RIGHT AHEAD part 5

Welcome to our study on the timing of the Rapture of the Church (no doubt you've figured out I titled this series "Right Ahead" because it's the opposite of Left Behind). Last time, we looked at Jesus' Parable of the Tares, and saw that the Lord said, at the end of the world He would send His angels to take the wicked out from among the righteous (Matthew 13:24-43, 47-49). That is, He will take away the evil ones first; it's His children that will be left behind, not the other way 'round!
   Now we trun our attention to Paul's prophecy of the Rapture-as part of his teaching on the Resurrection- in I Corinthians 15: 51-54.

"Behold, I show 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 are some important clues here as to when Paul believed the Rapture would occur. Notice the phrase, "at the last trump". Now we all know there are seven trumpets sounded during the Tribulation. So, is the last one before those seven? Obviously, for it to be last, it has to be blown after those seven! duh. I'm not playing games here, folks: just going by the plain meaning of the words on the page. 

   Paul informs us the Rapture is the resurrection, and is the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, "Death is swallowed up in victory." You know where Isaiah wrote that, don't you??? It's chapter 25, verse 8. This verse also contains the prophecy, "God will wipe away tears from off all faces", which is fulfilled in Revelation 21: 4 with the arrival of New Jerusalem.

  So, when in time does the prophet place this event? Chapter 25 is Isaiah's song of praise to God. Praise for what? What He did in chapter 24. Like?  He kinda smushed the whole planet, and all the evil people on it. And not the people only, but the evil powers & principalities ruling over them (verse 21). Read it yourself! "Death swallowed up in Victory" is after Satan & his demonic hierarchy are dethroned. Isaiah is post-trib.

   Why aren't you?

 Next: the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!