John 5:28-29 says, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, 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.”
One of the most well done Easter pageants I have ever seen (maybe the only one) was about seven years ago at the First Church of the Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho. Many churches try to make Easter and Christmas their best services of the year, expecting many visitors. Sometimes there is a Sunrise Service. A common greeting is “He is risen” (from Luke 24:6), to which the correct response is “He is risen indeed” (Luke 24:34). This is supposed to be done with excitement.
Paul, in I Thessalonians Chapter 4, talks to believers or “brethren”(V. 1). In verses 4 and 7 he talks about sanctification and holiness. In the last part of the chapter, he speaks comforting words to them about death (V. 13-17): “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
This is a comforting thought for those who are “in Christ Jesus.” What lies ahead for them is to be forever with the Lord. The idea of a resurrection—that a dead body rotting in the grave will not stay that way—helps take away some of the fear of death. Therefore Paul wrote this letter of comfort.
We can be overcome by the idea of the resurrection and overlook what comes after. In our text Jesus does not present a one-sided picture. I have yet to hear the word “damnation” used in an Easter Sunday sermon, nor have I used it. Some Bible translations replace hell and damnation with “punishment.” I guess this is to make it more user friendly. The fact is we should be scared to death of Hell. Love demands we warn people, as Jesus did.
Jesus gave a clear picture of what happens after the resurrection. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus gave the account (not a parable) of what happened to two men that were resurrected, Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom, the rich man to Hell. We don’t have any words that Lazarus spoke, only the rich man begging for mercy for himself. He also begged that his family would be warned about Hell. In our text Jesus is very clear about what happens AFTER THE RESURRECTION!
