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TROUBLES WITH TRUMPETS

by Alan Yusko

Many people who attack the pre-trib rapture have all kinds of troubles with the trumpets in the Bible. They falsely claim that the 7th trumpet in the book of Revelation is the same as the last trump which occurs at the rapture! Based on flimsy logic they build their attack against the pre-trib rapture.

I've noticed that many anti-rapture people really do not know what they are talking about. They quickly say something like the evidence of the trumpets points to a post-trib rapture without thinking or researching further. These people attack the pre-trib rapture and accuse pre-tribbers of faulty logic. Well, in reality the tables are turned. Those who use the 7th trumpet of Revelation as an argument really are not thinking. What they say does not make any sense and it does not line up with the Bible.

In this article we will look more closely at the trumpet blasts in the Bible and show that the 'last trump' rapture of blessing is different from the 7th trumpet of judgment in the book of Revelation!

For our first verse lets look at the rapture last trump.

1 Corinthians 15:
51 Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
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.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Thessalonians 4:
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
15 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.
16 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:
17 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.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Notice above in 1 Cor 15 where it describes the rapture as a mystery. This means that Paul is revealing something new. It is a mystery that the Lord through Paul is revealing. At the time of the rapture saved Christians will receive their resurrection body. They will be instantly changed and will meet the Lord in the clouds. From there they will go up together with the Lord to heaven. The verses in 1 Corinthians describe the rapture at the last trump. In 1 Thess 4:16 we are told that a trumpet will sound at the rapture.

The big question really is this: Is that 'last' trumpet blast the same as the 7th trumpet judgment in the book of revelation. This is what the anti-rapture cling to with all their hearts! Lets look at some differences between the last trump rapture and the 7th trumpet of judgment in the book of Revelation.

The first difference to keep in mind is that the rapture is a trumpet blast of blessing for the church. The 7th trumpet judgment is one of great destruction and desolation to the wicked on the earth. These are very big differences! In fact they are not the same trumpet blasts!

Lets look at the trumpet blasts in Revelation. After the rapture the Lord sends His judgments to planet earth. They are unleashed on earth by the opening of 7 seals, the sounding of 7 trumpets, and the pouring out of 7 bowls of the wrath of God. All this happens during the 7 year kingdom of the antichrist. This 7 year kingdom begins when the antichrist rises to power and confirms a covenant with the nation of Israel.

The first thing I want you to notice is at the sounding of the 7th trumpet, there is the beginning of the 7 bowls of the wrath of God. The 7th trumpet is not the end of the judgments of God! Instead, the 7th or last trumpet in the series of 7 marks the beginning of the pouring out of the 7 bowls of the wrath of God. So it really does not make any sense that the Lord Jesus returns at the 7th trumpet because judgment is not yet complete on earth! Judgment will not be complete until after the 7 bowls of the wrath of God are poured out and the battle of Armageddon begins.

Can you see that the arguments of the post tribulation person fall apart right here. The 7th trumpet does not mark the return of the Lord Jesus. It only marks the beginning of the pouring out of the 7 bowls of the wrath of God. In light of this lets look at the verses in Revelation that describe the blowing of the 7th or last trumpet (verse 15 below) and the beginning of the pouring out of the 7 bowls of the wrath of God:

Revelation 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.

Revelation 15
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

I submit to you that the Lord Jesus does NOT return to earth at the 7th trumpet blast in Revelation. Instead, the above verses clearly show the 7 final vials of the wrath of God about to be poured out on earth after the sounding of the 7th trumpet blast!

Here is the next thing to look at. What judgments are the 7 bowls of the wrath of God which are poured out after the 7th or last trumpet judgment? Here is a brief listing:

Bowl Judgments:
-1st Bowl: Terrible and painful sores break out on all who worship beast
-2nd Bowl: Entire ocean becomes blood. All sea life dies
-3rd Bowl: Fresh water becomes blood. No more fresh drinking water
-4th Bowl: Sun increased in heat and scorches and burns people
-5th Bowl: Supernatural darkness on earth
-6th Bowl: Great Eastern army heads toward Armageddon in the Middle East for the final battle
-7th Bowl: Babylon destroyed, massive earthquakes, and 100 pound hailstones devastate earth.

Look at the 6th bowl of the wrath of God. At that point the 200 million man army heads to the Middle East for the battle of Armageddon. Keep in mind the Lord Jesus does not return to earth until the battle of Armageddon. At the 6th bowl of the wrath of God the battle of Armageddon has not even started yet! At this point in time the Eastern Army is simply positioning themselves for their role in the battle of Armageddon. This happens after the 7th trumpet or the last trumpet judgment of the book of Revelation! All this means the Lord Jesus does not return at the 7th or the last trumpet! Instead, He returns at the battle of Armageddon which occurs after the 7 bowl judgments of the wrath of God!

Are you beginning to see how the rapture does not occur at the 7th or last trumpet in the book of Revelation? In fact the Lord Jesus does not even return to earth at the 7th or last trumpet in the book of Revelation! Instead the last trumpet in Revelation is just a continuation of the mighty judgments of God on planet earth. It introduces the 7 bowl judgments. At the end of the bowl judgments is the battle of Armageddon. This is the time the Lord Jesus returns to earth!

On the other hand the last trump of 1 Corinthians is a different trumpet blast than the 7th trumpet of judgment in the book of Revelation. This trumpet is a blast of blessing to all God's people. It marks the rapture and resurrection of the people of God. Here the Lord Jesus returns to the clouds, raptures up His people, and returns to heaven with them. After this event the antichrist will be free to rise to power, sign his 7 year covenant of death with Israel which will trigger the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls of the wrath of God. The last trump for the church is certainly not the last trumpet blast in the Bible.

THE TRUMPET IN MATTHEW 24: AFTER THE 7TH TRUMPET IN REVELATION!

Did you know there was another trumpet blast after the 7th trumpet in the book of Revelation? This blast occurs just after the Lord Jesus returns to earth.

We have shown that the 7th trumpet in the book of Revelation is the trigger for the 7 bowl judgments. The 7th trumpet in Revelation does not signal the return of the Lord Jesus. Instead, it marks the beginning of the 7 bowls of judgment.

The Lord Jesus will return after these 7 bowl judgments at the battle of Armageddon. Let me repeat myself for those who do not hear due to wrongly pre-conceived ideas. The Lord Jesus does not return at the 7th trumpet of judgment in the book of revelation. He returns at the battle of Armageddon which occurs after the 7 bowls of judgment.

There will be another trumpet sounding after the rapture 'last trump' in 1 Corinthians and after the 7th trumpet of judgment in the book of revelation. This trumpet occurs at the physical return of the Lord Jesus when the Lord sends forth His angels. Here is a description of that event:

Matthew 24
30 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.
31 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.

At this trumpet, the angels of the Lord will go forth and gather His elect. They will also be grabbing all the wicked for judgment and destruction. At any rate, these verses show that there will be another trumpet blast just after the Lord Jesus returns to earth. This will happen after the 7th trumpet of judgment in the book of revelation.

CONCLUSION

Here is the sequence of trumpet blasts:

1) 1 Corinthians shows the 'last trump' blast of blessing for the Church. This is a trumpet of blessing at the rapture of the Church.

2) Revelation 11 shows the 7th trumpet blast in a series of 7 trumpets of judgments. This blast does not mark the return of the Lord Jesus. Instead it begins the 7 bowls of the wrath of God which will be poured out upon the earth.

3) Matthew 24 shows a trumpet blast as the Lord Jesus sends His angels forth the gather the righteous and the wicked. This occurs just after the physical return of the Lord Jesus.

I certainly hope the trumpets will not be a stumbling stone any longer. There is no way the 7th trumpet of judgment in the book of Revelation is the same trumpet of blessing at the rapture. Also we have shown in Matt 24, how another trumpet blast will go off after the Lord Jesus returns to earth.

Therefore, there is really no excuse for a person to go around saying the rapture occurs at the 7th trumpet in the book of Revelation. In reality such a statement only shows ones ignorance of Scripture or ones unteacheable heart.

I think this article has made a very clear distinction between three separate trumpet blasts that occur at different times in Bible prophecy. One trumpet is blessing as the Church is raptured. Another signals the 7 bowl judgments of the wrath of God. And the final trumpet occurs after the Lord Jesus returns to earth.

Remember the three different blasts of the trumpet and they are not the same!
1) The rapture trumpet in 1 Cor.
2) The 7th trumpet of judgment during the 7 year tribulation
3) The trumpet after the Lord Jesus returns




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