First Corinthians 15 Part 9 Rapture Of Church, Resurrection Of Saints, Future Glory!

Our new glorified bodies will have flesh and bones but not blood. 

1 Corinthians 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 

Paul concludes chapter fifteen by bringing together the rapture of the church and the resurrection of life with teaching about the doctrine of resurrection.

Guided by the Holy Spirit of God, Paul tells us more about our resurrection body. We previously heard Jesus tell His disciples that His resurrection body had flesh and bones.

Paul tells us that our body will not have flesh and blood because such a body is not fitted for heaven. 

However, our resurrection body will be composed of flesh and bones and be suitable for heaven.

How will our new body function without blood? We do not know how. 

We do know that with God nothing is impossible and He has something brand new prepared for us when we rise from the grave.

Having a body of flesh and bone like Jesus' resurrection body evidently removes the cause of corruption and decay.  

God reveals the mystery of the rapture of the church and resurrection of life. 

1 Corinthians 15:51-52  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

God used Paul to teach us about this great mystery. A mystery is something that had been hidden by God but is now revealed to the world by His apostles.

He used a beautiful word to describe the death of a believer in Christ. It is the word "sleep." 

How beautiful it is for a Christian to realize that death is like falling asleep and awakening in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ!

However, some Christians will be alive when Christ returns and they will be changed. They will receive a new body suitable for heaven. 

This will happen when those living Christians are caught up in teh air to be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

Not all Christians are going to die. In his letter to the church at Thessalonica Paul showed more of this mystery.

Christ will come to the atmosphere surrounding earth, with the archangel and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first. This is the resurrection of life(See John 5;24-30).

Then all Christians still alive at Christ's return will be caught up together in the air with the resurrected saints. 

This is known as the rapture of the church and the resurrection of all who died in faith. 

Those living saints are the ones Paul tells the Corinthians who will not all sleep. However, they will be changed when they are caught up in the air.

1 Corinthians 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

Notice the strong correlation of what Paul is teaching the Corinthians and what he wrote to the church at Thessalonica. 

Paul tells us that all this (The resurrection of life and rapture of Christ's church) will happen in the twinkling of an eye. An eye blink. 

Scientists tell us that an eye blink is a tenth of a second. That is how fast the resurrection of life and the rapture of the church will happen.

1 Corinthians 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

When the resurrection of life and the rapture of the church has happened and we are home in heaven with Jesus, our victory in Christ will be final.

1 Corinthians 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

Now, the Spirit of God guided Paul to bring us back to the reality of life here and now. 

Because all of this glorious doctrine about the resurrection is true, we must remain consistent and enduring in loving and serving God. 

Our service for Christ will never go unnoticed by our Lord. 

We have the opportunity to earn or lose rewards by how we live our lives as Christians.

Those who truly love Christ will keep His commandments.

Bob