We have been considering the four great facts that together point with unwavering conviction and the same unavoidable and marvelous conclusion: Jesus actually rose from the dead and because He did, we can be sure that we will to!

“But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So, you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. After that the end will come, ….” 1 Corinthians 15: 20-24 (NLT).

Without the resurrection Jesus is just another prophet and Christianity is false. The resurrection vindicates the claims that Jesus made about Himself. Here was a man who thought of Himself as the Son of God. He claimed to speak with divine authority. He was a worker of miracles and a man who believed that humanity’s eternal destiny hinged on whether or not they believed in Him. The resurrection proves that He holds the key to death. These claims led to His execution. As the one who decisively conquered death, Jesus is the one to whom we must turn to for victory over humanity’s most dreaded enemy. On the subject of death and immortality, Jesus spoke about His victory over death. He declared that when we believe in Him, we HAVE eternal life and have passed from death to life (John 5:24). He continued, that the dead will hear his voice and be resurrected (V25.) Believers, He said, will be resurrected at the last day. (John 6:40 and 44).

The grave is not the end. At histories end we shall be raised up by God and simultaneously transformed into persons having glorious, supernatural bodies. Never again will we experience disease, deformity or aging. We will have powers that our present bodies do not possess. We will, like the angels, be able to overcome the limits of space and time, so that we can travel from one point to another. At the same time, we will still be ourselves, as recognizable to others as Jesus was to His disciples after the resurrection.

Evil will be gone, along with all the ugly sins that people have committed against one another. Death will be forever vanquished, never again to hold sway over humanity. What a wonderful prospect! What a hope!

“But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 (NLT)