Elaine

Hi cheryl…first time blogger (if thats what I am!) the discussion…John 5 starting at v25…Jesus is here talking to an audience of spritually dead people, we know they are spiritually dead because Jesus says “if they hear my word and believe on Him that sent me” (God/Father)…physically dead people cant hear or believe, plus He says “The hour is coming and has NOW COME (its here, its arrived on you lot, the ones Im now speaking to.) which you agree on…the problem I have or rather dont quite understand as to what your saying is the verse after, thats v28, Jesus says “Do not marvel at this” marvel at what? that the dead even though alive are living, or, that He has been given authority to execute judgement, or, that all in the graves will hear His voice at the hour that is coming…we must recognise the audience and the role that Jesus is now playing out before the last vestages of Israel ie, the kingdom of Judah surely (see L Ray Smith on Luke 16 Rich man and Lazarus). Jesus is the pivotal moment in time/eternity things are changing and Jesus is that change. So wouldn’t you think that Jesus in v 28 is talking about “all in the memorial tombs” as those of the Jewish nation that will be judged by their deeds/works under law and not those of the worlds as the jews had no idea at this time of the great shift in Gods purposes neither did the gentiles…I know I can read it now, but then, at that moment Jesus was speaking and making that statement, no one was any the wiser, even many of those who were listening to that statement. So v25 is those who are physically alive (the jews not gentiles) that hear and believe that would become spiritually alive also and those in verse 28 are those that died under law and would have a different set of ways that they would be judged as those who did good deeds that would bring forth life and others deeds that would bring forth death. Please forgive me if I am not explaining to well but hope you get what Im saying..Im pretty sure you will. In Christs love