1 Corinthians 15:52 - Printer Friendly

ESV: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

NIV: 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.

NASB: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

CSB: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

NLT: It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

"Behold!" Paul has declared. He is revealing the mystery of how corrupt, temporary human bodies can possibly enter eternity with God. The short answer is they can't, even if those bodies belong to believers who are guaranteed salvation through faith in Christ. Instead, every born-again Christian will be transformed from their natural body to their glorified heavenly body. This will all happen when Christ returns for His people, as He said he would in John 14:2–3. Not only will the dead be resurrected with transformed, glorified bodies, but those believers who have not died when He returns will be transformed, as well.

The change will be instant: "in the twinkling of an eye." This is translated from the Greek phrase en rhipē opthalmou, which most literally means "flicking the eye" and was the ancient reference to "the blink of an eye." This depicts not only the rapid movement of the eyelid, but the speed at which the eye turns from one direction to another. The underlying point is something so rapid, so instantaneous, that it defies measurement. Paul says it will be accompanied by the blast of a trumpet, something that often accompanied the appearance of God in Scripture. This is the final trumpet blast, because God's people will never be separated from Him again.

Paul, speaking of the living, says "we shall be changed." This should not be taken to mean Paul necessarily expected to be alive when Christ returns. For example, he used "we / us" language to included himself among those who will be resurrected after death in 1 Corinthians 6:14. Paul did not claim to know specifically when Christ would return (Matthew 24:36).

This passage lines up almost exactly with what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17. Many churches and denominations describe this event as the rapture of the church.

First Corinthians 15:50–58 powerfully concludes Paul's teaching on the resurrection of Christians: when the last trumpet blasts and Christ returns for those who belong to Him. In that moment, all believers in Jesus, living and dead, will be transformed into the glorified, eternal bodies God has promised us. Death will be defeated forever, never to hurt anyone again. Sin brings death, and the law is the power of sin, but God has given us the victory over death by forgiving our sin through faith in Jesus and by His grace.

Paul provides thorough teaching about the resurrection of Christians from the dead. This is a direct counter to some group of Corinthians who did not believe in such a resurrection. He shows that natural death is not the end of life for Christians; it is the last step before receiving a glorified, resurrected body like that of the risen Christ. That ''spiritual'' body will be as different from our current bodies as a star is from a fish. In that moment, for all who have believed in Christ, living and dead, death will be defeated for good.

In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Scripture focused on the concept of spiritual gifts and how best to use them. This follows several other ideas where Paul corrected errors in the Corinthians' thinking. Chapter 15 contains extensive teaching on one last issue about which some Corinthians were confused or misled. Apparently, they harbored some doubts about the physical resurrection of Christians from the dead. After clearing up these confusions, Paul will address various other items, of a less doctrinal nature, and close out his letter.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.