'The deceased' (literally the Rephaim) who shall neither 'live'

nor 'rise' and

'Thy dead' which 'shall live' and 'shall arise' (Isa. 26:14,19).

Resurrection is an integral part of the hope of the believer, but it is

the teaching of Scripture that the unbeliever is without hope (1 Thess.

4:13).  It will readily be seen that a number of passages which ordinarily

seem to teach the resurrection of all, whether saved or unsaved, could under

the influence of such a viewpoint, be thought of as speaking of none other

than the redeemed.  It is stated in John 10 that only the 'sheep' hear the

Saviour's voice, and consequently, when we read of those that are in the

graves who shall 'hear His voice', it could be the teaching of John 5, that

here, too, the redeemed only are in view, even though subdivided into two

groups.  Shall we, therefore, give this passage a careful examination?

First, future and literal resurrection is placed in correspondence with

present belief and salvation thus:

'He that heareth ... and believeth ... hath everlasting life, and shall

not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life' (John

This most blessed statement is followed by the words that place gospel

hearing on a level with the future hearing of those in the grave:

'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' (John 5:25).

Here a close and intended resemblance is established between present

conversion which 'now is' with future resurrection:

'The hour is coming (i.e. is still future, so in contrast with the hour

that "now is"), in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His

voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the

resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the

resurrection of damnation' (John 5:28,29).

If resurrection be restricted to the redeemed, as one reading of the

above passages would indicate, then 'they that have done good' and 'they that

have done evil' represent two companies of believers, even as 1 Corinthians 3

speaks of some who shall receive a reward, and of some, equally on the one

foundation, who shall suffer loss, even though they themselves shall be saved

(1 Cor. 3:11-15).  This, however, would only hold in John 5, if service, with

reward or loss, and not salvation were the theme.  A reading of John 5:24 and

the context will reveal nothing but salvation by faith, the reception

of everlasting life, and the complete avoidance of condemnation.  If this is

allowed, then verse 29 will speak, not of two classes of the redeemed but of

two classes of mankind, namely, the saved and the lost.  They that come

forth, 'unto the resurrection of life' are said to be' they that have done

good', and these come forth; and those who have 'done evil' 'unto the

resurrection of damnation'.  The modern connotation of the term 'damnation'

is too severe, and we should adopt the R.V. rendering and read 'judgment'.

Now the reader will observe that the power and authority to raise the dead,

in this passage, is alternated with the authority given to the Son to be the