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This has been a summer of funerals for me.  Yesterday was the fifth funeral I either attended or was involved in.  Of the five deceased, I was quite close to three of them.  One was like a father.  One was like a mother.  The other was a dear friend and colleague.  I will greatly miss all of them

Those of us who live under the reign of King Jesus look at death a little differently.  While we deeply feel the loss of one who has passed on, we also celebrate their gain when they die in the Lord.  Besides that, we also look forward with great anticipation to the glorious future we will all share in Christ.  Therefore, in today’s post, I want to share a number of Scriptures that outline our hope in death and resurrection as God’s people.

The Word of the Lord

⁶ So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, ⁷ for we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  2^nd Corinthians 5:6 – 8 

²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  Philippians 1:21 – 23 

²⁵ “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”  John 5:25 – 29

²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.  Philippians 3:20 – 21 

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.  1^st Thessalonians 4:13 – 18

⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² 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 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ 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.”
⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”  1^st Corinthians 15:51 – 55

Life & Immortality

Jesus Christ brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel (2^nd Timothy 1:8 – 12).  The resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantees that we will one day be raised up as well (1^st Corinthians 15:20 – 23).  This is why we do not grieve as others do.  We have a hope that triumphs over the grave.  Although our loved ones who die in the Lord are with Him now, we will one day see them again in a brand new body.  This is the inheritance of those who are living in the Reign.

M

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.