At The Last Trumpet

At The Last Trump

In our opening passage Paul says that Christ returns "with the trump of God."  It is at the sounding of this trumpet that the living saints are translated and the righteous dead are raised.  In the passage cited above from Matthew 24, Jesus says that it is "with a great sound of a trumpet" that the rapture and resurrection take place.  In the passage in I Corinthians 15, however, Paul says that this trumpet will be the "last trumpet."  Now, a "last" trumpet implies other trumpets.  For one to teach that the rapture and resurrection of believers takes place at the sounding of the first trumpet, or at the sounding of a trumpet that is not "the last," is an error.  What other trumpets does Paul allude to by his reference to "the last trumpet"?  Who can doubt that the "seven trumpets" of the Apocalypse are pointed to? 

In our previous series on "The End is Near," we showed that the Book of Revelation is the book of the Second Coming of Christ.  We showed that the time period involving the opening of the seven seals is called "the day of the Lord," "the day of judgment," "the day of redemption," and "the revelation of Jesus Christ."  The opening of the seventh seal involves the seven angels who sound the seven trumpets of the day of the Lord.  According to Seiss and others of the pre-trib school, the rapture and resurrection of believers occurs prior to the opening of the first seal, prior to the sounding of the first angelic trumpet.  Yet, this is to be rejected because Paul clearly says that such will occur "at the last trumpet."  This is detrimental to the pre-trib view! 

When we read of what occurs when the seventh and last Apocalyptic trumpet sounds, we find that it is the very rapture and resurrection that Paul had discussed in I Thessalonians chapter four and I Corinthians chapter fifteen. 

"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."  (Rev. 10: 7)

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever...And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."  (Rev. 11: 15, 18)

Who can deny that what takes place at the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet is the very thing Paul talked about in I Thessalonians chapter four and I Corinthians chapter fifteen?  And what Jesus talked about in Matthew twenty four?  Paul called the resurrection and translation of the saints a "mystery."  John says that it is at the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet that "the mystery of God" is "finished."  It is that time when saints receive their reward. 

(Taken from my article in the series, "Post Tribulation Rapture II" - here)