Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall all indeed rise again: but we shall not all be changed.

“"Behold, I tell you a mystery." It is something awful and ineffable and which all know not, which he is about to speak of: which also indicates the greatness of the honor he confers on them; I mean, his speaking mysteries to them. But what is this? "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." He means as follows: "we shall not all die, 'but we shall all be changed,'" even those who die not. For they too are mortal. "Do not thou therefore because thou diest, on this account fear," saith he, "as if thou shouldest not rise again: for there are, there are some who shall even escape this, and yet this suffices them not for that resurrection, but even those bodies which die not must be changed and be transformed into incorruption."”

“The pious people will be raised as they transform the remnants of the "old man" that cling to them into the "new man." The impious people who have kept the "old man" from the beginning to the end will be raised in order to be precipitated into the second death. Those who read diligently can make out the divisions of the ages. They have no horror of tares or chaff.”

“Here is a mystery, I tell you, brothers, meaning something hidden, which ought to be revealed to you and to all believers. Lc. VIII, 10: to you it is given to know, etc. Above, II, 6: we speak wisdom among the perfect, and afterward: but we speak the wisdom of God which is hidden, etc. But what this mystery is, he adds: we shall all indeed, etc. On the first point, it should be known that, as Jerome says in a certain letter to the monks Minervius and Alexander, what is said here—we shall all rise again, etc.—is found in no Greek book; but in certain ones it is found: we shall all indeed sleep, that is, we shall all die. And death is called sleep on account of the hope of the resurrection. Hence it is the same as if he said, we shall all rise again, since no one will rise again unless he dies. But we shall not all be changed. This is not altered in the Greek books. And this is true, because this change of which he speaks here will occur only with respect to the bodies of the blessed, since they will be changed into those four qualities set down above, which are called the endowments of glorified bodies. And this Job desired: Iob. XIV, 14: all the days in which I am now in warfare, I wait until my change comes. In certain books, however, it is found: we shall not all indeed sleep, that is, die, but we shall all be changed. And this is understood in two ways. First, according to the letter, because it was the opinion of some that not all men will die, but that some at the coming of Christ to judgment will come alive, and these will not die but will be changed into the state of incorruption, and on this account they say, we shall not all indeed sleep, that is, die, but we shall all be changed, both good and evil, both living and dead. Hence according to these the change is not understood as from the state of animality to the state of spirituality, since according to this only the good would be changed, but from the state of corruption to the state of incorruption. In another way it is expounded mystically by Origen, and he says that this is not said of the sleep of death, since all will die—Ps. LXXXVIII, 49: what man is there who shall live, etc.—but of the sleep of sin, of which in Ps. XII, 4: enlighten my eyes, lest I ever sleep, so that it may be said thus: we shall not all die, that is, we shall not all sin mortally, but we shall all be changed, just as above concerning the state from corruption to incorruption. And although this reading, namely we shall not all die, etc., is not against the faith, nevertheless the Church accepts the first more, namely that we shall all die or rise again, etc., because all will die even if there are then some who are living. He then makes manifest the order and manner of the resurrection when he says, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, et cetera. And this in three respects. First he makes manifest the order as to time; second as to the cause of the resurrection, where he says, at the last trumpet; third as to the progress of the effect from the cause, where he says, for the trumpet shall sound, et cetera. He says therefore that we shall all rise again, but how? In a moment. By which he excludes the error of those saying that the resurrection of all will not be at the same time, but they say that the martyrs will rise before the others by a thousand years, and then Christ will descend with them, and will possess the bodily kingdom of Jerusalem for a thousand years with them. And this was the opinion of Lactantius. But this is clearly false, because we shall all rise in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye. Also excluded by this is another error of the same man, who said that the judgment would last for a space of a thousand years. But this is false, because there will be no perceptible time there, but in a moment, et cetera. It should be known, moreover, that a moment can be taken either for the very instant of time, which is called now, or for some imperceptible time; yet it can be taken in either way, referring it to different things. For if we refer this to the gathering of the dust (which will be accomplished by the ministry of angels), then the moment is taken for imperceptible time. For since in the gathering of that dust there is a change from place to place, there must be some time there. But if we refer it to the reuniting of bodies and to the union with the soul, all of which will be done by God, then the moment is taken for an instant of time, because God unites the soul to the body and gives life to the body in an instant. Also, what he says, in the twinkling of an eye, can be referred to either, as if by in the twinkling of an eye only the opening of the eyelids is understood (which occurs in perceptible time), then it is referred to the gathering of the dust. But if by in the twinkling of an eye the sudden glance itself of the eye is understood, which occurs in an instant, then it is referred to the union of the soul with the body. Next, when he says, at the last trumpet, he shows the order of the resurrection as to the immediate cause. And this trumpet is that voice of Christ, of which Matth. XXVI, 6 it is said: at midnight a cry was made; Io. V, 25: they shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who shall have heard, et cetera. Or the very presence of Christ made manifest to the world, according to what Gregory says: the trumpet signifies nothing other than the presence of Christ made manifest to the world, which is called a trumpet on account of the manifestation, since it will be manifest to all. And in this way trumpet is taken Matth. VI, 2: when you do alms, do not sound a trumpet before you. Likewise it is called a trumpet on account of the office of the trumpet, which was for four purposes, as is said Num. X, v. 1-10, namely: to call a council, and this will be at the resurrection, since then he will call together for a council, that is, for judgment. Is. III, v. 14: the Lord will come to judgment, et cetera. To solemnize a feast. Ps. LXXX, 4: blow the trumpet in the new moon. So also at the resurrection. Is. XXXIII, 20: look upon Sion, the city of our solemnity. For battle, and this at the resurrection. Sap. V, 21: he will fight for him, et cetera. Is. XXX, 32: with harps and timbrels, et cetera. To move the camp, so also at the resurrection: some going to Paradise, some going to Hell. Matth. XXV, 46: they who have done good shall go into life everlasting, but they who have done evil into everlasting fire. Next, when he says, for the trumpet shall sound, et cetera, he sets down the progress of the effect from the aforesaid cause. And concerning this he does two things. First he sets down the progress of the effect; second he assigns the necessity of this, where he says, for this mortal, et cetera. The progress of the effect is that immediately at the sound of the trumpet the effect will follow, since the dead, et cetera, Ps. LXVII, 34: he will give to his voice the voice of power, et cetera. He sets down, moreover, a twofold effect. One is common, since the dead shall rise incorrupt, that is, whole, without any diminishment of members. And this indeed is common to all, since in the resurrection everything that pertains to the restoration of nature is common, because all have communion with Christ in nature. And although Augustine leaves it in doubt whether deformities remain in the damned, I nevertheless believe that whatever pertains to the restoration of nature is conferred on them entirely; but what pertains to grace is conferred only on the elect. And therefore all will rise incorrupt, that is, whole, even the damned. Jerome, however, expounds incorrupt as meaning in a state of incorruption, namely that afterward, after the resurrection, they will not be corrupted further, since the good will go to eternal beatitude, but the evil to eternal punishment. Dan. XII, 2: many from the dust of the earth shall awake. The other effect is proper, that is, of the apostles only, since we shall be changed, namely the apostles, and we shall not only be incorrupt, but also we shall be changed, namely from a state of misery to a state of glory, since it is sown an animal body, but it shall rise a spiritual body. And according to this manner of expounding it appears that that reading is better which says we shall all indeed rise again, but we shall not all be changed, than that which has we shall all be changed, because although all will rise, yet only the saints and elect will be changed. It could, however, also according to those who have we shall not all indeed die, but we shall all be changed, be read thus: the dead shall rise incorrupt, that is, into a state of incorruption, and we who are alive, although we shall not rise again, since we do not die, will nevertheless be changed from a state of corruption to incorruption. And this seems to agree with what is said I Thess. IV, 16: we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them, etc.; so that, just as there, here too he numbers himself among the living.”

“Behold 9 I show you a mystery . Theophylact says that by these words the Apostle wishes to arouse the attention of his readers, and to point to some great, dreadful, and hidden fact about the resurrection. We shall all indeed rise again , but we shall not all be changed. There are three variant readings here, the first that of the Greek Fathers and of Ephrem, “ We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” This is adopted by Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, Origen {contra Celsum } lib. ii.), Theodoras, Heracleotes, Apollinarius (quoted by S. Jerome, Ep. ad Minerium et Alexandrum ), Tertullian {de Resurr. Camis 9 c. 41 and 62), Augustine (qu. 3, ad Dulcitium), who think that all will not die, i.e. y that some who are alive at the end of the world will be caught up with Christ the Lord, and so will be glorified. For this change, Theophylact says, following Chrysostom, will be to them death ; for corruption will die in theitr by being changed into incorruption, 398 FIRST EPISTLE TO THE The second reading is, “ We shall all sleep, but we shall not all be changed. This appears in S. Augustine (de Civ . Dei y lib. xx. c. 20), and is approved by S. Jerome in the passage above quoted. The third reading is that of the text. S. Augustine prefers this to the others given above, and it is undoubtedly plainer, truer, and more certain, and more consistent with the context and with the other passages of S. Paul’s, in which he lays down that it is appointed unto all men once to die. C£ also ver. 22 : “As in Adam all die.” Though the first rendering does not appear to be true, yet, because of the authorities in favour of it, it is not to be condemned as rash or certainly false. Hence Franciscus Suarez and others say that the opinion that all men, without a single exception, will die and rise again is only more probable than its opposite”

“To confirm what he had said of this change, I. He here tells them what had been concealed from or unknown to them till then - that all the saints would not die, but all would be changed. Those that are alive at our Lord's coming will be caught up into the clouds, without dying, Th1 4:11. But it is plain from this passage that it will not be without changing from corruption to incorruption. The frame of their living bodies shall be thus altered, as well as those that are dead; and this in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, Co1 15:52. What cannot almighty power effect? That power that calls the dead into life can surely thus soon and suddenly change the living; for changed they must be as well as the dead, because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. This is the mystery which the apostle shows the Corinthians: Behold, I show you a mystery; or bring into open light a truth dark and unknown before. Note, There are many mysteries shown to us in the gospel; many truths that before were utterly unknown are there made known; many truths that were but dark and obscure before are there brought into open day, and plainly revealed; and many things are in part revealed that will never be fully known, nor perhaps clearly understood. The apostle here makes known a truth unknown before, which is that the saints living at our Lord's second coming will not die, but be changed, that this change will be made in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and at the sound of the last trump; for, as he tells us elsewhere, the Lord himself shall descend with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God (Th1 4:16), so here, the trumpet must sound. It is the loud summons of all the living and all the dead, to come and appear at the tribunal of Christ. At this summons the graves shall open, the dead saints shall rise incorruptible, and the living saints be changed to the same incorruptible state, Co1 15:52. II. He assigns the reason of this change (Co1 15:53): For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. How otherwise could the man be a fit inhabitant of the incorruptible regions, or be fitted to possess the eternal inheritance? How can that which is corruptible and mortal enjoy what is incorruptible, permanent, and immortal? This corruptible body must be made incorruptible, this mortal body must be changed into immortal, that the man may be capable of enjoying the happiness designed for him. Note, It is this corruptible that must put on incorruption; the demolished fabric that must be reared again. What is sown must be quickened. Saints will come in their own bodies (Co1 15:38), not in other bodies. III. He lets us know what will follow upon this change of the living and dead in Christ: Then shall be brought to pass that saying, Death is swallowed up in victory; or, He will swallow up death in victory. Isa 25:8. For mortality shall be then swallowed up of life (Co2 5:4), and death perfectly subdued and conquered, and saints for ever delivered from its power. Such a conquest shall be obtained over it that it shall for ever disappear in those regions to which our Lord will bear his risen saints. And therefore will the saints hereupon sing their epinikion, their song of triumph. Then, when this mortal shall have put on immortality, will death be swallowed up, for ever swallowed up, eis nikos. Christ hinders it from swallowing his saints when they die; but, when they rise again, death shall, as to them, be swallowed for ever. And upon this destruction of death will they break out into a song of triumph. 1. They will glory over death as a vanquished enemy, and insult this great and terrible destroyer: "O death! where is thy sting? Where is now thy sting, thy power to hurt? What mischief hast thou done us? We are dead; but behold we live again, and shall die no more. Thou art vanquished and disarmed, and we are out of the reach of thy deadly dart. Where now is thy fatal artillery? Where are thy stores of death? We fear no further mischiefs from thee, nor heed thy weapons, but defy thy power, and despise thy wrath. And, O grave! where is thy victory? Where now is thy victory? What has become of it? Where are the spoils and trophies of it? Once we were thy prisoners, but the prison-doors are burst open, the locks and bolts have been forced to give way, our shackles are knocked off, and we are for ever released. Captivity is taken captive. The imaginary victor is conquered, and forced to resign his conquest and release his captives. Thy triumphs, grave, are at an end. The bonds of death are loosed, and we are at liberty, and are never more to be hurt by death, nor imprisoned in the grave." In a moment, the power of death, and the conquests and spoils of the grave, are gone; and, as to the saints, the very signs of them will not remain. Where are they? Thus will they raise themselves, when they become immortal, to the honour of their Saviour and the praise of divine grace: they shall glory over vanquished death. 2. The foundation for this triumph is here intimated, (1.) In the account given whence death had its power to hurt: The sting of death is sin. This gives venom to his dart: this alone puts it into the power of death to hurt and kill. Sin unpardoned, and nothing else, can keep any under his power. And the strength of sin is the law; it is the divine threatening against the transgressors of the law, the curse there denounced, that gives power to sin. Note, Sin is the parent of death, and gives it all its hurtful power. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, Rom 5:12. It is its cursed progeny and offspring. (2.) In the account given of the victory saints obtain over it through Jesus Christ, Co1 15:56. The sting of death is sin; but Christ, by dying, has taken out this sting. He has made atonement for sin; he has obtained remission of it. It may hiss therefore, but it cannot hurt. The strength of sin is the law; but the curse of the law is removed by our Redeemer's becoming a curse for us. So that sin is deprived of its strength and sting, through Christ, that is, by his incarnation, suffering, and death. Death may seize a believer, but cannot sting him, cannot hold him in his power. There is a day coming when the grave shall open, the bands of death be loosed, the dead saints revive, and become incorruptible and immortal, and put out of the reach of death for ever. And then will it plainly appear that, as to them, death will have lost its strength and sting; and all by the mediation of Christ, by his dying in their room. By dying, he conquered death, and spoiled the grave; and, through faith in him, believers become sharers in his conquests. They often rejoice beforehand, in the hope of this victory; and, when they arise glorious from the grave, they will boldly triumph over death. Note, It is altogether owing to the grace of God in Christ that sin is pardoned and death disarmed. The law puts arms into the hand of death, to destroy the sinner; but pardon of sin takes away this power from the law, and deprives death of its strength and sting. It is by the grace of God, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, that we are freely justified, Rom 3:24. It is no wonder, therefore, (3.) If this triumph of the saints over death should issue in thanksgiving to God: Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through Christ Jesus, our Lord, Co1 15:57. The way to sanctify all our joy is to make it tributary to the praise of God. Then only do we enjoy our blessings and honours in a holy manner when God has his revenue of glory out of it, and we are free to pay it to him. And this really improves and exalts our satisfaction. We are conscious at once of having done our duty and enjoyed our pleasure. And what can be more joyous in itself than the saints' triumph over death, when they shall rise again? And shall they not then rejoice in the Lord, and be glad in the God of their salvation? Shall not their souls magnify the Lord? When he shows such wonders to the dead, shall they not arise and praise him? Psa 88:10. Those who remain under the power of death can have no heart to praise; but such conquests and triumphs will certainly tune the tongues of the saints to thankfulness and praise - praise for the victory (it is great and glorious in itself), and for the means whereby it is obtained (it is given of God through Christ Jesus), a victory obtained not by our power, but the power of God; not given because we are worthy, but because Christ is so, and has by dying obtained this conquest for us. Must not this circumstance endear the victory to us, and heighten our praise to God? Note, How many springs of joy to the saints and thanksgiving to God are opened by the death and resurrection, the sufferings and conquests, of our Redeemer! With what acclamations will saints rising from the dead applaud him! How will the heaven of heavens resound his praises for ever! Thanks be to God will be the burden of their song; and angels will join the chorus, and declare their consent with a loud Amen, Hallelujah.”

“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,.... As at the coming of Christ, both the bodies of living saints, and of dead ones being raised, will: and this mortal shall have put on immortality; which will be the case, in the resurrection morn: then shall be brought to pass that saying that is written; then that passage will have its full accomplishment, which stands in Isa 25:8 where it is read, he will swallow up death in victory, or "for ever". That is, the Messiah shall by his death, and resurrection from the dead, obtain such an entire victory over death, not only for himself, but for all his people, that in the resurrection morn, when they will be all raised from the dead, death will be so swallowed up, that it will be no more: the Jews acknowledge that this prophecy belongs to the times of the Messiah; so they say (p), that "the Messiah shall descend from Pharez, and in his day the holy blessed God will cause death to be swallowed up, as it is said, Isa 25:8 "he shall swallow up death in victory":'' and again (q), "when the King Messiah comes, the holy blessed God will raise up those that sleep in the dust, as it is written, he shall swallow up death in victory:'' they also say (r), that this passage refers to future time, and to the world to come. The prophet expresses it actively, it being a prediction of what was to be done by the Messiah; the apostle cites it passively, as being accomplished by him after the resurrection, and considered as a part of the song sung by the risen saints; to which is added, (p) Shemot Rabba, sect. 20. fol. 131. 4. (q) Zohar in Gen. fol. 73. 1. (r) Zohar in, Exod. fol. 108. 1, 2, 4. Misn. Moed Katon. c. 3. sect. 9. Zohar iu Lev. fol. 46. 3. Yade Mose in Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 20. 1. Echa Rabbati, fol. 48. 2.”

“I show you a mystery - That is, a thing which you have never known before. But what is this mystery? Why, that we shall not all sleep; we shall not all die; but we shall all be changed: of this the Jews had not distinct notions. For, as flesh and blood cannot inherit glory, and all shall not be found dead at the day of judgment, then all must be changed - undergo such a change that their bodies may become spiritual, like the bodies of those who shall be raised from the dead.”

“We shall all indeed rise again, but we shall not all be changed. [3] This is the reading of the Latin Vulgate, and of some Greek manuscripts, and the sense is, that all both good and bad shall rise, but only the elect to the happy change of a glorified body. The reading in most Greek copies at present is, we shall not all sleep, (i.e. die) but we shall be all changed: so also read St. Chrysostom: and St. Jerome found it in many manuscripts from which divers, especially of the Greek interpreters, thought that such as should be found living at the day of judgment should not die, but the bodies of the elect (of whom St. Paul here speaks) should be changed to a happy state of immortality. This opinion, if it deserve not to be censured, is at least against the common persuasion of the faithful, who look upon it certain that all shall die before they come to judgment. Some expound the Greek only to signify, that all shall not sleep, i.e. shall not remain for any time in the grave, as others who die are accustomed to do. (Witham)”

“Behold--Calling attention to the "mystery" heretofore hidden in God's purposes, but now revealed. you--emphatical in the Greek; I show (Greek, "tell," namely, by the word of the Lord, Th1 4:15) YOU, who think you have so much knowledge, "a mystery" (compare Rom 11:25) which your reason could never have discovered. Many of the old manuscripts and Fathers read, "We shall all sleep, but we shall not all be changed"; but this is plainly a corrupt reading, inconsistent with Th1 4:15, Th1 4:17, and with the apostle's argument here, which is that a change is necessary (Co1 15:53). English Version is supported by some of the oldest manuscripts and Fathers. The Greek is literally "We all shall not sleep, but," &c. The putting off of the corruptible body for an incorruptible by an instantaneous change will, in the case of "the quick," stand as equivalent to death, appointed to all men (Heb 9:27); of this Enoch and Elijah are types and forerunners. The "we" implies that Christians in that age and every successive age since and hereafter were designed to stand waiting, as if Christ might come again in their time, and as if they might be found among "the quick."”