Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
- KJV Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
- NKJV Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—
- NASB Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
- NLT But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul reveals a mystery: not all will die, but all believers will be changed. It matters because it promises transformation for those alive at Christ's return.
Overview
Paul discloses a previously hidden truth: some believers will still be living when Christ returns, yet all will undergo transformation. The resurrection change applies to the living and the dead alike. This unveils the hope that mortality will be swallowed up in glory at Christ's coming.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 1 Th 4:14–17For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
- Phil 3:21who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
- 1 Cor 15:20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
- Eph 1:9And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ
- 1 Cor 4:1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
- 1 Cor 2:7No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.
- 1 Cor 15:6After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
- Eph 5:32This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.
- 1 Cor 13:2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
- Eph 3:3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
- 1 Cor 15:18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 15:51 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.