The last trumpet – When?

Looking at the text in first Thessalonians four, starting with verse fifteen, it is evident that the expression “survive to the presence of the Lord” means to reach its very beginning, descriptively termed the ‘coming’ or ‘arrival;’ hence, rendering the content of this expression as “survive to the coming of the Lord” as the starting point of the Parousia, is more meaningful and true to the original Greek, because a Parousia by definition is necessarily brought about by the coming of the person to be present.

Furthermore, it is clearly implied that a person who “survives to” the very point of coming of the one to be present, does not have to continue surviving during the ongoing presence that follows its start. All such hardships and trying conditions would cease having relevance for those who survived such up to and until the exact point of arrival of the one to be present. Since the coming of Jesus will be with “God’s trumpet” and for the express purpose of ‘catching away’ the survivors, it becomes evident that no holy ones will be on hand, after the momentary arrival of Jesus, to continue living on earth during his ongoing presence. Hence, the holy ones alive today have yet to “survive to the [coming and consequent] presence of the Lord” which, according to his very own word occurs “immediately after the [great] tribulation,” when he will be “coming on the clouds of heaven…with a great trumpet sound” to “gather his chosen ones together” to “meet the Lord in the air.”

What, though, about those who don’t survive to his coming, who have already fallen asleep in death, are they forgotten? Those who survive to his coming certainly seem to have an advantage by not even needing a resurrection! To address this seeming disadvantage, Paul explains that the living who survive to the coming of the Lord shall in no way precede ‘those who have fallen asleep in death.’ But precede them to what? Obviously to being caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air when he arrives on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Does that mean then, that ‘those who have fallen asleep in death’ will precede those who survive, by meeting the Lord in the air prior to them? They certainly will “rise first.” But “rise” to what? To meet the Lord in the air without us, the surviving ones? No, they have to “rise first” from the dead and join “the living” by means of resurrection before they can, “together with” those “who survive,” get “caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”

How long might this resurrection take? In first Corinthians 15 verse 51, Paul tells us that this resurrection takes only a split-second, at, or, during which, the last trumpet is blown. At this very moment something spectacular happens, in that along with those asleep in death, who are brought back to life, there occurs also the change into glorious spirit beings of those who are surviving, all together being glorified and revealed along with Jesus before the whole world of onlookers. Clearly, the interval between the ‘rising of the dead’ and the ‘changing’ of the survivors is the length of “the twinkling of an eye,” because those “who are surviving will, together with them, [Greek “at the same time with them”] be caught away to meet the Lord in the air.”

Evidently, no group will precede the other in reaching heaven first. Not all will fall asleep in death, not all will survive, but all shall be changed simultaneously, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, when Jesus comes on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory!

This sacred secret has thus far been hidden from the organization who has Jesus coming in 1914 for the second time, and then again in 1919 for the third time to resurrect approximately 40000 anointed ones to heaven to start ruling without the rest, followed by a whole century during which another 80000 or so get changed at their natural death, followed by his fourth coming some time soon, to change the remaining 8000 odd anointed, unless, of course, they also live out their natural live-span during the millennial reign - all this makes Jehovah look very disorganized indeed! What if he decides to turn the reproach we have heaped on him back on us? The truth is so simple and beautiful, until those wanting to read their preconceived ideas into it, set about turning it into a tangled mess.