1st Corinthians, chapters 15 & 16

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Chapter 15 Paul writing (Sosthenes possible scribe)

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Now, brothers, I want to remind You of the Gospel I preached to You, which You received & on which You have taken Your stand. By this Gospel You are saved, if You hold firmly to the word I preached to You. Otherwise You have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to You as of 1st importance: that Christ died for Our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the 3rd day according to the Scriptures, & that He appeared to Peter, & then to the 12. After that He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles (Acts 1:13), & last of all, after Jesus arose, HE appeared to Me also (Acts 9:3-5), as to 1 abnormally born (a Jew-by-birth, but born as a Roman citizen in Tarsus of Cilicia).

For I am the least of the apostles & do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I once-upon-a-time persecuted the Church of GOD. But by the Grace of GOD I am what I am, & HIS Grace to Me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of Them-- yet not I, but the Grace of GOD that was with Me. Whether, then, it was I or They (the other apostles), this is what We preach, & this is what You believed.

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But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of You say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, Our preaching is useless & so is Your faith. More than that, We are then found to be false witnesses about GOD, for We have testified about God that HE raised Christ from the dead. But HE did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, Your faith is futile; You are still dead in Your sins. Then Those also also who have fallen asleep are lost. If only for this present life We have hope in Christ, We are to be pitied more than all men-- for who else is martyred/obeys or suffers/perseveres for HIS Name's sake? Roma 1:5 has Through HIM & for HIS Name's sake We received to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, producing the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep-- the cloud of witnesses as in Hebr 12:1, the 1st verse after the "Faith Chapter" (Hebr 11). It's imperative to realize the following describes the resurrection in general; Rev 20:4b-6 has this to say about  the 1st resurrection, of those who were given authority to judge for 1,000 yrs.: I saw the souls of Those who had been beheaded because of Their testimony for Jesus & because of the Word of GOD. They had not worshiped the beast or his image & had not received his mark on Their foreheads or Their hands. They came to life & reigned with Christ 1,000 yrs. (the rest of the dead remained as seed & did not come to life until the 1000 yrs. were ended.) This is the 1st resurrection. The 2nd death has no power over them, but They will be Priests of GOD & of Christ & will reign with HIM for 1,000 yrs.  For since death came through a man, the general resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in His own turn: Christ, then the firstfruits; then, when HE comes again (after sitting at the Right Hand of the FATHER), those who belong to HIM. Then the end will come, when HE hands over the Kingdom to GOD the FATHER after HE (the FATHER) has destroyed all dominion, authority & power. For HE (the Risen LORD) must reign until HE (the Father) has put everything under HIS (the Risen LORD's) Feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For then HE (the FATHER) has put everything under HIS (the Risen LORD's) Feet (Psa 8:6b; s.a. Psa 110:1). Now when it says that "everything" has been put under HIM, it is clear that this does not include GOD Himself, who put everything under Christ. When HE has done this, then the SON Himself will be made subject to HIM Who put everything under HIM, so that GOD may be ALL in All (Godhead & cloud of witnesses in the Church-- no longer just Godhead in one person).

Now if there is no resurrection, what will Those do who are baptized for the dead? I.e., we Christians are baptized for the resurrected dead-- the above-mentioned cloud of witnesses. The "Faith Chapter" ends this way: These (The O.T. faithful) were all commended for Their faith, yet none of Them received what had been promised. GOD had planned something better for Us so that together with Us would They be made perfect. If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for Them? And as for Us, why do We endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day-- I mean that, brothers --just as surely as I glory over You in Christ Jesus Our LORD. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? There is no direct referrals to beasts in Ephesus, but 2ndCor 1:8-9a reads, We do not want You to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships We suffered in the province of Asia-- of which Ephesus was a port-city. We were under great pressure, far beyond Our ability to endure, so that We despaired even of life. Indeed, in Our hearts We felt the sentence of death. Also we have (Acts 19:1,17,21-22) that Paul (near the end of his 2nd missionary trip, in Ephesus) decided to go to Jerusalem-- but then staying in Asia a little longer. v. 23 has, About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way; v. 35b has, the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis & of her image, which fell from heaven. If the dead are not raised, some say "Let Us eat & drink, for tomorrow we die." Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Come back to Your senses as You ought, & stop sinning: for there are some who are ignorant of GOD-- I say this to Your shame.

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But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will They come? How foolish! Whatever You sow does not even resemble what will grow; it does not come to life unless it dies. When You sow, You do not plant the body that will be (already be grown), but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But GOD gives it a body as HE has determined, & to each kind of seed HE gives its own unique body. All flesh is not the same: Men have 1 kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another & fish another. There are also heavenly bodies & earthly bodies; but the splendor (features) of the heavenly bodies is 1 kind, & the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has 1 kind of splendor, the moon another & the stars another; & a star differs from another star in splendor. I.e., each person in Heaven will have his own distinct features/appearance.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. Remember, the sowing is at the end of earthly life. The body that is sown at the end of earthly life is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is any natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: the 1st man Adam became a living being (Gen 2:7c); the last Adam was Jesus, who arose & became a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come 1st, but the natural, & after that the spiritual. The phrase eternal fire occurs 3x in the Bible (Matt 18:8; 25:41; Jude 1:7); here is the 1 in Jude: Sodom & Gomorrah...serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. The 1st man was of the dust of the earth, the 2nd man from Heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; & as is the man from  Heaven, so is Those who are of Heaven. And just as We have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall We bear the likeness of the man from Heaven.

I declare to You, brothers, that flesh & blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of GOD, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell You a mystery: We will not all sleep, but We will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, & We will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, & the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, & the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory (Isa 25:8a). Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is even your sting? (Hos 13:14bc). The sting of death is sin, & the power of sin is the Law-- through the Law we become conscious of sin (Roma 3:20); see Roma 1 - 3 Chapter 3 end of <2>. But thanks be to GOD! HE gives Us the victory through Our LORD Jesus Christ. Therefore, My dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move You. Always give yourself fully to the Work of the LORD, because You know that Your labor in the LORD is not in vain.

Chapter 16 Paul writing (Sosthenes possible scribe)

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Now about the collection for GOD's People: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. This may/may not be about the contribution for the poor saints in Jerusalem spoken of in Acts 24:17 & Roma 15:26 (see Acts 24 - 26 Chapter 24 <1> & Roma 14 - 16 Chapter 15 <3>). On the 1st day of every week, each 1 of You should set aside a sum of money in keeping with His income, saving it up, so when I come no collections will have to be made. Then when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men You approve & send Them with Your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for Me to go also, They will accompany Me.

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After I go through Macedonia, I will come to You-- for I definitely will be going through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay with You for awhile, or even spend the winter, so that You can help Me on My journey, wherever I go. I do not want to see You now & make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with You, if the LORD permits. But I will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to Me, & there are many who oppose Me.

If Timothy comes, see to it that He has nothing to fear, for He is carrying on the Work of the LORD just as I am. No 1, then, should refuse to accept Him. Send Him on His way in peace so that He may return to Me. I am expecting Him along with the brothers.

Now about Our brother Apollos: I strongly urged Him to go to You with the brothers. Acts 18 & 19 Chapter 18 & Chapter 19 have Apollos in Ephesus, then Achaia & finally Corinth before Paul arrived in Ephesus (see Acts 18:24,27; 19:1)-- this was towards the end of the 2nd Missionary Trip; Apollos is never mentioned again until the numerous times in 1stCor. He was quite unwilling to go now, but He will go when He has the opportunity.

In general (i.e., nothing to do with Apollos): Be on Your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love. You know that the household of Stephanus were the 1st converts in Achaia, & They have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge You, brothers, to submit to such as These & to everyone who joins in the work, & labors at it. I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus & Achaicus arrived, because They have supplied what was lacking from You. For They refreshed My spirit & Yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

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The churches in the province of Asia send You greetings. Aquila & Priscilla greet You warmly in the LORD, & so does the church that meets at Their house. All the brothers here send You greetings. Greet 1 another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting in My own hand. If anyone does not love the LORD-- a curse be on Him. Come, O LORD! The Grace of the LORD Jesus be with You. My love to all of You in Christ Jesus. Amen.