THE LAST TRUMP

Photo by B Smith from the patio

 

 

182 - THE LAST TRUMP

June 6, 1962

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

I Corinthians 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.

A wonderful day is coming. Notice, we shall not all sleep, but we all shall be changed. Men say that death and taxes are sure, but this is not quite true. Taxes are certain, but death is not certain for a certain group of believers—for we shall not all sleep—that means die. But every believer included in the “we” shall have his physical body changed.

1/ The word, we, of course is very important. It includes Paul. There are those who say that this Scripture does not have to do with the church, but with the bride which is a feminine body that was erected during the book of Acts. Christ does not have two bodies—He has only one. This Scripture included Paul—after Acts 28: 28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. Did Paul cease having part of this promise and go on to something else?—how ridiculous. This Scripture is for the Church which is His Body.

I Corinthians 12: 12 - 13 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

The body is one, and then the 13th verse, by one Spirit we are baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles—does this sound like it is Jewish? Of course not.

2/ But now this event is a mystery—not revealed before. Not revealed in the Old Testament—not revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ or the Twelve Apostles—it is something brand new.

Martha knew her brother would rise again in the resurrection—but she knew nothing of a Rapture. Christ did not correct her and tell her of the Rapture.

Notice, Paul says this mortal shall put on immortality. What other Scripture does this remind you of?

Philippians 3: 20, 21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

It teaches the same truth. We look for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven, Who shall change our vile bodies. There is one word that describes both of these Scriptures. IT IS THE WORD, IMMINENT. In other words, it can happen at any moment. Nothing needs to precede it.

3/ Let us look at what Jesus Christ said, Luke 21: 11, 12 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

We see that there must be signs and wonders—Earthquakes, and they shall lay hands on you and persecute you. This cannot be the church—this must be the Jew. Read the context, you will find that He is speaking to the Jew—not to the church which is His Body. These signs and wonders are not natural happenings. These things have never happened this way before.

4/ But now notice, Luke 21: 27 And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the cloud with power and great glory.

And here the important word is, THEN. These things, the signs and wonders, must happen, then Christ can come. If He is speaking of the Rapture of the Church, then the Church must go through the tribulation. And I do not think there are any Scriptures that can prove this teaching.

5/ Luke 21: 28 - 32 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

Israel is told when these things begin to happen—look up, lift up your heads, because you will have the natural result—Jesus Christ will be coming back, and you will have the redemption of Israel. In Verse 32 we read that these things, when they happen, that generation can know, it shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled, and the Kingdom is set up. They will not know the day nor the hour, but they will know that His coming is then close at hand. Compare this with I Corinthians 15.

We are not told to look for these things—we are not told about a Kingdom, but we are told that this can happen in a moment—not in a winking, but in the twinkling of an eye,

which is much faster. This mystery can happen at any moment, and we should be looking for it constantly, loving it, cherishing it, and living in the light of it.

6/ When this trumpet sounds, our bodies shall be changed. This Scripture and Philippians 3 speak of the same event, and it is imminent.

7/ Matthew 24: 15 - 21 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Let us take another passage that shows that Jesus Christ did not teach about the Rapture, but His Second Coming during His earthly ministry.

Matthew 24: 11 tells us that before He comes. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

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.

He tells us that the anti-christ will go into the Holy Place and proclaim himself as God. This has to happen before the coming that Christ talks about will take place. So this coming is not imminent. It can’t happen today, because the temple and the Holy City is not even rebuilt. Then notice, verse 22. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

There will be such terrible persecution that the Jews will flee to the mountain or there would be no Jewish flesh saved were not these days shortened. The context shows that this is Jewish, and not the Church which is His Body.

8/ Matthew 24: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

Here Christ uses the parable of the fig tree—when the branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, you know the summer is nigh. And when you see all these things which have been mentioned in this 24th chapter come to pass, you will know that He is near, even at the door, but this is not imminent—these things must be fulfilled first.

9/ I Corinthians 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 Scripture shows us that this is imminent. Here, Paul is not talking about Christ coming back as King, but rather, this is to be the change of the Body.

Psalms 139: 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

He tells us that we are fearfully—and that means precious, or sacredly made. But there is something wrong with our bodies. They grow old, they get sick, and they die. And when the event in our text takes place, our bodies will be changed forever.

AMEN

Ref: 06/06/1962 / 182 - THE LAST TRUMP / 06/12/2022