The Two Resurrections

THE TWO RESURRECTIONS

Pastor Mike here.

I’m talking about the two resurrections today.

And the main text to discuss the two resurrections is in the Gospel of John, chapter five, verse 25 through 29 where Jesus Himself shows us that there are two resurrections.

Let’s read that text.

THE FIRST RESURRECTION

John 5:25 begins…

Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

And so here is the first resurrection…

[T]he dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

Verse 26 goes on…

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

THE SECOND RESURRECTION

And now we have Jesus talking about the second resurrection in verse 28.

It reads…

Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

And so we have two resurrections that Jesus talks about in John 5:25 through 29.

THE FIRST RESURRECTION COMPARED TO THE SECOND RESURRECTION

The first resurrection is a present resurrection.

It’s a resurrection of the soul.

The second resurrection is a future resurrection.

It’s a resurrection of the body.

The resurrection of the soul happens when a person hears the Word of God and the Holy Spirit creates faith in that person.

He who was once dead in trespasses and sins, as Ephesians says, is now made alive through the Word of God and the working of the Holy Spirit.

The resurrection of the body happens at the end of the world when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.

Those who have done good, who’ve trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins – who’ve experienced the first resurrection in this life – will receive eternal life.

Those who have done evil, who have not trusted Christ for the forgiveness of sins, who’ve resisted the work of the Holy Spirit, these will be eternally condemned.