Is Paul’s Last Trump the Seventh and Last Trumpet of Revelation?

Written by: Gail Green

In the pre-tribulation rapture theory it is said that the last trump of 1 Cr. 15:52 is not the same as the seventh and last trumpet of Revelation 10:7 and 11:15 and to support this conviction the pre-trib teachers have come up with some really interesting arguments. One of those arguments is made by Todd Strandberg of the “Rapture Ready” site. He writes, “How could Paul write about something that had not been revealed yet?” What he is saying is that Paul wrote his book forty years before John received the Revelation and couldn’t  possibly known about the seventh trumpet of Revelation. This is very sad reasoning. Where does Mr. Strandberg think Paul got his information from?

 

When Paul was on the road to Damascus, Jesus came to him personally to make him an apostle, He did not send an angel: Act 22:7-8—And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me? And I answered, who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutes. Paul being blinded by the light of the glory of Jesus asked Him what it was that Jesus wanted him to do (Act 22:10). Jesus told him to go to Damascus and there would be a man there that would tell Paul of the things that was appointed for him to do.
 

When Paul arrived in Damascus he was met by a man named Ananias and this man said to him, “The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One (Jesus), and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.” Then Paul went back to Jerusalem and while he was praying he was in a trance Act 22:18—And saw him (Jesus) saying unto me, make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
 

Paul tells us about what happened after he left Jerusalem in chapter one of Galatians. In verse one he states that he was made an apostle by Jesus and not of or by man. He then tells us in verses fifteen through seventeen that he did not confer with flesh and blood neither did he consult the other Apostles. So, clearly Paul must have received his teachings from Christ Himself the very same person John received the Revelation from. I am quite sure Jesus was well aware of the seventh trump at the time He taught Paul the things he needed to know in order to carry out his ministry to the Gentiles. With that said I am sure you agree that the argument Paul could not have known about the last trump of Revelation is not very logical.

Gal. 1:1—Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;

Gal. 1:15-17—But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

Another good indication that the last trump was not just revealed to Paul or just to John is what Jesus says in Revelation 10:7—But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets (plural).
 

Isa. 27:13—And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
 

Joel 2:1—Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand
 

Matthew 24:31—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.
 

Another argument put forth to deny the last trump Paul speaks of is the same as the last trumpet of Revelation is that Paul’s trump is the trump of God (1 Th. 4:16) and the seventh trumpet is blown by angels. Common sense tells us that if angels are blowing trumpets those trumpets probably belong to God, but so that we are not relying on our common sense alone let’s look at Rev. 8:2—And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. In this verse we have the seven angels standing before God and they were each given a trumpet. It is more than logical to think that if God gave them the trumpets they were His.
 

In conclusion we can see that the arguments used to say that the trumpet Paul talks about is a different trumpet than the last one in Revelation are lame attempts to prove the pre-trib rapture theory; not unlike most of the reasoning behind this false belief that I will be talking more about in the future. I use to believe in the pre-trib myself but after long hard study came to the truth of the matter. I didn’t want to stop believing in the wonderful supernatural way I was being told God was going to save me from the tribulation period but I had to because it is not the truth. I pray that if you are a pre-tribber you earnestly consider what has been said here and if you have any questions please feel free to send me an email. I am more than happy to answer any inquires.
 

God Bless!