Why does Paul use the word order for the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:23?
Paul uses 'order' to show resurrection occurs by organized companies, not all at once. God is a God of order, so He arranges each group—Christ the firstfruits, then each in their own company—to keep track of everyone, much like military organization.
Les teaches that in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul is making the point that not everyone is resurrected at the same moment, as was seemingly implied back in John's Gospel. Paul first states that Christ is risen and become the firstfruits of them that slept. Then in verse 23 he separates the resurrections, saying every human being will come out in resurrection in His own order, or as Les puts it, in His own company. Les always refers to the military organization of a company, a battalion, and so forth—an organizational setup that makes it easy to keep track of everybody. God is a God of order, so He has done the same thing, organizing everything implicitly; God never does things in a mumble jumble way. The word order therefore reflects God's orderly arrangement of resurrection groups.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
More Questions
What is the order of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:23?
In 1 Corinthians 15:23 every human being will be resurrected, but each in his own order or company: Christ the firstfruits first, and afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
What does 'every man in his own order' mean in 1 Corinthians 15?
Every man is resurrected in his own order or company, with Christ the first fruits first, then those who are Christ's at His coming afterward.