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At Winston Churchill’s funeral, one bugler played Taps, a signal that the day is over; but another played Reveille, a signal that it’s time to get up. Churchill requested this because he knew that at the end of history the last note would not be “Taps” but “Reveille.” Christians believe this. Because the Bible teaches it, we believe that after death, everyone will rise to face the God of the universe. The Apostle Paul used the reality of the resurrection to defend himself before the Roman officials. We read in Acts 26 that Paul’s Jewish brothers accused him of preaching heresy because he asserted that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. He also insisted that God would declare both Jews and Gentiles righteous based on faith alone — without the need of circumcision. Standing in a Roman courtroom, Paul declared that his message was none other than what ancient prophets had said–that the Messiah would die and rise again, and God would offer the forgiveness of sins to all who placed their faith in Him. Paul based his assertion of Christ’s resurrection, not upon some fanciful story, but upon historical facts. Many witnesses testified that they saw Jesus alive after He died. Since Christ is alive, he offers the hope of immortality to all who accept Him as their Savior. The bugler may play Taps at our funeral, but one day, Jesus will play Reveille. He will say, “It is time to get up!”
