MONDAY February 26th
1 Corinthians 15:51–53
‘Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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 shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.’
We have already considered verse 51 when I was looking at the various ‘mystery’ verses in Paul’s letters, but it is such an incredible statement that it is worth looking at again with the few verses that follow.
What a glorious moment this is going to be when the dead in Christ will be raised and along with the believers who are alive at the time will be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.
Paul mentions here the sound of the last trumpet which will sound to herald this event, in 1 Thessalonians he expands further by also mentioning the Lord himself descending from heaven with a cry of command as well.
Back in John 14, Jesus had told his disciples that he was going to be leaving them, he would return to his Father and would begin to prepare a place for all who believe on him, and then he said he would come again to take them to be where he was. In Acts when Luke records the ascension of Jesus, he says that two men appeared in white apparel, they were obviously angels from heaven, who said to the disciples that ‘This Jesus’ who they had seen being taken up into heaven, would come again. I recall one writer in a book I read saying something like this: That as Jesus was going up into heaven, he would have passed the angels making their way down to earth as they came to speak to the gazing disciples!
And Jesus will be true to his word, he is coming again, he will come again and the signal that he is about to come to call the Church, those who have died in Christ and the living believers to be with himself will be the trumpet blast and the cry of command.
Back in my time growing up on the farm, one of the things we would do when it was time to feed the animals, especially in the winter months was to get to the gate and call out to them and to make a noise with the food bag and soon the animals would come because they have heard the voice and the noise.
Well, the good Shepherd is going to come to the gate of heaven, he is going to give a good shout out to the Church, and he is going to make a noise with the trumpet and instantly we are going to respond and be found in his presence.
Revelation 1:7 says ‘Behold. He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.’
As you read this devotion, are you ready for when Jesus comes again, have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, and if you have, are you living and looking with anticipation for his coming?