For the trumpet will sound: There is going to be the sounding of a trumpet and when that happens those who are dead will come out of their graves wearing their old bodies. The dead will be raised imperishable: As the dead ascend toward heaven, the living Christians will join them in the air. We will be changed: As both groups are going up to meet Jesus in the air, their bodies will change. In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye: The change will take place as fast as the twinkling or twitching of an eye.

Rom 8:11 (NIV) And if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, Who lives in you. Just like God was able to raise Jesus from the dead and give Him a body that was made of heavenly material, God will do the same for you. Jesus is wearing His new body in heaven right now. He is waiting for you and others to make this most important decision so you can live with Him where He is.

Your mortal (capable of dying) or perishable body will be changed to an imperishable body. Your body that is capable of getting sick, getting old, and dying, will become a body that will always be healthy, never deteriorate, and will last forever. It will be kind of like taking off some old, worn out, filthy, smelly clothes and putting on new, beautiful, expensive clothes. It won’t be a strange event for you; God will help you get used to the idea of getting an immortal body to go along with your immortal spirit. No one ever ceases to exist; they are just deciding where they are going to spend eternity.

1 Cor 15:54-55 (NIV) When the perishable [body] has been clothed with the imperishable [body], and the mortal [life] with immortality [eternal life], then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

When this change takes place for you, you will experience the completion of the victories that Jesus has provided you. Many victories will take place while you live on earth as a human. But, when you get taken into eternity, that will be one of the greatest victories of all. You will be empowered by God to defeat death.

But, there is something you need to know about the word “death.” When we see someone die, they stop breathing, their heart stops beating, and their brain and body stop working. It looks to us like they have stopped being a person. It is true they have stopped being a human; but they haven’t stopped being a person. We go from a temporary existence into an existence that is outside time. The issue Jesus is solving is, where will we go once we move into eternity?

Once a person is given the gift of life as a human, it is never taken away from them. They will continue to exist forever somewhere; they will either exist in the Spirit realm forever or outside of it forever. There are two places where people exist after death; one is called heaven and the other is called hell. There are a lot of people who have misunderstood hell and have decided to not become a Christian because they thought hell was a creation of God. It is true God allows people to go there; but, He has to, if He is going to honor their God-given free will.

2 Pet 3:9 (NIV) The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, NOT WANTING anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. This is what God REALLY wants and it is why He has done everything possible to help us make the right decision. Because, heaven is the place where He shows His presence and hell is where He doesn’t. The absence of God’s presence is much more painful than fire or any other experience. We are choosing whether we want God or we don’t; but, many don’t realize what that all means. God is why heaven is so wonderful and the absence of His presence is why hell is so horrible; IT’S NOT THE FIRE! The fire is to help us see how horrible it is to be outside of God and His presence.