“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.” John 5:25-29

Death truly means death. The commonly held belief by many is that death is merely a transition to a disembodied form of existence in one of two places: heaven or hell. A closer look at the consistent message of the Bible is that the dead are unaware; in an unconscious state in which they are untouched by pain, trouble, and the passage of time. They are totally and completely helpless; unable to rouse or rescue themselves from this state of non-existence. For that reason, resurrection is the only way out, and there is only One capable of rescuing, as He Himself has been rescued from death by His Father.

As final as death appears to be, it is really only temporary because “an hour is coming.” Twice Jesus reminds us that “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God.” Even as Lazarus heard the loud voice of Jesus (John 11:43), all asleep in their graves will be awakened by His voice at His return.

The facts are absolute and indisputable: everyone has a date with destiny in the hour of Christ’s return. The default, automatic choice is “a resurrection of judgment” reserved for “those who committed the evil deeds.” The pro-active choice is that of “those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life.”

It is common these days to hear of some financial settlement made available to those whose privacy has been compromised, or who have been unfairly billed for services. The wording of the settlements typically state that doing nothing in response to the notice automatically excludes individuals from financial compensation. In order to be included, one has to opt in to indicate that they wish to do so. So it is with the salvation plan: one must decisively act to be included in the resurrection of life.

Are you sensing God’s call through Christ for forgiveness of sin and hope of life in the age to come through future resurrection? The wisest choice you can make is to opt in to this greatest of all offers.

Be sure to also see Amazon ebook & print devotional and podcast: New Day Dawning.