So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. 

I Corinthians 15:54 

Death fails in the end. When Christ returns in all His glory, ‘at the last trumpet,’ He will transform all His people into immortal, incorruptible individuals who will be with Him for eternity. Here is where Paul has been going all the way along the line. He began with the gospel; went on to prove the resurrection of Christ; went from there to prove our coming resurrection, and expounded the victory of Christ over all His enemies. From there, he explained how Christ will change our body into an incorruptible, immortal body. The end result of that is, ‘death is swallowed up in victory.’ This means death fails. Ever since death came into the world because of sin, death has reigned. Everyone living eventually dies. High and low, rich and poor, good and bad all die in due course of time. None of us can successfully defeat death. Christ has defeated death. His resurrection was the initial defeat. Everything He has done since is the ongoing defeat of death. Ultimately, He will defeat death for the last time and destroy it entirely, ‘the last enemy that will be destroyed is death.’ Thus, at the second coming of Christ, He changes us completely and, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ Death dies and we live. 

Great God of Life, 
we rejoice that You have defeated death. 
We praise You that because You live, 
we shall live also. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dad will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

I Corinthians 15:51-52

‘We shall all be changed.’ What a remarkable statement; especially when we consider the kind of change of which Paul is speaking. Our flesh and blood existence limits us greatly. We are extremely mortal and every day reminds us of our mortality. This occurs in every area of life. We see it in the physical, mental, spiritual and social areas. We are powerless to halt, or at times even slow the effects of age and the inevitable decline that comes with it. Yet, Paul says we shall not all ‘sleep’ or die. We shall, however, ‘all be changed.’ This change, according to him, will occur ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.’ This is a wonderful prospect which is completely tied to the Person and promises of Christ. It is the second coming of Christ which occasions it. Christ will raise the dead and change us all into that which is incorruptible. We anticipate this change with joy and hope. 

Our Great God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that You are coming again. 
We look forward to that day, 
when we shall see you Face-to-face, 
and experience this transformation. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 

I Corinthians 15:50 

What we are is not what we are going to be. Paul has been writing at length on the resurrection. By the time he arrives at our text, he has communicated the gospel; cited the incidents of Christ’s post-resurrection appearances; proven the fact of the resurrection of the dead; and spoken at length of the relation between the earthly body we now possess and the heavenly body we shall obtain.  He has magnified Christ by speaking of the subduing of His enemies and the success of His kingdom. He is coming to the climax of his writing about the resurrection. This will become highly personal for us all as we consider it. As we begin to think upon it, we look at the text before us which declares that ‘flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.’ We live in bodies of flesh and blood. They are earthly and as such, subject to decline or ‘corruption.’ Thus, if we are to inherit the ‘kingdom of God,’ there must be an almighty, thoroughgoing change to our physical frame. Paul has already laid the groundwork for a discussion of this change. It will transform our flesh and blood.  

Our Wise and Powerful Savior, 
we rejoice that You redeem all of us. 
We praise You that this means  
You will change our bodies as well. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek. 

I Corinthians 15:24-26 

Christ, not man, is King. As King, He reigns. According to David, Jehovah has said to Christ, ‘sit at my right hand, till I made your enemies your footstool.’ Paul echoes this idea in our text. It is a matter of who rules, God or humanity. For the believer, there is only one answer: God rules and Christ reigns. Everything else comes after that. Human government, morality, ethics, social policy and practice all come after the basic premise that God is God and is Sovereign. The long-term result of that is that His rulership will result in His subduing His enemies ‘under His feet.’ This is not manifestly clear in the world in which we live at the moment. The end is not yet. It is impossible to state, with any degree of certainty when it will become apparent. God has not told us the day or the hour of the revelation of Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has assured us, by the mouth of His prophets that it will come. We wait for Him to complete all He has planned and bring all to fruition. We pray, ‘Even so come, Lord Jesus.’ 

High King of Heaven, 
we rejoice that You are Sovereign over all. 
We praise You that every knee shall bow 
to Christ at His coming. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning