A layman's commentary on Matthew 24 verses 44 through 51. Be alert because you do not know the hour.

 Let's end this dive into Matthew 24.

Our last look into Matthew 24 gave us this:

“Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will return. You realize that if a homeowner had known at what time of the night a thief was coming, he would have stayed awake. He would not have let the thief break into his house. Therefore, you, too, must be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.”
Matthew 24:42-44 GW

In addition to not being deceived, Jesus asks us to be alert and stay awake – not literally. Still, it certainly conveys the idea that those of us who trust in Jesus' word are to pay attention to the signs we are NOW experiencing.

"Who is the faithful and sensible servant whose master puts him in charge of the household staff, to give them their food at the proper time?”
Matthew 24:45 CJB

Referring to you as a servant would almost be insulting, but Jesus did. I have a question.

Do servants have an option to question the master's commands?

Not unless they have an extraordinary relationship with the master, but even then, they probably know that there is a line that should never be crossed. Well, if Jesus is calling us servants, then perhaps we should pay attention and be alert.

Who is Jesus referring to when He speaks of servants who have been put in charge of the household staff to give them their food at the proper time?

Since the subject matter is the Jewish people and their culture, then would it surprise you if I told you that He is talking about the religious leadership of Israel.

Can I apply this to myself?

I am and you would be wise to quickly do the same.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary indicates that this is a test and implies that even the care of the earth has been under our influence. I would say that our corporate leaders have failed miserably as we sought the almighty dollar to excesses. It sounds like we are under the law, and to a degree, we are, for the law was the only reasonable substitute since the earth, through Adam, fell under the curse.

The response to the question, “who is the faithful and sensible servant,” comes in verse 46.

“It will go well with that servant if he is found doing his job when his master comes.” Matthew 24:46 CJB

This speaks about God's judgment, the seven years of wrath that will be poured out upon:

1. The nations – this includes all who reject Jesus, the Messiah.

2. The Jewish leadership: for teaching others to reject Yeshua, for rejecting the Messiah, who is spelled out explicitly in the Torah, and all while tormenting those who would accept Jesus as the Messiah.

3. And He is going to pour out His wrath upon those who have killed the people and destroyed the earth in their quest for wealth.

What is our job?

Preach the good news whenever possible and wait eagerly for His return.

A parable, titled by the modern translators, reads like this.

“You Must Be Ready”

Luke 12:35 CJB "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit,”

Verse 35 should have a familiar ring to it.

It sounds like our Lord pulled aspects from “The Parable of the Ten Virgins,” which we find in Matthew 25:1-13. All of them took oil lamps, while half took additional oil in case the night went longer than expected. Those who did not bring extra oil became arrogant and demanding when their lamps ran out. (Keep in mind that they had the same opportunity to prepare.) Sounds like half of them just weren't all that interested.

If you are stumbling because of the parable of the ten virgins, then you should know I was accosted by a brother at church, who publicly challenged me as to why I was advocating for Jesus' soon return. He said, we have been looking for Jesus for over two thousand years, and He hasn't come back; He is NOT coming back any time soon, so stop already.

Luke 12:36 CJB “like people waiting for their master's return after a wedding feast; so that when he comes and knocks, they will open the door for him without delay.

Matthew 22 speaks of those gathered from the Gentiles.

"Then he *said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.' "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”
Matthew 22:8-10 NASB

Let's look at this portion of the paragraph for a moment.

“ but those who were invited were not worthy.”

Initially, who were the invited?

Israel, or better stated, the descendants of Abraham.

The word “worthy” is the Hebrew word áxios. According to Mounce's dictionary, it means worthy of or deserving, either good or evil. Initially, God declared Abraham and his descendants áxios, or worthy of good (or evil, which we see in Deuteronomy 28 – the blessings and cursings if you do not follow after God).

Interesting how the slaves, doing what the master said, found in the streets both evil and good, and with these people, they filled the wedding hall with dinner guests. In general. Here is a touch of sarcasm. It does not take long to notice that this group included worthy people like Caleb (he was not a descendant of Jacob and, therefore, a Gentile.)

Aren't you glad God found us.

But Matthew 22:11 gives us a piece of perplexing information.

"But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he *said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless.”
Matthew 22:11-12 NASB

Seeing as we have an overabundance of homeless living on our streets, you would be hard-pressed to find any with “wedding clothes.”

Finis Jennings Dake conveys this. 

“The poorer classes would not have festive apparel, and they were therefore provided for by the king from his own extensive wardrobe. This is one of the most interesting details of the parable. It was a special mark of honor to receive a garment which had been used by royalty, and kings sometimes showed their liberality by giving freely to others whom they sought to honor.”

Dr. J Vernon McGee states.

That wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ, which is absolutely essential for salvation, and it is supplied to all who believe.

We see the believers clothed in white.

“He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”
Revelation 3:5 NASB

Once we reach chapter four of Revelation, the church is not discussed, yet there is this peculiar reference.

“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.”
Revelation 4:4 NASB

Could it also be that these, clothed in white garments, represent the church?

The logical answer is yes because there are many other references to the white garments and the bride, which is us, the church.

And we can know what being ready looks like.

“The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!” Luke 12:37 NLT

Ready and waiting anxiously for his return.

What happens to those who are doing their job?

"Truly I say to you that He (Jesus) will put him(the servant that does what He asks) in charge of all his possessions.”
Matthew 24:47 NASB

Paul's letter to the church in Corinth speaks to this very thing.

“Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 NASB

Here, we will be rewarded by Christ. Jesus ended this portion of His talk like this.

''But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 24:48-51 NASB

Consider this excerpt.

“the master of that slave will come on a day when he (the evil slave) does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites.”

I always hear this; no man knows the day or the hour. I suppose the implication is that you should wait anxiously for Him, but that is not the end of the story.

Paul said we are not in the darkness that we should not know, and Paul states that it is for us to know.

Paul, having taught the Church body in Thessaloniki that Christ is going to come back for His bride, the Church, but somebody came afterward and frightened them into believing that they had missed the rapture, the catching away of the church. (The Greek word for rapture is harpazo, and the Latin is rapio. Nonetheless, he is coming back. Since the collective signs are happening around us rapidly, it behooves us to look for Jesus.)

So, “that slave” who does not expect Him will be in the dark about the timing and return of our Lord.

A few paragraphs earlier, I talked about the brother in Christ who berated me for encouraging people to look longingly for Jesus. I know this brother, and he leans toward legalism, but I think it is necessary for him to keep his life in order. I lived my life under a constrained religious legalism, and no, thank you, that is not for me. It was for freedom that Christ has set me free, and I will not allow anyone to try to put me back into that bondage.

Does living in freedom condemn me to hell?

One brother in Christ likes to think so, and he creates rules in his head that those outside of his head have to live by. He will tell you that everyone who does not accept Jesus NOW will have NO chance to accept Him after the Church leaves this earth.

Is that true?

The answer is an emphatic NO, as the Holy Spirit will still be on earth, drawing as many to Jesus as will come.

Is it true that grace will indeed be gone? What that means to those who come to Christ during the seven years of wrath is that you will have to prove your allegiance to Christ by losing your life for your testimony, but not to worry, Jesus will be there to escort you into eternity.

Did you know that I learned how to sin as a Christian?

Yes, thinking too long on that thought will get my head spinning. All I know and now lean on is I am so glad that God found me and sought me out.

A layman's commentary on Matthew 24 verse 15. The Abomination of Desolations.

 The NASB entitles this next section,

The Abomination of Desolation.

As a standalone statement, this makes no sense to me, and thus, we begin a deep dive into Matthew 24:15 and beyond.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:).” 

Matthew 24:15 KJV 

When I was young, one of the first Bibles I received was the King James; in time, I became more accustomed to it and would mentally change the “these and thous” to those and you. The KJV has many known issues, as do all the translations or transliteration, so pick a translation you feel comfortable with, and don’t be afraid to integrate other versions into your Bible study time. As you will see below, I used the New Living Translation. This particular version was the project of a father who wanted something simplistic that his children could understand. The NLT has been updated to a modern version of English, so tread lightly.

If something should concern you, it should be this statement, 

“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about.” 

I say this in this manner because you need further explanation to know if it applies to you. Since the church must be extracted from Earth before the antichrist can be revealed - We can find evidence for this in at least two places. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, and 7,8. 

2 Thessalonians 2:3 is one of those places that have issues. The terminology was changed in the 1500s, from departure to apostasy, principally to appease the State church – the Catholic church. They did this because people were leaving the Catholic church and migrating to Protestantism; then it applies to those who will become the tribulation saints - Saints are all those who come to a personal acceptance and knowledge of Jesus Christ; however, there are many who think they are part of the church that will be caught up but they will not. Paul said they were not of us. So, after the rapture, many will come to Jesus and lose their heads for their faith, witness, and testimony. These, too, are called saints. In other words, they must die for their testimony and witness. Let’s stop here for a moment and then move on. 

What did Daniel understand and, therefore, speak about? 

Taken as a Jewish captive to Babylon, Daniel advanced relatively quickly within the Babylonian empire. Assuming that Daniel had hopes and dreams, many of those dreams may have been around the idea of what God would do with his life. Daniel may not have known, but God was about to use him to deliver a message that Daniel may never understand or experience, as many of these events were for the time, over two thousand years later, a time that concerns us. 

“Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I (Daniel) said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?" And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” 

Daniel 12:8-10 NKJV

In the second chapter of Daniel, we see a young Daniel appealing for the lives of himself and three other Hebrews who were brought into captivity with him. Daniel not only tells Nebuchadnezzar his dream but interprets the dream (up to a point) for the king. You will see the details of that dream in Daniel chapter two. 

Dake’s Bible notes/commentary indicates that “The time of the vision was at the end of the reign of Belshazzar which corresponds to the time of the handwriting on the wall of Dan_5:1-31, for he only reigned a little more than two years.” 

“Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?” 

Daniel 8:13 KJV

What Daniel saw explained the transgression of desolation as the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden underfoot, and it gave the time frame.

“He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.” 

Daniel 8:14 NAS95

So, the temple will be held in abhorrence for three and one-half years.

The Dake’s Bible notes indicate that it is at the end of the 2,300 evenings and mornings (3 years, 2 months, and 10 days; Dan_8:11-13, Dan_8:26) that the sanctuary shall be cleansed of the abomination of desolation.

If you don’t know, the sanctuary is the final temple to be built. The host is the Jewish people in Israel.

The generalized idea is that the antichrist plays a massive role in the destruction of Israel and the temple, but that may not be correct.

“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 

Matthew 24:15 NLT

Even though we can know through scripture that the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden underfoot are a part of the transgression of desolation, there is one more thing, and that is the desolation of the temple, and that is the unholy/unclean object that is either placed on the altar, or it is standing there in the holy place.

Abomination is the Greek word bdelugma and is defined by the following sources: 

• Strong's From G948 indicates a detestation, that is, (specifically) idolatry: - abomination; 

• The Word Study Dictionary suggests that this means to turn away through loathing, disgust, or abhorrence. Abomination: 

• Thayer's definitions tell us that this means a foul thing, a detestable thing, of idols and things pertaining to idolatry. Thayer's, as you can see, uses the word detestable. I suspect that this is an offshoot of the phrase detestation, which has synonyms like this: abhorrence, loathing, odium, hatred, and disgust.

The Word Study Dictionary defines desolate as the act or the process of making desolate.

If you let your mind ponder the possibilities of what this might be, all you do is remind yourself how suddenly we have had artificial intelligence thrust upon us. 

Elon Musk's scientists have successfully installed the Neuro-Link device in a volunteer's head, and now that person can control a computer mouse merely by thought. In previous posts, I have alluded to the Mr. Lincoln exhibit that may still be there in Disneyland; if you have gone on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, there is an overload of animatronics. And, even though it has been explained multiple times, I am still mesmerized by the head in the crystal ball or the tiny little woman who thanked you for coming at the end of the Haunted Mansion ride. The attraction is filled with holograms that look so real that you may struggle to maintain a focus on reality.

We are told that “He” will make an image of the beast, cause it to speak, and everyone – though perhaps regionally, will be forced to accept this image as god, give their allegiance to it, and worship it. So when we talk about an image, are we talking about one that exhibits the face of the antichrist, as he is referred to as the beast, or are we talking about an image of Allah, the false god followed and worshiped by Islam, that should be interesting merely because Allah is a demon – a fallen angel representing himself as something to be worshiped; and never been seen.

For those who want to fight about what I just said by saying, no one has effectively seen Christ in about two thousand years. Well, that is true, but Jesus said that when you have seen Me, you have seen the Father, and we know the Father through His word, and yet we love Him. And then, there are those from the Middle East, and Jesus has appeared to them in their dreams. How odd they recognized Him. Perhaps He demonstrates the scars that helped bring about His death, or maybe He tells them, convincingly, who He is; I don’t know the answer. Most will tell how they just knew.

Now, will the antichrist place the detestable thing there, or is this the job of the mouthpiece of the antichrist, the false prophet?

As Daniel sought answers to this vision of the abomination, he apparently heard two angels talking about this very thing.

“Then I heard a certain holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that certain one who spoke, "How long shall the vision last, concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression that causes desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?”

Daniel 8:13 AFV

Sometime later, Daniel got this piece of information.

“And forces from him will stand up on his part, and they will profane the sanctuary, even the stronghold, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.” 

Daniel 11:31 AFV

The reference to “him” is the antichrist; the fact that he has forces would mean that he has control of a military force. Never does it say these are not Islamic forces, so don't close the door to that idea. 

According to Webster, profane is the act of violating sacred things or treating them with contempt or irreverence. 

In the “civilized” world, an army would refrain from doing something like this. The problem with such naive thinking is that we (Americans) have moved down the bar a few rungs and have done horrid things to churches. So, there will be a purposeful violation of the sacred things in the temple. This sounds more like Islam as we progress. As evidence for my argument, consider the horrors that transpired on October 7th as Hamas attacked Israel and its citizens that day.

The AFV translation uses the term stronghold, but others consider it a fortress or a part of the temple/sanctuary. We may be talking about Israel's defense forces and their bases. Missiles fired from Lebanon seem, for the most part, to be aimed at military posts, making this a reference to end times events.

Forces, on behalf of the antichrist, will “take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.” So, it seems inevitable that we put the blame on the antichrist for the abomination. 

I have heard the whining about how some will not accept anything extra-biblical, and yet we do it all the time, and many have been living most of their lives by un-biblical information, so spare me. 

With that being said, Islam has its own set of demonic prophecies, and they understand that a man of the lineage of Aaron will be the final priest in the last temple. This man will flop, give his allegiance to the Mahdi, the antichrist, and will set up this detestable thing in the temple. He will become the enforcer of Sharia law. And will enforce the worship of Allah and the beast – the antichrist, by beheading those who choose to ignore his demands. 

It is no wonder God comes crashing down upon these two when Jesus returns to rule for a thousand years. 

This might seem like a bizarre question, but hardly anyone knows the answer. Is the last trumpet related to Armageddon?

 I am choosing to refrain from book studies, like the one I finished recently on Revelation. It was a blessing, but a bit tedious, and I needed a break. On the other hand, the small groups I have sat with, and even a few pastors, have given me fodder for Biblical conversations demonstrating how far we are from scripture and embedded in religious traditions. This is such a topic as we will try to answer the question,

Is this the “last trumpet” we see in 1 Corinthians 15, and is it associated with Armageddon?

I recently did a study on Armageddon because of a question such as this. I can tell you that this word only appears once in the King James version of the Bible. Try to find Armageddon in the NASB, and it does not show up.

“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” 
Revelation 16:16 

One witness (and there are supposed to be, at minimum, two [Read Deuteronomy 19:15]), and we are making a big deal out of this word, Armageddon.

Armageddon is a variation on the Meggido valley. It is also known as the Plain of Jezreel. Galilee sits in the center of the valley, as well as Nazareth. Mount Carmel, where Elijah killed the prophets of Baal, stands as the Southern boundary. And a fun fact is that this valley has been the location of every significant battle we see in the Bible.

I see three wars that will affect Israel in the time of wrath and one final battle also fought in the Meggido valley.

First, if you are new to Biblical things, our focus is on Israel. So the next war that will impact Israel will be Ezekiel 38 and 39. When this takes place will either be in the moments before the catching away of the church or right after. I point this out because we know that the antichrist will show up and immediately go about trying to make peace. Many will tell you that he is making peace with Israel, but the Bible says nothing to that effect; what it says is that he will make a covenant with many, which might equate to a ceasefire. The details of this attack can be found in Ezekiel 38:1-23. 

The second attack upon Israel happens at the mid-point of the seven years. (Read Matthew 24:15-25.) Daniel saw this attack in a prophetic vision and explains it in chapter 8, verse 13 

“Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, "How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?" (Daniel 8:13 NASB)

The only motives I see for this second attack are driven by the entrance and activity of the false prophet. Most big-name Eschatology teachers will tell you that this is a leader from the revived Roman empire. I cannot accept that assertion because it tries to direct me to ignore history and a clear understanding of what Islam believes, which happens to coincide in many ways with Bible prophecy. Sadly, many will tell you that we cannot look at or consider extra-biblical information. If you only realized how much extra stuff you hold as a tradition. For example: Does God take children to heaven if they have not reached the age of accountability? Try to find that in your Bible; you can't because it is based on extra-biblical traditions, which you claim we have to ignore. The question itself is beyond difficult, especially when an eight-year-old child can intentionally take a gun to school and shoot another child because of some interaction. At what point do we declare a child to be accountable? It's a rhetorical question that does not require an answer.

Daniel 9 is another place where Daniel received an explanation of one of his visions.

"Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”(Daniel 9:26 NASB)

The sixty-two weeks is 62, seven-year periods – equaling 490 years, and they have already come. We know this because Jesus, the Messiah, was killed. The problem for most is that they can't figure out that the rest of this paragraph is still to come. The prince to come is the antichrist, and the sanctuary is the temple yet to be built. Because God gave us an example in the Roman ruler Titus, we assume that the people who are to come will also be Romans. The problem is that the troops under the Roman flag were in the majority conscripted Assyrian troops and had a burning hatred for the Jews. These are the people that destroyed the temple in 70AD, in disregard of Titus' orders to cease and desist. Disobedience to Roman orders usually meant death, but Josephus tells us that they did not seem to care what Titus said.

If you have doubts whether Daniel 9 speaks about war or not, note the end of the paragraph, where it says, “and the host to be trampled.” Host, in Hebrew, is indicative of a mass of people. The host is also indicative of God's people – Israel. Trampled is to tread down as in warfare or violence. 

The third instance of war and the only passage that uses Armageddon is Revelation 16:16.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. ("Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.") And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon. (Revelation 16:12-16 NASB)

This is when Jesus comes back as the warring Messiah. Israel should be ecstatic as this is who they have been waiting for.

Revelation 19 tells us all about this war at the end of the wrath.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.” (Revelation 19:11-14 NASB)

Do your homework, and you will find He only kills those who came to fight; this in no way means that the others who stayed back and continued to wallow in their hatred will be indiscriminately killed; as they are allowed to live and maintain their free will.

Revelation 20 describes the last war (if you can call it that,) – the fourth war since the wrath, to be fought in the Jezreel valley.

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:7-10 NASB)

Once they rallied around the Holy City God simply burns them up, and no one on God's team breaks a sweat.

In case you wondered how such a large quantity of people, who have seen God's love and grace in action, could put their brains in park and try to kill God and His people, they are deceived by demons. Allow me to point something out; there are only two people in hell at this point in time, the antichrist and the false prophet. They were thrown into the lake of fire at the end of the seven years.

Paul tells us of the last trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will 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 imperishable, and we will be changed.”
(1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NASB)

I have looked at as much information about Rosh Hashana as I can handle, and although I perceive that it is two days of shofar blowing, there does not seem to be a designated “last” trumpet of the day. Did you even think about the ramifications of that? As the earth rotates every few seconds, someone new gains the right to blow the “last” trumpet blast.

So, while I cannot say there is NO last trumpet, there is nothing like the Revelation to spell out how many nor how we would know. I will, however, point out that more than many others, Paul knew about Yom Teruah, or the Feast of Trumpets, even if it does not answer our question about how we might know when to look for this “last trumpet.”

Note that this particular trumpet is associated with: the twinkling of an eye, the dead being raised imperishable, and the fact that we will be changed.

Paul, so to speak, went after those disparaging some who were trying to maintain their Jewish heritage. Paul writes.

“So don't let anyone pass judgment on you in connection with eating and drinking, or in regard to a Jewish festival or Rosh-Hodesh or Shabbat. These are a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of the Messiah.”
(Colossians 2:16-17 CJB)

If you can grasp what these days mean to the Jews, you will understand that there are many reasons to hope for Jesus to catch the church away on this Feast of Trumpets. Therefore, while it will be the last trumpet for those that follow Jesus Christ, it is certainly NOT the last trumpet as far as God is concerned.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 refers to us as being changed.

Changed is the Greek word allassō and means to be made different.

But different in what way?

I have for years felt led to try and educate the Christian community. Therefore, I feel comfortable saying, as though you would understand when I say it, knowing the scriptures, we understand that this means we will be sin free, be like Him, and finally immortal. The other aspect of this change is that we change locations to our next home, which is in heaven with Him.

“He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” (Philippians 3:21 NLT)

Let's consider the word trumpet for a moment.

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NASB)

We seem to have exhaustive discussions about a pre-tribulation rapture based upon Revelation 4:1.

“After these things, I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."
(Revelation 4:1 NASB)

Notice that it says, after these things; what things is “He” talking about? The end of the church age, which we just witnessed in Revelation 1-3. Considering that we are caught up to be with Jesus with a trump, it is no coincidence that John is drawn up into heaven by the voice of a trumpet, where he gets to witness the wrath of God that is to come.

Now, if you were referring to the seventh trumpet, then you have to consider that this seventh event continues to bring on God's judgment and wrath.

“The trumpets in Scripture are of great significance in eschatology in determining when the rapture of the church takes place (1Th_4:13-18). This involves the question of whether the mention of the "last trumpet" in 1Co_15:52, simply referred to as "the trumpet" in 1Th_4:16, is the same as the seventh trumpet in Rev_11:11-15. Some assume that these trumpets are identical and thus presume that the rapture of the church will take place at the time of the occurrence of the seventh trumpet of Rev_11:15. This seventh trumpet is in the middle or toward the latter part of the seven-year tribulation period, i.e., Daniel's prophetic seventieth week.” (Dan_9:25-27). Finis Dake

This last paragraph says it all, the seventh trumpet is only associated with the midpoint or the end of the seven years.

Pay attention to the words in Revelation 11:15.

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." (Revelation 11:15 NASB)

This is the last of seven. The last of the current set of woe (all of which are a part of God's wrath.)

We have to go back to Revelation chapter 8 to find the seven trumpets.

"And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them." (Revelation 8:2 NASB)

What do we see in Revelation 8?

Tremendous destruction of the earth and the heavens. Revelation 8:13 gives an ominous warning.

"Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"
(Revelation 8:13 NASB)

The fifth trumpet.

“Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them. The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.”
(Revelation 9:1-12 NASB)

Do not think for a second that these are ordinary locusts; they are not, simply because there is NOTHING on earth like this. Look at the description that I highlighted.

The sixth trumpet.

"Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts."
(Revelation 9:13-21 NASB)

Here, the four angels bound under the Euphrates have been released. The entirety of their purpose is to kill one-third of the population of those still on the earth.

Why make that statement?

Because the slaughter of humanity has been an ongoing process since the opening of the first seal and the rider on the white horse.

With the seventh angel, with the seventh trumpet, Revelation 10:7 tells us, "the mystery of God is finished."

What do we see?

"Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. "Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months."
(Revelation 11:1-2 NASB)

What does this mean?

The new temple to be built will be given to the Gentiles.

Look at these passages.

"..., For aliens have entered The holy places of the LORD'S house."
(Jeremiah 51:51 NASB)

Aliens are the Hebrew word zur and also means foreigners, illegitimate persons, and laymen. Do not consider these laymen Jews, as we are most likely talking about Muslims.

“Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.”
(Hosea 8:8 KJV)

Hosea's words have taken on new meaning as of September 2022, as the interim Prime Minister of Israel, Yair Lapid, addressed the UN and said Israel is willing to solve the Palestinian problem by splitting Jerusalem. I do not think he speaks for the majority of Israel; I do, however, think he speaks to and for our “American President” Joe Biden and his handlers, who I am pretty sure have exposed a crack in the Jewish governmental infrastructure and pressured Lapid into suggesting such a horrid thing, especially since it goes against God's law.

If you don't know what a Gentile is, let me help you. Since the overwhelming majority of scripture is centered around Jerusalem and the Jewish people, then a Gentile is ANYONE outside of the Jewish religion. So, consider who might be trying to create an abomination in what will be the newest Jewish temple – in Jerusalem? It doesn't take long to envision Hamas and the Palestinians. Guess what? The “Gentiles” among the Israelites want it all to themselves. It would not bother them if Israel were to be swallowed up.

Finally, the trumpet is sounded.

Revelation 11:15 MKJV  "And the seventh angel sounded. And there were great voices in Heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ. And He will reign forever and ever."

Here the narrator uses a mix of present and future tense:

1. Present -"The kingdoms of this world have become,"

2. A future tense when He says, " And He will reign forever and ever."

So what is my understanding of this?

God is not concerned about the timing of these events, as they are all one package about to be opened. But, I might also note that He is the God with no beginning and no end, which may significantly impact how He handles the timing of these events.

The end result will leave no loose strings.

Some will not see this as there are passages that indicate people, with their option of free will still intact, are worshiping Satan and self.

Revelation 21:8,27 (MKJV)  “But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. b.)And there shall in no way enter into it anything that defiles, or any making an abomination or a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.”

And there is that bit about one last battle before the judgment seat of Christ,

And when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be loosed out of his prison. And he will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle. The number of them is as the sand of the sea. And they went up over the breadth of the earth and circled around the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them. And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were. And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10 MKJV)