Verse 16
A supernatural announcement will precede the Lord Jesus’ return for His own. God will announce the event with a shout, an angelic voice, and a trumpet blast. Probably believers will hear them if not all people living on the earth. These may be three descriptions of one event or three separate events. It appears that these three events will take place literally (cf. Acts 1:9; 1 Corinthians 15:52). In any case, God will herald the return of Christ from heaven. Note that only the dead "in Christ" experience resurrection. That is, God will reunite their resurrected, glorified bodies with their spirits (1 Corinthians 15:35-58).
Many posttribulationists identify this trumpet blast with the one that will announce Christ’s second coming (Matthew 24:31) or with one of the trumpet blasts that heralds judgments coming on the world in the Tribulation (Revelation 8:2; Revelation 8:7-8; Revelation 8:10; Revelation 8:12; Revelation 9:1; Revelation 9:13; Revelation 11:15). Pretribulationists believe this must be a different trumpet blast since the Rapture will precede the Tribulation. [Note: See Showers, pp. 259-67.] One’s interpretation of this event will rest on when he or she believes the Rapture will take place relative to the Tribulation.
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