The Strand Study Bible

Written From Ephesus During Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

I CORINTHIANS 15:46 - 16:5

1911

55 11 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; 12 and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your 13 labour is not in vain in the Lord. I Corinthians 16 Paul collects an offering for the 1 Now concerning the 14 collection for the saints, 15 as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, 16 as God hath prospered him, that there be no 17 gatherings when I come. Paul’s closing instructions 3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring 18 your liberality unto Jerusalem. 4 And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me. 5 Now I will come unto you, 19 when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia. poor saints at Jerusalem Date Written - Spring of AD 57

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the 1 SECOND MAN is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, 2 we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. P 50 Now this I say, brethren, that 3 flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; 4 neither doth 5 corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; 6 We shall not all sleep, 7 but we shall all be 8 changed, P P 52 6 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, 7 and the dead shall be raised in cor- ruptible, and we shall be changed. P P 53 For this corruptible 7 must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. P 54 So when this 9 corruptible 7 shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 10 Death is swallowed up in victory. P The promise of CHRIST’S return (Rapture) and of a resurrected body for NT saints (Fulfilled - Rev 4:1,2)

1. Jn 3:13,31 2. Fulfilled - Rev 4:2 & 20:4 (NT/OT Resurrection) 3. Lk 24:39 4. I Cor 6:9-10 & Gal 5:21 & Eph 5:5 5. or, “the flesh” 6. Fulfilled - Rev 4:1 (Rapture) 7. Fulfilled - Rev 4:2 (NT Resurrection) 8. Phil 3:21 9. that is, “those who have died” 10. Quoted from the OT - Isa 25:8 11. Quoted from the OT - Hos 13:14 12. Rom 3:20 & 4:15 & 5:12 & 7:7-13 & Gal 3:19-24 13. I Cor 3:8 14. or, “ministering” - II Cor 8:4 & 9:1 Note - Paul was collecting an offering here for the poor Christians in Jerusalem This offering had nothing to do with the tithe. 15. Gal 2:10 16. Deut 15:14 17. or, “collections” 18. or, “your grace” - II Cor 8:1, 4,6-7,9, 19 & 9:8

19. Acts 20:1 & II Cor 1:15-16

15:51 Paul refers to the rapture as a mystery, reaffirming that this is a NT truth, which was not revealed in the OT. This mystery was that living believers would be transformed at the time of Christ’s return (the Rapture) and given new bodies suited for Heaven without going through the normal experience of death. In other words, though our bodies would still die (Heb 9:27), due to the Rapture, we would not experience it. 15:52 The Bible says much about the “blowing of trumpets.” There were trumpets blown by men, by priests, by warriors, and by angels. However, the greatest trump of all is the blowing of God’s own trumpet (I Thess 4:16), called here the “ last trump .” In Bible times a trumpet was used for two reasons: 1. To assemble God’s people for worship (Num 10:1-4,7-8,10) 2. To assemble God’s people for war (Num 10:5-6,9) It is interesting to note that the judgment of God is often preceded by His own trumpet call (Isa 18:1-5 and Zeph 1:14-17). It is the last trump to be heard before God goes to war. II Corinthians 5:20 informs us that we are God’s ambassadors on earth. The first thing a king or president does after he declares war on another country is to call his ambassadors home. Therefore, the last trump of God to be sounded will be the one that introduces Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Rev 4:1), during which the judgment of God will begin to fall upon an unsuspecting world (Rev 6:1-2). Thus we conclude that the Church will be raptured (called home) after the “ last trump ,” but before the war (the DAY OF THE LORD ) begins during the middle of the Tribulation. 15:55 Death buried its stinger in Christ, when He died for our sins. Therefore, the sting of death (which is sin) is removed ( O death, where is thy sting? ). Thus, we do not fear death ( O grave, where is thy victory? ); we anticipate it! 15:57 CHRIST’S power cannot be interrupted by death–He met death once and put it under His feet (I Cor 15:25-27). No man fears a conquered foe that has been robbed of all its power. 15:58 THE ADAGE IS TRUE: God doesn’t want anything other than our everything ( always abounding ) NOTE - Remember the guy who gave up? Neither does anyone else... As Christians, we need to learn to be persistent, always abounding . We need to take a lesson from the oak tree. Was not the mighty oak once a nut that simply held it’s ground?