Don’t Be Surprised

John 5:28,29 Don’t be surprised at this. A time is coming when all people who are dead and in their graves will hear his voice. Then they will come out of their graves. Those who did good in this life will rise and have eternal life. But those who did evil will rise to be judged guilty.

There’s an incredible finality about death. You stop breathing, your heart stops, the blood stops pumping, your brain dies and from that moment your body begins to decay. Incredibly final.

That’s why the promises of God through Jesus Christ, His Son, seem so other-worldly, so starkly divorced from the realities we face here on earth. Because the biggest promise of all is that our physical death isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of a whole new eternity for us.

Can we just draw closer to that truth today? A body in a coffin isn’t the end, it’s the beginning. Having recently buried my elderly mother, that’s even more immediately poignant for me. Having looked down at her coffin in that deep hole, it’s a reality-shattering truth right now. But Jesus said,

John 5:28,29 Don’t be surprised at this. A time is coming when all people who are dead and in their graves will hear his voice. Then they will come out of their graves. Those who did good in this life will rise and have eternal life. But those who did evil will rise to be judged guilty.

The truth is that there is eternal life for all – those who’ve evidenced the genuineness of their faith in Jesus through their good works will spend their eternity in His Presence. Those who haven’t, won’t.

So don’t be surprised at this. The time is coming when all who are dead and buried will hear His voice. And if you believe in Jesus, what a glorious day that will be!

So don’t be surprised when you stand before Him in all His glory for all eternity.

Don’t be surprised!

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.