John 5:17ff: VIII

Coming to the third of Jesus’ Truly, truly (Amen, amen) sayings of John Chapter 5:

Truly, truly, I say to you,

an hour is coming

and now is,

     when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,

                         and those who hear will live.

     For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so

 He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and

He gave Him authority to execute judgment,

               because He is the Son of Man.

    Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which

                 all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,

                                                       and will come forth;

             those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life,

             those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Jesus speaks of two hours, two seasons; the first hour is coming and now is; the second is an hour is coming. In the first those who are dead and hear the voice of the Son will live; in the second all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and all will come forth from the tombs, but not with the same result; some will participate in a resurrection of life while others will be in a resurrection of judgment.

The first hour, that which is coming and now is, inaugurates the second hour, that hour which is coming. Jesus spoke of the first hour in the second Truly, truly statement:

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

We are all born dead (Ephesians 2:1). Those who have been born dead and who hear not just the words of the Son, but who hear the voice of the Son, and as a result of hearing that voice believe in Him, pass from death into life; those who hear will live.

In attempting to differentiate between simply hearing words and hearing the voice behind the words let’s consider a statement from Paul in Acts 13:26 – 27:

Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the voices of the prophets which are read very Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.

Passages from the prophets were read every Sabbath; every Sabbath the people of Jerusalem and their rulers heard the words of the prophets, but they did not hear the voices of the prophets or they would not have executed Jesus Christ. During the life of Jesus Christ on this planet, during the season in which God walked this earth and spoke; while all in His audiences audibly  heard His words; not all heard His voice. Those who heard His voice and believed in Him passed from death into life.

It has been this way for the past 2,000 years; those who hear His voice, who hear more than just words, and believe in Him pass from death into life; this is the hour that is coming and now is. Passing from death to life is now, eternal life is now, life in Christ is now; it is a now with an ever unfolding future. This passing from death to life is consummated in that hour that is coming, as Paul writes:

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption, the redemption of our body, Romans 8:22 -23.