I Know a Secret

I Corinthians 15:51-58

Most little kids love secrets. Most of their parents know that once the kids know a secret, it’s not a secret any more. The kids are so excited about the secret that they tell everyone. Paul wants to share a secret with Christians. It is a very exciting secret.

“Behold, I show 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (I Corinthians 15:51-53)

Hebrews 9:27 tells us, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Everybody dies. It is inevitable. We have an appointment with death. The secret is that some will not die. When the trumpet sounds, the living Christians of that day will not die, they will be changed into their spiritual body instantly, so that they are able to enter into heaven. I Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes the hope for everyone that believes.

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

When the Lord comes for his children, The dead in Christ, the Christians who have already died, will rise first. I really cannot even imagine what that will be like, except to infer that it may be similar to what happened when Christ was resurrected.

“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:52-54)

Can you imagine the shock of the people seeing those who had died outside their graves? It definitely affected the Roman soldiers. They realized that Jesus was truly the Son of God, although they were persuaded to lie about it in Matthew 28:11-15.

The Christians who are alive at that day will be changed, and accompany the dead to meet the Lord and be with him throughout eternity. Death is only a temporary separation for the Christian. We will see each other again. The new body will never die. Death will no longer have power over us.

“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:54-58)

Because of that wonderful hope, and the knowledge that the resurrection of Christ is proof that it is real, we ought to fix ourselves firmly and not allow anything to change our faith. It is not blind faith. We have proof, in that Christ was seen alive after his death. We know that we are not wasting our time or energy, even if we are killed for our faith.