The Rapture Tied to Isaiah 25:7-8
By Ed Tarkowski

1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

These verses speak of 2 sets of saints, those who have died before Christ returns and those who will be alive at His coming. Paul tells us that the dead will be raised and the living saints changed, a typical description of the rapture. Notice WHAT is immediately fulfilled "when" (v.54) this happens:

54 So WHEN this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, THEN shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

These two verses are quoting Old Testament prophecies so we can establish a timeframe when they are fulfilled and therefore when the Church is raptured. These verses refer back to Isaiah:

Isa 25:6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

This of course is the scene when the Lord brings Israel into the millennial kingdom. In turn, Isaiah points to the fulfillment of another prophesy in these verses, verse 8, after the tribulation:

Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

This scene, too, is Posttribulational. Everything in these OT and NT verses points to a Posttribulational scenario and the rapture is directly tied to them by Paul. Therefore, the rapture is Posttribulational.

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