1. In John 14:3 Jesus said to His disciples, "I will come again." 2. The Lord spoke these words to comfort the troubled hearts of the disciples. 3. If the Lord's return encouraged the disciples, it will encourage us as well. 4. Some special events will take place when Jesus comes back. 5. In our lesson we are concentrating on one event that Jesus mentioned in John 5:28-29 -- "all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth." 6. To illustrate why we need to study this subject,: a. some members of the church in Corinth said that "there is no resurrection of the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:12) b. two false teachers, Hymenaeus and Philetus, claimed that "the resurrection is past already" (2 Timothy 2:16-18). Discussion: I. LET US FIRST ESTABLISH THE FACT THAT THE DEAD WILL BE RAISED
A. John 5:25 B. Romans 8:11 C. 1 Corinthians 6:14 II. LET US NEXT ESTABLISH WHEN THE DEAD WILL BE RAISED
A. The Scriptures teach that the resurrection will occur "at the last day." 1. John 6:39-40, 44, 54 2. John 11:24 B. The resurrection will precede the judgment that will occur when Jesus returns. 1. John 5:28-29 2. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 3. Revelation 20:12-13 III. FINALLY, LET US ESTABLISH SOME ADDITIONAL DETAILS THAT RELATE TO THE RAISING OF THE DEAD
A. Both "the just and the unjust" will be raised (Acts 24:14-15). B. From 1 Corinthians 15:35-44 we learn that the resurrected body will be a spiritual body that pleases God (Philippians 3:20-21). C. According to Philippians 3:8-16, looking forward to the resurrection should affect the way we live. Conclusion:
1. Although no one knows when, Jesus will come again. 2. When He returns, the dead will be raised, and everyone will be judged. 3. Perhaps this will help us to better appreciate why Jesus said that we are to "watch" and "be ready" for His return.
