If you have a copy of the scriptures, let me invite you to turn to the Gospel of John and to the fifth chapter, John chapter 5. And although I'm going to look at a little bit of the context for this teaching of our Lord later in John, or earlier in John 5, I'm going to read for us now just a couple of verses, verses 28 and 29, the words of our Lord. And so let me invite you, as you're able, let's stand in honor of the reading and the hearing of God's word. The Apostle John faithfully recorded these words of our Lord when he said, marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth. They that have done good under the resurrection of life and they that have done evil under the resurrection of damnation. May God bless today the reading and the hearing of his word, and let us join again in prayer. Gracious and loving God, as we hear and listen to the words of our Lord, as we are like Mary sitting at the feet of Christ, we ask that you would give us insight into what is to come at the glorious second coming of Christ. And we would also understand how important it is for us to, in this life, make our stand for Christ and to choose our side with the side of Christ, the side of the gospel, the side of those who believe in him and follow him. We ask this in Christ's name and for his sake, amen. You may be seated. So we're continuing today this series that we're doing on eschatology, the doctrine of last things. And we've been looking at things related to personal eschatology, what happens to a person when that person dies. And eventually we're going to be looking at cosmic eschatology, what happens at the end of the ages, at the end of history. And at points, these two things are going to kind of overlap one another. And in part, there's some overlap in this passage today. So before we look at John 5, 28 and 29, I want to go back, as I did last week, and I want to examine once again the teaching in the Baptist catechism. And in question 40 of the Baptist Catechism, it asks, what benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death? And it answers, the souls of believers are at their death, made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory. And their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection. And it supplies a number of proof texts to support this teaching, including 2 Corinthians 5, verse 8, to be absent with the bodies, be present with the Lord. And then question 41, which I didn't read last week, says, what benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment and made perfectly blessed both in soul and body in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity. So for the believer at death, as from the body, present with the Lord. His spirit goes to be with the Lord. His body remains in the grave till the final resurrection, the second coming of Christ. Then his body and soul are reunited. And if he's a believer, He enters into the full enjoyment of God to all eternity. Question 42 says, well, what shall be done to the wicked at their death? And it answers, the souls of the wicked shall, at their death, be cast into the torments of hell, and their bodies lie in their graves till the resurrection and judgment of the great day. So what happens to the unbeliever? This is described for us in Luke 16 in Christ's account of the rich man and Lazarus. Their souls immediately are cast into the torments of hell. Their bodies also that remain in the grave till the resurrection judgment. And then question 43 says, what shall be done to the wicked at the day of judgment? And it says at the day of judgment, the bodies of the wicked being raised out of their graves shall be sentenced together with their souls to unspeakable torments, with the devil and his angels forever. And the first proof text is John 5, verses 28 and 29 for that statement. So at death, the spirits of men either enter into comfort, as we saw with Lazarus, or they enter into torment, as we saw with the rich man. But what of their bodies? What of their bodies? Their bodies do rest in their graves until the resurrection. Our teaching today from John 5 addresses the final resurrection. What will happen when Christ comes again in glory and there will be the final resurrection? And it suggests that there will in fact be two resurrections. That doesn't mean two resurrections for the saints that are separated by time, but it means two resurrections of two different groups of people who have two different destinations, two different destinies based on how they have responded to Christ. And this fits, comports with what we saw last time in Luke 16 when we talked about there being two ways. There's the way of the rich man, the unbeliever who goes into torment, and the way of Lazarus, the believer who enters into the bosom of Father Abraham or paradise or the eternal rest, the heavenly rest. So there are two ways. There are also two resurrections, the resurrection of life which is what awaited and still awaits someone like Lazarus, because Christ has not yet returned, and the general resurrection has not yet taken place, and there will also be a resurrection of damnation, and that will be the resurrection that awaits the rich man. And so there are two resurrections. But let's turn and look at John 5, And I want to just look at the context a little bit of John 5 leading up to this teaching that Christ offers. John 5 is known by many to be the passage that gives us the account of one of Christ's miraculous healings. There was a man who is described in verse seven as the impotent man. And this is a way of saying he was disabled. He had no power. He had paralysis, perhaps a difficulty walking, and so he was disabled. And it says that he had had this disability for a long time. It says in verse 5, he had had this infirmity for 38 years. And he was in Jerusalem. And Christ had gone up there for one of the Jewish feasts, and there was a pool called Bethesda. And it says in verse three, the impotent folk, the blind, the halt, the withered, waited there for the moving of the water. And in verse four, which is one of those verses that's controversial with respect to text, and many modern translations remove it, But it says in verse four that an angel would come down and stir the waters and there would be those who would try to get into the waters to be healed. And this man had never been able to do this. And Christ asked him in verse six, wilt thou be made whole? And he said, I don't have anyone to help me. And Christ immediately spoke words of healing to him, saying to him in verse eight, rise, take up thy bed and walk. And so after this, after Christ had healed this man, the Jews were told in verse 10, attacked our Lord, accusing him of breaking the fourth commandment because he had healed this man on the Sabbath day. And they disregarded the teaching of the scriptures that to enact mercy, to help someone who is impotent and disabled for 38 years to be healed is not a violation of the Sabbath. And it's interesting because it says later on in that day when Christ had healed this man that he ran into him later in the temple in verse 14. And he said to him, behold, thou art made whole. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. And the statement that he makes there in verse 14 is interesting. He says, sin no more. And in fact, this is exactly, in the original language in particular, you can take a look at, it's exactly the same language as Christ used when he spoke to the adulterous woman and her accusers, the ones who want to stone her to death, had left because Christ He said, you have to let the one who is without sin take up the first stone and cast it at this woman. And her accusers left, and Christ said, neither do I condemn thee. And then he said, go and sin no more. And that's exactly what he said to this man whom he had healed. However, the Jews responded, look at verse 16, by persecuting Jesus, And they sought to slay him because he had done these things on the Sabbath day. And this leads then to Christ giving a teaching about his relationship with the Father. And so he says in verse 17, as he answers these critics, my father worketh hitherto and I work. And this doesn't soothe Jesus's opponents, But they become even more enraged. And I think rightly, it's because they realize the claim that Christ is making for himself. He's saying, God the Father works, and I work. And our work is in harmony. It is the same work. And you look at verse 18. They said, or John reports to us, that the Jews sought the more to kill him because he had not only broken the Sabbath, but said that God was his father making himself equal with God. And that was one of the charges against Christ. He was making himself equal with God. I said recently, I don't know how Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, can go through the Bible and say it doesn't teach that Jesus is God or that Jesus claimed to be God. What was the very thing that he was accused of here? Making himself equal with God. And then Christ proceeds to talk about, further about his relationship with the Father. And he says this in verse 23, for the Father, sorry, yeah, we'll start in verse 22. For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment under the Son, that all men should honor the son, even as they honor the father. He that honoreth not the son, honoreth not the father which hath sent him. And this, again, is an amazing claim of our Lord, basically saying that if you honor me, you are honoring the father. If you fail to honor me, You are failing to honor the Father. And this teaching that's here in John 5, verses 22 and 23, reminds us of a passage I cited last week from Matthew 10, verses 32 and 33, when Christ sent out the apostles. And he said, if you confess me before men, I will confess you before my Father in heaven. If you deny me before men, I will deny you before my Father in heaven. So it's one's response to Christ that is the tipping point. Do you honor Christ? Do you confess Christ? Well, you will be confessed. You will be honored. Do you dishonor Christ? Do you deny Christ? Well, then you will not be confessed. You will not be honored before the Father. And so this is important to set the context for what is said now coming up in verses 28 and 29 to understand what these two resurrections are about and what the difference is between why one participates in one resurrection or the other. Christ continues then in verse 24 of John 5, and he says, verily, verily, or amen, amen, I say unto you, he that heareth my words and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. The person, again, who believes in Christ That person will not suffer judgment and condemnation. This is important, again, for giving us the context for understanding what's going to be said about the resurrection of judgment later. But that person, even in this life, has passed from death unto life. This is a way of describing what it means to become a Christian. When one becomes a Christian, there are various metaphors we use for it. It's like experiencing the new birth. It's being born again. It's like having a heart of stone taken out and having that replaced by a heart of flesh. And it's like passing from death into life. Like in John 11, when Lazarus was dead, Christ's friend, and he was in the grave, and Christ said, Lazarus, come forth. And he came forth. Figure of what happens in conversion one was spiritually dead and then he comes into life And now in verse 25 Christ starts to speak about the future And he talks about an hour that is coming verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is When the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live And so on one hand, this hour of which he come, he speaks is is about the coming of the Messiah. It's about John 1, 14. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. Christ is speaking. And those who are spiritually dead, who hear the voice of Christ and recognize in his voice that he is the shepherd, they shall hear and live. But then Christ is going to talk about something else that is to come, and this is going to be another hour, and this is going to be the hour of his second coming. And so he continues in verse 26, for as the father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the son to have life in himself, and hath given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the son of man. And so he's going to talk about now this other hour, verse 28, marvel not at this, For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice." Now Christ is describing what will happen at his second coming. He says, all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. All the dead, all those who have died, both the righteous and the unrighteous, shall hear the voice of Christ, the Son of Man. And so, in verse 27, there's the reference back. Whose voice? He hath given unto Him authority to execute judgment also because He is the Son of Man. And this hour is coming into which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice. All that are dead and their bodies are in the graves, there's coming a time when they will hear His voice. What Christ is speaking about here is what we call the general resurrection at the end of the ages. We might say that there have been and will be two historical resurrections. First, there was the resurrection of Christ from the dead. And he was the pioneer and perfecter of our faith in that. He was, as Paul calls him, the first fruits of those who have risen from the dead. But at the end of the ages, at his second coming, there will be a general resurrection in which all who have died will be raised. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 1 Corinthians 15. And Paul was dealing with a report he had heard from the people at Corinth. There were some people who were denying the resurrection. What that probably means is not that they were denying that Christ was raised from the dead, although some might have denied that, but what they were denying was that there would be a resurrection at the end of the ages. And so Paul confronted that. And we're going to read part of what Paul says here, 1 Corinthians 15, beginning in verse 12. Now, if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, How say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? And I think he's talking about those who are denying that there would be a general resurrection at the end of history. But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen? He's saying if you don't believe there's going to be a general resurrection at the end of the ages, you're denying that Christ was raised. Verse 14, and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God, that he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. If there's no general resurrection at the end of history, if the dead rise not, then that nullifies the resurrection of Christ, because the resurrection of Christ was to be the first fruits of what would happen to all who had died. He says in verse 16, for if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If there is no general resurrection at the end of history, then all those Christians who have died They have simply perished. They're simply annihilation. And there are, sadly, some people who teach the false doctrine of annihilationism, particularly Seventh-day Adventists teach annihilationism. They teach you live this life, you die, and if you're not a believer, you just pass into oblivion. But Paul, in particular, rejected that as a false teaching. He says in verse 19, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. So one could claim to be a Christian and deny that Christ will return in glory at the end of the ages and there will be a general resurrection of the dead. And he says, that's not a kind of Christianity that's worth living. And then he declares, verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 15, but now is Christ risen from the dead? and become the first fruits of them that slept. So this is what we believe as Christians. Christ was gloriously raised from the dead. And in part, what that is is an indication, a proof of the he's the first fruits of what will happen at the end of the ages when he returns in glory. All those who have died will also experience the resurrection from the dead, Christ being the first fruits of it. We're getting a little bit closer to the beginning of spring, and soon we'll begin to see these plants and flowers budding. And then there'll be the full burst of spring. And that's what Paul said, Christ's resurrection is like the bud, but at the general resurrection at the end of history, it will be full bloomed. when all who have died and are in their graves will be raised to life. He continues in verse 21, 1 Corinthians 15, for since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead, by Adam came death, the first Adam came death for all men, by Christ, the second Adam comes life for all men. Then he says, verse 23, but every man in his own order, Christ, the first fruits afterward, they that are Christ at his coming. So it's at the second coming of Christ that there will be a general resurrection. Christ is the pioneer and perfecter of the resurrection unto life. And at his second coming, all those who have died in faith in Him will also experience the resurrection unto life. So Christ is teaching to us in John 5, verses 28 and 29, what will happen at the end of the ages. At the end of the ages, Christ's hour will come. And those who are in the graves, those who have died, They will hear his voice. Can a dead man hear a voice? No. Those who are in the grave, they will be quickened and they will be raised in their resurrection bodies. And their bodies that have been in the grave will be united to their departed spirits, whether those spirits went to be with the Lord at death or whether those spirits went to be in torment, in hell at death. Christ says they will hear His voice. We can see some other passages in scripture that also describe something similar. Those who are dead hearing the voice of Christ or hearing a shout of Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 16, and we're going to look, God willing, next week at 1 Thessalonians 4. It says, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. And it also mentions, talks about three things that will be heard. With the voice of the archangel, hear the archangel, the voice is not the voice of the archangel, but it's the shout of Christ. They shall hear his voice, the son of man's voice. And 1 Thessalonians 4.16 also says, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 51 and 52, Paul said, behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. So whereas here in John 5, 28 and 29, Christ talks about hearing the voice of the Son of Man. I think that's the shout. In 1 Thessalonians 4, 16, it talks about the shout of Christ returning in glory, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God. And in 1 Corinthians 15, 51 and 52, it simply talks about the trumpet of God being heard. That trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. Notice, by the way, that all these passages, including John 5, 28, 29, tell us that when Christ comes in glory, it will not be a secret coming. His voice will be heard by all. So it will not be something secret or esoteric. It will be universal, visible. The whole world will be aware of it. They will hear, those in the grave will hear his voice. Someone may object and say, wait a second, you mean everybody who's ever lived will be raised? I mean, some of these people have been in the graves for thousands of years, even people who've been only in the grave for hundreds of years. Their bodies are deteriorated. What about people who are lost at sea? What about people who are cremated? Do you mean that their bodies are going to be reconstituted and they're going to have ears and they're going to hear his voice? And our answer to that is, well, we are talking about the God who created the world and everything in it in the space of six days and all very good. We are talking about a God who is omnipotent, who is all powerful. And Christ says when the hour of his coming arrives, all that are in the graves, all who have died and their bodies have deteriorated, they will be reconstituted and they will hear his voice. And he continues in verse 29, and shall come forth. And so they will come forth and then they will be assigned two outcomes or two destinations that are described in verse 29. They that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. So there are two resurrections. Historically, there are two resurrections. There's the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the first fruits, And there's the general resurrection at the end of history when Christ returns in glory. And there are also two resurrections with respect to the outcomes of those who are raised and the judgment that they receive. First, there is the resurrection of life. This is for those who have done good. live, they will enter into the abundant life, the eternal life that Christ promised to those who are His. On the other hand, there are those who have done evil, and they will experience the resurrection of damnation. Whereas the rich man in Hades, as described in Luke 16, immediately went into torment at the second coming of Christ, his soul will be joined to his body. and he will be experiencing in his resurrection body a resurrection of damnation, a resurrection of condemnation and judgment. Someone might look at verse 29 and they might say, is this teaching justification by works? Those who have done good will experience the resurrection of life and those who have done evil the resurrection of damnation is the Lord Jesus saying that in order to experience the resurrection of life you sort of have to be a good person and to experience the resurrection of condemnation that's because you are a bad person. Isn't that justification by works? And this is a place where we have to apply the whole counsel of God's Word. We were talking about this on Wednesday night in our study of 2 Timothy 2, we have to be able to rightly divide the word of truth. And we know that when Christ said this, he wasn't merely talking about anybody experiencing the resurrection of life because by their own effort and merit, they did good. Or someone has to suffer the resurrection of damnation because by his own merit, he merely did evil. We have to use the whole counsel of God's Word. What does it say in Ephesians 2, 8, 9, and 10? For by grace are you saved through faith, not by works, lest any man should boast. And so salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. What is the greatest good? It is to have faith in Christ. What is the greatest evil? It is to reject Christ. And so, what's the difference between the person who experiences the resurrection of life and the resurrection of condemnation? We can go back to what Christ said earlier. The person who experiences the resurrection of life is the person who honors the Son, who believes in the Son. Whereas the person who experiences the resurrection of condemnation is the person who dishonors the Son and does not believe in the Son. And with respect to the person who is saved, what does it say in Ephesians 2.10? that it says of the person who is saved, that that person is God's workmanship. And so he was created in Christ Jesus to do good works. And so, yes, a saved man there flows out from his life, accompanying good works. So, friends, there are two resurrections. There are two historical resurrections. Christ was raised from the dead. The only person ever to experience resurrection thus far in human history is the Lord Jesus Christ. And he is the first fruits of what will happen at the end of history when there will be a general resurrection at his second coming. And there are two resurrections with respect to the two categories of all men and the two outcomes they will experience. Those who believe in Christ, those who honor Christ, Those persons will experience the resurrection of life. Those who dishonor Christ, those who reject Christ, they will experience the resurrection of judgment. The tipping point is how one responds to Christ in this life. And that's what Christ said in Matthew 10, 32 and 33. If you confess me before men, I'll confess you before my father in heaven. If you deny me before men, I will deny you before my father in heaven. And so at the end, what do we ask? How have we responded to him? Have you confessed Christ or have you denied Christ? Is there a waiting for you at the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of life or the resurrection of judgment? And that's what makes how we live and what we believe and what we hold to in this life so significant and so important. And so let us consider this and let us look unto Christ that we might live. Let me invite you to stand together. Let's join in prayer. Gracious and loving God, we do give thee thanks for the assurance that we can have as believers of what will happen in the days to come. In death, that to be absent of the body is to be present with the Lord. And then at his glorious second coming, that these bodies that will know sickness and aging and even death, that they will be raised and we will receive the glorious resurrection body of which Christ has been the first fruit. And if we have trusted in him, we will enter into that resurrection of life and it will be more beautiful and more joyful And it will give us more pleasure than anything we have ever experienced to a greater degree than we can ever fathom. And to help us to live a life of wisdom and to follow after Christ, we ask this in his name and for his sake. Amen.