that “Jesus has risen, we are ready for the last trumpet to sound”.
This did not make any sense to her, so she sought out her grand mother to help her.
“Gramma can you please explain why Dad said he was ready for the last trumpet to sound. Does he mean that he was leaving us?”
The old lady looked up from her letter writing and said to her in a soft, soothing tone:
“No Ana, that wasn’t quite what he said, and he definitely does not plan to leave anytime soon. He was quoting from a letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians and referring to the benefits of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Let me find it for you;”
Opening her bible to 1st Corinthians 15:51-57, she began to read from St. Paul's message on the Resurrection:
Behold, I tell you a mystery:
We all shall not sleep,
but we shall all be changed,
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet:
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.
We all shall not sleep,
but we shall all be changed,
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet:
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.
Looking up, the old lady made sure that she had Ana’s attention and said:
“St. Paul was referring to the mystery of Resurrection. We will not all die, some of us may be alive, but at the appointed time we will be changed in a moment, in “a twinkling of the eye”. For on the day when ‘the trumpet sounds’ the dead will be raised, and we will all be changed and become without sin and indestructible and we will be immortal.”
Ana by now had become visibly relieved, and looking directly at her grand mother, said:
“Gramma, are you referring to resurrection when God promised to wake us up from the dead and take us to heaven?
The old lady smiled approvingly and continued:
“You are correct my child, listen to what St. Paul says about this moment":
But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall come to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy sting?
The sting of death is sin;
and the power of sin is the law:
"You see Ana when it happens, our evil ways are covered and we are transformed into the likeness of God himself. We will have fulfilled the words of all the prophets before us and have confirmed the victory of God over evil. For death, with all the sorrows and pain caused by our sins and evil ways, has no final victory on us at the resurrection."and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall come to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy sting?
The sting of death is sin;
and the power of sin is the law:
Ana, brimming with happiness and overflowing with joy, sat up knowingly and announced confidently:
“Now I can understand why Dad spoke of the last trumpet because that would be the sign that God has triumphed over Satan and we shall all be delivered into God’s kingdom forever."
The old lady at this point held her grand daughter hands tenderly between her own and responded with equal fervor:
“Hallelujah! Let us give thanks to God, Almighty the way St. Paul recorded to the Corinthians:”
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory,
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory,
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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