Post-Tribulationists believe we as the body of Christ will all be Raptured when Jesus returns at the Second Coming of Christ. What they fail to realise is that this is a time of the "sheep and goat" judgment.
Matt.25:32-34 "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"
On reading farther into the chapter you will see that the nations are judged by works, in other words how they helped others. But the Church, (body of Christ) is saved by Grace. Why should we be judged?
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned.
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life.
The fact is that these people that are gathered together at the Second Coming are what is known as the Tribulation Saints. These are the late comers to Christ that are saved during the Tribulation period because they did not receive the mark of the beast. By this act they have proven that there God is the then coming Messiah and not the beast who claims to be the Christ that has come.
Post-Tribulationists believe that the "last trumpet" blown by the angels in Revelation is the Rapture trumpet found in Thessalonians. They believe that this proves that we will will not be Raptured till the Second Coming. Let us see what the Scriptures have to say.
Before the last trumpet of the angels is blown in Rev. 11:15 we see that the two dead prophets of God are taken up to heaven "in a cloud." Post-Tribulationists seem to feel that this is the Rapture because of 1 Thess..4:16-17 which says,
"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.
Note here that it states that we will go up "in clouds," (the Greek leaves out the word THE). This is plural, meaning many clouds. Why so many clouds. Because there will be so many individuals that are raised up that we all will go up together in clouds like clouds of birds or locust. WE will be as clouds. This is why the plural usage. It will be a one and only event when we are Raptured to heaven just after the dead in Christ are raised. The dead shall be raised in glory and the living transformed into glory. Oh what a display it will be for us who go up in clouds of glory to meet Jesus in the air.
Now at the time of the last trumpet is sounded in Revelation is sounded, we do not see the same event take place. What we see just "before" the trumpet sounds is the two prophets of God resurrected and taken to heaven in a cloud. This is not the same event as seen in Thessalonians so therefore is not the Rapture.
The verse says; "And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 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.� Rev. 11:12-14
Here we run into some real problems. First of all, the raising of the two prophets happens before the so called 7th trumpet of the angels is sounded. This is putting the cart before the horse is it not?
Now if you read the scripture closely, you will see that the two prophets "ascended up to heaven in a cloud." There is no mention of the millions that are raised, nor is there any mention of the dead in Christ being raised. Note two that the both of them go up on the one cloud and not "clouds" of glory, and that all their enemies watch them go.This certainly does not sound like a secret snatching away of believers. Also where is the great glory of transformation? Two men on a cloud sounds very low key at best.
Another reason why Post-Tribulationists state that the last trumpet blown by an angel in Revelation is the Rapture trumpet is because of 1Cor. 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."
There is only one Rapture Trumpet. This is why it is referred as "the" trumpet, (definite article) The trumpet in Revelation is one of many trumpets. In fact it is one of seven and is referred to as "a" trumpet. It is a trumpet of the Angels. The Rapture trumpet as seen in Thessalonians is "the" Trumpet of God is God's alone. In fact it is brought from heaven by God. The Lord himself will come with it.
2 Thess..4:16 "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..."
In Revelation 11, the Lord is absent along with the Archangel. In fact the Archangel doesn't even blow the trumpet, an ordinary angel does.
"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." Rev. 11:15
Again in Matthew we see the angels come with a trumpet and not the Lord.
"And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matt. 24:31
Note too that the trumpet seen here in Matthew is "a" trumpet meaning one of many. It is not THE (singular) Trumpet of the Lord.
The Last Trump in Corinthians was well known to the early Greeks. The term LAST trump was a military phrase used to express that the war was over and that the troops should now be gathered together with the booty of gold and jewels.
"A" trumpet means one of many. Nothing special about it.
"The" trumpet means a special one of a kind trumpet.
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with THE TRUMP OF GOD."
What we have here are two totally different events that take place. One is the Rapture of the Church at the sound of the last trump, and the last trumpet blown to announce the Kingdom of God.
"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."
Richard Vizzutti
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