(1Co 15:24) “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”  As our Lord Jesus conducted Himself as He walked among us 2,000 years ago, in submission to the Father; so will He during the 1,000 years He reigns upon this earth. Then at the end of the world He will continue to demonstrate that our Father is Lord over all. All will point to the Father in the New Heaven and Earth. 

(1Co 15:23) “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”  We know this is referring to the Rapture, for Jesus comes, just not down to this earth, which is why it is not to be refused with the Second Coming in which He does to reign as King. (1Th 4:16) “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 

(1Co 15:21) “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. (22)  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” The subject of verse 22 is the resurrection. “All” refer to those who believed in Jesus’ death in their place and resurrection from the dead: that is, believed unto salvation. Mere belief: no repentance for your sin causing Jesus’ death – no salvation; no resurrection.

(1Co 15:21) “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” Here is the key to the divine plan. One man brought a sin nature passed on to his offspring. Following its promptings killed every single one. So, one man could also bring life from death. To do so they must start off the same: no sin nature and then both face sin with different results.

 (1Co 15:20) “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”  “Firstfruits” speaks of the tithe which is always God’s (Ex 23:19). Jesus is God and God’s. Glory! Our salvation which includes a physical resurrection is based upon the Lord God placing us “in Christ”: His death, our death; His life; our life. Therefore the saved are also the “firstfruits” of the resurrection!

(1Co 15:19) “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”  If Jesus’ death does not save us from hell, then we are still in a state of condemnation and wrath before God; death remains a dread to thought; we are miserable indeed!

(1 Cor 15:18) Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”   Dead described as “sleep” is only used for the saved. It speaks of the body coming back to life some day – the resurrection. It by no means indicated the soul is sleeping. In Second Corinthians it plainly says, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

(1Co 15:16) “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:…. (18) Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”  If Jesus remained a corpse, so would all others, even though they believed in Him. We are promised a future resurrection because our Lord’s body rose alive from the grave. All of our hope: payment for our sin – thus forgiven; our soul’s presence in heaven upon our body’s death; and the hope of a future resurrection of our body is all based upon Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!

(1Co 15:16) “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: (17)  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”  Since the Believer in the salvation experience is literally put “in” Christ Jesus, if He had remained in the grave we would have been no better off. His victory was over death itself, for He had never transgressed the law of God, neither in action nor the spirit of. His death paid our debt, His victory brought us forth to everlasting life.

(1Co 15:15) “Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.”  To deny the resurrection of Christ Jesus is to call, not just the person taking the time to share the gospel with you, but also to call God a liar. He gave us plain testimony as to the reality of this event.