Resurrection that there will be no marriage, he is saying that there will be no procreating children anymore for the duration of the thousand years.

The first of man's errors will have been solved. No more runaway hormonal sexual appetites. God had his own schedule for Adam and Eve to engage in sexual activity similar to how animals do so by season. Since that schedule varies greatly among animals, then I have no idea what God had in mind for humans, because Adam and Eve sinned and acquired that desire prematurely. Otherwise, there will be no more room on earth for anymore children and no need for adding more people on earth. This will be the Judgement Day for those who are alive and had lived before, not for any new souls. Six thousand years of dead people will resurrected back to life on the same earth. God's goal to fill the earth Gen. 1:28 will have been sufficiently fulfilled. Humans will not be preoccupied with raising children, and there will be no more need for family, tribal loyalties and dynasties that causes divisions. Cultural barriers will only be a matter of geographic resources and conditions.

Like Adam and Eve who were themselves like newborn babies in adult sized bodies were given the ability to speak. But babies are unable to speak only because they are not fully developed physically. And at that time we will all be given a pure language like Adam and Eve spoke. We all be able to understand each other, past generations with new generations, all nationalities, and tribes. The effect at Babel will have been reversed (Zephaniah 3:9).

With perfect bodies, no one can blame imperfection for their sins. Like Satan, not all humans will be satisfied and happy with paradise. The heart of some may still not be reconciled to God.

"The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness who is never unjust; Righteous and upright is he. They are the ones who have acted corruptly. They are not his children, the defect is their own. They are a crooked and twisted generation!" - Deuteronomy 32:4,5 NWT

They may not do any harm and comply formally (Isaiah 65:25) until the end when Satan and his demons are let loose and finds an empty vessel, cleaned who's heart is not occupied with the Holy Spirit and the love of Jehovah, and will posses that soul, and many others likewise to do harm to as many people as possible in Satan's rage of imminent doom.

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45 NIV)

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10 NIV)

Now, of course, there won't be nations at this time of the millennium reign of Christ, but since this is so far into the future it is symbolic language of an event like Armageddon. It will actually be a gathering of people who still have a desire for the power, wealth and prestige they had in the their former life.

In regards to Revelation 20:12 "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." ( NIV) The Book of Life will be a real book.

It will be the duty of the Great Crowd to welcome back all the resurrected people, the good and the bad like Noah and Hitler. They will record the biographic data of every individual who is resurrected and reconcile that person to his former family and home. Many of whom will not be readily recognizable in their new perfected bodies. Especially the babies and children who are resurrected in adult bodies, and the mentally disabled. They will have no idea of what anything is about and will need greater assistance. They will also conduct a complete biogeographical census on a regular basis for adjustment of anyone judged before the end of the 1,000 years.

Yes! It is not necessary to wait till the end of the end of the 1,000 years for someone to be judged to the second death. It will be an ongoing process the moment they are resurrected till the final test when Satan is released from prison. In a sense the Garden of Eden will have started all over again, except we will have to work and clean up our own mess to make the earth a paradise. There will be a vast world wide clean-up, demolition, recycling, refining and conservation job ahead for all of us.