Did they really know that Christ hadn't returned?? They didn't have Revelation to read!
No, but they had the Scriptures to read. They certainly had Daniel amongst others including both Epistles to the Thessalonians.
You keep saying the 7th trumpet. It's not the 7th trumpet that 1 Thes. is referring. It is the trumpet of God. There is a difference.
Really? Scripture says otherwise! Revelation 10:7But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Then, of course, the actual seventh trump: Revelation 11:15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. That is God's trump, my friend! Let's not leave any doubt, though: Revelation 11:16-19And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. I Corinthians 15:51In 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. There are 7 trumps in Revelation. The 7th trump is God's trump as I have proven above. I Thessalonians 4:16For 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: All three talk about the dead because all three are the same trump. Notice that Christ ascends with a shout, not in some secret rapture. This magical and extrabiblical trump doesn't exist. There are seven trumps and the final one is described by all the verses above because this is where God fulfils what he has told us. I don't like to call names, but what you have said below is a pure lie:
That's not what Revelation states!
Revelation 14:9-10And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: God's wrath is not for a true Christian, as Jesus is Real has said. Christ made sure of that for us, all we have to do is believe on him. Why would He be angry with you? His wrath is for those that go awhoring after the fakes and false idols. Luke 21:18But there shall not an hair of your head perish. Seems like a useless statement if we're going to be magically flown away, wouldn't you agree? What's the verse? Matthew 10:28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. God doesn't need to rapture me out of here before it gets a little warm. There's nothing Satan aka. the Antichrist can do to me that my Father cannot dwarf in his righteous wrath.