THE GOSPEL TRUMPET
1 COR 15:51-52 & 1 THESS 4:15-17
I. THE PROMISE OF CHRIST’S RETURN
A. Not a new doctrine, just a precious promise
B. One that is taken lightly by some
-2 Pet 3:3-4 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
C. One that will be kept - God is not late or running behind schedule
-2 Pet 3:9-10 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;...
-Heb 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
II. THE COMING OF CHRIST DESCRIBED
A. Dead shall be raised incorruptible - arise as from sleep
B. We which are alive and remain shall be Caught up - Gk, Harpazo-to seize or take away with force, rapture
C. We shall all be Changed - to exchange one thing for another, to transform
D. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye - Gk, atomos-that which cannot be cut in two, or divided, indivisible
-Matt 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
E. The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout - an order, a command
-John 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
-Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither,...
F. At the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound - a blast from a trumpet
III. THE TRUMPET
A. The use of a trumpet goes back to the time of Moses and Israel’s wandering in the wilderness
-Num 10:2 Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
B. The first trumpet was for the calling of the assembly, the second for the journeying of the camps
-there were many trumpets made from ram’s horns (shofar) but only two silver trumpets
-the two silver trumpets were ordained by God for a specific purpose
C. The coming of Christ takes place at the sound of the “Last Trumpet” and calls for a journey to begin
-the “Last Trumpet” is not the last tribulation trumpet but a second trumpet symbolized by these two silver trumpets
D. God always sounds a trumpet of preparation and assembly before the trumpet to begin the journey sounds
-If the trumpet described in the text is the second then what is the first?
IV. THE GOSPEL TRUMPET
A. There is only one sound that prepares peoples hearts to meet God, that calls for people to the “Assembly of the saints” - The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, the sound of the grace, mercy and love of God
B. The “Gospel Trumpet” is a call to people from every tongue, tribe and nation to assemble together and prepare for the journey from earth to heaven
C. John the Baptist was the first to sound the “Gospel Trumpet”
-Matt 3:1-3 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
D. The "Gospel Trumpet" was not sounded and then put away but was handed down to every believer in Jesus
-Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
-God intended for the “Gospel Trumpet” to continually sound until Jesus’ return
-Luke 19:13 ...Occupy (Carry on the business) till I come.
E. We should be sounding the "Gospel Trumpet" by every means that is available to us
-testimony, witness, preaching, teaching, song, television, radio, print, cassette and video tape, etc
F. Someone may say “It’s not my responsibility”
1-only the priests of Israel could blow the trumpets, since the priests were God’s representative to the people, then the sound of the trumpet represented the voice of God
-Num 10:8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.
2-today, the church is viewed as a priesthood unto God and is His voice to the world
-1 Pet 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
-1 Pet 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
3-considering this then it only makes sense that the church is responsible for sounding the “Gospel Trumpet”
V. WHO WILL HEAR THE LAST TRUMP?
A. When the second trumpet sounded, the camp began to move regardless of whether people were ready or not
-God didn’t stop the glory cloud and tell the priests to set the Ark of the Covenant down and wait because somebody failed to give heed to the first trumpet and now they’re running behind
-when the trumpet of God sounds at the coming of Christ, He will not hesitate or wait for anybody
B. Only those who gave heed to the first trumpet will be taken when the second trumpet sounds
-God didn’t stop the rain and open the door to the ark for those who didn’t believe Noah
C. There will be no pause between the first “Gospel Trumpet” and the second “Rapture Trumpet“, the second trumpet will sound suddenly, without hesitation “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”
D. The thing that is so distressing today is that there are so few people responding to the call of the “Gospel Trumpet” -there are some churches that are growing and a few that have become “Mega Churches”
but 90 percent of the churches in America have a Sunday morning attendance of 150 or less while millions of people around do not know Christ as their personal savior
E. People aren’t listening, people aren’t responding, people aren’t giving heed to the “Gospel Trumpet”
VI. CONCLUSION
A. As Christians we must stay close to God, we must sound the trumpet, we must pray for the lost, we are all watchmen on the wall
-Isa 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet,...
-Hosea 8:1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth.
B. No man knows the moment of Jesus return or when the “Rapture Trumpet” will sound
C. We have the responsibility of sounding the “Gospel Trumpet” until the “Last Trump” sounds
