The mystery is that believers will not all sleep, but they will all be changed at Christ's coming.
Paul declares, 'Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.' Les explains this was a secret kept in the mind of God and revealed only to Paul. It means one group of believers will be alive at the end and will be translated rather than die.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 — Paul directly identifies and describes the mystery that believers will be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 — Describes the same event of the dead rising and living believers being caught up to meet the Lord.
In 1 Corinthians 15:51, Paul writes, 'Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.' The very next verse gives the timing and manner: 'In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.' Scripture thus places the event at the last trumpet and calls it a change rather than death. First Thessalonians 4:16-17 provides a parallel description: the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. The dead in Christ rise first, and living believers are caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. These verses do not use the word 'mystery,' but they describe the same promise of resurrection and change.
Les teaches that the mystery Paul reveals in 1 Corinthians 15:51 is the rapture of the church. He stresses that this truth had never been revealed anywhere in Scripture before Paul. The Old Testament never mentioned it, and Jesus never spoke of it. It was kept secret in the mind of God until He revealed it to Paul, which is why Paul calls it a 'mystery' or 'secret.' Les explains that believers alive at the end will not die physically but will be changed—a metamorphosis—so they can enter glory. He shows that Paul himself expected to be among the living: when the trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ will rise first, and then living believers will suddenly be changed and caught up with them. Les connects this to 1 Thessalonians 4, calling the outcalling or rapture of the church part of the same mystery.
The mystery is that not all believers will sleep. Paul reveals that 'we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.' Les says this means a group of believers will be alive when everything comes to a culmination and they will not die physically. Instead, their bodies will be changed.
Les emphasizes that the Old Testament never mentioned a group of living people being translated, and Jesus never mentioned it either. The truth was kept secret in the mind of God until He revealed it to the apostle Paul. That is why Paul begins, 'Behold, I shew you a mystery.'
Scripture says the change will occur 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.' The dead in Christ will be raised incorruptible, and living believers will be changed. Les describes this as a metamorphosis. Paul himself wrote as if he could be alive when it happens.
Les identifies this mystery as the rapture of the church—a Pauline doctrine found nowhere else in Scripture. He connects 1 Corinthians 15:51 and 1 Thessalonians 4, where the same event is described: the dead in Christ rise first, and living believers are caught up together to meet the Lord in the air.
God Keeps Secrets Until Releasing Them
Les uses Luke 18 to show that the Lord kept things secret from the Twelve until the time to reveal them, helping explain why Paul can call the rapture a mystery.
A Secret Kept in God's Mind
Les says the Church Age is a Pauline revelation, and Paul's opening phrase 'Behold, I shew you a mystery' points to something kept secret in God's mind until revealed to the apostle.
No Hint Anywhere Before Paul
Les explains that no Scripture before Paul gave any indication of a group of living people being translated; Jesus never mentioned it and the Old Testament never mentioned it, so Paul calls it a secret.
The Rapture Revealed as a Mystery
Les reads 1 Corinthians 15:51 and explains that 'mystery' means something never before revealed—here, that a group of believers will not die physically but will be alive at the culmination.
The Rapture as a Revealed Secret
Les says the secret revealed to Paul is no longer a secret; believers will not all sleep but will all be changed, and he ties this to 1 Thessalonians 4 and the outcalling or rapture of the church.
A Metamorphosis in a Moment
Les describes the change as a metamorphosis rather than a death-resurrection, happening in a moment at the last trumpet, and notes this was a mystery no one understood until revealed to Paul.
The Last Trump and the Church-Age Saints
Les specifies that the dead in Christ, church-age saints, will be raised at the last trump and living believers will be changed; Paul expected to be alive and the change follows the resurrection of the dead.
Another Mystery, Another Secret
Les states that nowhere is a day of living people being translated ever hinted at except Paul, and 1 Corinthians 15:51 is called 'another mystery,' showing it was a fresh revelation.
1 Corinthians 15:51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
This is the verse where Paul directly states the content of the mystery.
1 Corinthians 15:52: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
This verse explains how and when the change will take place.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This passage describes the same event of resurrection and living believers being caught up with the Lord.
Yes. Paul says, 'We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.' Les explains this means a group of believers will be alive when everything culminates and will not die physically but will be changed.
Les teaches that the Old Testament and Jesus never mentioned a group of living believers being translated. It was kept secret in God's mind until Paul revealed it, so it is called a mystery or secret.
Les describes it as a metamorphosis. Living believers will not die and be resurrected; instead, in a moment at the last trumpet, they will be changed so they can go to glory.
According to Les, no. The rapture is a Pauline doctrine found only in Paul's letters. First Thessalonians 4, also written by Paul, describes the same event as part of the outcalling or rapture of the church.
Watch the Teaching: The Rapture Secret Most Christians Miss — 1 Corinthians 15:51