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| Photo by B Smith from the patio |
182 - 2 - THE LAST TRUMP #2
JUNE 13, 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.
We want to consider a wonderful day that is coming. The last trump of God shall sound, and we shall be changed. We who are mortals shall be made immortal. There are two things we want to consider tonight.
1/ First of all, let us consider the faulty dispensationalist. He is the one who fails to recognize that the Rapture—the event described in this Scripture is Pauline. He just lumps it together with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Notice, first of all, I Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
This is a mystery, and a mystery is something that has not been revealed up to this time—it is a new truth, starting with Paul. Let us look at The Coming Again that Christ presented, and The Appearing that Paul teaches.
2/ Matthew 24: 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
What shall be the sign of Thy coming? What coming did the disciples have in mind, and what coming did Jesus Christ speak about? Let us analyze it.
Matthew 24: 6 - 9 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
In answer to the question that the disciples asked, Jesus Christ answered them by telling them, Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars—nation shall rise against nation, and the 8th verse says, …all these are the beginning of sorrows which literally means, suffering.
Then the next word, then, is a key. Because when all these things happen, they shall deliver you up to be afflicted. This can happen only after these other things have taken place. If Christ is talking about the Rapture of the Church, then the Church must go through the Tribulation. And we know this is impossible when we study the writings of Paul, so we first see we have a contradiction which is brought about by faulty dispensationalism. Christ is not talking about the Rapture, but the actual Second Coming when He shall come back to this earth physically.
3/ Then notice, Matthew 24: 29, 30 Three words are important here.
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.
Immediately—after—then. Notice, He is speaking about the Tribulation. This is the Great Tribulation, the last three and a half years of this awful period of time. So, immediately after the Tribulation, something is going to happen. It is not before, during, but immediately after the Tribulation. Then Verse 30 tells us THEN shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of Man coming in clouds of Heaven in power and great glory.
If this is for the Church, then the Church will have to go through the Tribulation, because the coming that Christ describes will not take place until after the Tribulation—then He shall come. This robs us of all joy concerning His Appearing, and the teachings of Paul become valueless. This coming is not a blessed hope—it is not a beneficial hope, but true dispensationalism does not get us into this dilemma—the Rapture is Pauline.
4/ Let us look at another Scripture where Christ talked about His coming.
Luke 21: 35, 36 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
This time shall come upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth—none shall escape. And then the instruction is, Watch ye therefore and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man.
If this is talking of the Church as the faulty dispensationalists tell us, then only those accounted worthy will be caught up and escape these things that are going to come to pass, and so we have not only the Church going through the Tribulation, but we have proof of a partial Rapture, that only a segment of the church that are accounted worthy, who are watching and praying may be caught up. Some will try to answer this by saying all who are saved are accounted worthy, but that is not the condition that is presented here. It is only those who watch and pray always that are accounted worthy. Faulty dispensationalism is a very dangerous thing and leads to many unscriptural teachings and dishonoring doctrines. Folks say, what difference does it make whether you are a dispensationalist? Here is living proof of the folly of not rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
II Timothy 2: 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
These people are constantly ashamed because their doctrines do not dove-tail.
5/ Then, secondly, those who abuse dispensationalism by carrying it too far. Hence those who are called Bullingerites or ultra-dispensationalists destroy dispensationalism by their extreme views.
Let us compare this Scripture, 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.
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.
The Bullingerites tell us that our portion in Corinthians is not talking about the same event as in Philippians 3, but as we compare them, we find that Philippians 3 was written after Acts 28: 28 and is one of the prison epistles. And I Corinthians 15 was written during the Acts period. So if these two are talking about the same event, then the Bullingerites theory is exploded. When we compare the two Scriptures, we find both talk about the body being changed, and both tell us this event happened at a moment’s notice. The word, IMMINENT, applies to both. There is no need for anything else to happen before these events can take place. There are not restricting events prophesied. That which happens in I Corinthians 15 can happen today. And that which happens in Philippians 3: 21 can take place today.
6/ But, if I Corinthians 15 as our Bullingerite friends tell us, is Jewish, it cannot have the word, IMMINENT applied to it.
7/ Luke 21: 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Here, Jesus Christ talks about the Son of Man coming in great glory. But if we look back and get the context of this coming, we find, in 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.
The fact that there must be signs, wonders and earthquakes, and then, shall the Son of Man be seen coming means that you certainly cannot apply the word, IMMINENT to these events.
Paul makes no qualifying events necessary for HIs Appearing in I Corinthians 15.
8/ 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.
Here we are told that when these things begin to happen, look up, lift up your heads because Jesus Christ is coming back. And then in Verse 32 The generation that sees these things shall know it shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled. They will not know the day or the hour, but they will know it is close at hand.
Certainly, Paul does not bring anything out like this in I Corinthians 15.
9/ 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.
As Christ talks about His coming again, He tells us in Matthew 24: 15 that the anti-Christ will go into the Holy Place, proclaim Himself as God.
This has to happen before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will take place. This coming is not IMMINENT, but is dependent upon the Anti-Christ appearing on the earthly horizon first.
Paul does not tell us that in I Corinthians 15. This Scripture from the Great Resurrection chapter is IMMINENT, and therefore, it is not Jewish. It is for the Church.
AMEN
Ref: 06/13/1962 / 182-2 THE LAST TRUMP #2 / 07/17/2022
