A Mystery Revealed

“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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.”
I Corinthians 15:51-52

Paul is writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as though he were standing, alive, in a large cemetery when the Lord returns.  The trumpet will sound as though calling the dead in Christ from their graves. Some of those laid to rest died of heart problems, cancer, automobile accidents, fires and bodies crippled and in terrible pain from some crippling disease. They were so sick they felt like “prisoners in a house of clay.” It will be resurrection. They will be raised with new bodies, incorruptible. They will be raised first.

Then, almost immediately, those alive when He comes will be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, caught up to meet God without experiencing death. We call that the rapture of the saints.

In this order, Jesus was resurrected as the first fruits. We are anxiously waiting His return. The Christians will be raised from their graves to receive new, incorruptible bodies. The believers living when Jesus returns will be “caught up” to meet the Lord.

It is no wonder that Christians love to sing the song, “Amazing Grace.”