2. God will raise me and all the dead. All that are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth from their graves. Christ will not only raise His own, His believers, but all men, those, too, who did not believe in Him, but died in their sins.—"The hour is coming," our Lord says: it is coming on the Last Day of the world. On that great day, when our Lord will come again to judge the quick and the dead, all the dead shall hear the almighty voice of the Son of God and whether they will or not, shall come forth from their graves to meet their God and Lord at His judgment-seat.
3. All the dead will be raised from death and the grave; but there will be a great difference in their resurrection. Our Lord says: "They that have done good [shall come forth] unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5,29. Those who here on earth believed in Christ, and by the power of His grace served Him in His kingdom, and died in the Lord trusting in Him, will come forth to life everlasting and go with their Lord to His eternal glory. They that have done evil, those who rejected their Savior and died in their sins, will rise unto the resurrection of damnation. They will be thrown into hell, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Matt. 25,41. May our heavenly Father keep us steadfast in the true faith and preserve us from hell and damnation!
4. They that have done good, those who believed in Christ and died in the Lord, shall come forth unto the resurrection of life. At the Last Day the risen Lord will raise all that fell asleep in Him, and will give them life everlasting, life without end. We confess that the Lord will "give me and all believers eternal life." The Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, by His grace I believe in my Savior, by grace He has kept me in the faith, and so I am assured that He will give me eternal life. "Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3,16. To me and all believers the Lord will give eternal life, but to believers only. "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3,36.
5. God will give us believers eternal life. Christ will lead His own, His believers, soul and body, into His heavenly kingdom, there to live and reign with Him in everlasting joy and glory. In heaven there will be no sin; in perfect holiness we shall serve our Lord. There will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. Rev. 21,4. All these things shall have passed away. There will be pure and true joy and happiness forever and ever. We shall be with God: we shall see Him, our heavenly King and Father, and His wondrous ways. "We shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3,2. We shall see our dear Lord and Savior, whom we love now even without having seen Him. We shall see Him in His glory, in the glory which His Father has given Him. What unspeakable joy to see God, our Lord and Savior, to be and live with Him! "In Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Ps. 16,11.—Our bodies will share this joy. They will come forth glorified, freed from all sin, sickness, and infirmity, fashioned like unto the glorious body of our risen Lord.
REMEMBER:—
1. It is most certainly true that the Holy Ghost by the Gospel has called me to Christ, my Lord, and enlightened me with His gifts, with true faith in my Savior.
2. It is most certainly true that in Christ I have forgiveness of all my sins, that I am justified before God without the deeds of the Law, by grace alone, for Christ's sake through faith.
3. It is most certainly true that the Holy Ghost will keep me in the true faith, and at the day of my Lord raise my glorified body and give to me and all believers in Christ eternal life. I am assured of all of this by the Word of God. This is what I firmly believe and hope for in life and death.
MEMORIZE:—
The hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth: they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5,28.29.