We do not know the day or the hour but are commanded to know the season. we are to learn the lesson of the fig tree (israel). Whatever we believe about the timing of His return we are to live with a sense of urgency and anticipation. I believe we are very close and should live that way. Even if He carries we are 2000 years closer to His return than the first Christians who lived i. joyous anticipation of that day. How much more should we?
Yep
Paul lays out a timeline that excludes the possibility of any pre-Trib secret rapture — there is NO mention of a two-stage coming split into a secret rapture and a later public second eventthere is not even a hint of a secret rapture
There is one resurrection mentioned (not two as per the rapturists) and only one coming event — immediately after this coming, not seven or 1000 or 1007 years later, the end arrives at which Christ delivered the Kingdom to God
Rapturists like you say this is about a secret rap-game. But why? there is certainly nothing in this text that cannot be understood perfectly well as happening at the traditional second coming. In fact that is a better was to understand the text. Paul tells us that not all Christians will die, but that “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye... we shall all be changed”
We read that this will occur “at the last trumpet” — the image of trumpets like in Zeph 1:14-16, Zech 9:14, Amos 3:6 etc. is LOUD and no secret rapture
Furthermore, this si not just any trumpet - this is the “last” trumpet The dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed at the end of time
But this last trumpet will not occur 7 or 1007 years before the end. The LAST trumpet sounds LAST
“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” At the time of this trumpet, death will be destroyed — YET Paul has ALREADY mentioned that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26)
The secret rapture does not fit this passage. When death is destroyed and we are all raised, all tombs will be forever empty