Luke 20:38

“For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living, etc.] (See Gill on “<402232>Matthew 22:32”) for all live unto him. The Persic version, reads, “all these live unto him”; namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for though they are dead to men, they are not to God; their souls live with him, and their bodies will be raised by him: he reckons of them, as if they were now alive, for he quickens the dead, and calls things that are not, as though they were; and this is the case of all the saints that are dead, as well as of those patriarchs. The Ethiopic reads, “all live with him”; as the souls of all departed saints do; the Arabic version reads, all live in him; so all do now, (<441728>Acts 17:28).”

“not . . . of the dead, . . . for all, &c.--To God, no human being is dead, or ever will be; but all sustain an abiding conscious relation to Him. But the "all" here meant "those who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world." These sustain a gracious covenant relation to God, which cannot be dissolved. In this sense our Lord affirms that for Moses to call the Lord the "God" of His patriarchal servants if at that moment they had no existence, would be unworthy of Him. He "would be ashamed to be called their God, if He had not prepared for them a city" (Heb 11:16). How precious are these glimpses of the resurrection state!”

“See this explained in the Matthew 22:15-33 notes, and Mark 12:13-27 notes. return to 'Top of Page'”

“He is not a God of the dead, or, there is no God of the dead - That is, tho term God implies such a relation, as cannot possibly subsist between him and the dead; who in the Sadducees' sense are extinguished spirits; who could neither worship him, nor receive good from him. So that all live to him - All who have him for their God, live to and enjoy him. This sentence is not an argument for what went before; but the proposition which was to be proved. And the consequence is apparently just. For as all the faithful are the children of Abraham, and the Divine promise of being a God to him and his seed is entailed upon them, it implies their continued existence and happiness in a future state as…”

“a God: Psa 16:5-11, Psa 22:23-26, Psa 145:1, Psa 145:2; Heb 11:16 for all: Joh 6:57, Joh 11:25, Joh 11:26, Joh 14:19; Rom 6:10, Rom 6:11, Rom 6:22, Rom 6:23, Rom 14:7-9; Co2 6:16, Co2 13:4; Col 3:3, Col 3:4; Rev 7:15-17, Rev 22:1 Luke 20:39”