A105 : by Andy Woods
Last in 1Cor. 15:52 refers to last in a series rather than last ever. If I say first I went to the store and last I went to the laundry I do not mean that I will never go to the laundry again the rest of my life. Rather I only went to the laundry last in relation to going to the store.
This is how last trumpet is used in 1 Cor 15:52. It will be the last trumpet of the church age rather than the last trumpet ever in God's entire program. 1Cor. 15:52 is last not in the sense of a series of trumpets but rather it is the last event of the church age. In other words, it is only last in relation to the other events of the church age (such as Pentecost, the apostasy, the reaching of the full number of Gentiles, etc.).
Note the differences between the trumpet of 1Cor. 15:50-58 and the last trumpet of Revelation 11:15. Many confuse the last trumpet 1Cor. 15 with the last trumpet in Revelation 11.
Pentecost corrects this confusion by observing the numerous differences between the two.
1 Corinthians 15:52 | Revelation 11:15 |
Before wrath | During wrath |
Trump of God | Angelic trump |
Singular trump | Series of trumps |
Resurrection | Before resurrection |
Glory | Judgment |
Instantaneous | Duration (Rev 10:7) |
Church | Israel/Gentiles |
No earthquake | Earthquake |
Last trump of the church age | Last trump of a series |
— J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Comea (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1958), 189-91.
Even the last trumpet in Rev 11 is not the last trumpet ever in God's program since a subsequent trumpet will be sounded at Christ's Second Advent (Matt 24:31).
Also, it is true that Scripture describes two great resurrections (Dan 12:2; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15). However, Paul revealed the mystery (new truth relating to the church age) that the first resurrection unto life is divided into three phases. They include Christ's resurrection, the rapture for all church age saints, and the resurrection for all Old Testament saints and tribulation martyrs at the beginning of the millennium. This order is alluded to through the analogy to Israel's harvest cycle (1Cor. 15:20,23) that took place in three phases as well as Paul's allusion to the regiments in a Roman parade (1Cor. 15:23), which also took place in various phases. Since Paul gave all new truth related to the church age, in 1Cor. 15, he simply explains how the resurrection relates to the new and unforeseen age of the church. Then the second resurrection unto damnation takes place after the millennium before the Great White Throne Judgment.
Also, it does seem that Antichrist will imitate Christ in many ways right down to the length of Christ's ministry. However, I do not want to push this argument too far since I am not sure Christ ministered for exactly 42 Jewish months. To determine the exact duration of Christ's ministry, see Hoehner's Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christb.
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