1 Corinthians 15:23

_ _ But every man in his own order — rather, “rank”: the Greek is not in the abstract, but concrete: image from troops, “each in his own regiment.” Though all shall rise again, let not any think all shall be saved; nay, each shall have his proper place, Christ first (Colossians 1:18), and after Him the godly who die in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16), in a separate band from the ungodly, and then “the end,” that is, the resurrection of the rest of the dead. Christian churches, ministers, and individuals seem about to be judged first “at His coming” (Matthew 25:1-30); then “all the nations” (Matthew 25:31-46). Christ’s own flock shall share His glory “at His coming,” which is not to be confounded with “the end,” or general judgment (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 20:11-15). The latter is not in this chapter specially discussed, but only the first resurrection, namely, that of the saints: not even the judgment of Christian hollow professors (Matthew 25:1-30) at His coming, is handled, but only the glory of them “that are Christ’s,” who alone in the highest sense “obtain the resurrection from the dead” (Luke 14:14; Luke 20:35, Luke 20:36; Philippians 3:11; see on Philippians 3:11). The second coming of Christ is not a mere point of time, but a period beginning with the resurrection of the just at His appearing, and ending with the general judgment. The ground of the universal resurrection is the union of all mankind in nature with Christ, their representative Head, who has done away with death, by His own death in their stead: the ground of the resurrection of believers is not merely this, but their personal union with Him as their “Life” (Colossians 3:4), effected causatively by the Holy Spirit, and instrumentally by faith as the subjective, and by ordinances as the objective means.