The mystery: (15:50-54):
The flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom. The only way we can enjoy the glory of heaven is to have a body suited to that environment. We will all be given new bodies when Christ returns and our earthly bodies which are full of infirmities, will be transformed into blemish less glorified bodies. A glimpse of these can be seen while on earth only. The blind person can see a new way to live in Christ, a lam can walk in God’s love, a deaf can hear God’s Good news and God’s calling. A mystery is going to happen to those who are still alive. They will not die but will be transformed. On the day of Rapture, all believers both who are alive and dead ones will have a special new glorified body and they will ascend to heaven to meet the Lord in the air. This will happen in a flash or in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. The last trumpet may not refer to the last trumpet of the seven trumpets of Revelation at all, but simply refer to the last trumpet believers hear on this earth. This last trumpet may be connected with the trumpet of God in (1 Thess.4:16), but not with the trumpets of angels in (Rev.11:1-19). A distinction may be made between the trumpet of an angel and the trumpet of God.
Resurrection is a must for the Christian’s destiny. The perishable puts on imperishable and the mortal with immortality at this last trumpet of God.
Victory and reward for the overcomers: (15:55-58):
Satan seemed to have victory in the Garden of Eden (Gen.3), but through the Cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ has defeated him. Here Paul quotes from OT (Isa.25:8; Hos. 13:14). He again compares the death as if it were a bee whose sting was removed. That sting was the sin which is death as per the law of God was put to nail through the Lord Jesus Christ. There can be no sting in death when a person is a Christian, for Christ has taken out that sting. There can be no victory in the grave, for Christ will one day empty all the graves with His own resurrection power. The Greeks and Romans were hopeless when they write on the grave stones about the death: Death is their greatest enemy, that they saw no hope beyond the grave. In Christ we have life and hope! Because of the Resurrection, nothing we do is in vain. If we truly believe that Christ has ultimate victory we can move forward without fear to witness for the Lord. So let’s be steadfast and immovable, because the worst enemy (death) has been overcome by the Lord Jesus Christ. Our labour is not in vain in Christ. The hope of resurrection makes all the efforts and sacrifices in the Lord’s work worth it. No work done in His name is wasted in light of eternal glory and reward. So let’s seize every opportunity to witness for the Lord until God’s trumpet is blown.
But Paul says in (Phil.1:21): “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” For believers, death is actually a type of graduation in which we leave this sin-cursed body and enter into a glorious eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul saw, the death as a bee without sting to harm any believer. Just as the grave could not hold the Lord Jesus Christ, it cannot hold any believer either. A believer need not fear death because a glorious future is guaranteed with Christ. The power of death has been conquered. That’s why many Christian martyrs have given their lives while propagating the Gospel. The world can kill a believer, but it cannot deprive him from the eternal life. So let’s not spend our lives chasing earthly pleasures. Instead, we live every moment of every day for Christ, because the Resurrection guarantees our work done for the Lord which will never be wasted.
In essence let’s see some of the benefits we get due to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ has typified our resurrection.
- Without resurrection our faith is futile.
- Resurrection gives hope to all believers to lead a hopeful life.
- Without resurrection our living in this world is nothing but waste.
- Resurrection makes our faith to be strong in the Christ.
- Resurrection guarantees every person either a hope of eternal life in heaven or eternal damnation in hell.
- Without resurrection the world would have been a hell.
- The resurrection motivates every Christian to live a sacrificial life.
- The thought of Resurrection is balm and healing to every Christian born of infirmities, weakness and diseases.
- The power of Resurrection of Jesus Christ makes every believer to be strong and bold in times of persecution and desperations.