1 Corinthians 15:50-58
50 Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52 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 will be changed.
53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law;
57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
The Resurrection of the End Times
The necessity of resurrection
At last, we come to the conclusion of Paul’s discussion concerning the resurrection. Here Paul says, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” From this, the following becomes clear. (1) In order to live in heaven (the kingdom of God), we need a heavenly body rather than an earthly body. (2) Sinners who bear sin cannot enter heaven as they are. (3) Even those who have believed in Christ cannot live in heaven unless they first die and are given a resurrection body. In order to inherit the eternal kingdom of God, we need a glorified body. The resurrection is not merely a hope; it is absolutely necessary.
Those alive until the end times
The next question is what will happen to those who remain alive until the end times. Concerning this, Paul reveals the following “mystery.” (1) Some believers will fall asleep (die) before the end times, but not everyone will do so. Some will remain alive. (3) Those who remain alive will be transformed into glorified bodies in an instant at the sound of the last trumpet. In other words, believers who have fallen asleep (died) will be given resurrection bodies, while those who are still alive will be transformed without dying. (4) The “last trumpet” is related to the first of the fall appointed festivals in the Old Testament, the “Feast of Trumpets.” On this day, the trumpet (shofar) was sounded. The Feast of Trumpets foreshadows the Rapture of the Church. Christians will be caught up to heaven at the sound of the trumpet. This is an event that will take place at the end of the Church Age (ref. 1 Thess. 4:13-18). “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law” (v 56). (1) What is terrifying is not death itself, but death faced without having received forgiveness of sins. The death faced by an unbeliever is death that still carries the “sting” of sin. (2) The power to condemn people as sinners lies in the Law. The Law is good, but it is the Law that condemns people as sinners. (3) But thanks be to God, through the work of redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ, we have been set free from sin and promised victory on the day of resurrection. The hope and motivation of the Christian life lie precisely in the certainty of the resurrection.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, thank You that sin, the sting of death, has been completely taken away. Together with Paul, I too proclaim victory over death: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.