Just so you know, you are making pretty large errors and missing the context. I just went through all of this above with the flow of the book of John.
-The dead that will hear are the elect because God makes them alive.
-5:21 "Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.
- Not everyone who is dead is going to live/be saved.
- No where does Jesus say the dead can hear His voice. He is saying that the dead will hear... why?... because He is going to give them life and cause them to hear.. Why did Lazarus risee power? Because He was resurrected. Why did he hear? because he was ressurection by the power of God's command to rise. Now with John 5:21 in mind, how does a dead soul live and hear?
- The problem is that we dont compare a dead person to an unliving corpse. The definition of dead i- unliving.
My point is be careful to twist things all up. You are wrong in many ways in your statements. I would suggest step back from the boards (I have had to many times for this reason) and get the whole Calvinism nudge off of your shoulder (we all do this). This isnt a battle against Calvinism this is personally getting to know and understand God's Word and applying it. We can't go into an arguement with I can't be wrong and harden our hearts by only looking at Scripture through our lense (God help us!). I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but this is what I sense, and you don't have to openly confess this, in fact please don't, but consider it secretly.
I didn't take anything out of context. Jesus said the hour is coming "and now is" when the DEAD shall hear his voice.
If Jesus has to regenerate them before they can hear, then they are no longer dead, they are alive. Don't you get that? Then Jesus would have had to say the living hear his voice and live, which doesn't even make sense to begin with, but second of all, that is not what he said. He said the DEAD shall hear his voice. Believe what the scriptures say, not what some man made doctrine says.
The definition of dead is not unliving. The scriptural definition of dead is to be separated from God. We see this from the beginning of scripture to the end. What did Adam and Eve do after they sinned? The hid themselves from the presence of the Lord.
Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Adam and Eve had just sinned, they were spiritually dead. What is the very first thing this verse says?
AND THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD GOD WALKING IN THE GARDEN
There you go right there. Adam and Eve were spiritually dead but completely able to both hear and respond to God. They carried on a conversation with God. But what you miss is what death means. It means to be seperated. They hid from his presence.
And you see that all through scripture.
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
When the rich man died and went to hell, he was separated from Abraham and Lazarus.
Luke 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
This rich man is spiritually dead. He is in hell right now. But he can see, hear, and speak. He is not like a corpse whatsoever. He could hear Abraham when he spoke. But notice they are separated by a great gulf. This is what spiritually dead means.
And you see that in Revelations as well.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
The saved are allowed through the gates into the city. But the unsaved are not. They are without, they are not allowed to come in ever. They are forever separated from God.
You have been taught wrong, spiritually dead is nothing like a corpse. The dead can still hear, see, speak, think, feel pain and emotions. They are nothing like a corpse.
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