THE LAST Trump of God!
The Fundamentalists Folly
FUNDAMENTALIST'S TEACHING ON "LAST TRUMP" A CHILD CAN GET A CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE AND LOOK UP "TRUMP" AND "TRUMPET" IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. AND PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER AND HAVE NO TROUBLE. BUT THE "SCHOLASTIC" FUNDAMENTALISTS, BECAUSE OF THEIR TEACHING OF 7 YEAR TRIBULATION, A RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE, FLYING OFF TO HEAVEN, THEN COMING AGAIN WITH CHRIST IN GLORY AT THE END OF THE LAST 3 AND 1/2 YEARS ….. OR 7 YEARS…WELL OF COURSE THEY HAVE TO DIVIDE UP THE "LAST TRUMP." IT'S TIME FOR ME TO ANSWER THEIR ARGUMENTS - Keith Hunt From the book "The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy" by Tim Lahaye and Ed Hindson, we read: LAST TRUMPET! IN I CORINTHIANS 15:52 the apostle Paul teaches that the rapture will take place at the last trumpet. Opponents of pretribulationism say the "last trumpet" statement in this passage indicates that the rapture cannot take place before the Tribulation. They argue that this mention of the last trumpet relates to events at the end of the Tribulation. However, we will see that Paul's "last trumpet" statement harmonizes perfectly with pretribulationism. ("Pre-tribulationism" is the teaching that the "rapture" of the church is BEFORE the great tribulation at the end time - Keith Hunt) Quote: TRUMPETS IN REVELATION Some midtribulationists and posttribulationists attempt to equate the "last trumpet" in I Corinthians 15:52 with the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15-19. Revelation 11:15, however, does not say specifically "last trumpet." It says "the seventh angel sounded." The seventh trumpet is the seventh in a series of judgments. The seventh trumpet is the last in a series of trumpet judgments, but it is not the last judgment in the larger series; seven bowl judgments follow. ANSWER Very clever move they do. They take your mind off the "trumpet" and want you to focus on "judgment." Now Paul in 1 Cor.15 does not talk about "judgment" - he talks about "the last trump" and the church putting on immortality at that time. See it friends in 1 Cor.15:51-54. The context of Paul has nothing to do with "judgment" - he is not speaking about any "judgments" of God on the world. But the fundamentalists here want to get your mind off "resurrection" and "last trumpet" and on the judgments. You need to keep your mind focussed - Keith Hunt Quote: The "last trumpet" of I Corinthians 15:52 is singular, referring to one judgment, not a sequence of seven. Ellicott notes, "There are no sufficient grounds for supposing that there is here any reference to the seventh Apocalyptic trumpet (Rev. xi. 15), or to the seventh and last trumpet" (Ellicott, p.325). ANSWER Again, they want you to focus on "judgments" where Paul does not focus at all. Judgment is not the topic - resurrection is the topic period. What the book of Revelation may add in amplifying the "last trumpet" mentioned in that book is for that book of prophecy. Here Paul is only discussing "resurrection" - Keith Hunt Quote: Henry Thiessen agrees: "If he had thought of this trumpet as one of seven, he would undoubtedly have said something like the following: "For when the trumpets will be sounded and the time comes for the last one to sound, the dead in Christ shall be raised." At any rate, there is no ground for identifying the "trump" in I Cor. 15:52 with the seventh trumpet in Rev. 11:15 (Thiessen, p.56). ANSWER First, what a man says has nothing to do with truth. The Bible is truth, and the Bible "interprets" itself. If you do not let the Bible interpret itself you can come up with as many ideas as there are people on earth. Second, the sentence given that Paul should have said, or could have said, is in fact the sentence given. What could be clearer than "in the twinkling of an eye, AT THE LAST TRUMP, FOR THE TRUMP SHALL SOUND..." Paul is saying exactly what the guy above thins he should have said. The guy is just playing with words, you may say a sentence a little different than I may put it, but at the end of the day, BOTH sentences are saying the same thing. this is the game of "semantics of words" the funny-mentals are playing, just to confuse you again, and get your mind off the plain truth that Paul is talking about "the last trump" - pure and simple. So Paul KNEW there was going to be MORE than ONE trumpet sound at the last days. He does not tell us anywhere in all of his writings HOW he came to know that fact, but obviously he KNEW IT! Maybe when he was being taught directly by Christ (Galatians 2) through the Spirit, he was told. He was NOT inspired to write down for us anything to do with the OTHER trumpet sounds, that was for the apostle John to do in the book of Revelation. Paul was only inspired to talk about the LAST trump and the resurrection of the saints at THAT time. But the last trump, the very phrase, must mean there are other trumpet sound before the last ONE. If clear English does not mean that then words and sentences have no meaning and you may as well throw the Bible out the window, and everything is for grabs. But the Bible does mean what it says in such clear phrases as "the last trump" - it is the last, not the first, not .... the whatever, but it is the LAST! Notice Thiessen is not even sure about the argument he has just put forth, for he says, "At any rate....." and then gives you a blank statement that you do not have to acquaint the "last trump" of Paul with Revelation 11:15. Such is the fancy arguments of men. What men tell you has nothing to do with the truth of the Bible. The truth of the Bible stands on its own, the Bible INTERPRETS itself. You do not need a great PhD from some "theological" school to understand the Bible. Jesus said, "I thank you Father that you have hid these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them unto babes." If you have the mind of a child and you let the Bible interpret itself, you can understand more of what the Bible teaches than ten thousand fellows with their PhD's in theology, who are not being a child in understanding. Quote: In addition, if the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15 and the last trumpet in I Corinthians 15:52 are supposed to reference the same thing, why do many more months of judgment follow the supposed last trumpet in Revelation 11? ANSWER Such a statement is putting ideas into your mind, as IF they are a fact. They want to get you to agree with them, just off the cuff, just from a statement they say, hoping of course you already have smooched up to them in certain "theology" ideas, looking to the "respect of men" that give these guys "honor" within the large Christian "fundamental" world already. The truth of the matter is that if you read the story flow of Revelation you will see that the "judgments" to come at the sound of the last trumpet CAN ALL TAKE PLACE IN ONE LITERAL DAY. IT ONLY TAKES SECONDS FOR GOD TO POUR OUT PLAGUES AND THE SEVEN LAST VIALS FULL OF THE ANGER OF THE LORD. THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON IN MODERN WARFARE CAN ALL HAPPEN IN ONE DAY. THE ARMIES OF THE BEAST AND THE ARMIES OF THE EAST ARE ALREADY IN THAT AREA OF THE WORLD, AT THE LAST DAYS. SEE MY FULL STUDY OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION IN "THE NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE STORY." The fundamentalists have here argued from a wrong understanding of the events to take place at the LAST trump. Quote: TRUMPETS IN CORINTHIANS AND THESSALONIANS In looking at 1 Corinthians 15:52, it is clear the context of this passage is the church age, while the context of Revelation 11 is judgment during the Tribulation. ANSWER That is what they want you to believe, to hold their "7 year tribulation and rapture in the middle" teaching. The truth is BOTH passages are to do with the "church." If you read the context of 1 Cor.15:52 it is certainly to do with the dead and living saints being made immortal. Now, look at the context of Revelation 11:15, read it friends, move on to verse 18. It is talking about the rise of the dead and rewards given to God's prophets and saints. It is ALSO to do with the "church." It is the SEVENTH trumpet, and the other SIX trumpets have ALREADY been mentioned as having taken place BEFORE we get to chapter 11 and verse 15. How simple it is, a child can see it. Both the trump of Paul in 1 Cor.15 and the LAST or seventh trumpet her in Revelation 11 concerns the CHURCH - the SAINTS! Quote: First Corinthians 15:52 better harmonizes with 1 Thessalonians 4:16 NASB, which says, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first." Both passages speak of the rapture, and judgment is absent from both. The trumpets in both are the last or final command that the Lord gives to the church, resulting in the translation of all believers. J. Dwight Pentecost cites the following reasons as to why the "last trumpet" in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and the "trumpet" of 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are different from any of the trumpet judgments in Revelation. ANSWER I'll tackle Dwight Pentecost guy in a moment. Yes, the passages in 1 Cor.15 and 1 Thes.4 are talking about the SAME TIME, the LAST trumpet when the dead and living saints will be made immortal, resurrected or changed in the split-second of the twinkling of an eye. So "judgment" is not found in 1 Cor. 15 and 1 Thes. 4 - judgment on the world and nations. Does it have to be? Does EVERYTHING regarding the whole truth of the whole scene of the last trump, have to be IN EVERY passage regarding the last trumpet sound? Who says God must follow what man thinks how He should put it! Who is man to tell the Lord what to say and when to say it and how often He must say it. Who is man to tell God to follow man's rules. The Eternal does not bow to the dictates of man. God will write other things to add to the same event He wrote about in another book, AS HE SEES FIT! The book of Revelation is a JUDGMENT book as any child can see. The passages in 1 Cor,15:52 and 1 Thes.4:16 are passages of HOPE and ENCOURAGEMENT and PROMISE, for the saints, for the Church of God. Those passages have nothing to do with "judgment" but with promise for the saints of God. Revelation 11:15-19 is not ONLY promise for the saints BUT ALSO the truth that at this same time of the seventh and last trumpet, is also the JUDGMENT of the world and the nations upon it. God often in His word does NOT put ALL truth regarding an event to come in all passages on that event. That is why we have THREE Gospels that are similar in many ways, but also DIFFERENT, with one adding this or putting the same event or discourse in a slightly different way. Hence only by putting all three Gospels TOGETHER is the FULL truth knowable. It is the principle that God uses over and over again in the Holy Bible - here a little, there a little. God has deliberately written His word so, that those who will not search the Scriptures for all that is written on a subject, will FALL and be SNARED, taken in the net of DECEPTION. Okay now for Dwight Pentecost Quote: (1) The trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52... sounds before the wrath of God descends, while... the chronology of Revelation indicates that the trumpet in Revelation 11:15 sounds at the end of the time of wrath.... ANSWER Wow what a HUGE mistake Pentecost makes here. I wonder sometimes if these fellows read the whole Bible, or if their memory was so short it could not remember one verses from the next verse. First, there is no "wrath" of God mentioned in 1 Cor.15. We have seen 1 Cor. 15 is not about "wrath" of anything. It is clearly the facts, the hope, the encouragement, the promise, of the RESURRECTION period! See if you can find the word "wrath" in 1 Cor.15. If you do make sure you email me and tell me where it is. Pentecost tells you this trumpet sounds BEFORE the WRATH of God descends! Now once more you go and read 1 Cor.15 and email me where it is written there that this trump sounds BEFORE the WRATH of God descends. Have fun, finding it. Oh, no good trying to tell Pentecost he was wrong, the guy is dead and does not have to worry about me or you showing him his mistake. He's putting ideas into your head that are NOT THERE!! How's that for honest Bible research? It's why I've told you a number of times on this Website, you do not have to be scared of guys with PhD's in theology, or ones held up by millions as some "great theologian." Now, let's move to Revelation 11:15. Pentecost man tells you the trumpet here sounds at the end of the time of wrath. Really now. I think Pentecost guy stopped reading the book at chapter 11:15. If he had not he would have found chapter 14:14-20 "great winepress of the WRATH of God." Then we have chapter 19:15 "he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the WRATH of the Almighty God." BOTH passages are to do with the very VISIBLE return of Christ. So at the sound of this seventh trumpet, the saints are rewarded, the dead are judged (chap.11:15) and the WRATH of God WILL CONTINUE upon the nations of this earth as Christ comes. The coming of Christ in glory, with a shout of the angel, with the trump of God, when the dead are raised and the living changed, takes place at the very NOISY and LOUD coming of Christ (1 Thes. 4:13-18) and at that time God's WRATH CONTINUES as we have seen in Revelation 14:14-20 and 19:11-16. Is it not possible that God can pour out WRATH before Christ returns visibly and noisily, as in the 6 previous trumpets of Revelation, and then STILL CONTINUE to pour out WRATH as and after Christ, with the saints, returns to earth? YES OF COURSE GOD CAN DO THIS. HE IS GOD! Dwight Pentecost was not God, and Pentecost HAD IT WRONG as to the duration of the WRATH of God. Quote: (2) The trumpet that summons the church is called the trump of God, while the seventh trump is an angel's trumpet.... ANSWER Big deal! The last seven vials are done by angels (see Revelation 16:1) BUT they are STILL called "the WRATH of God upon the earth" (verse 1 also). The silly arguments men come up with BLOWS me away! The trumpets of God are HIS trumpets, even if angels blow them! Why do you think God created angels, just to stand around His throne and praise His name, while plucking on harps? That's what a billion or more people have been told the saints will do for eternity. The truth of the Bible is vastly different. Quote: (3) The trumpet for the church is singular.... ANSWER Another big deal .... well old Pentecost guy thought so. The "singular" of words does not prove truth. Even the plural of words proves not truth. The word Sabbath in Mat.28:1 (translated "week" in the KJV) is in the plural - weeks or sabbaths. Some have tries to use this verse to prove there were TWO Sabbaths in that week of the last Passover when Christ died. But the Greek word "sabbaths" is often plural in other places, where it is obvious one sabbath was meant. The Greek often contains the definite article "the" in places where it makes no sense and is actually a horrible word structure of the sentence if used. New Testament Greek was the "common Greek" of the everyday people, and like much English in the use of everyday people in Britain, it is not the "Queen's English" by any means. So the "singular" argument is grabbing at straws, for a desperation to hold a teaching of fundamentalists folly. Quote: (4) In 1 Thessalonians 4 the voice associated with the sounding of the trumpet summons the dead and the living and consequently is heard before the resurrection. In the Revelation, while a resurrection is mentioned (11:12), the trumpet does not sound until after the resurrection, showing us that two different events must be in view. ANSWER Wwwhhhaaattt!! Now Pentecost shows a classic example of making the Bible say anything you want it to say. The resurrection of 11:12 is about the resurrection of ONLY the two witnesses. See it for yourself, just read verses 1 to 13. This is the resurrection of the CONTEXT, and the context is the two witnesses that have been killed and their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem. To put this specific resurrection (which does not say it is to immortality, it could well be a resurrection to physical life and God moves them in a cloud to the first heaven, from their enemies who behold it all happening) into the context of the resurrection of 1 Cor.15 and 1 Thes.4 is playing with the Bible in ways that the Bible itself does not play with. Nothing in this context supports the two witnesses' resurrection with the general resurrection of the saints which is to happen at the sound of the LAST TRUMP, which in the book of Revelation is to take place in verse 15, AFTER the two witnesses have been resurrected. Yes indeed, TWO resurrections are mentioned here in Revelation 11, but NOT as Pentecost fellow wants you to believe. The TRUMPET sounds for the "dead, that they should be judged and rewards of thy servants the prophets and to the saints" at the sound of the SEVENTH angel TRUMPET sound, which is the LAST trumpet sound in the book of Revelation, which then IS the last trump of Paul in 1 Cor.15, and the same trump as Paul again in 1 Thes.4. It is just that simple to put all these verses together, a young child can do it. Quote: (5) The trumpet in 1 Thessalonians issues in blessing, in life. in glory, while the trumpet in Revelation issues in judgment upon the enemies of God. ANSWER Once more let me say, I have to say for the arguments of fundamentalists like Dwight Pentecost, are so weak and silly, they are amazing for their dumbness! God does not have to list ALL that takes place at the LAST trump in EVERY passage of Scripture. We would not three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, nay include John also, we would have had God just inspire ONE large Gospel, containing all that was done and said, that takes FOUR Gospels to relate to us. God writes it in bits and pieces so we have to put it together like a jigsaw puzzle; try to force the pieces into the wrong place and you get a wrong picture, and in this case, wrong ideas of prophecy; in other cases even more important, wrong ideas, hence false ideas, of SALVATION! Even then Revelation is not JUST about "judgment" but it also contains BLESSINGS for the prophets and saints of God. But it seems people read over this, as Pentecost did, to uphold their teaching of a secret rapture in the middle of a 7 year tribulation, that nowhere is supported by the truth of the passages of the Bible. Quote: (6) In the Thessalonian passage the trumpet sounds "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." In Revelation 10:7 the indication is that the seventh trumpet shall sound over a continued period of time, probably for the duration of the judgments that fall under it, for John speaks of the angel that shall "begin to sound".... ANSWER Once more one passage tells you that AN EVENT at the sound of the LAST trump will (1 Cor.15; 1 Thes.4) take ONLY A SPLIT SECOND to fulfil. The RESURRECTION is that quick, it is immediately as the sound of the trumpet goes out. It is the FIRST thing to happen. John saying "in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall sound, the mystery of God should be finished..." is not telling us SPECIFICALLY HOW LONG the trumpet will sound. Some get the idea the trumpet will be as like a man blows a trumpet, who can only blow a trumpet as long as his breath hold out, which is not very long at all, try blowing into straw and see how long you can blow for. The angels of God can blow the LAST (or any) trump for as long as they or God tells them to blow; the angels are not dependant on physical air to blow a trumpet; many forget that. We know from Paul that when that trump sounds, it is in the twinkling of the eye that the resurrection of the saints takes place. The angels will go forth to one end of heaven to the other and lead them to where Jesus is in the clouds of heaven (see Mat.24:30-31 and 1 Thes.4:13-18). And notice Mat.24:29, all this is AFTER the tribulation of those days. The trumpet may well blow for as long as God desires it, to bring to pass all that this trumpet signifies - the last plagues, the winepress of the wrath of God, the battle of Armageddon, and the Lord Jesus becoming King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev.19"11-16). Quote: (7) The trumpet in 1 Thessalonians is distinctly for the church. Since God is dealing with Israel in particular, and Gentiles in general, in the tribulation, this seventh trumpet, which falls in the period of the tribulation, could not have reference to the church without losing the distinctions between the church and Israel. ANSWER All a bunch of garbage, from people who do not understand God is dealing with not only Israel and the Gentiles BUT ALSO the church, during the great tribulation. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 24 (29-31) that the saints are NOT taken to meet Christ in the clouds UNTIL AFTER the tribulation of those days, (now add 1 Thes.4:13-18) and the previous verses tell you many Christians will be persecuted and even killed during that great tribulation of the last days. The saints do not meet with Christ until after the tribulation of those days - Mat.24:29-31. Pentecost's argument is based upon a false "premise" - you get a wrong foundation and the next step is to build another false teaching from the premise of a false teaching to begin with. You end up going in circles, all built upon a false premise to start with. Quote: (8) The passage in Revelation depicts a great earthquake in which thousands are slain, and the believing remnant that worships God is stricken with fear. In the Thessalonian passage there is no earthquake mentioned.... ANSWER Once more, again and again we see it in the fundamentalists folly, just because all truth and facts are not given in any one passage concerning the same event, they say it is not the same event, so they can hold to their false doctrine of a 7 year tribulation (which is taken from a false understanding of Daniel's 70 week prophecy in Daniel 9) - a false premise, and so a false middle of this last week of 7 years, rapture of the church to heaven. Which then leads to another false doctrine that the second coming of Christ will be in TWO phases, one invisible and the other visible. God often gives a little here and a little there, hence He does not have to tell you a "great earthquake" will take place in every passage dealing with the same time event. It is a way of explaining events that the Lord uses to deliberately keep people blinded to truth, for as shocking as it is to fundamentalists, God is NOT trying to save the whole world in this present age. If He was, then common logic would tell you that Satan is winning the battle, hands down. Such is not the case. God has a plan of salvation as I've expounded to you in depth on this Website. YOU LOOK FOR 7 TRUMPETS IN REVELATION; MOVE ALL ONE BY ONE; YOU COME TO THE 7TH TRUMPET AND YOU SEE REWARDS GIVEN TO THE SAINTS; OTHER VERSES TELL YOU IT WILL BE ON THE SEA OF GLASS WITH CHRIST IN THE CLOUDS. THE SAINTS ARE RESURRECTED YOY PUT VERSE WITH VERSE. THE DAY THE 7TH TRUMPET BLOWS IS RESURRECTION DAY OF THE SAINTS OF ALL AGES. IT IS THE DAY OF THE 7 LAST PLAGUES. IT IS THE DAY JESUS' FEET TOUCH THE MOUNT OF OLIVES [ZECH. 14] ; IT IS THE DAY OF THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON; IT IS THE DAY JESUS IS LORD AND KING OF THIS EARTH. JUST A ONE, TWO, THREE, OF THE EVENTS OF THE LITERAL ONE DAY JESUS RETURNS! GLOTS OF PAIN, SORROW, DLOODSHED, AS JESUS FIGHTS AGAINST THOSE WHO ARE FIGHTING THE EARTH——JESUS WINS THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON, ON THE SAME DAY HE ZECG 14.]
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