- (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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.
- (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Here’s a very brief vocabulary study from the above scriptures on the following words: “moment, twinkling, and eye.”
The word “moment” uses the Greek word “atomos” that is only presented in 1 Corinthians 15:52. The derivative of “atomos” is “atom” making “atomos” defined in Strong’s as “an atom of time.” Naturally, the “atom” is so small that it cannot be cut in two, or divided — it is indivisible (unable to be divided or separated).
In a nutshell, “a moment” (according to 1 Corinthians 15:52) refers to the smallest fraction of time that it will take to complete the process of the trumpet sound with the voice of the archangel; the dead in Christ to rise first; and those which are alive and remain (faithful) to be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air … will happen faster than the eye can see (perceive) and the brain can calculate … that something just happened.
The word “twinkling” means, “a moment of time.” Interesting. According to many researchers the exact length of time of a “twinkle” cannot be fully measured, but approximated … it is agreed upon as one billionth of a second. Nough said, there! 🙂
The word “eye” is used metaphorically meaning, “the eyes of the mind; the faculty of knowing.” That’s right, before the mind can perceive any part of the event … it will be over! There will be NO TIME for any one (left behind) to repent and join those already caught up in the air to be with the Lord.
Folks, we really need to be ready for the rapture — NOW! There will be NO TIME to repent in that day. Let us examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith … now it is high time to awake out of sleep … our salvation is nearer than when we believed. Amen?!