Since about 59 A.D. when the Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian church, Christians have wondered aloud about its concluding words. In chapter 15, he wrote in dramatic words about Christ’s resurrection as the “firstfruits of them that slept,” followed by “they that are Christ’s at his coming.” After that, he wrote, “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God…” He then went on to explain the very nature of resurrection; its instantaneous and unexpected nature; its unbelievable speed; its glory! “Death is swallowed up in victory!” Paul’s encouraging language has inspired believers in a very special way.

He also wrote, “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” (I Cor. 15:52). This is the “Last Trump” that has intrigued millions of Christians throughout the Church Age. When does it sound? Before the Tribulation? Or, could it be the trumpet blown by the Seventh Angel, in Revelation 10:7? If so, the rapture and resurrection of the Church would be a midtribulational event. This “blessed hope” would come after an unprecedented barrage of divine judgments. In fact, only after the horrors of the Seven Seals and Seven Trumpets would the “last trump” sound, signaling the Rapture.

But Christians who view the Church Age as a pretribulational event say, “No! The Last Trump is identical with the ‘trump of God’ in 1 Thessalonians 4. It marks the catching- away of the Church, well before the Tribulation, and long before the seven Trumpet Judgments. Can we be really be sure about these things? Gary’s presentation provides real clarity for this ongoing and passionate debate.