Who does not want to see their loved ones who have passed away under the grips of
death? The Bible certainly gives hope to those of us who mourn with the good news of the
resurrection.This pivotal point of the Sacred Scriptures is so reassuring. This is, indeed,
the best news. It is the blessed hope. This hope , men and women, boys and girls, have
longed for throughout the ages.
There is much mystery surrounding life and death, however, the Bible's sacred pages
unveil the future in a way that no other God inspired book can do. It is clear, and very
emphatic. There will be a resurrection, and those who love the Lord Jesus, those who are
written in His book of life, will come forth, in the newness of life, to live eternally.
A most costly price was paid so that the resurrection could take place. That price was the
blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It was paid so that anyone who
desires eternal life could have it. It is called the precious blood. Like no other blood, His
blood guarantees the resurrection, and eternal life.
John 5:28, 29 tell us, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that
are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good,unto
the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
Ah, my friends, there will, indeed two distinct resurrections. Daniel, the aged prophet
verifies this when he wrote in Daniel 12:2, "And many of them that sleep in the dust of
the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt."
Adam, created by God's own hands, forfeited eternal life by disobedience. He had been
warned and cautioned not to partake of the forbidden tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. It was never the Creator's plan for Adam and his
posterity to know evil, or to die. It was His plan for us to enjoy life forever and ever.
Eve, the first mother, ventured towards the forbidden tree, was tempted to eat of it, ate,
and invited Adam, her husband, to do the same. They failed the test of obedience, and
in so doing forfeited eternal life.
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die." Genesis 2: 17. Although Adam nor Eve did not physically die the day they ate from
the tree, the death process set into their body that day. Adam lived 930 years thereafter,
but, he, indeed, did die. (Genesis 5:5).
Thus, the penalty of death passed down to us,
his offspring. "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the
dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." I Corinthians
15: 22.
How will the resurrection take place? The Book of I Thessalonians details the event in
chapter 4. "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." I Thessalonians 4:l6,17.
Clearly, this will be a momentous event. Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will come.
He will not send an ambassador or representive. The Lord Himself will come down and
we will meet Him in the air. What a day! Can't you just hear the trumpets calling
the sleeping saints up out of their graves? Can't you just picture this momentous event?
More insight is given in I Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 51-55. "Behold, I show you
a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the
winking 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. So when this corruptible 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?"
These old frayed mortal bodies will be a thing of the past. We shall come up changed.
We will be immortal, never to die again. We will no longer suffer the ravages of disease,
or death. Yes, we will be forever free from the clutches of death. Our loved ones, who
trusted in this blessed hope, will be there, and those from ages past who went to their
graves with this assurance, will rise. This is the good news. This is the best news!
