Soon Shall the Trump of God: Afterthoughts

So whatever could possibly have led, nay, I would contend, impelled the translators of the King James Version (of The Holy Bible) to use the term 'trump' in such contexts...even imagining it's an 'archaism' or suchlike (which somehow I doubt very much, and I do possess a little background in the English language, 'Anglo-Saxonism' and the like)...? I.e. in contexts where the far more understandable word 'trumpet' (even in King James' day and age, seemingly) not only would've sufficed but surely been the much superior, preferable term? (Which indeed said translators themselves provide a backhanded confirmation of, by using said alternative rendering, i.e. 'trumpet', themselves, and moreover in *those selfsame Scriptural passages even!)

Yes, isn't it an item of more than a little 'curiosity' that no other version (at least to my knowledge, excepting the likes of The Newberry Bible and suchlike closely based upon The King James Bible), including especially that 'modernized' version of the KJV, The New King James Bible, use/adopt that particular usage, i.e. 'trump', in their parallel passages?

All naturally leading me to pose the logical, and I would argue, unanswerable, question: could a Divine Hand have possibly been instrumental in thus 'manipulating' things (unbeknownst to casual earthly onlookers) - to wit: the very words/phraseology that the biblical translators have thus used. For not all evangelicals - including especially for example those of my own particular denominational heritage, regard the precise text of translated Scripture as absolutely inerrant and infallible, rather the inspiration (of the human 'authors' or rather 'transcribers' thereof). For my readership's interest, however, I personally tend to veer more in the direction of accepting the literal inerrancy thereof - at least in the original (Hebrew, Greek and/or Aramaic) versions/writings, anyhow!

Engineering things undetected, behind-the-scenes, but for what particular purpose? To install the likes of Donald J Trump in the White House/Oval Office? Surely not, you howl in perpetual protest?!?!?

No, I see no divine endorsement as such in President Trump's election, except insofar as Scripture admonishes (believers) and declares: **"Let every soul be subject unto the higher (i.e. earthly) powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." Which, incidentally, has never been regarded by genuine, 'true-blue' Christians or Christ-followers as some sort of invitation to lie down and let whichever government, however flagrantly unjust and patently ungodly, run roughshod, steamroller fashion, over them...for the annals of church history also include the celebrated 'exhibits' of those who, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany, considered acquiescence in the unmitigated evil that Hitler's Third Reich represented, as party to that said evil and thus unconscionable for a true believer. Or as others such as those of my own denomination oftentimes point out, when the authority in power invites and/or even compels one to transgress the commandments of God in order to be in compliance with his/her/their particular edicts, then the genuine Christian has no alternative but, like the famous Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego of biblical history, to say a courteous but firm "No!" to 'Caesar' and a courageous and trustful  "Yes!" to God.

So what is the significance of such 'trump' references? Need I really ask, the answer is surely patently obvious? By thus signalling His eternal foreknowledge of the presence of a significant end-time figure with the 'monicker' of 'trump', to put matters in the colloquial,  the Almighty, the Everlasting One has surely revealed His eternal acquaintance with earthly history from go to woe, and has thus provided just one more indication - as if another were needed in our generation - that "the end of all things is at hand" ["at the very doors"]..."Be ye ready therefore...for in such an hour as ye think not your Lord will come!"

Nuff said, I'm sure!

*Or - to be pedantically precise - at least in those verses previously quoted from 1 Corinthians 15.
**Romans 13:1.

Soon Shall the Trump of God

Soon shall the trump of God             Give out the welcome sound,
That shakes death's silent chamber walls, And breaks the turf-sealed ground.

You dwellers in the dust,            Awake, come forth, and sing;
Sharp has the frost of winter been, But bright shall be your spring.

'Twas sown in weakness here;            'Twill then be raised in power;
That which was sown an earthly seed Shall rise a heav-'nly flower.

Author and Translator: Anonymous
Composer, Arranger and Source of Tune: Norman L Warren, 1934-
(As cited in The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, Review and Herald
Publishing Association/SIGNS PUBLISHING COMPANY,
Warburton, Victoria, Australia 3799, 1985.)

Words, I've no doubt whatsoever, based upon the rendering given
uniquely in/by The Holy Bible, Authorised King James Version,
of two New Testament passages in particular, both passages dealing
exclusively with the end of all things - and the (associated) blessed fate
of God's elect, whether dead or living: i.e. 1 Corinthians 15:50-55
and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.


Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit
the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

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;
(italics and emboldening all mine)
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality.

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.

O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?

(1 Corinthians 15:50-55)


But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not,
even as others which have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with [H}im. (Capitalization supplied.)

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent (sic) [i.e. precede] them
which are asleep.{modification again mine)

For the Lord [H]imself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the [A]rchangel,
and with the trump of God: (modifications again mine)
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.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Hey, the writer couldn't possibly - conceivably - remotely -
be envisaging our own day and age, could he? Surely not.
'Coz we're not living in the very last days of Earth's history,
are we, and the old *Anglicism 'trump' has no real meaning
(either in King James' own age - or ours for that matter)
does it? And anyhow, the Almighty certainly doesn't have
a sense of humour - either subtle or overt - does He?

Hey, forgive me, I was only thinking aloud -
as I have an unfortunate habit of doing from time to time...

*'an English idiom or peculiarity' (Chambers Concise
Dictionary, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988)