In Luke 14:13-14 (CLNT) we read of an event that Christ referred to as “the resurrection of the just”:
But, whenever you may be making a reception, invite the poor, the cripples, the lame, the blind, and happy will you be, for they have nothing to repay you, for it will be repaid you in the resurrection of the just.
We find additional information concerning this resurrection in Luke 20:34-36:
And, answering, Jesus said to them, “The sons of this eon are marrying and are taking out in marriage. Yet those deemed worthy to happen upon that eon and the resurrection from among the dead are neither marrying nor taking out in marriage. For neither can they still be dying, for they are equal to messengers, and are the sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”
In accord with the fact that the resurrection referred to in Luke 14:14 will be for “the just,” the expression “those deemed worthy” in the above passage indicates that those who will “happen upon that eon and the resurrection from among the dead” will have lived in such a way that qualifies them for this blessing.
But when will the “resurrection of the just/those deemed worthy” take place? Christ’s use of the expressions “this eon” and “that eon” in Luke 20:34-36 can help us answer this question. The word translated “eon” in these verses (aión) is consistently used in the Greek Scriptures to denote a relatively long period of time of unspecified duration – i.e., an age, or eon (https://biblehub.com/greek/165.htm). In Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words the word aión is defined as “a period of indefinite duration, or time viewed in relation to what takes place in the period.” For a more in-depth defense of the view that the word aión (and the various expressions in which it occurs in Scripture) never denotes an endless duration of time, see my article “The Meaning of Aión in the New Testament” (click here).
We find the word aión used throughout Scripture in both the singular form (denoting a single “age” or “eon”) and the plural form (denoting two or more “ages” or “eons”). We read, for example, of past eons (Rom. 16:25; 1 Cor. 2:7; 10:11; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:26, Heb. 9:26), of a present eon (Matt. 12:32; 13:40; 24:3; 1 Cor. 2:6-8; Gal. 1:4), and of future eons that will follow the present eon (Mark 10:30; Matt. 12:32; 13:40; 24:3; Luke 18:30; Eph. 1:21; 2:7; Jude 1:25). It’s also clear from what is said concerning the past eons that they are limited in number, for we read that there was a time before the eons began (1 Cor. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2). We also read of “the consummation of the eons” (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 9:26), which indicates that the succession of eons revealed in Scripture has an end as well as a beginning.
It will occur in “that eon” – i.e., the eon that Christ referred to in Luke 18:28-30 as “the coming eon”:
Now Peter said, “Lo! we, leaving our own, follow Thee.” Now [Jesus] said to them, “Verily, I am saying to you that there is no one who leaves house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children on account of the kingdom of God, who may not by all means be getting back manyfold in this era, and in the coming eon, life eonian.”
Notice how Christ associated “life eonian” with the coming eon. Based on what Jesus told his disciples here, it’s evident that all who will enter the kingdom of God will, in the coming eon, receive life eonian. It’s also clear that the disciples of Jesus – including Peter – will, in the coming eon, be given life eonian. But what is life eonian?
According to Scripture, “life” is the activity of spirit as manifested in an active, sentient being. It’s what ceases when one dies, and is what must be restored in order for one who has died to live again. The word translated “eonian” (aiónios) is the adjectival form of the noun “eon” (aión). The noun aión is consistently used in the Greek Scriptures to denote a relatively long period of time of unspecified duration – i.e., an age, or eon (https://biblehub.com/greek/165.htm).[i] In Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words the word aión is defined as “a period of indefinite duration, or time viewed in relation to what takes place in the period” (for a more in-depth defense of the fact that the word aión – and the various expressions in which it occurs in Scripture – never denotes an endless duration of time, see my article “The Meaning of Aión in the New Testament”).
We can therefore understand the expression “life eonian” to mean “life that pertains to, and continues throughout the duration of, the eon(s) in view.” In Luke 18:30, the eon in view is “the coming eon.” Since “the coming eon” hadn’t yet begun when Christ declared the words recorded in Luke 18:30, we can conclude that his disciples were not yet enjoying “life eonian.”
That life eonian was (and is) a future blessing for believers is evident from Christ’s words in Luke 18:30. However, other verses make this clear as well. Consider, for example, the following:
John 6:27
“Do not work for the food which is perishing, but for the food which is remaining for life eonian, which the Son of Mankind WILL BE giving to you…”
Titus 1:1-2
Paul, a slave of God, yet an apostle of Jesus Christ, in accord with the faith of God's chosen, and a realization of the truth, which accords with devoutness, in expectation of life eonian, which God, Who does not lie, promises before times eonian…
Titus 3:5-7 (cf. Romans 8:16-17; Ephesians 1:13, 18)
…according to His mercy, He saves us, through the bath of renascence and renewal of holy spirit, which He pours out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Saviour, that, being justified in that One's grace, we may be becoming enjoyers, in expectation, of the allotment of life eonian.
Jude 1:20-21
Now you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in holy spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, anticipating the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for life eonian.
In accord with the above verses, we read in John 6:51 that believers “shall be living for the eon.”[ii] The words “living for the eon” refer to the same blessing that’s in view in Luke 18:30. “The eon” in view here is “the coming eon” referred to in Luke 18:30.
Christ expressed the same idea using different terminology elsewhere. Consider the following verses:
John 8:51
“Verily, verily, I am saying to you, If anyone should be keeping My word, he should under no circumstances be beholding death for the eon.”
John 10:27-28
“My sheep are hearing My voice, and I know them, and they are following Me. And I am giving them life eonian, and they should by no means be perishing for the eon.”
John 11:26
“And everyone who is living and believing in Me, should by no means be dying for the eon.”
This variation in the terminology to express the same basic truth about life eonian supports the understanding that Christ was referring to a future blessing that will be enjoyed during (and not before) “the coming eon,” and that this “coming eon” is still future (for, of course, believers still die).
What we read in John 10:28 is especially helpful. In this verse, Christ makes it clear that being given life eonian means that one shall “by no means be perishing for the eon.” This confirms our understanding that those who are given life eonian “shall be living for the eon” (and will not, at any point during the eon, “be beholding death,” “dying” or “perishing”).
Some believe that the “death” Christ had in view in these verses can be understood as something other than that which occurs when someone’s life on earth ends. However, the broader context of John’s account indicates that the death Christ had in view is the kind of death from which we’re saved by means of a resurrection. Based on what we read in John 6, the kind of death of which Christ was referring in the above verses should be understood as the same sort of death that the Israelites died in the wilderness (6:48, 58), and as being the kind of death that, for the believers to whom Christ spoke at that time, will end when they’re raised up by Christ “in the last day” (6:39, 40, 44, 54). This is also evident from the larger context of chapter 11 (the focus of which is the death and resurrection of Lazarus). There is, therefore, no good reason to understand the death in view in these verses as being something other than the kind of death that every believer in Christ’s day eventually underwent (and from which they’ll be saved when they’re raised up by Christ “in the last day”).
Sometimes “life eonian” is referred to in Scripture as something that believers presently possess (see, for example, John 5:24; 6:47; 10:28; 1 John 5:11, 13). However, in these cases, the figure of speech known as “prolepsis” is being used. According to this figure of speech, one speaks or writes of that which is future as if it were present (or even past) in order to emphasize the certainty of its coming to pass (see, for example, Luke 20:38 [“Now God is He, not of the dead, but of the living, for all, to Him, are living”] and 2 Cor. 5:1 [“...we have a building of God, a house not made by hands, eonian, in the heavens”]).
Some appeal to the words of Christ in John 17:2-3 in support of the view that life eonian is a present (and not just a future) blessing for believers. In these verses we read the following:
“…Thou givest Him authority over all flesh, that everything which Thou hast given to Him, He should be giving it to them, even life eonian. Now it is eonian life that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Him Whom Thou dost commission, Jesus Christ.”
However, rather than defining eonian life (which, again, is life that pertains to, and continues through, the future eons of Christ’s reign), Christ was revealing why eonian life is the blessing that will be given to believers. It will be given so that those to whom it’s given may know the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Evidently, any lesser blessing would be insufficient for the realization of this goal (for any lesser blessing for the believer would necessarily terminate with his or her death, and being dead is, of course, incompatible with knowing God and Christ).
We can, therefore, conclude the following: at some point in the coming eon, the disciples – who have been dead for nearly 2,000 years – are going to be resurrected. This is the only way that they’ll be able to receive eonian life in the coming eon (and thus “be living for the eon” and not “perishing for the eon”).
In Matthew 19:28 we find further confirmation that the disciples are going to be resurrected during the coming eon to enjoy eonian life in the kingdom:
Yet Jesus said to them, “Verily, I am saying to you, that you who follow Me, in the renascence whenever the Son of Mankind should be seated on the throne of His glory, you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Here it’s evident that Jesus’ twelve disciples (excluding Judas, but including Matthias) will not only receive eonian life in the coming eon, but they’ll “sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
This is confirmed in Luke 22:14-18 and 28-30:
“With yearning I yearn to be eating this Passover with you before My suffering. For I am saying to you that under no circumstances may I be eating of it till it may be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And, receiving the cup, giving thanks, He said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I am saying to you that under no circumstances may I be drinking, from now on, of the product of the grapevine till the kingdom of God may be coming.”
“Now you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I am covenanting a covenant with you, according as My Father covenanted a kingdom to Me, that you may be eating and drinking at My table in My kingdom. And you will be seated on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Of course, the disciples to whom Jesus was speaking are now dead. They’re not enjoying life eonian, they’re not sitting on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, and they’re not eating and drinking at Jesus’ table in his kingdom (and they didn’t do this before they died, either). This consideration alone proves that “the coming eon” when the disciples will be enjoying life eonian is future (and that, in order for the disciples to do any of these things at this future time, they’ll have to be resurrected).
The inclusion of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets in “the resurrection of the just” – and their enjoyment of eonian life in the kingdom of God – is implied in Matthew 8:11-12 and Luke 13:27-29. In these verses we read the following:
“Now I am saying to you that many from the east and the west shall be arriving and reclining with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens, yet the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness. There shall be lamentation and gnashing of teeth.”
“He also will be declaring: ‘I am saying to you, I am not acquainted with you! Whence are you? Withdraw from me, all workers of injustice!’ There there will be lamentation and gnashing of teeth, whenever you should be seeing Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, yet you cast outside. And they will be arriving from east and west and from north and south and will be made to recline in the kingdom of God.”
Those who will be arriving “from the east and west” cannot be “reclining with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens” if Abraham, Isaac and Jacob aren’t going to be in this kingdom. And those whom Christ said would “be seeing Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God” will not be able to see them if they’re not going to be there. But in order for them to be in the kingdom, they must be resurrected (for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets are now dead).
In accord with everything said above concerning the resurrection of the just are Christ’s words in John 5:24-29:
“Verily, verily, I am saying to you that he who is hearing My word and believing Him Who sends Me, has life eonian and is not coming into judging, but has proceeded out of death into life.
“Verily, verily, I am saying to you that coming is an hour, and now is, when the dead shall be hearing the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall be living. For even as the Father has life in Himself, thus to the Son also He gives to have life in Himself.
“Marvel not at this, for coming is the hour in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and those who do good shall go out into a resurrection of life, yet those who commit bad things, into a resurrection of judging.”
When Christ said that the believer “has life eonian and is not coming into judging, but has proceeded out of death into life,” he was using the figure of speech “prolepsis.”
When Christ said that the hour when the dead would hear his voice and live is both “coming” and “now is,” it’s because there were some people (such as Lazarus) who were restored to life by Christ during his earthly ministry. But even those who were restored to life by Christ in the past eventually died again (and will need to be resurrected again). Thus, there is an hour that is “coming” in which all shall be restored to life. Here, again, are Christ’s words as recorded in verses 28-29:
“Marvel not at this, for coming is the hour in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and those who do good shall go out into a resurrection of life, yet those who commit bad things, into a resurrection of judging.”
Just as the resurrection referred to in Luke 14:14 and 20:34-36 is said to be for “the just” and for “those deemed worthy,” so the “resurrection of life” referred to in verses 28-29 is said to be for “those who do good.” There can be no question that Christ had in mind the same resurrection in each of these verses. In the expression “a resurrection of life,” “life” refers to the same blessing referred to in Luke 18:30 – i.e., life that will continue throughout the coming eon (i.e., eonian life). This is evident from the immediate context in which we find the “resurrection of life” referred to.
Some deny that Christ had in mind a literal resurrection in these verses. However, in order to justify a figurative interpretation of what we read in these verses, the following should be true:
1. A literal interpretation of Christ’s words results in some degree of absurdity, or contradicts some known truth.
2. A figurative interpretation of Christ’s words brings some degree of clarity (or provides some degree of explanatory power) that a literal interpretation does not.
One objection to the literal interpretation is based on the fact that Christ referred to “all who are in the tombs.” It’s argued that, since a future resurrection of all mankind (or even of all Israelites) would also involve those whose bodies aren’t entombed, Christ couldn’t have had a literal resurrection in mind. In response to this objection, it should be noted that Christ didn’t say that only those who are entombed will be resurrected. The fact that all who are entombed will take part in this event doesn’t mean that all who aren’t entombed won’t take part in it. For if Christ did have in mind a future event involving all – or most – of the dead, then it necessarily follows that “all who are in the tombs” at this time will be raised.
But why would Christ only mention “all who are in the tombs?” Answer: Because entombment (rather than burial) was a common practice among 1st century Jews in Israel. Thus, Christ referred to this particular category of those who are among the dead as representative of the dead in general.
Now, according to the literal understanding of Jesus’ words, it’s evident that being “in the tombs” is a condition that follows the good and bad conduct that determines which resurrection one is a part of. In other words, the implication is that the good and bad deeds are done before those who do them die and are entombed, and that their death and entombment occurs before they “go out into” their resurrection “of life” or “of judging.” Moreover, even according to a figurative interpretation, it must be the case that the good or bad conduct of those said to be “entombed” precedes their “going out into” the resurrection of either life or judging (and this is the case regardless of whether one believes that the good or bad conduct takes place prior to or during the figurative “entombment”).
So, according to a figurative interpretation, what is meant by “all who are in the tombs”? Whatever it means to be “in the tombs,” it must refer to the same condition for both categories of people (i.e., both those who “shall go out into a resurrection of life” and those who will go out “into a resurrection of judging”). So what is represented by the entombment (and implied death) of those who did good and bad deeds? And what is being represented by the “resurrection” of these two groups of people?
Those holding to a figurative interpretation of John 5:28-29 will often appeal to Ezekiel 37 in defense of their understanding. Here’s how Ezekiel 37:11-14 reads in the LSB:
Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken and done it,” declares Yahweh.’”
In this passage, the state of the Jewish people being dead and in their graves represents their being in exile/cut off from the land of Israel and dwelling among the nations. By implication, the state being represented in Ezekiel’s vision is one in which the nation of Israel is under divine judgment, and experiencing the curses threatened under the old covenant. Thus, the resurrection being depicted here represents the re-gathering and restoration of the Jewish people to the land God promised them, and their being blessed by God/enjoying his favor. It is a reversal of the judgment referred to in Ezekiel 22:15 (“I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your uncleanness out of you”), and the fulfillment of prophecies found in (for example) Jeremiah 32:37-40 and Amos 9:14-15:
“Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for the eon, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an eonian covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.”
“I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says Yahweh your God.”
See also Jeremiah 24:5-6 and Ezekiel 20:41, 28:25-26 and 36:24-26.
The resurrection referred to in John 5 can’t be a reference to the future event described in these passages. This is evident from the fact that the event being prophesied in these verses will be an eonian blessing for all who will take part in it. All Israel will, at this future time, be saved and will enjoy eonian life in the land God promised them at this time. The purpose of God’s bringing his people back into the land of Israel will be to bless his people, not to judge them (for it was because of his judgment of them that they were exiled from the land and scattered among the nations). There will be no “resurrection of judging” for those who will be returned to the land at this time.
Moreover, the death/entombment referred to in John 5 can’t represent “spiritual death” (i.e., being “dead in one’s sins”), for it makes no sense to say that those whose acts qualified them for the “resurrection of life” subsequently became “spiritually dead” prior to being resurrected. And if the “resurrection” (and going out of the tombs) represents receiving spiritual life (and no longer being “spiritually dead”), then what is represented by “a resurrection of life” and “a resurrection of judging”? Since “life” (in the expression “a resurrection of life”) undoubtedly refers to eonian life, it makes no sense to say that one’s past conduct results in a “resurrection” (or a “spiritual life”) that consists of/involves either “judging” or eonian life. Rather than clarifying what Jesus said, this interpretation of John 5:28-29 only results in confusion and perplexity.
Some have claimed that the death/entombment refers to state of deception and/or ignorance (i.e., ignorance of the truth of the evangel). According to this interpretation, the “resurrection” of those “entombed” represents their coming into a realization of the truth. According to this understanding, then, it’s only “those who do good” who receive eonian life after coming into a realization of the truth (while “those who commit bad things” receive judgment after coming into a realization of the truth). But this is contrary to what we know to be true. Receiving eonian life after hearing the truth of the evangel does not depend on one’s having done good (instead of bad things) while in a state of deception and/or ignorance.
Another figurative interpretation is that the condition of entombment represents a state of degradation or despondency. But this would mean that, after hearing Christ’s voice, those “resurrected” are no longer in the degraded and despondent condition that they were in prior to hearing Christ’s voice. But how does hearing the voice of Christ result in “those who commit bad things” ceasing to be in such a state? And how can such a “resurrected” state (one in which they’re no longer in a state of degradation/despondency) also be a state in which they’re undergoing a judgment that doesn’t result in eonian life?
Rather than clarifying what’s being said or resolving difficulties that a literal interpretation may be thought to create, every figurative interpretation only ends up making the passage far more perplexing and confusing than the literal understanding. We thus have no good reason to understand the words “in the tombs” or “resurrection” figuratively here. And since the problems created by every figurative interpretation don’t arise when one understands Jesus’ words literally, a literal interpretation is to be preferred.
For part two, click here: Has “the resurrection of the just” already occurred? (Part two)
[i] We find the word aión used throughout Scripture in both the singular form (denoting a single “age” or “eon”) and the plural form (denoting two or more “ages” or “eons”). We read, for example, of past eons (Rom. 16:25; 1 Cor. 2:7; 10:11; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:26, Heb. 9:26), of a present eon (Matt. 12:32; 13:40; 24:3; 1 Cor. 2:6-8; Gal. 1:4), and of future eons that will follow the present eon (Mark 10:30; Matt. 12:32; 13:40; 24:3; Luke 18:30; Eph. 1:21; 2:7; Jude 1:25). It’s also clear from what is said concerning the past eons that they are limited in number, for we read that there was a time before the eons began (1 Cor. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2). We also read of “the consummation of the eons” (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 9:26), which indicates that the succession of eons revealed in Scripture has an end as well as a beginning.
[ii] The Greek expression translated “for the eon” in this verse (and elsewhere) is “eis ton aióna” (https://biblehub.com/text/john/6-51.htm). We have good reason to understand the expression “for the eon” as a literal and grammatically valid translation of the Greek expression “eis ton aióna.”
The second word in this expression is the Greek article “ton,” and means “the” (https://biblehub.com/greek/3588.htm), while the last word in this expression is the noun “aión” (which, as noted earlier, means “age” or “eon”). Concerning the first word used in the expression “eis ton aióna,” we read the following in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon:
εἰς, a preposition governing the accusative, and denoting entrance into, or direction and limit: into, to, toward, for, among (https://biblehub.com/greek/1519.htm)
We’re further told in this entry that the Greek preposition “eis” can be used of place, time, and various states of affairs. Since aión denotes a period of time (i.e., an “age” or “eon”), the information with which we’re provided regarding the meaning of eis when it’s connected with a certain period of time can help us determine what the best translation of eis should be in the above verses. And among the English words provided as valid translations for eis when used of time are “through,” “for” and “unto.”
The following is from the entry on the Greek preposition “eis” from Thayer’s Greek Lexicon that pertains to the meaning of this word when used of time:
1. it
denotes entrance into a period which is penetrated, as it were, i.e.
duration through a
time (Latinin;
German hinein,
hinaus): εἰς τόν αἰῶνα and
the like, see αἰών,
1 a.; εἰς τό διηνεκές, Hebrews 7:3; Hebrews 10:1, 12, 14; εἰς πολλά, Luke 12:19; τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ (ἡμέρα) εἰς μίαν σαββάτων,
dawning into (A. V. toward)
the first day of the week, Matthew 28:1.
Hence,
2. of
the time in which a thing is done; because he who does or experiences a thing
at any time is conceived of as, so to speak, entering into that time: εἰς τόν καιρόν αὐτῶν,
in their season, Luke 1:20; εἰς τό μέλλον namely, ἔτος,
the next year (but under the word μέλλω,
1. Grimm seems to take the phrase indefinitely, thenceforth (cf.
Greek text)), Luke 13:9; εἰς τό μεταξύ σάββατον,
on the
next sabbath, Acts 13:42; εἰς τό πάλιν,
again (for the
second, third, time), 2 Corinthians 13:2.
3. of
the (temporal) limit for which anything is or is done; Latinin; our for, unto: Revelation 9:15; εἰς τήν αὔριον namely, ἡμέραν,
for the morrow, Matthew 6:34; Acts 4:3; εἰς ἡμέραν κρίσεως, 2 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 3:7; εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ, Philippians 1:10; Philippians 2:16; εἰς ἡμέραν ἀπολυτρώσεως, Ephesians 4:30.
4. of
the (temporal) limit to which; unto, i.
e. even
to, until: Acts 25:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; εἰς ἐκείνην τήν ἡμέραν, 2 Timothy 1:12.
On the phrase εἰς τέλος,
see τέλος,
1 a.
Click the following link for the full entry: https://biblehub.com/greek/1519.htm
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