Our Resurrection Hope

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:51-58

The English poet, John Donne, wrote in “Holy Sonnet X”: “Death be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so....Death thou shalt die.”

In stirring words that echo the theme of this Corinthian’s passage, Donne expresses the ultimate hope of all believers - resurrection. He says that death doesn’t have a reason to boast. It only appears to have the final word.

When you accept Jesus’ payment for sin, you receive the gift of eternal life. The moment your physical body dies, you are immediately in the presence of the Lord. One day, Jesus will come to earth again. In “the twinkling of an eye,” the earthly bodies of everyone who has died in the Lord will be changed into special heavenly bodies (1 Cor. 15:52).

Imagine the glorious scene! Graves in the sea, in ancient battlefields, in cemeteries grown over with weeds - the Lord has not forgotten these places. He will gather His children to Him in the sky for a massive resurrection celebration beyond earthly imagination.

Will you be a part of this miraculous transformation? You don’t have to be afraid of death or worried about when it will come. In Christ, your future is secure.