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In 1
Corinthians 15, Paul writes of the resurrection of the
dead. Verses 51-54 state:
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but
we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of any
eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and
the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be
changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the
saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been
swallowed up in victory.’ ”
What’s
Paul talking about here? When he says we will not all
sleep, he’s talking about those who are alive when the
‘trumpet sounds’ – Jesus returns. He has been explaining
why we need not grieve for those who precede us in death,
and what will happen when Jesus returns. Note the mention
of the trumpet again. ‘Imperishable’ refers to our lives
being eternal once we are reunited with Him in heaven. The
perishable (those who have died) are clothed in the
imperishable (receive eternal life), thereby overcoming
death. Therefore, those who have died will be resurrected
first, and then those of us who are left will be taken up
into heaven to be with Him forever.
In the
Old Testament, Enoch paints a picture of the ‘change’ or
transformation that we will undergo at the time of the
Rapture. Genesis 5:24 says “Enoch walked with God, and then
he was no more, because God took him away”. So is sounds
like the coming Rapture is not the first event of its type.
Before we can ascend into heaven, our bodies must be made
perfect, and this is what is meant by the ‘change’ or
‘transformation.’ “in the Twinkling of an eye”, we will be
transformed (made perfect) and then ‘caught up’ (Raptured)
to be with Jesus ‘in the air’
Friday: The Rapture, Part III
(c) 2007 Bob
Johnston
All Rights Reserved |
