This verse as well as I Thessalonians 4:17 informs us that some believers will be alive on earth when the Lord returns and that they shall experience resurrection without having died.

Here is a truly awesome concept! Think what it would be like to be standing on your feet and experience the change from mortality to immortality!

No doubt great faith will be required to pass from adamic life to eternal resurrection life without wavering. The majority of the royal priesthood will have died at some point in history, spent the intervening years in Paradise with the Lord, and then have returned with Him to take up their bodies from the place of burial.

But a chosen few will experience the change while still living in mortality—truly a sobering thought! Will it be true of you or me?

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (I Corinthians 15:52)

The last trumpet is the seventh trumpet of the Book of Revelation. We note that at the time of the sounding of the seventh trumpet, God's witnesses are raised from the dead and stand upon their feet.

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. (Revelation 11:11)

The way Paul expresses himself gives the impression that he expected the coming of the Lord during his lifetime. "The dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

Apparently Paul did not know that two thousand years would pass and the Lord still would not have appeared. Today we have the feeling that the Lord's coming is imminent. But it may be many years away. Our own opinion is that several important events are yet to take place before the Lord returns—events that will require a number of years to complete.

The forming of Christ in our inner nature is a slow process. The change of the body from mortality to immortality will be instantaneous.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (I Corinthians 15:53,54)

The first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of the royal priesthood, the resurrection to eternal life and glory, will be a clothing of what is perishable with immortality. This seems to be speaking primarily of those who will be alive on the earth at the return of the Lord.

We stated before that it is possible those victorious spirits whom the Lord brings with Him will already have been clothed with the robe of righteousness, the body of glory that has been formed by their patient sowing to the Holy Spirit. Then they will enter the remains of their body that sleep in the dust (no matter how scattered or decomposed—consider God's power!), give life to their flesh and bones, and stand on their feet.

The expression "this corruptible shall have put on incorruption" suggests the possibility that those who return with the Lord will first receive their heavenly body of life and glory and then descend into the dust and clothe their corruptible remains with incorruption.

To be continued.