ble company of the redeemed, for "They shall gather His elect
together from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other"
(Matthew xxiv:30-31). But this is incorrect. The elect in Matthew
xxiv are not the church, but Israel. Dispersed Israel will be
regathered and angels will be used in this work. Furthermore the
angels will do this gathering after the great tribulation and after the
visible manifestation of the Lord with His saints. The coming of the
Lord for His saints takes place before the great tribulation.

The trump of God is also mentioned. This trumpet has nothing to do
with the judgment trumpets of Revelation, nor with the Jewish feast of
trumpets. Some teach that the trumpet is the last trumpet of
Revelation. But note the trumpet here is the trumpet of God; in
Revelation the last trumpet is blown by an angel. It is a symbolical
term and like the shout stands for the gathering together. In Numbers
x:4 we read, "And if they blow with one trumpet, then the princes, the
heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee."
The shout and the trump of God will gather the fellow-heirs of Christ.
"The dead in Christ shall rise first." This is the resurrection from
among all the dead of those who believed on Christ, the righteous,
dead. All saints of all ages, Old and New Testament saints, are
included. This statement of the resurrection of the dead in Christ
first disposes completely of the unscriptural view of a general
resurrection. As we know from Rev. xx:5 the rest of the dead (the
wicked dead) will be raised up later. He comes in person to open the
graves of all who belong to Him and manifests His authority over death
which He has conquered. The dead in Christ will hear the shout first
and experience His quickening power; they shall be raised
incorruptible. What power will then be manifested! "Then we, the
living, who remain, shall be caught up together with them in clouds to
meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." All
believers who live on earth when the Lord comes will hear that
commanding, gathering shout. It does not include those who only
profess to be Christians and are nominal church-members, nor are any
excluded who really are the Lord's. The question, "Who will be caught
up into glory?" is answered elsewhere in these studies. But see 1 Cor.
xv:23 for an answer. The change will be "in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye" (1 Cor. xv: