“O death, where is your victory?”1Co 15:55 NLT

Human ashes have been sprinkled into the sky from airplanes and spread over the ocean from ships. But Brian Kelly had something more glorious in mind. Kelly, who worked for a professional fireworks shop, requested that his ashes be put in a twelve-inch-round firework shell. On Friday, August 12, 1944, at a convention of fireworks technicians near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they shot that shell into the sky. It created two silvery comet tails as it ascended into the night sky, then it exploded into red and green stars. You have to admit, that’s a pretty spectacular way to go. But our resurrection will far surpass that four-second arc of light and color. Instead of a cannon report, there will be the awesome blare of the trump of God and the majestic voice of Jesus calling us from the grave. In glorious bodies like that of Jesus Christ Himself, we will ascend into the clouds and meet the King of Kings. Paul describes it: “Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power…It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. When this happens…then at last the scriptures will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1Co 15:43–55 NLT). How wonderful; His resurrection—guarantees ours!