“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.”
1 Corinthians 15:54-56 NLT
Imagine that day, when we find ourselves back in a body, no longer a spirit being. But this won’t be any body, much like our old one with all its aches and pains, and sinful tendencies. This will be a body that will never die. It will never let us down. It will be there for us forever. Too much to believe? But that is what Paul wrote in these verses before us today. So how is it going to happen? In 1 Corinthians 15:52, Paul wrote, “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”.
In Matthew 24, Jesus was replying to a question from the disciples about when the world would come to an end. It’s a question we might have too, because if we look at what has happened in our world since the start of the twentieth century, we wonder how life can continue. Two world wars, and even now, there is another war going on in the eastern boundaries of Europe. But Jesus was clear. He said, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come” (Matthew 24:7-8). However, other events must happen before the “last trumpet” is sounded. At the end of all the apocalyptic events Jesus described will be a sign that no one will miss. “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven” (Matthew 24:30-31). But one day, sooner or later, our life as a human being will come to an end. Our physical bodies will be consigned to the grave and will return to dust as God told Adam in Genesis 3:19, “By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return“. But our souls/spirits continue to live forever. Believers will find themselves in Paradise (Heaven): Luke 23:43, “And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise”. Everyone else will end up in Hades or Sheol, different names for the Place of the Dead: Luke 16:22-23, “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side”.
“For the wages of sin is death“
So we get a good idea of what the “sting of death” is all about when we consider what could happen after death. Believers, those who have put their trust in Christ, and have repented of their sins, and have accepted righteousness through Him, will have nothing to fear, and there is therefore no “sting” involved. But those who are unbelievers are unrepentant sinners, and so they will experience a spiritual death in the life to come. Paul wrote, “For sin is the sting that results in death“. God never intended Adam and Eve to experience death, but it was something they brought upon themselves through their sin, and human beings have been sinners ever since. Of course, we also realise that sin has a “sting” that impacts unbelievers within their natural lives, because their spirits will be dead and perishing. Whatever our state, sin alienates mankind from God: Isaiah 59:2, “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore”. Consequently, sin, if unaddressed, will lead to eternal death: Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord“.
Once again, I find myself writing that people have a choice about where they will spend eternity. It seems to be a theme that runs through much of Paul’s letters, and I’m sure he implored people to make the right choice at every opportunity. So must we, and I’m always looking for people with whom I can share the love of Jesus. But I was thinking today: what if someone came up to me and told me they had life-changing news that could change my life forever? I know what my answer to them would be today, because I have embraced the message and believe it, but it wasn’t always so. We must ask God to prepare the hearts and minds of the next person He wants us to share the Good News about His Son with. Thankfully, due to the persistence of a Godly man, I am a child of God who doesn’t fear the “sting of death”. We, too, must persist, helping someone to become a child of God as well.
Dear Father God. Thank You for Your saving grace and for Jesus who died for our sins, taking on our punishment so that we wouldn’t have to. We praise and worship You today. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 