Christ's resurrection was not intended to be a one-time event.
Bibleref: Adam's sin introduced death into the world. His death became the pattern for all who would follow, because all are born into Adam's sin. Because Adam died, all die. In a similar way, Christ's resurrection from death became the inevitable pattern for all who are forgiven for their sin through faith in Him. Because He was resurrected in His bodily, physical form, all who are in Christ will also be physically resurrected from the grave when the time is right.
Bibleref: Now Paul describes the order in which this will take place, starting with "Christ the firstfruits." Paul refers to Jesus this way since He was the first of the harvest of those who have died to be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:20). Sometime later, all those who belong to Christ will be resurrected at His coming or return to the earth
Enduring Word: Firstfruits is the ancient Greek word aparche. In the Septuagint, this word is used for the offering of firstfruits and in secular usage the word was used for an entrance fee.
Trapp: Jesus was the firstfruits of our resurrection in both senses.
The resurrection of Jesus represents our resurrection, because if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:5). |
1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. |
Scripture adds that after this event, sometimes described as the "resurrection of the church," comes "the end." Christ will take possession of and hand over the Kingdom of God to the Father, but only after destroying—or "dethroning"—every ruler, authority, and power. This may describe either earthly rulers or spiritual powers or both. Whatever has authority in the heavens or on earth will be displaced by Christ as He takes authority over all things. Paul does not go any deeper into the details of the end times, but what he suggests is a battle or war for control over the earth that Christ will ultimately win for the sake of God the Father.
All of this will take place after His followers have been resurrected from the dead, as Christ was.
vs 26-27 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For He has put everything under His feet.
vs 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all."
The final goal of this, and the purpose of all of history and the lives of all who are in Christ and of Christ Himself, is that God will be "all in all." In other words, God's glory will reign supreme over the entire universe.
vs 51-52 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
i. The last trumpet may not refer to the last trumpet of the seven trumpets of Revelation at all, but simply refer to the last trumpet believers hear on this earth.
ii. This last trumpet may be connected with the trumpet of God in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, but not with the trumpets of angels in Revelation 11. A distinction may be made between the trumpet of an angel and the trumpet of God.
iii. Ironside says that the last trumpet was a figure of speech that came from the Roman military, when they broke camp. The first trumpet meant, “strike the tents and prepare to leave”; the second trumpet meant, “fall into line”; the third and last trumpet meant “march away.” This last trumpet describes the Christian’s “marching orders” at the rapture of the Church.
See also: https://www.gotquestions.org/last-trumpet.html
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Feast of Trumpets (Nelson Waters) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMvP8NW-QuA
The rapture does not have to happen on the day of the Feast of Trumpets because no man knows the day or hour (Matthew 24:36) but it is more likely. Consider that the first three spring festivals lined up perfectly with Jesus death, burial resurrection and the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God.
The Feast of Trumpets is the feast whose date is not set – it could be any one of 2 days. This is why it is called the hidden day – the day and hour no one knows.
This is because it falls on the first day of the Hebraic month of Nisan. All Hebraic months begin with the sighting of the new moon. This means that sighting happens at night.
Two witnesses were assigned the task of citing the sliver of the new moon. They would report this sighting to the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin, who would in turn would command the blowing of the shofar. The shofar would be blown with a hundred blasts. The last one being a loud and sustained note known in the Hebraic tradition as the awakening blast because it would awaken all the sleepers that night to let them know that the new year had begun.
So as 1 Thes reminds us that the dead or sleeping in Christ shall rise first, so the awakening blast may be the blast that awakens those who have died in Christ to the resurrection. That would be an awesome fulfillment.
We are also told that before the coming of the Lord the sun moon and stars will be darkened and that there will be dark clouds. If there is no moon visible, it its darkened behind clouds, it would literally be a day that no one could sight the new moon. But God would see it. Matthew 24:36 says that the Father alone knows.
Matthew 24:36 “But about that day or hour no one knows….
The Greek word for knows is oida and it means to have seen or perceived, hence to know
That could mean that “no one knows by seeing”
The Corinthians understanding of the last trumpet would not have been based on the Book of Revelation because it hadn’t been written yet. Also, the 7th trumpet is blown by an angel and Jesus Himself blows the last trumpet.
Zechariah 9:14 Then the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south,
What would first century believers have thought? They would have understood it to be on the feast of trumpets which 100 separate trumpet blasts are blown. The last trumpet blast is a very long sustained note.
Isaiah 27:13 And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Matthew 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
The believers in Corinth would have known about these references to the last trumpet blast on Rosh Hahana. They would have known that it was not that last trumpet ever blown but it was a specific trumpet. The last trumpet blast in a series of 100 on Rosh Hashanah.
Also watch How The 7 Feasts of the Lord Will be Fulfilled in the Tribulation https://youtu.be/L1KtyFQ0V4Y)
7 Churches of Revelation link https://youtu.be/JEURAAIXxG4
See Is there a pre-trib rapture https://jesusplusnothing.com/series/post/pretrib3