"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:51–53 NIV
“In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye.” The twinkling of an eye is simply an antiquated way of saying a blink or a wink. And fast it is, indeed. The orbicularis muscle surrounding the external eye is responsible for closing the eyelids and the levator muscle of the upper eyelid is responsible for elevating or opening the upper eyelid. Those two muscles (and a few others) working synergistically together are some of the fastest twitch muscles of the human body. In fact, the typical blink lasts only 100–300 milliseconds. That means you could potentially blink almost four times in a second, and that brings a whole new meaning to “batting your eyes”!
We blink primarily to resurface the tear film on the eye, which is critical for not only clarity of vision but also for the health of the ocular surface. On average, we blink about 17 times per minute (once every 3.5 seconds), but that drops to about half that when we are reading or concentrating on a computer screen. That’s why our eyes can get so dry during those particular activities. Blinking is also obviously a protective mechanism. (That’s why your eyes always close when you sneeze!)
When Christ comes to take home all believers at the Rapture, it happens in midair in the blink of an eye. When Christ comes, He brings with Him the souls and spirits of all believers who have died and were in heaven with Him. In midair, the dead bodies of all those believers are instantly resurrected and reunited with their souls and spirits in a new glorified perfect body to live out the days of eternity. Next, those believers who are alive at the time of the Rapture will immediately be caught up in the air with Christ and also be transformed into glorified bodies. Yes! Some of us will never taste death! Then we are all ushered back home to heaven till we come back down to earth with Christ at His Glorious Appearing!
Now that’s a blink I can’t wait for! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
