The Change Will Happen Fast

“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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NKJV

In an astonishing story titled “Try And Wrap Your Mind Around Just How Fast Yomif Kejelcha’s Half Marathon World Record Really Is” posted over the weekend, it was reported that Ethiopian long distance runner Yomif Kejelcha didn’t just break the Half Marathon world record on Sunday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he absolutely obliterated the previous record and shaved 29 seconds of Jacob Kiplimo’s previous record. Kejelcha crossed the finish line with a time of 56:51.

To really put into context how fast that is I thought we could break down his half marathon times and splits into chunks that the rest of us mortals can comprehend.

As everyone knows, the half marathon distance is 13.1 miles. That breaks down to 21.0975 kilometers or 23,072.5 yards.

That means Yomif Kejelcha was running 6.18 meters per second or 6.76 yards per second. Over the course of the entire 1/2 marathon, he averaged a 5.913 40-yard dash time. For context, Tom Brady ran a 5.28-second 40-yard dash in his NFL Combine and that was his all out sprint effort for only 40 yards. He didn’t then have to do that 577 consecutive times in a row over the course of a half marathon.

Wow, right? 

And, you know, as hard as it is for a person to wrap their mind around how a human could run as fast as Yomif, it’s even more mind-blowing to consider how quickly living and dead believers will be instantly transformed from mortal, decaying bodies into permanent, immortal, and glorified bodies upon the return of Jesus—a sudden shift that marks the final defeat of death

This is why Paul calls it a mystery (something strange, unknown, or hard to explain that has not yet been understood ) saying, “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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

"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. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these word" 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Did you get that “in the twinkling of an eye” part? That's how quickly this will all happen when 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. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."

This will be a fraction of time so blindingly fast that it will defy human comprehension--so fast that those left behind won't be able to wrap their minds around it. This is not the slow duration of a deliberate blink, but rather the instantaneous, micro-second reflection of light off the human iris.

The transformation will happen at an atomic, reality-altering speed that no human mind can fathom. In that single, indivisible micro-moment, the barrier between earth and heaven will be shattered, instantly giving both resurrected and living believers the imperishable bodies required to meet the Lord in the air and remain with Him forever.

Wow, right?

Which means that if a person isn't ready, they will miss it!

On that note, let me ask you this.... if the Lord were to come back at this very moment (and He very well could), would you be counted among the "we?" The "we" who are the faithful followers of Jesus Christ who will be caught up and immediately ushered into the presence of the King?

If the answer is no, I urge you to make the choice to accept Jesus as your Savior right now my friend. It will ensure that when the change happens that you won't miss it.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the encouragement found in the Bible that assures us that You not only walk us through this life but will walk with us in the next. Lord, cause us to be so focused on your glorious appearing that we live each day as if it could be the day of Your return. And help us to inspire others to do the same. It's in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!