As many of you know, one of my Bible study principals is that I look for confirmation of my beliefs in both the Old and the New Testament.
I ran across one in Isaiah today regarding the raising of the dead. It is a great example, to me at least, of how even "Spiritual leaders" sometimes ignore the plain meaning of Scripture. In this case I am referring to the Sadducees. Feel free to draw your own conclusions as to whether there are "Spiritual Leaders" today who seem to be like the Sadducees.
Back in Jesus time the two main groups were the Sadducees and the Pharisees. To refresh your memories, Paul was a Pharisee. The ruling body, the Sanhedrin, was usually dominated and led by the Sadducees.
Here is the main difference in their beliefs:
"Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead and an afterlife. The Sadducees did not believe in either of these. The Pharisees believed in a realm of spirit and angels. The Sadducees did not."
Let's see what the OT says about that.
Isaiah 26:19
Your dead shall live; Together with [k]my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.
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I don't know about you but it seems pretty clear to me. Scripture says that the dead shall rise.
Isaiah lived about 700 years before Jesus and was acknowledged as a prophet. His prophecies were known and referred to. The Sadducees of Jesus day knew this yet refused to believe in a resurrection and a raising of the dead.
So when your "Spiritual leaders" today are advocating things that are clearly unscriptural I hope you realize just how important it is to know your Bible. Because when push comes to shove, who you gonna follow, the "leader" or Scripture???
