THE LAST TRUMP #4

Photo by B Smith for the Kitchen Door

 

 

182-4 THE LAST TRUMP #4

July 3, 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.

This is a glorious event that will take place soon. Last week and the weeks preceding this, we have been showing you this is for the Church the Body of Christ. 

1/  Let us continue looking at this portion of Scripture that is for us, the Body of Christ. With the Scripture we are studying, there is one word, IMMINENT. That means this event can happen at any time.

2/  We told you this event was not prophesied. It is an unprophesied portion  of Scripture. It is an unprophesied event. The Old Testament prophets, the Twelve Apostles, Jesus Christ, never talked or taught of this event. Nothing need happen, no event needs to take place before this Rapture can happen. But that which Jesus Christ talked about was a prophesied event, and was not imminent. 

Let us take, for instance, Matthew 24: 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Matthew 24: 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Before you can get to Matthew 24: 27 you must see that the AntiChrist of the 11th verse must come upon the scene. Paul tells us that the man of sin cannot be revealed until after the Rapture takes place.

II Thessalonians 2: 3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

For that day cannot come except there come a falling away first, and that means the catching away—a departure, and then the man of sin can be revealed. So you can see the order of what Christ talked about is reversed by Paul. So they are not talking of the same thing, the same event.

3/  But now let us look at Matthew 24: 32 - 36 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Here, I think we are agreed that the fig tree is Israel. So when you see all these things, know it is near, even at the door. Notice the word KNOW. Not merely surmise, or imagine, or think, but they are to know. Know that His coming is near—so near it is even at the doors. Paul never talks like this. See if you can find any time that Paul talks about the Appearing of Christ in this manner.

4/  Then He tells them, this generation shall not pass until all these things be fulfilled. Again, Paul never mentions anything like this at all. But Jesus Christ is saying that the Jews living in the Tribulation (after we are Raptured) shall see all these things and know that their Messiah’s coming is close at hand.

5/  What does it mean by generation? For it is clearly stated a generation of people are not to pass before all these events are fulfilled. What is a generation? Scofield says a generation means the Jewish Nation, and this means the Jewish Nation will continue on and not be wiped out. This is not the interpretation of this Scripture. With all due respect to Scofield, I must disagree. For our Lord is not talking of the continuance of Israel, for notice in verse 34, If the Jews are not to pass away until all these things be fulfilled, then by implication, they, the Jews, will pass away when all these things are fulfilled. The word, until, would limit the time of Jewish continuance.

6/  But let’s see how the word, generation is used in other portions of the Gospel of Matthew. 

Matthew 23: 35, 36 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

Here we have a key that will help us with the word generation. For our Lord pronounces judgment upon one generation. For He says the judgment will come upon this generation—the one that was living at that time that He was upon earth. It could not possibly mean the continuance of the Nation Israel. One must be very careful how he interprets the Word. So we must be careful to recognize what the word, generation, means. So Christ is teaching that one generation living at the time that all these signs come to pass will not pass away until all these things be fulfilled and Christ returns to set up His Kingdom.

7/  All this was literally fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 71 AD. Paul does not tell us that one generation can know by certain signs that the Lord will Appear in the Heavens. In the Age of Grace there are no signs and/or wonders because we have the complete Word of God today.)

8/  Matthew 12: 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

This verse tells us of a generation, and it cannot refer to the whole Jewish Nation, but the Jews during that time when Christ was speaking, for they had had a special privilege of seeing and hearing God’s Christ, and for this reason, God would send special judgment upon them. 

Then notice Matthew 12: 42  The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

The Queen of Sheba will condemn, not all Jews, but the particular generation which rejected Christ.

9/  How long is a generation? Some say 20, some say 33 years.

Psalms 95: 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

The Psalmist says, Forty years long was I grieved with this generation. The fact is a generation is no definite period of time. My generation is my life-time—but since no one knows how long I will live, we cannot say how long a generation really is. But here it is seven years.

10/  Matthew 25: 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Here it tells us of Jesus Christ sitting upon a throne on earth. Paul never talks about this. He never tells us that Christ is going to sit upon a throne on this earth. So Paul and Christ have to be speaking about entirely different events.

11/  Let us notice the order of the events that Paul describes.

I Thessalonians 4: 16 - 18  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.

Here are six things I want you to see from this passage.

1. The Lord, Himself shall descend from Heaven.
2. The Lord will shout—the voice of the arch-angel, the trump of God.
3. Dead in Christ shall rise first.
4. Those who are alive and remain and are saved shall be caught up.
5. To meet the Lord in the air.
6. So shall we ever be with the Lord.

12/  First of all, the Lord will come for us personally. He does not send Michael or Gabriel for us.

13/  The shout will be by the Lord Jesus Christ. The word, shout, is a word that is a military word. It is a command. Such as the shout of a military officer giving a command—forward march!

14/  Then the voice of the arch-angel. The word, arch, means first and chief. So Michael is the chief angel—and there is only one chief angel. Gabriel is not an arch-angel or a chief angel. Michael is a soldier, and his voice speaks of a call to arms.

15/  The trump of God. This is not the trump that is mentioned in 

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.

This is a trumpet sounded by an angel, and it is not the trump of God, so it is not one and the same. Trumpets are spoken of over and over again in the Bible. In the history of Israel, in the book of Numbers, two silver trumpets are mentioned: One trumpet was used when the nation was ready to march on its journey to the Promised Land. The other trumpet was used as a call to arms, the battle was ready to start, and as we are caught up to be with the Lord, this is the last trump, because it signals our journey to be with the Lord, that the battle on earth is ready to start.

Do you know the Lord as your very own personal Saviour?  Are you watching for His Appearing in the Heavens? Are you listening for His shout and sound of His trumpet? 

There is a crown, a reward for all those that love Him and look for His Appearing in the Heavens to catch us away before the terrible Tribulation that will immediately begin once all His Beloved are safely away.

II Timothy 4: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Are you ready to receive your CROWN OF HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS?

AMEN

Ref: 07/03/1962 / 182-4 THE LAST TRUMP / 07/24/2022

THE LAST TRUMP #3

Photo by B Smith from the patio

 

 

182-3 - THE LAST TRUMP #3

June 20, 1962

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

I Corinthians 15: 51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Last week we showed you the folly of those who have no dispensational beliefs, or a faulty belief. They fail to see that the Rapture of the Church, which is His Body, is a Pauline truth, revealed only by Paul.

1/ But the extremists claim that I Corinthians 15 is Jewish because it was written before Acts 28: 28 and the Church did not start until after Acts 28: 28. This view is no better than the other one—it is just as faulty.

2/ To begin with, we must see the difference between Jesus Christ Rapturing His Church, and Jesus Christ coming back to set up His Kingdom. Let us look at His Second Coming which is not the Rapture.

Jeremiah 23: 5, 6  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.

So you can see when Christ comes back to sit upon His Throne it is for the Twelve Tribes of Israel, it is Jewish.

3/ But before this event can take place certain things must come to pass.

Luke 21: 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

But before this can happen…

Luke 21: 11, 12 must come to pass.  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.

There must be signs and wonders—earthquakes—famines—pestilence and fearful sights in Heaven. These are not the ordinary happenings of today. These are supernatural happenings.

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 is another thing to notice about the Second Coming of Christ. When they see these things begin to happen, the Jews should look up—they are to lift up their heads for their redemption draweth nigh. And then He gives them an illustration—a parable of the fig tree. When you see the shoots come forth, you know that summer is nigh at hand. So when you see these things start to happen—all these supernatural things, you know that the kingdom of God is near at hand. Then in Verse 32 this generation shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled. They will not know the day nor the hour, but they know that all these things shall take place, and be climaxed with the Return of Jesus Christ.

Then we notice that Luke tells us that all these things will happen in one generation. This is God’s promise.

You know nothing about this in 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.

I Thessalonians 4: 16 - 18  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.

There is one word that describes I Corinthians 15, that is the word, IMMINENT. In other words, it can happen at any time, without any other event preceding it. So how can I Corinthians 15 be the same as Luke 21.

5/  Matthew 24: 15 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:)

Here we are told that the Anti-Christ must appear before the Lord returns. This is another stipulation that is a roadblock before Christ sets up His Kingdom.

6/  Then it tells us the Trumpet will sound, and it is called the Last Trumpet. The unsaved world, or society, will not hear the trumpet. They will just be amazed because their loved ones who are saved have turned up missing. But they will try to rationalize and explain away their disappearance.

7/ I Thessalonians 5: 1- 3 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

To prove that the world will know nothing about the blowing of the Last Trumpet and they will not hear it…in this Scripture, the Rapture has already taken place in Chapter 4, and The Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. A thief comes in silently and takes away precious things. And there are no signs pertaining to a thief coming. If he has signs, he is not a thief—he will get caught. A thief comes unexpectedly with no warning. This is important for us to see. The Tribulation and the Rapture will start simultaneously without any warning, without any signs. So this must be different from what Paul is talking about in I Corinthians 15. And the world will know nothing about it. It will come upon them when they talk about peace and safety. Does this not sound like our day?

A businessman said to me the other night, that he had read in the New York Times, the only hope for our civilization is that mankind will become so involved in space, and the exploration of space, that he would forget about his earthly troubles and stop fighting and squabbling. Sounds good, but it will never happen.

8/ It will be like Lot and his family. They were hurried out of Sodom very early in the morning, before the inhabitants were up and going about their daily affairs or business ventures. The inhabitants of Sodom knew nothing about the departure of Lot and his family.

Genisis 19: 15  And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

9/ I Corinthians 15: 51 - 54 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. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

At this time, when this last trumpet sounds, to the Church which is His Body, death is still an enemy. Death still has a sting—the grave is still the victor. Go to the mortuary—go to the funeral service—go to the graveside—you’ll see this victory—you’ll see the sting of death.

I 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.

We sorrow not even as the rest that have no hope. We sorrow but there is hope in our sorrow. Yes, death is still a dreaded enemy. You may hear it said that death is a natural thing—but there is nothing natural about death—death is unnatural. God did not create man to die, He created him to live. But sin has caused all of this.

10/ I Corinthians 15: 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Death is swallowed up because of this experience that is a mystery. When those who are dead in Christ, and those who are living in Christ shall have their bodies changed like the Lord Jesus Christ—IT IS A COMPLETE VICTORY. The words, Death is swallowed up in victory, and the words, swallowed up, mean a complete end. Now let us look at the order of the events.

I Thessalonians 4: 16 - 18 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.

The Lord Himself shall descend—He will not leave it up to anyone else, but He will come for us. Then the Lord will shout. The word, shout, is a peculiar word—it is a command. It is the shout of a military officer—shouting, forward march.

John 11: 43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

Here, Jesus Christ shouted—spoke with a loud voice, and the dead man’s body came forth. The Lord will shout to the dead, and their bodies will come forth from the grave, and then death will not be victor—no more sting in death.

11/  Next will be the Voice of the Archangel. The word, arch, means first or chief. So Michael is the first or chief angel. There is only one archangel. Gabriel is not an archangel, so it is important for us to understand why Michael the archangel, the chief angel will speak.

12/  Michael is a soldier and his voice is a CALL TO ARMS, and Gabriel is God’s Ambassador. 

Revelations 12: 7 - 9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Here we are told that Michael and his angels fought against the devil and his dragons. And since the Tribulation will start and it will be a terrible day of slaughter, it will be a call to arms.

Joel 2: 1, 2 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

13/ Now, let us look at the Trump of God. Trumpets are spoken of over and over again in the Bible. In the history of Israel, in the book of Numbers, two silver trumpets are mentioned. One trumpet was used when the Nation Israel was ready to march on the journey to the Promised Land. The other trumpet was used as a call to arms, a battle that is ready to start.

14/  Then the Romans would understand, the word, last trumpet. When a Roman camp was to be broken up, whether in the middle of the night or in the day, a trumpet was sounded. The first blast meant strike tents and prepare to depart. The second meant fall in line, and then the last trump was sounded which means march away.

15/  Then notice, it is the TRUMP of God—not an angel’s trump—this is important.

AMEN

Ref: 06/20/1962 / 182-3 THE LAST TRUMP #3 / 07/24/2022