1 Corinthians 15:50-56
Now I say this, brothers: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what is perishable is not going to inherit what is imperishable. Look, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. But once this perishable body has put on imperishability, and this mortal body has put on immortality, then what is written will be fulfilled: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
Dear Heavenly Father,
While most of us will see a temporal death, there will be those who don’t. For all of us, we will be transformed; our bodies have been corrupted by our inherited sin. On the last day, they will become sinless, imperishable, and immortal. Those of us who see a temporal death will be raised the same way. Your heavenly kingdom is our victory; we can only be part of your kingdom through this transformation. Those, who believe Jesus removed all our sins on the cross and defeated death when he rose from the dead, will be rewarded with the gift of heaven.
For every believer who faces temporal death, death was swallowed up in Jesus’ victory. The grave could not hold Jesus, and it will not keep us either. Because of sin, most of us will face a temporal death, but because of faith in Jesus, the grave will not be able to hold us either. We have the promise of life eternal and being raised as imperishable and immortal. What a victory that will be! Amen.
Vicar Roger Emmons
Only through faith in Jesus will we be raised to eternal life, having victory over death. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me.” Because he defeated death for us.