23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

In the Resurrection.

-These aroused ones must have the personal identity that they each one possessed before death overtook them. That is, Job must be Job, David David, Isaiah Isaiah, &c., &c. How is this effected?

First, all the responsible dead once had a name or character, consisting of words spoken and deeds done while tabernacling in the body. This name or character has been safely inscribed in the Great Book, or scroll of Life.

When the living body emerges from the grave, Jesus will, by instantaneous application, flash the identical thoughts and actions done when in body into their brains.

"For every evil word men shall speak. they shall give account in the day of judgment."

Now, with the same atoms once possessed, and the same character united together again, we have the very person alive again that was once dead. And in this way all resurrected ones will be the exact persons they were before death. If they died at 25 years of age, they will be raised as such. If they were 70 years old, they will be raised as such, but minus all physical ailments.

They will be strong in mind and in body, and fully able to give an account of themselves to the Great Judge, Jesus the Christ. This is Bible resurrection, the reproduction of former living persons from the dust of the earth. -Bro. Simms in the Natal Mercury.

TC 02/1898

24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

RELIGION CANNOT be built on feeling—that is, permanent, worthwhile religion to grow in and live by. It must have facts—realities—certainties.

This is the purpose for which the Bible is given. It is a textbook of God's arrangements and requirements, and tells how man can fit himself for and into God's great plan for the future of the earth and mankind.

First of all, we would like to strongly emphasize the fact that the New Testament alone is not a sufficient revelation for salvation. This is only the last quarter of God's message to man and cannot be understood without the background of the Old Testament.

There are about 1,000 references to the Old Testament in the New. The New is built upon, and presupposes a knowledge of the Old. Jesus said to some—

"Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures (Matt 22:29).

He was referring to the Old Testament which was the only "Scriptures" then in existence. Again he said—

"O fools, and slow of heart to believe ALL that the prophets have spoken" (Luke 24:25).

And again (John 5:47)—

"If ye believe not Moses writings, how shall ye believe my words?"

Bro Growcott - BYT 4. 31

25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

Resurrection-Clothing

—Yes, presumably the angels will clothe those they raise from the dead—easy work for an angel. It is one of the details, however, upon which we have no direct information. It is a matter we need not be distressed about:

"If God clothe the grass of the field, will He not much more clothe you?"

Then as to the particular garment in which we shall appear before the judgment seat, whether it will be something new, or old clothes reproduced, we have again no information: we can therefore only conjecture.

The power that prevented the shoes and clothes of Israel in the wilderness from waxing old, can just as easily reproduce the old garments as make new ones: whatever is required will be done, either by the angels themselves, or by those who are "alive and remain."

The Christadelphian, Nov 1888

Our lord emerged from the tomb with new clothing!

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

'... one of the scribes who overheard the argument, and who seems to have been an intelligent and devout reader of the Scriptures, of which it was his business to make copies. He felt encouraged to put a question to Christ on his own account...Jesus answered without hesitation (for this was an honest question)

Nazareth Revisited Ch 49

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

In the literal translation of this title from the Hebrew, the true meaning and beautiful signification of it is brought to light. The same words were uttered by Moses, and are recorded in Deut. 6:4. "Hear, Ο Israel: Yahweh, our Elohim. is One Yahweh."

"He who shall be our mighty ones, is the One who shall be." (Eureka, Vol. 1, p.100).

This is a name of deep and wonderful significance. When we understand that it is a title which introduces the great Creator of heaven and earth to His people Israel, and that it expresses to them His purpose of being manifested in future time in the person of a promised One; and also in a multitude of mighty ones; and yet He is One.

And in making Himself thus known to them, He requires them to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, it may well fill our minds with the deepest reverence and most soul-stirring contemplations; causing us to feel our own unworthiness and insignificance, in proportion as we are able to apprehend the greatness, the power, the goodness, and the majesty of that glorious and fearful name Eth-Yahweh, Elohekha;

 "the I shall be, thy mighty ones, Ο Israel" (Deut. 27:2) (Phanerosis).

For, because of the neglect to hear and venerate this, Yahweh hath visited upon Israel all those evils which Moses foretold. The crowning act of rejection of this name appeared in their attitude toward Jesus. When he told the Jews that he was the Son of God, and said, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30), and "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58), his speech was to them incomprehensible. The teaching of Christ links together in inseparable unity the name of the Father with himself. For he said plainly, "I am come in my Father's name" (John 5:43).

He also referred his hearers to the teaching of Moses concerning himself, and said, 

"Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (5:46-47).

Concerning this memorial name, the Psalmist saith.

"Thy name, Ο Yahweh, endureth forever, and Thy memorial, Yahweh, throughout all generations" (Psa. 135:13).

"Extol him that rideth upon the heavens by His name, YAH" (Psa. 68:4).

Sis Lasius - Yahweh Elohim Ch 1

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

To love God in this way - with all our heart and soul and strength - does not preclude us from also loving our husbands or wives,‭ ‬our children,‭ ‬or legitimate pursuits and pleasures which God has placed within our reach.

‭ ‬It is simply a question of God standing first in our affection,‭ ‬and our regard for people and things being regulated by this love.‭ ‬How often are we moved to hug and caress secondary objects to the exclusion of those which should be first,‭ ‬and apart from divine help,‭ ‬how utterly unable are we to let go‭!

That we should in our reflective and sober moments pray,‭ "‬Ah‭? ‬tear it thence,‭ ‬and reign alone,‭" ‬is both wise and good. 

Bro AT Jannaway

The Christadelphian, Feb 1899

Jesus was as emphatic and precise in his teaching concerning God as Moses: and that those who heard him teach understood him in the Mosaic sense; for a Scribe (and all the Scribes were students of the law, and zealous for their interpretation of Moses) said to him:

"Well, teacher, thou hast said the truth : for there is one God; and there is none other but He": upon which Jesus remarked: "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."

But here the agreement ceases at the threshold; for not content with one Eternal Spirit named Yahweh, the rejector of Jesus contends for only one Eloahh. But Moses nowhere teaches that there is but one eloahh; nor does he use the phrase One Elohim -- a singular numeral with a plural noun. On the contrary, he teaches the existence of a plurality of Elohim.

The Sh'ma does not say "Yahweh our Eloahh is one Yahweh, or one Eloahh"; but "Yahweh our Elohim is one Yahweh." Moses and Jesus are agreed in this also; for if either of them had taught that there was but one eloahh, they would have been in opposition, or of both of them had so taught, they would have left no room for a Messiah who should be called Yahweh-Tsidkainu, as in Jer. 23:6; 33:16, He shall be our righteousness; and Elohai kol-haretz, "Elohim (plural) of the whole earth," as in Isaiah 54:5.

To have taught the doctrine of only one Eloahh, as well as only one Yahweh, would have been to set aside the doctrine of a Messiah altogether, so that there would be neither a personal Christ, nor a multitudinous Christ, the latter being constituted of all in him, the personal.

Well, then, Moses and Jesus both taught a plurality of Eloahhs. Jesus said: I am Eloahh, and my Father is Eloahh, and the children of God by resurrection, each one is Eloahh; and all together we are thy Elohim, O Israel, and yet but one Yahweh. But the Jews repudiate such a God-Name as this. It is incomprehensible to them; and in their opinion, nothing short of blasphemy. It was so repugnant to their notions of things that when Jesus taught it "they took up stones to stone him"; and declared that they did so because that he, being a man, made himself Eloahh in saying: I am the Son of All (John 10:33-36).

Phanerosis - Yahweh Manifested In A Son

All thy heart

It is of primary practical importance for man's health and happiness to recognize and declare the glory of God as the central fact of reality and eternity. It is satisfying, purifying and ennobling. It is peace and joy-producing.

It is absolutely NECESSARY that we have this joyful frame of mind-continual praise to the glory of God. This is a vital first principle of the Truth, and without it we do not have the Truth. It is the first and greatest commandment.

Bro Growcott - The Psalms

Yahweh is One. The self existing power from everlasting to everlasting who only hath immortality underived.

Yahweh, our Elohim. is One Yahweh - He who shall be our mighty ones, is the One who shall be. (First manifested in his Son and then in a multitude of innumerable immortals previously earthborn).

Thy name, Ο Yahweh, endureth forever, and Thy memorial, Yahweh, throughout all generations" (Psa. 135:13).

Yahweh is Light.

"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (John 1:5).

Yahweh - whose name is Jealous.

Thou shalt worship no other El: for Yahweh, whose name is jealous, is a jealous El" (Exod. 34:14).

Judgement another attribute...lawgiver and supreme authority of all creation.

"Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed Thy commandments" (Ps. 119:66).

"Yahweh is a man of war: Yahweh is His name" (Ex. 15:3).

Gleaned from Yahweh Elohim Ch 1.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

It is pleasant to meet with a case like this in the midst of the general sterility and animosity of the priestly class. It was, however, but as a lily among the thorns.

The result of Christ's encounters with the thorny class was to make both Pharisees and Sadducees feel that it was dangerous work trying to confute him. The argument was always turned overwhelmingly on themselves. They concluded, therefore, to ask him no more questions.

Nazareth Revisited Ch 49

35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?

"What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is he?"

The question had no personal reference to himself, as the professed Messiah -- but to the "Christ," the Messiah of the prophets, in the abstract, for whom the Jews were looking. Their ideas on this subject were as wide of the mark as on most subjects, and Christ proposed to make this manifest.

They thought the Messiah would be a mere descendant of David. They had not grasped the sense of his name, Emanuel, as intimating that he would be a manifestation of the Eternal Creator in a man begotten of the Holy Spirit of a virgin of the house of David, and therefore of higher rank than the very angels (Heb. i. 4).

They were, therefore, incapable of harmonising all scriptural testimony on the subject, as Jesus quickly made manifest.

37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

This was a great difficulty for those whose traditions compelled them to recognise a son as in all cases subordinate to his father, and whose view of the Messiah forbade them soaring higher than a Davidic sonship. The difficulty was insuperable. They could not answer the question. It has no difficulty for those who recognise the truth concerning the Messiah in its prophetic and apostolic breadth.

The divine origin of Christ, as expounded in the writings of the prophets and the apostles, supplies an explanation of every phase in which the gospel narratives exhibit the Lord Jesus Christ, and every utterance that came out of his mouth. They give the key that is beyond the reach alike of those who consider him to have been a mere man, and those whose theology compels them to describe him as eternal God.

They account to us for what appear otherwise to be contradictions. They explain to us why in a man, the deportment of God is visible; why in sinful flesh, a sinless character was evolved; why in the impotent seed of Abraham, the power of Abraham's God should be shown; why a man born as a babe in Bethlehem should speak of having come down from heaven; why a man not forty years of age should speak as if he had been contemporary with Abraham; why a man should at once be David's son and David's lord; why a man of our own flesh and blood should assume the authority that belongs to God only, saying

"Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well, for so I am;"

why of a man it should be said that the world was made by him; that he dwelt in the bosom of the Father, and that he was the image of the invisible God, by whom and for whom all things had been created.

They explain to us, at the same time, why such a man should say

"Of mine own self I can do nothing:" "My Father is greater than I." "I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love." "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

They show us that there is only one God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that whatever in Christ's sayings seemed to indicate another God, was referable to the Father in him, whose Son, and medium and power he was, and in no way inconsistent with the fact that Jesus was but His Son, in loving submission to all His commandments.

Both Pharisees and Sadducees stood speechless in the presence of Christ's incisive question. They could not get away from the 110th Psalm. They had not yet learnt the sophistry by which subsequent generations of Jews (in their attempts to justify the rejection of Jesus) have robbed that psalm of David's authorship, and turned it into the utterance of a courtier poet concerning David.

By comparison with the Rabbinical quibblers of later times, they stood there honestly cornered in the presence of all the people. After a sufficient pause to give them the opportunity of answering if they could, Jesus proceeded to deliver words of terrible denunciation against them. They are words that many people have a difficulty in understanding from the mouth of one who is popularly identified with mercy and gentleness only.

Nazareth Revisited Ch 49

38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

They crowded to the synagogues and the temple in splendid apparel. The bejewelled worshippers exhibited themselves in conspicuous seats, while the poor stood, or if seated, sat on footstools near the door. They made a great show of piety, sang the psalms of David with holy rapture, devoutly listened to the reading of the law and the prophets, and expelled Jesus and His apostles with great fury from their midst, when they showed the meaning of them.

With the worship of God they combined the worship of Mammon. They heaped up gold and silver and apparel till it was moth eaten, oppressed the hireling in his wages, and ground the faces of the poor.

Elpis Israel 1.4.

42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

It is a painful thing in any ecclesia when the poor refrain from contributing on the ground of their poverty.

Even the receiver of alms ought to feel entitled to be abreast of their more favoured brethren in the form of fellowship implied in giving. Has the widow's mite lost in value in the sight of God?

Twenty-five years ago, a poor man called to the Kingdom, could smoke tobacco all the week, but could not put so much as the 24th part of a shilling into the treasury of God. When his attention was called to the neglect of his privilege, he ceased to be seen at the table of the Lord. Alas for the age that can witness such things.

The Christadelphian, Feb 1886