LEARNING DAILY

1 Corinthians 15:51-53, But let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us. Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed. It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die. When this happens – when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die – then at last the Scriptures will come true: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” (New Living Translation)

Paul is making an announcement about something God has revealed – a secret, a mystery. There will be Believers alive when Jesus comes back for those who have placed their faith in Him. Here is the question Paul needs to answer. How will they enter into heaven in this sin-stained earthly body? They can’t! Paul states that whether a person dies as a Believer or he/she is taken “in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown” (known as the rapture) all must experience a transformation when they step into eternity. The living Believers will be changed along with the Believers who have died. 1 John 3:2 states, “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see him as He is”.

That change will be made in an instant, in the blink of an eye; the change will be so quick that it can’t be measured. The change from perishable to imperishable, all we have discussed in the last few pages of this blog will occur for the Believer who is alive at this time. There was evidently some teaching in Corinth at the time Paul wrote, that said the natural body would become more holy as they walked as a Believer. No, they continue to die. The transformation to a spiritual body is only for God to do.

I would like to return to what John wrote in the verse above. It is critical to understand what he meant when he wrote that Believers know they are not what they “will be”. Believers are saved but they are not perfect! The result of being saved is to walk the narrow way, growing to be more and more like Jesus Christ; that does not mean to become perfect right away. The goal for every Believer should be to be like Jesus Christ, to pursue that goal. That means to live one’s life free from sin in a world that is full of evil. Yes, you will mess up. Yes, you do confess when you do wrong, knowing that Jesus will forgive and cleanse you of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Then move on, looking forward to the return of Jesus.

Paul writes about the “last trumpet”. As I understand this means the end of the church age. Too many get caught up and want to argue about when in time this will occur. In my opinion, the point is that it will sound, and every Believer needs to be ready for it to sound. It does not matter so much about when as it does to be walking with Jesus in faith and trust on the narrow way into His kingdom. When that trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ will be raised with that incorruptible, imperishable heavenly body. Those Believers alive when that trumpet sounds will be raised instantly, changed into their heavenly body fit for eternity in God’s kingdom.

Believer, are you listening for that trumpet? Are you walking the narrow way in faith, trusting Jesus every day? I am listening and praying the trumpet is blown any day now!