1CO 15:50 "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed -
52 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.
53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality."

As Paul wraps up this section he is taking what has been primarily a rebuke to these Corinthian believers and is turning it in to both an encouragement and a motivation to consider how they should be living their lives for Christ and why.

I don’t think any of us would disagree that the bottom line question for all of us who have trusted in Jesus for our salvation is, are we being conformed into the image of Christ and to what degree is the world able to see Christ in us?

Unlike our unbelieving neighbors we have the opportunity to express the life and love of God who has delivered us from the domain of darkness which held us prisoners to sin and its power. But now we have been completed in Christ and united to the Lord forever to express His glory in this world. This is what Paul brings out in his second letter to these Corinthians.

2CO 4:4 "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

When Paul writes that God said, "Let light shine out of darkness," he is using creation language found in the first chapter of Genesis. And the message is clear. Where there was only darkness God created the light for His glory. And in the same way, where there was only the darkness of sin in our lives He has created a new people in Christ to shine forth to this world for His glory.

The fact that we can actually demonstrate this light and glory in jars of clay, or in our earthly bodies, should give us the hope that what the world sees in us is something supernatural and is a power which only God could do in our lives, thus showing the world that the Lord has every intention of working in our lives as ambassadors of light.

But if the light can shine in these earthly tents, as Paul describes our natural bodies in 2Co.5:1, then imagine what He’ll do in our spiritual bodies as that power and light of glory is seen in its fullness in our resurrection.

And so, when Paul says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God he is speaking of a natural man outside of Christ who does not have this light and glory which is the direct result of coming into a personal relationship through faith with the One who called for light to appear out of darkness as He created this universe; the same One who has given us the light.

There is an interesting side note to this phrase, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, which has to do with our natural bodies as opposed to our glorified bodies. And that has to do with the statement the risen Jesus made to Thomas.

LUK 24:39 "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

Notice that Jesus does not say, flesh and blood. Now, again we don’t know all of what makes up the glorified body of Jesus and will one day make up our glorified bodies, but in this statement of our Lord’s there is a sense in which He is speaking of a new life outside of the natural flesh.

Remember what the Lord said to the Israelites and why He would not allow them to eat the blood of animals? He said, the life of the flesh is in the blood. And for all creatures this holds true as their lives are sustained by the blood. But in the case of our resurrected Christ the life of the flesh was not dependent upon the blood. The life of His new body was dependent upon the direct power of God.

It will be this way for us as well. Our new glorified bodies, though they may retain blood, will not be living as a result of the blood, because the life of the glorified flesh is not in the blood, but in the resurrected Christ. It will be His life in us.

The beauty is that His life is in us today and we have the choice to either live according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord.

1CO 15:51 "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality."

Paul speaks of a mystery here in our text. Now, a mystery in biblical terms does not imply that something has been completely hid, only that it’s full impact or understanding may have been clouded and is now being brought to light.

For example, when we think of the resurrection of the dead we usually associate this with the New Testament teaching on resurrection. But the fact of the matter is that the Old Testament saints certainly had access to this truth.

The book of Job is considered to be one of the oldest writings in the Old Testament and yet Job seemed to have an understanding of the resurrection of the dead.

JOB 19:25 "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;..."

The prophet Isaiah spoke of this as well when addressing the nation of Israel whom he admonished to repent of their sin and live.

ISA 26:19 "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead."

In the very letter to these Corinthians Paul takes an expression out of the Old Testament which he uses to support the great truth that one day the flesh will no longer be subject to death when he says, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

HOS 13:14 "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?"

But the idea that only the redeemed will be raised from the dead was not taught in the Old Testament Scriptures. For the Scriptures teach that both the saved and unsaved would be raised bodily from the grave.

DAN 12:2 "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt."

JOH 5:28 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice
29 and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned."

This may be mysterious in the sense that we don’t fully understand all of the IN’s and OUT’S of how and when it will happen but the fact of the matter is that it will. This is the mystery Paul speaks of in verse 51 when he says, "We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed ..."

Sleep is a metaphor for death and the grave. The change he addresses is the resurrection. Now in verses 52 through 54 he gives us a glimpse of this resurrection as the Lord changes us.

1CO 15:52 "... 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."

Here Paul addresses only one particular group; believers who have trusted Christ.

In a flash. In some of your translations it reads in a moment. The Greek word for this flash or moment is atomos, which is where we get our English word atom. And what this addresses in our text is that which cannot be cut in two, or divided. Now remember Paul is not living in a world where the atomic accelerator has been invented which can split an atom.

In Paul’s world the idea of the smallest particle is found in this concept of that which is so small that it can’t be made smaller. The point of this word in our text has everything to do not so much with size as it does with speed. How fast can you run? Now divide that in half. Pretty fast. Now divide that in half again. Very fast.

How many times can you divide it and how fast will you be able to run with those divisions? Now consider all of the times you could divide this and double your speed and then consider how fast that would be when you got down to a point where you couldn’t divide it any longer. We’re talking faster than a speeding bullet.

In other words, you won’t even realize what has happened to you until you’ve actually been gloriously changed. And then as if to help his readers consider something they can measure, and yet which is so fast you don’t even recognize its speed, he uses the phrase, "in the twinkling of an eye."

By the way this might give us an indication of how fast the creation of God came together. God said, let there be light and in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye there was light. We usually associate an entire day with, "there was evening and there was morning, the first day", with the creation process.

There certainly may have been a process which took place in the creation where an entire day was used by God, but it’s clear when you read the creation account that the first or second day was merely a separation of time before the next creative event, not necessarily the amount of time in which a particular thing was created.

The animals for example weren’t created in the span of 24 hours. God spoke them into existence in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, on a particular day, be it day four or five depending on which animal was created. And in the same way we will be recreated in a sense with new bodies in Christ, in the twinkling of an eye.

Now when will this happen? Paul says, "at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1CO 15:52)

This last trumpet is not necessarily the last trumpet of all time. In other words, the last trumpet which issues in eternity. This last trumpet speaks of the final stage for Christ’s church as it relates to His coming to judge the world; that seven year period we know as the Great Tribulation.

If this last trumpet were the only trumpet at which time all men would be raised then Paul would most certainly have included the unbelieving world in this statement in our text. Instead he speaks only of "we" who will be changed. The "we" he speaks of is the Corinthians and him. In other words all believers.

1TH 4:15 "According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

This catching up to meet the Lord in the air is what we know today as the rapture of the church. Now, again we know that the word rapture is nowhere found in the Scriptures any more than the word trinity is found in the Scriptures. But it doesn’t mean that the concept is not taught.

The actual Greek word for caught up is the word harpazo, and it literally means to snatch up or away. The idea would be similar to plucking someone out of the flames or out of the ocean as they’re drowning. It’s an act of someone enforcing their will on you, though you certainly wouldn’t object.

Where we get the word rapture is from the Latin text of this passage which uses the word rapturos, essentially meaning the same as snatching away. Thus the English word rapture.

This trumpet call of God will not be heard by the world in general, but will be heard only by those whom Christ comes back for. We know this from the words of Jesus in Matthew where He speaks of two separate events associated with His second coming into this world.

MAT 24:29 "Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."

The 'distress" of those days refers to the Great Tribulation. At the end of those days the Lord will return in judgment at Meggido where the battle of Armageddon takes place. The whole world will see Him coming. And yet Jesus also speaks of a coming which is not revealed to the world in the same way. It will be like a thief silently and stealthily coming to the earth with no warning.

MAT 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

As in the days of Noah there was no distress, there was no judgment or concern from the people of the world, until the flood came. This coming of the Son of man to snatch up His church will be just like in the days of Noah where the world will only be concerned with life in general, not concerned with tribulation.

And so, two entirely different events will surround Christ’s second coming; one where our Lord secretly snatches up His church in the twinkling of an eye, and happens as the world is going about its daily living with no concern for judgment; the other one happens where the world will be embroiled in tribulation and will see with their own eyes the coming of the Lord to this earth in judgment.

If you’d like a detailed explanation of the second return you can get my taped series on the rapture and the second coming of Christ or go to our web site and click on Christ’s Second Return Commentary Series.

Paul’s point back in our text is not to give an exhaustive teaching on this subject, but rather he assumes they have a working knowledge of this and that they should rejoice over what is to happen and live their lives accordingly.

1CO 15:53 "For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law."

Paul is saying that this life is not our hope. This life is not what true life is ultimately all about. There is something else we must look forward to.

When he speaks of the perishable clothing itself with the imperishable he’s simply stating that our resurrected bodies will cease to be of this world and will put on immortality. They will no longer be bodies which can die or be subject to death and sin, but will be transformed from one glory to the next.

And it is at this point that the final plan of God which was put forth in the Garden of Eden will have come to fruition. Since the fall of man death has been the victor in man’s life. We know this to be true since all men have eventually died since that time.

How can anybody suggest that we have presently overcome death in the most literal sense? It’s true that we have overcome the penalty and power of sin as we have been reconciled back to the Father through the atoning sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. But even Christian’s still die.

The victory Paul is speaking of here is not simply the hope of defeating death and sin, but the actual overcoming of it. We, in Christ, all have the hope of eternal life, together with the hope of a glorified body, but none of us possess such a gift, except by faith that we’ll one day receive it.

Paul is saying that there will be a day when we no longer speak of such a hope but will actually live in it. On that day, when we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, when we receive our glorified bodies, death and sin will have been swallowed up for us to where they will never effect our lives again.

And then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law."

We’ll be eternally separated from sin and death and the law. Just as we were eternally separated from our God because of sin, everything will be reversed. Sin and death will no longer be able to touch us. And the reality of that saying will be true in our lives as we then can personalize it.

"Where, O death, is your victory over me? Where, O death, is your sting in my life?"

It’s a rhetorical question where the answer is implied in the question. ‘Death, you have no victory over me. Death, you can never touch me again. Death, your sting is null and void in my life and since the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law you might as well take a hike because none of that applies with me forever more.’

‘I’ve not only been given the hope of being set free from you Death, once I embraced my Savior by faith, but I’ve now come to actually possess life eternal with no hindrance from you at all.’

It’s true that we don’t yet possess such victory in total, but it is something we long for. In fact, this is exactly what Paul said to the church in Rome to encourage them in the mean time.

ROM 8:23 "Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?
25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

Paul is saying that hope will give way to reality. Just as that child who hopes for a bright shiny bike on Christmas morning loses that hope to reality as he now possesses the bike. But like that child who waits in anticipation for that bike, we need to wait for the reality of our future hope patiently as we go forward with the work Christ has for us.

1CO 15:57 "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

There is always the temptation to wait impatiently. There is always the temptation to kick at the goads until we get what we want. Imagine that child who has been promised that bike on Christmas morning impatiently whining and crying and driving his parents nuts until he finally gets that prize.

The Lord is saying that there is a certain attitude we must have toward Him and His church and this world until we’ve received the prize. To wait for it impatiently is to wait with the attitude that I won’t love like Christ because it’s too hard, and besides I’m going to get the prize anyway; I’ll just be miserable and let everyone be miserable around me until He comes.

Or, I don’t have the time to serve the Lord now, I’ve got life to deal with today. That’s impatience. Patience seeks the Lord with the express purpose of hearing from Him and then obeying Him so that we might be better servants for His people and the world.

And the reason we can be patient in seeking and obeying the Lord is because we know we have the victory. Why spoil it in the meantime by living in an unvictorious way? May our promise of victory in the future be worked out in our lives today in the power of the Spirit.

1CO 15:58 "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

If this is not our attitude; if this is not our goal in this life, then the Lord is saying to us, as He said to these Corinthians, your attitudes need to change. You need to stand firm in the truth of the word of God. You need to be immovable in My power and in My love and in My commission to you.

Nothing less of giving yourself fully to the work of the Lord will do. Again, these aren’t my words, they are the words of God. This is His heart being poured out to us regarding what He wants us to do with the victorious life He’s given us in Christ.

And finally, He says, that if we will be about doing His work it will have eternal rewards. That’s what Paul means when he says, "your labor in the Lord is not in vain." This is what keeps me going. No matter what the world thinks about what you do, if you will do it as unto the Lord as you love Him then it is a work you can be proud of and a work which bring glory to God.

Whether it’s sharing your faith with someone, whether it’s forgiving a brother or sister in Christ for something they may have said to you that offended you, or whether it’s traveling the world as a missionary, these are the types of works for the Lord which are a labor of love that will not go unnoticed by our Lord and will not be in vain.

It’s when we think our work is in vain that we quit. It’s when we think our work for the Lord is in vain that we serve Him half-heartedly. It’s when we think that our work for the Lord is in vain that we don’t even get off square one. Let me assure you that your work for the Lord is not in vain.

ISA 3:10 "Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds."

GAL 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

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