The Rapture Itself - 1st Corinthians 15:50-55
Besides 1 Thessalonians 4-13-18, the Rapture has additional and more confirming material in the Paul's letter to the Corinthians. Here it says:
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O[n] Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1st Corinthians 15:50
In verse 50 it is stated that in our state of flesh and blood for those who are alive when the Lord returns - we cannot be picked up like that and be transported to heaven. So our corrupted bodies it says here cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. If that is the case our current state bodies do not go to heaven as it is corrupted.
1st Corinthians 15:51-52
We shall not al sleep, means we shall not all die. Because those who are alive and remain - are those who are alive at the Rapture event. We shall all be changed in a twinkling of an eye, with some important reference, "the last Trumpet". Because at that sound we shall be changed. "For the trumpet will sound...": It seems here that the Last Trumpet has something to do with a series of trumpets sounds. And at the last trumpet sound the dead will be raised incorruptible... and we shall be changed.
1st Corinthians 15:53-54
Here the story continues with that our bodies shall be changed. Some speculation is allowed here on what that actually means. Because we shall receive in incorruptible body in an instant. Like it is already waiting for us in the clouds. Or it is created the instant when we are raptured up there.
But what happens to the old corrupted body? If I read God correctly maybe some millions of saved people will be raptured. And it might be possible that the Lord in His Wrath will leave our corrupted bodies behind on Earth and have the wicked ones to deal with those. Really, it would also depend what happens next and how fast. Because if the Rapture is very, maybe very very close to the Great Day of the Lord, more is to follow after that shortly. Like a gigantic earthquake world wide, and lots more described in the book of Revelation at the Sixth Seal.
The Rapture Event List (v1.1)
Throughout the articles this list will be adapted. This is to be an chronological event list, we just do not know the time spaces and when it begins/
- God will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel.
- God will descend from heaven with the Trumpet of God.
- A series of trumpet sounds will be heard and at the Last Trumpet will sound...:
- Those who are asleep in Christ will be resurrected, and go to meet the Lord in the air.
- Those who are alive and remain, will go to meet the Lord in the air - in the blink of an eye.
The text here gives additional value to the Rapture meaning. First of all the way the Rapture is performed, and why it is called the Rapture. It is an event performed in a twinkling of an eye.
In the letter to the Thessalonians we see that Christ brings with Him the Trumpet of God. I do not presume then, that it is unused. Also the Trumpet of God does not seem to be used anywhere else in the Bible. This trumpet could be used for this very significant event. So this adds to the sequence that was setup in the previous article.
In the NIV translation interestingly enough it says "and with the trumpet call of God". That is somewhat different from The Trumpet of God... But in both translations it is that God makes the trumpet sound.