Made New by David Jeremiah

Monday, June 12

Made New 

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 
1 Thessalonians 4:16 

Recommended Reading Revelation 21:4-5

The longest verifiable lifespan on record is Jeanne Calment who died in August 1997 at the age of 122 years, 164 days. The youngest person in the top-ten longest-lived people died at the age of 116 years, 45 days. Remarkable, but nothing in comparison with Methuselah who died at the age of 969 (Genesis 5:27).

We know of two people who did not die physically: Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). For the rest of humanity, the statistics are 100 percent: We all will die—except Christians living when the Rapture occurs (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The same thing that causes physical death—the curse of sin—means that sometimes death is not pleasant. Sickness and injury leading to death remind us that surely this is not the norm, not what God intended. Indeed not. The day is coming when “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying … no more pain.” Why? Because God has said, “I make all things new” (Revelation 21:4-5).

Have no fear of dying or death. In Christ, you—your body, your health, your life—will be made new.

I don’t so much pray that my death will be without pain, but that it will be without doubt.
John Piper