For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left to the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep.
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord: These words are seized on by those skeptics who like to charge Paul with error concerning the coming of Christ as evidence that he expected that event to occur within his lifetime. One could argue on the basis of 2 Corinthians 4:14 that Paul expected to be dead and in need of resurrection at the coming of Jesus. The fact is that Paul did not know, nor did he profess to tell others, the exact time when Jesus would come (5:1-2). As Morris notes, "Paul consistently refused to commit himself to dates" (92). His own practice, and the practice he inculcated to others, was to so live "that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him" (5:10).