The dead being in reference to the Spiritual dead.
But who are the Spiritual dead ?
Baha'u'llah has answered your question;
"...He is indeed as one dead who, at the wondrous dawn of this Revelation, hath failed to be quickened by its soul-stirring breeze. He is indeed a captive who hath not recognized the Supreme Redeemer, but hath suffered his soul to be bound, distressed and helpless, in the fetters of his desires. O My servants! Whoso hath tasted of this Fountain hath attained unto everlasting Life, and whoso hath refused to drink therefrom is even as the dead..."
Baha'u'llah : Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
"But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead" Matthew 8:22. You really don't believe that dead people are actually burying their dead ?
Yes each day the Dead Bury more Dead. But yes it is the Spiritually Dead that do this. Flesh is not Life.
The book of John 5:25,28.
Verse 25--"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"
This will happen twice. first time is when people hear Christ Jesus speaking through his word throughout the Bible and they that hear shall live.
The second time takes place at the coming of Christ Jesus, that when the dead, Spiritual dead, hear the voice of Christ Jesus shall live. they that hear will see, that they have been deceived all during their life.
Baha'u'llah has provided the answer to this as well;
"...Incline your ears to the sweet melody of this Prisoner. Arise, and lift up your voices, that haply they that are fast asleep may be awakened. Say: O ye who are as dead! The Hand of Divine bounty proffereth unto you the Water of Life. Hasten and drink your fill. Whoso hath been re-born in this Day, shall never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall never live."
Baha'u'llah : Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
About Christ Jesus and God the Father.
Now for John 5:28-29--"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" The hour that's being spoken of, is that hour in which Christ Jesus returns.
The grave that's being spoken of, is not an actual grave as you see as a hole in the ground. The grave that Christ Jesus is speaking of, is Spiritual, that holds people in Spiritual darkness. Of not knowing the truth of Christ Jesus word. The grave has a 3 folded meaning in the Bible. One being, where our dead body of flesh and blood are put in the ground. The other has a spiritual meaning, which holds people in Spiritual darkness of not knowing or understanding the truth of God's word.
The other is, the grave represents a prison, where the Spiritual dead are held captive in darkness of being deceived by deception of not knowing the truth of God's word. The question is, Who are the Spiritual dead ?
Jesus Christ the Son has returned as the Father, life is now found in the Father, rejection of the Father is Death, Baha'u'llah again has supplied your answer;
"..The Word which the Son concealed is made manifest. It hath been sent down in the form of the human temple in this day. Blessed be the Lord Who is the Father! He, verily, is come unto the nations in His most great majesty. Turn your faces towards Him, O concourse of the righteous... This is the day whereon the Rock (Peter) crieth out and shouteth, and celebrateth the praise of its Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most High, saying: 'Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled!...' My body longeth for the cross, and Mine head waiteth the thrust of the spear, in the path of the All-Merciful, that the world may be purged from its transgressions...."
Baha'u'llah : The Proclamation of Baha'u'llah
The dead being the Spiritual dead, are those who disbelieve in God and have no concept about Christ Jesus or God. But when Spiritual dead, in their Spiritual darkness hear the voice of Christ Jesus shall live.
Look let's take for instance those two men that were nailed on crosses beside Christ Jesus, one of them were in condemning Christ Jesus and the other one hearing the voice of Christ Jesus."And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, to day shalt you be with me in paradise" The book of Luke 23:39--43.
Therefore those that hear the voice of Christ Jesus, shalt live and those who turn away of the voice of Christ Jesus are in condemnation. As did the other man on the cross rejected to hear the voice of Christ Jesus.was in condemnation, while the other man, went into paradise with Christ Jesus.
This is the day promised by Christ. Life is now found in the Father. Baha'u'llah has again explained this in great detail, here is but one passage;
"...Such things have come to pass in the days of every Manifestation of God. Even as Jesus said: "Ye must be born again." [John 3:7] Again He saith: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." [John 3:5-6]. The purport of these words is that whosoever in every dispensation is born of the Spirit and is quickened by the breath of the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily is of those that have attained unto "life" and "resurrection" and have entered into the "paradise" of the love of God. And whosoever is not of them, is condemned to "death" and "deprivation," to the "fire" of unbelief, and to the "wrath" of God. In all the scriptures, the books and chronicles, the sentence of death, of fire, of blindness, of want of understanding and hearing, hath been pronounced against those whose lips have tasted not the ethereal cup of true knowledge, and whose hearts have been deprived of the grace of the holy Spirit in their day. Even as it hath been previously recorded: "Hearts have they with which they understand not" [Qur'an 7:178].
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In another passage of the Gospel it is written: "And it came to pass that on a certain day the father of one of the disciples of Jesus had died. That disciple reporting the death of his father unto Jesus, asked for leave to go and bury him. Whereupon, Jesus, that Essence of Detachment, answered and said: "Let the dead bury their dead." [Luke 9:60]
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In like manner, two of the people of Kufih went to Ali, the Commander of the Faithful. One owned a house and wished to sell it; the other was to be the purchaser. They had agreed that this transaction should be effected and the contract be written with the knowledge of Ali. He, the exponent of the law of God, addressing the scribe, said: "Write thou: 'A dead man hath bought from another dead man a house. That house is bounded by four limits. One extendeth toward the tomb, the other to the vault of the grave, the third to the Sirat, the fourth to either Paradise or hell.'" Reflect, had these two souls been quickened by the trumpet-call of Ali, had they risen from the grave of error by the power of his love, the judgment of death would certainly not have been pronounced against them.
In every age and century, the purpose of the Prophets of God and their chosen ones hath been no other but to affirm the spiritual significance of the terms "life," "resurrection," and "judgment." If one will ponder but for a while this utterance of Ali in his heart, one will surely discover all mysteries hidden in the terms "grave," "tomb," "sirat," "paradise" and "hell." But oh! how strange and pitiful! Behold, all the people are imprisoned within the tomb of self, and lie buried beneath the nethermost depths of worldly desire! Wert thou to attain to but a dewdrop of the crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily realize that true life is not the life of the flesh but the life of the spirit. For the life of the flesh is common to both men and animals, whereas the life of the spirit is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude. This life knoweth no death, and this existence is crowned by immortality. Even as it hath been said: "He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come." If by "life" be meant this earthly life, it is evident that death must needs overtake it.
Baha'u'llah : The Kitab-i-Iqan
Regards Tony