Resurrection is not a Fantasy

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. (John 5:24 NKJV)

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice “and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:28-29 NKJV)

Resurrection of Life and of Damnation

Just as there are some passages that are hard to understand and explain in the Bible, there are some events that are probably considered fantasy by many who read the Bible.  The fact that God is going to raise the dead is just hard for some people to believe.  But there is going to be a resurrection of life for those who have done good (by trusting in the Lord Jesus and proving it by living a life pleasing to the Lord) and a resurrection of condemnation for those who reject the salvation available through the Lord Jesus.

Christ the Firstfruits

One reason why we who are believers believe in the resurrections of life and of condemnation is because the Lord was raised from the dead and over 500 witnesses of that truth are mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:6.   In 1 Corinthians 15:23 Christ is called the firstfruits of the resurrection.  Other people had been raised from the dead but they all died again.  The resurrections of life and of condemnation are resurrections where people do not die again.  And Christ is the first person to be raised to life never to die again.  

The Spiritual Resurrection

In order to be part of the resurrection of life (or the first resurrection mentioned in Revelation 20:6) we must first have a spiritual resurrection.  That is the resurrection mentioned in John 5:24.  That is a resurrection that I have experienced.  I remember being lost and separated from God (which is spiritual death) and then coming to a realization that God promised me eternal life simply by faith in His Son.  That changed my outlook, my disposition, the decisions that I made in life, and it changed God from being one I feared to being a Father that I could now love.  I don’t know if I really know how to love anyone or anything, but to the extent that I do, I now love God who has become the kind of Father to me that every father should be.  In addition, I passed from death (eternal separation from God) to life (a life that has quality because it comes from God and a life that has quantity because it is eternal). 

The Thousand Years

The other two resurrections mentioned in John 5 appear to be at least one thousand years apart according to Revelation 20.  These are physical resurrections.  Actual people being raised from the dead. . .some from graves, some from the sea, and some likely from dust if they were cremated.  But all will be raised.  Some will be raised to enjoy their eternal lives in heaven.  Some will be raised to eternal damnation.  

Facts are Facts

Some think life after death is a fiction and they don’t worry about these resurrections.  That of course does not change the facts.  The resurrections will occur, we just don’t know when on our calendars that will happen.  But after reading about these resurrections: first the resurrection of the Lord, second the spiritual resurrection that occurs upon believing, third the resurrection of life and lastly the resurrection of condemnation, I certainly wouldn’t want to find myself or anyone else in that last resurrection.   You don’t want to get on God the Father’s bad side by rejecting His Son and all that He did for us at the cross.

Bruce Collins

Meditation for the weeks of May 3, 10, and 17, 2026

If you would like further conversation about the issues in these meditations, contact me at collinsbd@yahoo.com and I will try to accommodate you with a virtual Bible Study.