Not all the dead are in the graves.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. - John 5:25-29 (KJV)

Jesus introduced metaphors into middle eastern faith. To the woman at the well (another of the "hour is coming and now is" scriptures) he talks about "Living" water - meaning a refreshment to the Soul, like water to the body, and indicated he is the one who gives it.

Here, in this scripture, Jesus tells the Jews there is a judgment coming for those who are in the graves (physically dead), when all shall be physically raised and actually stand before God, Almighty,and receive the results of what they did in life. This held no controversy for them, all but the Sadducees already believed in the physical resurrection of the body and judgment for actions; they had read the prophet Daniel (Daniel 12:l-3) and the Psalms.

What he told them they did not know was that 1) It would be the voice of the Son of God that would awaken them; 2) There is a different kind of death - an unresponsiveness to God's and His ways, like the unresponsiveness of the physically dead to their own surroundings! (Not all the dead are in the graves, yet); and 3) It was his voice that, if they would only listen, could raise them, now, to a wonderful, glorious life!

- Fritz