Hi Felix,
1 Corinthians 15:51 Not all shall be put to repose (death).
Isn't it appointed for man once to die and then the ressurection? We are not immortal. Doesn"t
everyone die?
This has intrigued me as well. What Paul is talking about is those Elect that will be alive on earth at Christ's return (they may have believe that would be most of them). The last generation Elect would have already been through their second death LOF experience during their lives and they have not physically died, but are still alive at the very time that Christ returns to resurrect the dead. Paul says of these;
1Co 15:51 lo, I tell you a secret; we indeed shall not all sleep, and
we all shall be changed;
v. 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we--we shall be changed: (YLT)
It goes on to say that those Elect that are still alive will put on incorruption and immortality, so their "change" will occur as soon as the dead Elect are raised up and then they will join them in the air to meet Christ.
1Th 4:16 because the Lord Himself, in a shout, in the voice of a chief-messenger, and in the trump of God, shall come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first,
v. 17 then we who are living, who are remaining over, together with them shall be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in air, and so always with the Lord we shall be;
Well how is the "change" to occur? Well the physical will be replaced in an instant with spirit, that seems like to me to be a kind of death of the physical/carnal/flesh. God did say that Nobody can see Him and live.
Exo 33:20 And He said, You cannot see My face. For there no man can
see Me and live.
All on earth will "see" Chirst when He returns.
Rev 1:7 Behold, He comes with the clouds, and every eye will
see Him...
But as Paul said we "shall not all sleep/repose." Sleep is the unconscious state of the dead, their spirit has gone back to God and there is no thought and they no longer have awareness and know nothing (Ecc 9:5). So those very last generation of Elect will not sleep in the grave, but will go straight up with the rest of the resurrected Elected to meet Christ.
Well at least that is the way I understand it.
mercy, peace and love
Kat