I received this question via email and thought I would share an answer:
Dear Jason,
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
I listened to your sermon on John 5 and, i have a question(s) in regards to something you said.
In John 5, Jesus Speaks in an "already, not yet" manner; He Says, "[V.25] an hour is coming and it now is.....[V.28] an hour is coming". You believe that the "already" was occurring when Jesus Spoke those Words in John 5 and continues until a supposed end of time, yes? Well, Jesus Speaks in the same manner in John 4; an "already, not yet" manner. In 4, Jesus Says that the "already" in regards to worship was a then present reality; He also Says, "[V.21] the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worhip the Father." Has that hour come? When did it come? Are we supposed to go to physical Jerusalem or physical Mt. Gerizim to worship God? If you want to say that the "hour is coming", in John 5, is in our future then the reasonable position to hold is that the "hour is coming" in John 4 has yet to come, yes?
Questions and or comments are welcome.
Your servant and friend, ****, and property of The Lion and The Lamb
The Greek term "hora" primarily denotes an hour or time, encompassing various meanings such as an unspecified duration, a specific moment, or a fraction of the daylight period. In the writings of John, the phrase "the hour is coming" is used on seven occasions.
Understanding the precise interpretation of "hour" or "time" in a particular verse requires careful consideration of the surrounding context. To illustrate this, let's consider two examples. I might say, "the hour is coming when my oldest daughter will give birth to her son." Similarly, I could state, "the hour is coming when my middle daughter will get married." However, using the phrase "the hour is coming" in both instances does not imply that I am referring to the same time period. The former event, if the Lord wills, will occur next month, while the latter is not happening next month.
I believe that the phrase "the hour is coming" does not carry a fixed technical meaning that universally denotes a specific historical timeframe. Instead, the timeframe implied by each use of the phrase should be discerned from the context in which it is employed.
Therefore, while I do believe the time has come when worship is not restricted to "this mountain or in Jerusalem," I do not believe this implies that the time had also arrived when all those in their tombs heard His voice and came forth.
Jesus reiterated multiple times that He will not lose any of those given to Him by the Father and that He will raise them up on the last day. Clearly, that day, referring to the final day of resurrection and judgment, has not yet occurred.