![[Photo of a Scripture verse]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/1_Corinthians_15_51-53.jpg)
| “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” |
| —1 Corinthians 15:51-53 |
You’ve likely heard of the mom who, with tongue in cheek and a smile on her face, painted the wall of the church’s nursery that faced the entrance door with these words from 1 Corinthians 15:51:
We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…
Her wonderful sense of humor made many a parent smile as they brought their little one to the nursery on Sunday morning.
But, the thrust of this passage of Scripture has far greater implications in our Christian lives than a mere wink at the ambiguities of the English language. In fact, part of the greatest expression of our faith in the life-transforming power of the living Lord Jesus Christ is contained in these words of the Apostle Paul found, more completely, in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53:
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
For now, we live on this earth as Christ’s ambassadors. God has chosen us to belong to Himself. He has redeemed us from the penalty of our sin through the shedding of the precious blood of His one and only Son, Jesus. God has claimed victory for us over sin, death, and Satan through the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
Once our sojourn on this earth is done, we will pass into glory and spend eternity with God. We cannot imagine what heaven will be like. Some believe that the Book of Revelation indicates we will actually spend eternity on this earth. But, it will be a new heaven and a new earth. All sin will be gone. Only light and life will remain.
Whatever eternity turns out to be for us, we know that spending it with God will be more marvelous than we can ever possibly imagine. So, as we begin a new day, let’s follow the instruction of the writer of the letter to the Hebrews, found in Hebrews 12:1-3:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Amen.
