Day 247: The end of death's reign - 1 Corinthians 15 vs 50 – 58

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51-52 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. 

53-55 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where 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, be steadfast - immovable - always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 English Standard Version

The apostle Paul was writing about how much more wonderful the Christian's resurrection body will be compared to the bodies we've had in this life. Remarkable as our bodies now are, they grow old and frail. That's why vs 50 says that mere flesh and blood bodies would never be suitable for the imperishable and eternal kingdom of God which is our destiny. Even those who are still alive when Christ returns will need new bodies! So how does that happen? (vs 51-51)

This is what the 'rapture' is all about. The rapture isn't some secret event where some people mysteriously disappear – it's what will happen to living Christians at Christ's return. This is how Paul put it in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17: “We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.”

That is going to be such an awesome event. By calling it a ‘mystery' (vs 51) Paul shows that it wasn't something man discovered or invented, but a glorious truth that God made known. And it won't only be an awesome event – what else does Paul say that day will be? (vs 53-55).

It will be the end of the reign that death has had over all mankind since the Garden of Eden. Paul quotes some words from the prophet Isaiah who said: “God will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever!” (Isaiah 25:7-8) Why was death so powerful and why were none of us free from its clutches? (vs 56)

God warned Adam that sin would result in death. But you can't charge anyone with wrongdoing if there are no laws. But God did give laws, and it is those laws that Satan can use to accuse us and demand God's judgement upon us. So how did God bring the power of Satan and death to an end? (vs 57)

It was through Jesus Christ. This is how the writer of the New Testament book called Hebrews puts it: “Because God’s children are human beings (made of flesh and blood) the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Jesus perfectly kept God's laws and Satan had nothing to accuse him with – and then Jesus gave himself as the spotless sacrifice to atone for our sins. So Satan can't accuse us anymore either. Death has lost its sting. How should we use this freedom that is now ours? Take time to think of the answer vs 58 gives.