The Last Trump
The Trumpet Sound and The Rapture of the Church
Num 10:2 Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
Trumpets were used by Israel during the time of Moses to call the people together, they were also used to tell the people when it was time to set out on their journey in the wilderness.
1 Cor 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
In this verse we see that the trumpet is an instrument used to call people to prepare to do battle or to a certain activity.
1Thes 4:14-18 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
This passage describes the rapture of the church, the resurrection of body of Christ. The spirits of all believers who die before the rapture of the Church will return with Christ, when He comes for His Church at the time of the rapture, and they will be resurrected first and given new glorified bodies. Immediately following the resurrection of those who died during the Church age, the Christians who are still alive on the earth at the time of the rapture will also be given new glorified bodies and they will meet the Lord in the air. This will be preceded with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. The trumpet is used for the calling of the assembly of all true Christians, those who believe in Jesus Christ during this Church age. Everyone who ever believed in Jesus Christ will at that time hear the call of the Lord, no one will be deaf to the call, not one believer will be left behind.
1 Cor 15:51-53 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
This passage is also referring to the rapture of the Church, the body of Christ. This is the same event as described in 1Thes 4:14-18, where the term, last trump, is not used. The last trump is a term used here to signify that this is the last event of the Church age, it is the last command that will ever be given to the Church. This is not the last trumpet that will ever sound, this is only the last event to take place in the Church age, the calling together of the body of Christ.
Matt 24:29-31 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
After the tribulation there will be another calling together of believers, all those who came to believe in Jesus Christ during the tribulation period. Again a trumpet will be sounded to call the assembly together. In this passage the sound of the trumpet is not referred to as the last trump, it is only referred to as a great sound of a trumpet. It must be remembered that the elect referred to here are tribulation saints, they arenot part of the body of Christ, the Church. The Lord has elected to save people throughout the ages. There are old testament saints, new testament saints, tribulation saints, and millennium saints; each group is different from the other, although all are saved in the same way, by grace through faith.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
The sounding of each of the seven trumpets will mark the beginning of a new and terrifying judgment upon the earth during the Great Tribulation.
Rev 11:15 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.
This is the last reference to the sound of a trumpet in the bible, and it does not have any reference to any kind of calling together. It is an announcement of judgment.
All Scripture taken from King James Bible
* Bible Studies by Max Swan
Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (NAS) Jer 9:23-24