I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Matthew 22:32
Three times each day, devout Jews, in their Shemone-esrei prayer, address the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. They do this today, and they did it in the time when the Lord Jesus was conducting His ministry. When the Lord Jesus quoted this portion, which was part of God’s great declaration of Himself to Moses from the burning bush in the wilderness, He was in familiar territory as far as the Jews were concerned. But from this great declaration, the Lord Jesus makes a shocking revelation to those who had confronted Him. He declares to the Sadducees, who did not believe in a resurrection, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are yet living. The same will be true of us, forever.
Scripture affirms, and Isaac and Ishmael witnessed, that Abraham’s earthly remains lie beside those of his beloved Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. This great patriarch lived out his lengthy span and expired. And yet, the Lord Jesus declares that Abraham is living. So are Isaac and Jacob, although Scripture records them as being gathered to their fathers. These men died as the offspring of the first Adam, whose disobedience has brought death upon all. But they live as the result of the Last Adam, Whose obedience has made life available to all. The patriarchs believed God, and were declared righteous. We who have believed God can also claim that same righteousness, and can be assured that we, like those patriarchs, will live forever. Like the patriarchs, our bodies may someday lie in the earth to await the resurrection. But the death of our bodies is temporary; the life of our souls is eternal. We have already entered into eternal life.
There is no question that what we are experiencing today is much different from what we will experience in the eternal state. All of the limitations imposed by being pent in earthly frames will be lifted. And the weight of these mortal limitations is so great we cannot imagine what the release will be like. We can talk about what Heaven will not have: death and pain, sorrow and heartbreak, want and disappointment. But we cannot imagine what Heaven will have in terms of its environment. Nor could human language describe it if our imagination could grasp it. I am looking forward to meeting Abraham and Isaac and Jacob; I have many questions for them. But I am more interested in the One Who Abraham and Isaac and Jacob are appreciating now.
Eternal life is very much a mystery. But one part of it is very simple: eternal life means being in the presence of our Lord. -Jim MacIntosh