What Our Bodies Will Be Like 1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. This means that his origin was of the earth and that his characteristics were earthly. He was made of the dust of the ground in the first place, and in his life he seemed in a very real sense to be earth-bound. The second Man is the Lord from heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. Of the two men mentioned in verse 45, Jesus was the second. He existed from all eternity, but as Man, he came after Adam. He came from heaven, and everything He did and said was heavenly and spiritual rather than earthly and soulish. Just as it is with these two leaders, the same is true for their followers. Those born from Adam inherit his nature, while those born in Christ belong to heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. The Image of the Man of Dust – This refers to Adam, the first man, who was created from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). Because of Adam’s fall, we inherit his weaknesses—mortality, sin, and a corruptible body. Our current physical existence reflects this fallen nature. The Image of the Heavenly Man – This refers to Jesus Christ, who came from heaven and was raised in glory after His resurrection. Just as we share Adam’s earthly nature now, those who belong to Christ will one day share in His resurrected, glorified body (Philippians 3:21). A Future Promise – Paul emphasizes that while we now bear Adam’s image, a transformation is coming. Believers will be changed into Christ’s likeness, both spiritually and physically, in the resurrection. This is the hope of eternal life, where we will be made incorruptible and immortal (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). 33. 1 Corinthians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Now the apostle turns to the subject of the transformation that will take place in the bodies of believers, both living and dead, at the time of the Lord’s Return. He prefaces his remarks with the statement that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. By this he means that the present body which we have is not suited to the kingdom of God in its eternal aspect, that is, our heavenly home. It is also true that corruption cannot inherit incorruption. In other words, our present bodies which are subject to disease, decay, and decomposition, would not be suited for life in a state where there is no corruption. This raises the problem, then, of how the bodies of living believers can be suited for life in heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed The answer is in the form of a mystery. As previously stated, a mystery is a truth previously unknown, but now revealed by God to the apostles and made known through them to us. We shall not all sleep, that is, not all believers will experience death. Some will be alive when the Lord returns. But whether we have died or are still alive, we shall all be changed. The truth of resurrection itself is not a mystery, since it appears in the OT, but the fact that not all will die and also the change of living saints at the Lord’s Return is something that had never been known before. 1 Corinthians 15:52 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. The change will take place instantly, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. The last trumpet here does not mean the end of the world, or even the last trumpet mentioned in Revelation. Rather, it refers to the trumpet of God which will sound when Christ comes into the air for His saints (1 Thess. 4:16). When the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. What a tremendous moment that will be, when the earth and the sea will yield up the dust of all those who have died trusting in Christ down through the centuries! It is almost impossible for the human mind to take in the magnitude of such an event; yet the humble believer can accept it by faith. 1 Corinthians 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. This corruptible refers to those whose bodies have returned to the dust. They will put on incorruption. This mortal, on the other hand, refers to those who are still alive in body but are subject to death. Such bodies will put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” Isaiah 25:8"He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken." Mackintosh writes: What are death, the grave, and decomposition in the presence of such power as this? Talk of being dead four days as a difficulty! Millions that have been mouldering in the dust for thousands of years shall spring up in a moment into life, immortality and eternal glory, at the voice of that blessed One. 1 Corinthians 15:55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”