Not Given in Marriage... like Angels.

XBEHERE

I was just curious if anyone had any thoughts on this or perhaps a link to a previous thread. Jesus said the following according to the bible:

Mark 12:18-25 (NWT)

18 Now Sadducees came to him, who say there is no resurrection, and they put the question to him: 19 "Teacher, Moses wrote us that if someone?s brother dies and leaves a wife behind but does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring from her for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, but when he died he left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, but died without leaving offspring; and the third the same way. 22 And the seven did not leave any offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection to which of them will she be wife? For the seven got her as wife." 24 Jesus said to them: "Is not this why YOU are mistaken, YOUR not knowing either the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but are as angels in the heavens.

My question is: Didnt the angels still have sexual desires? In the Pre-flood account the angels forsook their proper dwelling place to have relations with the "daughters of men" correct? So it you were resurrected to be as an angel wouldn't the possibility of sexual urges surface.... particularly if you meet someone whom you had been previously married to?

What exactly did Jesus mean when he spoke to the sadducees? Any thoughts?

Will Power

X:

funny the verse doesn't seem to specify if the woman or all the brothers are JWs or annointed or special in any way.

For when they rise from the dead, neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but are as angels in the heavens.

Is this part of the early apostacy the JWs speak of? How will the JW flesh that survives the great trib teach the resurrected ones if they will be as angels in the heavens? I take this to mean spiritual beings was we were during our earthly life, but now with the imperishable body - without the fleshly desires & corruption. Spirit with Spirit.

and isn't this what is the HOPE of most CHRISTIANS that do not frequent a KINGdum hall?

These were supposedly Jesus' words? not an imperfect man like Paul? But because they were written by imperfect men, can they be trusted?

TheEdge

I was taught this means that the resurrected would be unmarriagable (is that a word?) - as onec resurrected their former partners would probably be wed to another. But THAT'S ok, as I also inderstood that they wouldn't feel any sorrow (robot spring to mind?) over this - I think emotion is what makes us human.

I suppose I DON'T understand that as death frees a party from a marriage contract, shouldn't it work both ways? The resurrected has paid for his/her sins by death.

On the PLUS side -can you imagine being married to ONE person for ETERNITY??

upside/down

The Bible doesn't say what the eventuality of man would be. And if it weren't for our imperfect flesh many of the "restricitons" that "God" gave wouldn't ever have existed. For example, if Adam and Eve had never sinned a brother could marry his sister with no "problem". There would be nothing wrong or strange about it.

As I recall there was only one "restriction" in The Garden of Eden. It was free reign from there.

Who knows what "God" had/has in mind for mankind? Once the "institution" of marriage served it's purpose whose to say mankind would continue to held to it? How do we not know that at some point in history when all humans are fully grown the earth is full, that sexual relations as we now view and hold them would be an expression free to all as one desired or saw fit? It might seem repugnant to some now, but what if that was the plan? What if at some point humans would be allowed to venture into the spirit realm and enjoy as yet undiscovered "pleasures"?

Speculation like this only further entrenches the thought that humankind didn't even "get out of the gate", before disaster struck and a contingency "plan" was put into place till "God's" plan got back on track as it were.

Whatever the "plan" turns out to be, there can be no doubt that a loving Creator would not leave anyone out or in a disadvantaged state.

u/d

ezekiel3

*** w83 6/1 p. 23 Maintaining God?s View of Sex *** God did not create angels with a desire for sexual relations with humans. Yet Satan evidently was able to get some of them to think improperly about such matters. Thus within certain angels a desire was cultivated for something that God purposed only humans should enjoy within the proper bounds of marriage. These angelic "sons of the true God" did a wicked thing, leaving their positions in heaven to come to earth to marry women. (Genesis 6:2) Such action was motivated by a wrongly cultivated desire, not a natural desire put in them by God. Since angels can develop such unnatural sexual desires, we should not be surprised that humans can as well.
*** w57 7/1 p. 400 Recognizing the Power of Wrong Desire *** They saw the pleasure humans had in the sexual union and they wanted it for themselves, even though angels were created sexless. By nurturing the desire in their minds they cultivated a sexual appetite that grew as they continued to look with passionate desire on the daughters of men.

Amazing, a "sexless" being grows a penis. What!? Was Satan handing out spiritual Viagra?

in a new york bethel minute

there is nothing in the new testament that alludes to any kind of paradise earth... any paradise mentioned is a heavenly one. the apostle paul often speaks of there being one hope for christians... a heavenly hope. 1 corinthians 15:42-58 speaks in detail of the transformation of the body from physical to spiritual. but JW's will ignore that and quote a watchtower that says the new testament isn't written for or directed towards the great crowd so we don't have to worry about stuff like that. can you imagine that the most important books of the bible for christians are not written for the majority of them? it just goes to show you what kind of tripe all JW's are able to swallow, just because it comes from the FDS/GB

bethel

Narkissos

As Bethel just pointed out, what is quite obvious in this text is that the concept of resurrection which the early Christians (or at least some early Christian groups) advocated over against the Sadducees is not a physical one. Applying this text to a physical resurrection, as the WT does, leads to insoluble problems (and actually no answer can be given from this perspective to the Sadducees).

Now as for "angels and sex" (leaving aside the fact that originally Geneses 6:3f refers to "sons of gods" = "gods," not "angels"), I guess in the 1st century the idea was that angels could only have sex with humans -- not between themselves. If the resurrected are all "like angels" the answer stands.

A Paduan

spirit & soul

I see it as similar to someone reading a text about colour and then asking specific questions of someone about ink, as if "ink" was what the text was about - "ink" being the only exposure that they had about colour - colour was obvious to them because they could see it, but for some reason they couldn't see it or get it and kept talking about and asking questions about "ink"

JosephMalik

24 Jesus said to them: "Is not this why YOU are mistaken, YOUR not knowing either the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but are as angels in the heavens.

XBEHERE,

First you must understand what the scriptures teach regarding this future world in which such resurrection takes place. The God given command to mankind was this:

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." [NIV]

At the time of the resurrection this will be accomplished by God in that a sufficient number of qualified humans had existed that will be resurrected to accomplish this purpose. Man will no longer be required to fulfill this commandment as it will be done entirely by this process of resurrection.

Such resurrected humans will be like the angels (undying or immortal) so that the further propagation of their species is not necessary.

That such men or angels are capable of reproduction is not the point here. Faithful angels did not sin and continue to exist without condemnation as such. They do not attempt to propagate their species. So mankind would have ceased reproduction as commanded at the proper time even if sin did not enter into the world.

Joseph

Not Given in Marriage... like Angels.

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