What Jesus did for Lazarus he intimated he would ultimately do for Adam and his entire race. Note his words: “The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth.” (John 5:28,29) Does this astonish us? If so, the reason is not far to seek. It is because we have gotten so far away from the teachings of the Bible — so fully immersed in the “doctrines of devils” (1 Tim. 4:1), so fully to believe in the serpent’s lie, “Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4) — so blinded to the Lord’s declaration, “Thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17), and “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

The remainder of John 5:29 explains that there will be two general classes of the dead to come forth. The first, those who have had their trial and who have passed it successfully; the second, all the remainder of mankind who have thus far failed to have divine approval. The approved will come forth from the tomb unto a resurrection of life — perfection. The disapproved will come forth unto a resurrection of judgment (see Revised Version). The coming forth is one thing. The resurrection is another. The apostle explains that they will come forth, “every man in his own order.” (1 Cor. 15:23) On thus being awakened the privilege will be theirs of rising, up, up, up out of present degradation, mental, moral, physical, to the glorious perfection which father Adam enjoyed in the image and likeness of his Creator. The uplifting or resurrection work St. Peter refers to as the “restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21).