Freedom is Good News Part 186

In December of last year (six articles ago) I proposed that we who are interested in good news (i.e. the Gospel) might consider that this Gospel can be understood within a four-fold purpose of God.  I hope that all of you are with me on this topic, for we are to begin looking into the fourth phase.

The final purpose of the Gospel is not the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is not the receiving of the Holy Spirit as a gift to those who accept the blood of Jesus, who repent of their sins and who undergo the waters of Baptism.

The real goal of the gospel, as Paul states it is, “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.’” (1Corinthians 15:51-54)

The implications of this scripture, if completely understood, should bring forth immense joy to all who will believe.  God, our God, our Father in heaven desires to impart to us an imperishable and immortal body!! 

Paul says a very similar thing in his first letter to the Thessalonians, “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.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  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.  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.  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.  Therefore encourage one another with these words”

Paul tells us that these words are for those of us who have a hope.  This is not a hope such as “I hope it doesn’t rain” or “I hope I’ll catch some fish”.  Those uses of the word hope are actually a wish based on nothing real.  The hope that God intends for us is an assurance of what He has promised based on His word of truth.  And God’s words are pure, holy and true.  Some of us believe this and some of us do not. 

First, to those who do not believe I must ask, what do you place your hope in?  Is it in this life that only ends in death?  That seems to me to be quite short sighted and actually very sad.  The world today seems to be spinning helplessly out of control (to borrow a lyric from Willie Nelson). 

But wait… let us rather look at the Good News.