86. Resurrection of Life
John 5:29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
All people, both the good and the evil, everyone, will hear His voice and come out of the graves and tombs; they will come forth unto the resurrection of life or the resurrection of judgment. Either way, every body that ever lived and died will come forth into resurrection in a new body. The general resurrection of all flesh in a physical body is a prediction, a truth guaranteed for all people; but there is a distinction: a resurrection of life or a resurrection of damnation. It will be one or the other with no middle ground. This is not the promise.
The promise is that those who have done good will come forth from the dead unto the resurrection of life, that is, they will live forever in a spiritual body that will never die, grow old, get sick, or perish. The condition for the promise of the resurrection of life is that one must have done good. Doing good or evil will be the criterion for the Final Judgment. All people have done evil, but believers in Christ have been forgiven of all sins so that the evil is taken away and only the good is left; and believers in Christ have actually done good, although it is the Christ in them that has done the good. Interestingly, it is Christ in us that does the good, but it is us the persons in whom He lives that get the credit.
Therefore, because of Christ (and only because of Him) we have done good; this “done good” will be displayed before all in the Judgment so that all the world will see that we are truly deserving of the resurrection of life. When the books are opened at the Throne only those written in the Book of Life will be seen as having done good, and they will be judged accordingly: heaven is opened. (If a name is not written in the book of life, he is thrown into the lake of fire.)
The resurrection of life might arguably be the most important promise of Jesus; at least, it will be most important on our deathbed. This future promise also profoundly affects our daily life and influences our thought for good. Given the alternative, we praise the glory of His grace now and forever. I am a part of the Resurrection of Life!