You will rise again for sure
May 11
John 5:28“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 30By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Jesus explains life after death right here. We know there is one certainty in life and that is we shall all die. You can have all the money in the world, all the power in the world, but you cannot keep death from your door forever. It will get you sooner or later. The bible says that our life on earth is like a flower, which blooms one day and dies the next. It is over in a flash. Then the Bible says that one day with the Lord is like 1000 years. So there is a lot at stake.
Jesus explains that the dead will rise but they will not all get the same treatment when they are raised. Jesus says there are two categories – those who have done good and those who have done bad. I think that anyone with an elementary understanding of the teaching of Jesus would know that Jesus is not saying that our eternal destiny is based on our works. Jesus said that “no man comes to the father but by me”. We know that it is by grace through faith that we are saved and that it is not of works lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 3:8)
So what is Jesus saying here then?
I believe that if we understand who we are in Christ and the amazing work of grace then we will understand that once we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), all things have become new and old things are past away. We are made right with Christ, and God sees Jesus in us, and not the sin in us. So everything we do is good because we are good by nature (our new nature). For those who have not received Christ as personal Saviour, they do not have an intercessor who intercedes for them before God. They are not covered by the blood, and so they are outside of the covenant. Everything they do is in the flesh and is outside of God. Even their good works are as filthy rags (quote from old testament).
Those who are good (in other words in Christ) will rise to live – to a new life, where we know from Revelations there will be no more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain. Those who are bad (do not have Christ as a sacrifice on their behalf) will rise to be condemned. People say how can that be a God of love? Well he sent his only son to die for you. What greater love is there than that. When we reject him, we are rejecting the sacrifice, so we can pursue our own selfish desires on earth. It is not God’s fault that he is a just God who carries our the punishment for sin.
Jesus says that his judgment is fair. Some people ask the question about small babies dying and whether they will go to heaven. From Samuel we know they do. Samuel’s son died and God said to him that Samuel would one day follow his son to him.
Man you gotto love the word. It is so great.