“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
My grandma passed away very recently; I watched helplessly as pain and illness ravaged her body over the last several years, reducing her ability to move or care for herself, eradicating her very memories. It was a season of suffering and confusion for both grandma and my family, and the end of her life was a difficult time.
This caused me to reflect on how much more painful it must have been for the disciples after Jesus died. Knowing that God Himself had come down and walked with them, only to be killed in a most horrible and painful way. Imagine the extreme grief and confusion those men must have experienced in those three days of loss.
But then they saw it: Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them. They had visible evidence of a dead body raised, immortal and imperishable.
Because of that, Paul was able to say with absolute certainty in 1 Corinthians 15 that we also shall rise again one day to meet with Jesus in the air.
This is our great hope. For we know that as long as we put our faith and trust in Jesus, no matter what trials and tribulations we face on this earth, all suffering, pain, and sickness will one day end.
Although I still miss my grandma quite a bit, she believed in the promises of Jesus. I take joy knowing she is no longer in pain, has a new body, and is living at peace with Him.
Because of Jesus, the pain of death has lost its sting.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross. You died so that we could live forever with You. Remind me of this hope each day as I encounter struggles and frustrations in my life. Amen.
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Spend some time today reflecting on the power of the resurrection of Christ and the hope that we have found in Him, especially in the face of illness or pain.
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