Based on a series of sermons preached in PCC Prayer Meetings in 2023-2024
51 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. 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. 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
1 Corinthians 15:55-58
What will happen after death? This question should bother more people than it does today. But sadly, many are apathetic. Otherwise, they would have made more effort to ensure they do not end up regretting their failure to prepare for what is to come.
But for those who are prepared, that is, those who are in Christ, death marks the end of sorrow and the beginning of the final realisation of hope. Or, to put it in another way, as soon as we enter into the state of death, we enter into the waiting room of history where the next eschatological event for us will be the Last Trump and the General Resurrection.
This is what Paul seeks to enthuse us about as he concludes his magnifical chapter on the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ and those who are united to Him. Here, he answers three questions: (1) When will the resurrection occur? (2) What will happen in that day? (3) What is the significance of the day of the resurrection?
1. When Will the Resurrection Occur?
Paul says, verse 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.
The resurrection will occur “at the last trump,” says Paul. It will happen on the cataclysmic last day of the history of mankind as we know it. It will be the conclusion of the history of redemption, when Christ will come again for His people.
Elsewhere in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Paul says:
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…
This last trump will signal the day of the resurrection of the dead. It will also be a day of judgement.
In the vision of John in Revelation 11, when the seventh angel sounds, the multitude cries: “The kingdoms of this world is become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev 11:15).
Christ, in other words, will be revealed on that day as the King of kings and Lord of Lord, and every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.
That day will not mark the beginning of a thousand years of peace on earth, which will end with a massive rebellion. The language of Scripture suggests, instead, that sin and rebellion will be eradicated entirely on that day, and Christ will reign forever and ever.
When will this day be? We do not know. The Scripture is silent. The Lord himself says:
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Mt 24:36).
All we are told is that this day is coming, and we must be prepared for it. Like the five wise virgins, we must be prepared at any time to meet our Lord. We must not be like the foolish virgins, looking forward to seeing the groom but totally unprepared to receive him.
We must be ready for that last trump and the day of the resurrection by making sure we are united to Christ today.
2. What Will Happen on That Day?
Anticipating this question, Paul highlights three things in our text.
First of all, the trumpet shall sound, and everyone will hear it. This is why Paul not only refers to the last trump, but says specifically that the trumpet shall sound.
As the trumpets sounded at the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, so now the trumpet will sound as men, women and children are summoned to be judged against God’s Law.
But more than that, the trumpet will be, as it were, a bugle for the elect of Christ to gather unto Him:
The Lord says in Matthew 24:31:
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
But secondly, upon the sounding of the trumpet, the dead in Christ shall rise. They will rise with an incorruptible body.
Elsewhere in the Scripture, we are taught that unbelievers will also rise, but they will be raised with a corruptible body fitted for eternal punishment. Paul does not mention the resurrection of unbelievers in this passage because his emphasis is on the death and resurrection of those who are in Christ.
The third thing that happens on this day is that the living will be transformed. Paul has earlier spoken about how the dead will rise with a glorious body—for the corruptible cannot inherit the incorruptible. But now the question is: What about those who are alive on resurrection day?
Paul answers in verse 51: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
God has ordained that, ordinarily, believers will die and then be raised incorruptible on the last day. However, He has appointed that those who are alive when Christ comes will not need to go through death. In an instant, in the twinkling of the eye, their natural bodies will be transformed into resurrection bodies. Corruption will be replaced by incorruption; mortality will be replaced by immortality.
Elsewhere, in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Paul tells us that the trumpet will sound together with a great shout as the Lord descends. Then the dead in Christ will rise, followed by believers who are alive—to meet the Lord in the air.
Combining and comparing the two passages, we see that in the twinkling of an eye, the dead in Christ are resurrected and caught up to be with the Lord, while believers who are alive are also translated and caught up.
They are caught up that they may meet the Lord and serve as a welcome party for Him as He descends as King and conqueror over the whole world.
This will then be followed by the general judgement presided by Christ on the throne. What a great and glorious day that will be! All the promises of God will then find their complete fulfilment. But…
3. What Is the Significance of the Day of Resurrection?
Paul says, verse 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.
This day of resurrection, in other words, will be the day of the death of death. On this day, the prophecy of Isaiah that death will be swallowed up in victory will be fulfilled. This day, “the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth,” says Isaiah (Isaiah 25:8).
Likewise, on this day, the prophecy of Hosea will be fulfilled, for as we saw previously, death will lose its sting completely, verses 55-57:
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.
Death is painful because of sin, and sin is destructive because it is a breaking of the law. But thank God, Christ died to pay for our sins, and He gives us victory over indwelling sin by the Spirit working in us.
By the wisdom of God, we do not have complete victory over sin in this life. Death serves as a reminder that we are sinners. But the day is coming when death will be eradicated. This is the day of the resurrection. This is the day when the trumpet shall sound.
From that day onwards, sin shall no more trouble God’s children—whether it is their own sin or the sin of others. Sin shall no longer separate between us and God and so hinder our communion with God.
From that day onwards, death shall no more trouble God’s children—whether it is their own death or the death of loved ones. Death shall no longer separate between us and our loved ones and so hinder our communion with one another.
Sin and death will be completely eradicated! We shall have complete victory over sin and death. “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Conclusion
Therefore, let us look forward to the day of the resurrection! Let us think about the day often that we may watch and be prepared for it. If the day does not come in your lifetime, you will still need to meet your Saviour. It’ll be foolish to look forward to the Second Coming and not be prepared to meet the Second Comer. How do I prepare to meet him?
Well, if you have more time, you must prepare not only by the faithful use of the means of grace, but also by faithfully walking with Him. “Be stedfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,” says Paul.
But what if you are like the malefactor on the cross? You have no more time to abound in the work of the Lord. Well, then, do what the malefactor did. Cry out to the Lord Jesus, “Lord, remember me!” The Lord Jesus will never forget those who believe in Him, for He laid down His life for them.
If you believe in the Lord Jesus, all your pains will be over shortly, and all that awaits are heavenly rewards because of what He has done for you. And He will give you a new body that will never die, grow old or become sick. You will enjoy Him and all who are united with Him forever and ever, with no more pain, tears, separation or sorrow, but only love, joy and peace in Him, world without end. Amen.
—JJ Lim