Paul's Last Trump, Matthew's Trumpet and John's Seven Trumpets
This is the "shofar showdown" of the New Testament. To see the differences, we have to look past the English word "trumpet" and look at the liturgical context (the Jewish Feasts) and the Greek terminology.
Here is how they break down by timing, purpose, and audience:
1. The Last Trump (Eschatos) — 1 Corinthians 15:52
The Context: This is the Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) shofar. In Jewish tradition, the "Last Trump" w... morePaul's Last Trump, Matthew's Trumpet and John's Seven Trumpets
This is the "shofar showdown" of the New Testament. To see the differences, we have to look past the English word "trumpet" and look at the liturgical context (the Jewish Feasts) and the Greek terminology.
Here is how they break down by timing, purpose, and audience:
1. The Last Trump (Eschatos) — 1 Corinthians 15:52
The Context: This is the Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) shofar. In Jewish tradition, the "Last Trump" was a specific name for the final, long blast of the 100 blasts sounded on this feast.
The Purpose: Transformation and Resurrection. It is specifically for the Church ("we shall all be changed".
The Nature: It happens in a "moment, in the twinkling of an eye." It is a sudden, instantaneous event that gathers the "firstfruits" of the harvest.
2. The Trumpet of the Son of Man (Megas) — Matthew 24:31
The Context: This is the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) shofar. Jesus calls it the "Great Trumpet" (Salpingos Megales). In the Hebrew calendar, this is the Shofar HaGadol blown at the end of the fast to signal the Year of Jubilee.
The Purpose: Gathering the Elect from the four winds. This happens after the Tribulation and the darkening of the sun/moon.
The Nature: It is a visible, global manifestation where all the tribes of the earth mourn because the King has arrived to judge.
3. The Seven Trumpets — Revelation 8–11
The Context: These are War Trumpets or "Alarms" (Joel 2:1). In ancient Israel, trumpets weren't just for feasts; they were for sounding the alarm when the camp was under attack.
The Purpose: To herald the "Wrath of God" and the physical reclamation of the earth. These are judgments on the unbelieving world, not a gathering of the Bride.
The Nature: These are sequential and chronological. The 7th Trumpet in Revelation signals that "the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord."
The Key Takeaway
The "Last Trump" of the Church (Paul) and the "Great Trumpet" of the Judgment (Matthew) are two different bookends. One opens the "Days of Awe" (the Gathering), and the other closes them (the Judgment). If you mix these up, you end up with a theological "collision" where the Church has to be judged along with the world.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
