Death is swallowed up in victory

“When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish”.  (Psalm 136:4 ESV)

Plans change in an instant

A couple of days ago, my next door neighbor died after a brief illness. Recently he had told me he was going to retire at the end of this year and would finally be able to get around to the many projects he planned to do. He liked to restore classic cars and work on projects around his yard. Today, I walked past his house and saw his pickup parked on the street in front of his house where he had left it and the classic car he had been working on sitting in his driveway. I felt sad to realize my neighbor was truly gone. In an instant, all his plans were stopped when he breathed his last. But, that in a nutshell, is all our stories. We are all here for only a brief time.

Everyone dies

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…” (Heb. 9:27 ESV)

The dead will be raised

“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?” (1 Cor. 15:51-57 ESV)

Someday death will be no more

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4 ESV)