I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 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.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15: 54-58

Tonight at our Bible study, the leader asked “how would you feel if Jesus returned tonight?” The men had a variety of answers, but no one questioned the idea of eternity. Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us that God has placed “eternity into man’s heart.”

One news outlet produced a story on the faith of Americans -“Fewer Americans Believe in God — Yet They Still Believe in Afterlife.” According to the story, fewer Americans attend church, read a Bible, or pray, yet 80% of us believe that there is something beyond than the days we spend on earth.

The last comment in the article was made by the leader of the study – “It was interesting that fewer people participated in religion or prayed but more believed in an afterlife, It might be part of a growing entitlement mentality – thinking you can get something for nothing.”

The follower of Christ recognizes that our “something cost someone His life. In Mel Gibson’s “The Passon of the Christ” and its graphic representation of the hours surrounding His crucifixion. If you’ve seen the film you’ll remember that near the end of the film, after Christ dies, the mournful scene fades to black for a few seconds…..and then there is a rumbling sound effect followed by glimpses of light and finally we see the risen Messiah exiting the tomb.

It’s His resurrection that gives up hope for the afterlife. In the verse above, Paul describes what followers of Christ believe about our future existence. Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians was to be faithful to Christ in all things because our faith in Him is not in vain.