Death, Where Your Sting Dey?

One trumpet sound, wey ring across di whole world. For one moment, for di blink of one eye, everything change. And one question dey echo, almost like say e dey mock: death, where your sting dey?

Di believers for Corinth dey live for one Greek city, and plenty Greeks see di idea say body go rise from death as something strange, even foolish. Di soul fit continue to live, dem think, but better to leave di body behind. So some people for di church don begin talk say resurrection of di dead no dey. Paul dey write from Ephesus, and e keep dis matter for near di end of im letter. Because if dis one go wrong, e talk, everything go wrong. So e start with di most important thing of all.

I pass give una wetin I first receive, Paul talk. Say Christ die for our sins as di scriptures talk; and say dem bury am, and say e rise again for di third day as di scriptures talk. And then e list di witnesses, like lawyer wey dey call people to stand for court. Peter see am. Then di twelve. Then more than five hundred believers see am at one time, and most of dem still dey alive, Paul talk, so una fit go ask dem. Then James see am. Then all di apostles. And di last of all, me too see am, like pikin wey dem born for wrong time. Paul call imself di least of di apostles, because e don persecute di church before. But by di grace of God, e talk, I be wetin I be.

So how some of una fit talk say resurrection no dey? Paul ask. If resurrection no dey, then God no raise Christ. And if God no raise Christ, our preaching empty, and una faith empty too. Una still dey inside una sins. And di people wey die as dem believe for Christ don lost. If na only for dis life we get hope for Christ, we deserve pity pass everybody. Then Paul voice ring out. But now Christ don rise from death, and e don become di first fruit of di people wey don sleep. Di first bundle of one big harvest wey still dey come. As for Adam all of us dey die, e talk, so for Christ all go come alive, each one for im turn. Christ first, then di people wey belong to am when e come. E must reign until every enemy dey under im feet. Di last enemy wey God go destroy na death.

Then Paul share one mystery. No be all of us go sleep, but all of us go change, for one moment, for di blink of eye, when di last trumpet sound: because di trumpet go sound, and di dead go rise wey dem no go ever rot again, and we go change. Wetin dey wear out go wear wetin no dey ever wear out. Wetin dey die go wear wetin no fit ever die. And then di old words of di prophets go come true: Victory don swallow death. O death, where your sting dey? O grave, where your victory dey? Paul almost dey shout am. But thank God, wey dey give us di victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, e tell dem, stand firm. No allow anything shake una. Continue to give unaself full to di work of di Lord, because una know say una work for di Lord no dey ever waste.

Paul correct say di Greeks dey doubt say body fit rise. For di play The Eumenides wey di Athenian writer Aeschylus write, di god Apollo talk say once di dust don drink di blood of one man, when e don die, resurrection no dey. When Paul preach for Athens about how Jesus rise from death, Acts tell us say some of di people wey dey listen laugh am. For plenty people for Corinth, di news say Jesus rise with im body na news wey shock dem.

Death, where your sting dey? You go find am for First Corinthians chapter fifteen, verse one to twenty-eight and fifty to fifty-eight. One list of witnesses, one promise of trumpet, and one victory over di last enemy of all. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How di hope of Jesus resurrection dey change di way you dey face things wey dey make you sad or fear?