²⁸ Do not marvel at this, for ^(A)an hour is coming when ^(B)all who are in the tombs will hear his voice

¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and ^(A)books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is ^(B)the book of life. And ^(C)the dead were judged by what was written in the books, ^(D)according to what they had done.

¹⁴ For ^(A)since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him ^(B)those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you ^(C)by a word from the Lord,^[a] that ^(D)we who are alive, who are left until ^(E)the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(F)the Lord himself will descend ^(G)from heaven ^(H)with a cry of command, with the voice of ^(I)an archangel, and ^(J)with the sound of the trumpet of God. And ^(K)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be ^(L)caught up together with them ^(M)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so ^(N)we will always be with the Lord.

^42 (A)So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; ^(B)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. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ Thus it is written, ^(C)“The first man Adam became a living being”;^{[a] (D)}the last Adam became a ^(E)life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. ^47 (F)The first man was from the earth, ^(G)a man of dust; ^(H)the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, ^(I)so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ Just ^(J)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^(K)we shall^[b] also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Mystery and Victory

⁵⁰ I tell you this, brothers: ^(L)flesh and blood ^(M)cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. ^(N)We shall not all sleep, ^(O)but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For ^(P)the trumpet will sound, and ^(Q)the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and ^(R)this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

³⁹ And ^(A)this is the will of him who sent me, ^(B)that I should lose nothing of ^(C)all that he has given me, but ^(D)raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who ^(E)looks on the Son and ^(F)believes in him ^(G)should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

²¹ who will transform ^(A)our lowly body ^(B)to be like his glorious body, ^(C)by the power that enables him even ^(D)to subject all things to himself.

^24 (A)Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in ^(B)the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, ^(C)“I am the resurrection and ^(D)the life.^[a] Whoever believes in me, ^(E)though he die, ^(F)yet shall he live,