THE VOICE THE DEAD ARE WAITING FOR

SATURDAY 05 FEBRUARY 2022

Jesus taught a lot of subjects on spiritual matters, including the deeper realities in their eternal aspects, such as everlasting life and death. He dealt with such topics mainly for the morality and in-depth function and purpose of the Christian being, known as the new creation.

Reference: John 5:28-29 New King James Version (NKJV) "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth - those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

As long as we are alive, we respond to sound and voices. For instance, it takes only the "living" to answer to their names when they are called. A dead person can never respond to his name from the grave, no matter who they are and what they mean to you and me. Simply put, as long as there is an absence of hearing loss or issues, the living respond to sound and voices, but this is not so for the dead.

But the great Master has informed us ahead of time: "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth..." This means, apart from His miraculous ability or energy, the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ is enormously significant in the graveyards. What makes the graveyards, tombs or burial grounds seem powerful till date is the tarrying of Christ's return. His loud voice is what the dead are waiting for because it is the only voice that will wake them from their deep sleep (death). Beloved, the critical moment in Christ's return for the manifestation of His glory on earth will shock the whole graveyards including the sea, such that they will vomit the dead the sheol has swallowed.

In the Hebrew Bible, the word, "Sheol" is the deeper form of expressing the common grave of humans. It is a place of darkness to which all the dead go, both the righteous and the unrighteous, irrespective of the reason or state they died in, as well as the eternal decisions they made in life. So its a place for those already cut off from earthly life, which means that they can't hear from the living. But a loud and deeper voice is coming soon that will wake them from Sheol, just like when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Remember, the Bible noted that He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out" (see John 11:43 ESV).

Daniel 12:2 (NLT) identically confirmed the same truth: "Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace." However, they will inevitably respond to the voice of the Master; a voice full of divine energy, independent of distance and location of the dead. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 (ESV) noted that the voice is a commanding sound. It reads, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first." As they all return to life, those who are saints are given to the resurrection of life, and the unbelievers, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Now take note of this: Remarkably, the resurrection of the dead will take place in a particular hour. In other words, all the dead will rise up within that specific hour, no matter their sum total. This was mentioned twice in the same chapter (see John chapter 5 - verses 25 and 28). Although fewer translations used the word "time", Jesus enlightened that it would be a matter of specific timing (an hour). The righteous in the midst of the resurrected will not be condemned, but the wicked will. Why? This is because the righteous died or rather slept in a Christ-living likeness or state, which implies that there is no need for condemnation. Romans 8:1-2 (KJV) revealed that there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made them free from the law of sin and death.

Beloved, although the Bible talked about those saints who will be involved in the first resurrection, as part of the qualified priests of God and of Christ, that will reign with Christ for a thousand years, you can rest assured that the righteous is exempt from eternal damnation or condemnation because of their likeness to Christ (see Revelation 20:5-6 NKJV). We are as righteous as Christ is, both the dead and alive in Christ, and this timeless truth will remain consolidated and inseparable from the reality of the Christian life and experience after the realm of time. All we have to do as born again Christians is to wear Christ always, for Galatians 3:27 (NLT) reads, "And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes." Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Matthew 27:52; John 11:25; Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Revelation 20:13.

Guided Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for the deep-seated truths in your Word, in accordance with the teachings of Christ. By the assimilation of noteworthy knowledge of eternal purpose, the divine life, nature, reign and glory of Christ permeate the inmost being of my heart and spirit. Thus my Christian walk and character are constantly shaped in agreement with your perfect will and my life conforms daily to the image of Christ from glory to intensified glory, in Jesus' Name, Amen!