Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1Corinthians 15:54)

Paul is quoting from Isaiah 25:8: "He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth."

The prophecy of Isaiah culminates an extended time of trouble, destruction, pain and death. In Isaiah 24 we find, "The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled... The earth is polluted by its inhabitants... Therefore a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left."

Yet from the midst of the destruction God brings restoration and more: "The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined aged wine." (Isaiah 25:6)

You may listen to Then shall be brought to pass from the Messiah performed by the Academy of St. Martin's in the Field.

Above is the New Jerusalem from a 14th Century tapestry.