What does “at the last trumpet” mean in 1 Corinthians 15:52?

First Corinthians 15:51–52 refers to an instantaneous change to occur “at the last trumpet”: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

First Thessalonians 4:16 emphasizes “the trumpet call of God” that would seem to be equated with “the last trumpet” in 1 Corinthians 15:52. The verse in 1 Thessalonians says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

Both passages speak of a resurrection of believers in Christ Jesus. The purpose of Christ’s coming in 1 Corinthians 15 is not to judge and then reign (cf. Matthew 24:29–31; Revelation 19:11–19), but rather for the Lord to meet His saints in the air and to have them “changed.” Our understanding is that this “last trumpet” refers to the end of the church era and the rapture of the church prior to the seven-year tribulation.

Matthew 24:31 also mentions the sounding of “a loud trumpet call”: “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” This comes after a time of distress when “the sun will be darkened” and “the stars will fall from the sky” (verse 29). The trumpet mentioned in Matthew 24 is distinct from the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15. The trumpet in Matthew 24 will gather the elect who have survived the tribulation and were scattered throughout the earth as a result of the horrors of that period. There is no mention of an instantaneous change or resurrection in connection with this trumpet. In contrast, 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 do not have any reference to judgment; they do refer to resurrection and translation. The obvious dissimilarities require a distinction.

The same is true for distinguishing the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 from the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15. It is theoretically possible that the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 could later be connected with the seven trumpets of Revelation. God does, indeed, reveal things progressively. The problem in arguing that God connected the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians with later revelation involves context. The Corinthians would have understood their letter to communicate the Lord’s imminent return (“in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”). There is nothing in the context of 1 Corinthians that would indicate a time of intense tribulation upon the entire world that would precede the return of the Lord. The Corinthians’ interpretation of the last trumpet would perforce be changed by the revelation of the seventh trumpet of judgment, if both refer to the same event.

Moreover, one should not understand usage of the word last in 1 Corinthians 15 as limited only to a given chronological sequence (as in the seven trumpets of Revelation) It can also refer to the end of a specific period, such as the church age. At the last trumpet does not imply any prior trumpets sounding; rather, last indicates the consummation of something (viz., the church age).

The significance of the last trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:52 is twofold. First, the last trumpet may be a technical phrase denoting the end of the church age. The word last is quite common when referring to events involving the end of the church age (Acts 2:17; 2 Timothy 3:1–5; Hebrews 1:1; James 5:3; 1 Peter 1:5, 20; 1 John 2:18; Jude 1:18). Second, the last trumpet may also be a technical phrase indicating the gathering of the church. In Numbers 10, the sounding of a trumpet gathered an assembly of the people. Therefore, the last trumpet could be a final rallying call indicating that the church is changing locations (from earth to heaven) much like Israel changed sites in the wilderness.

The resurrection of Christ made Him the “firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:23). He was the first resurrected from the dead and is the certainty of many more to be raised. Those dead in Christ will be raised immortal at the sound of the last trumpet. They will be raised incorruptible (verse 53). Once the last trumpet sounds for the church, there will be an entire generation of living believers who will never experience physical death but will be changed instantaneously (verses 51–52). Both those who are dead (“corruptible”) and those who are living (“mortal”) must be changed. Each believer will receive an incorruptible, immortal body fitted for the eternal realm.