The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen ^[a]asleep, lest you sorrow ^(A)as others ^(B)who have no hope. ¹⁴ For ^(C)if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him ^(D)those who ^[b]sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For this we say to you ^(E)by the word of the Lord, that ^(F)we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are ^[c]asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(G)the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with ^(H)the trumpet of God. ^(I)And the dead in Christ will rise first. ^17 (J)Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them ^(K)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ^(L)we shall always be with the Lord. ^18 (M)Therefore comfort one another with these words.

²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall ^(A)be made alive.

^42 (A)So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. ^43 (B)It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ And so it is written, ^(C)“The first man Adam became a living being.” ^(D)The last Adam became ^(E)a life-giving spirit.

⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ^47 (F)The first man was of the earth, ^(G)made^[a] of dust; the second Man is ^[b]the Lord ^(H)from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the ^[c]man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; ^(I)and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And ^(J)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^(K)we^[d] shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Our Final Victory

⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that ^(L)flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a ^[e]mystery: ^(M)We shall not all sleep, ^(N)but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. ^(O)For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.