“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place…Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains…But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day” (Matthew 24:15-20)
QUESTION 1: Who is Jesus instructing to pray?
TTN ANSWER: Jesus would only instruct Christians to pray! “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth” (John 9:31; see also Proverbs 15:29, Psalm 66:18, Isaiah 1:15). Plus, Matthew 24 is a message to believers …take heed that no man deceive you …you will be hated for my name’s sake …you know not what hour your Lord does come …therefore be ye also ready.
QUESTION 2: When is Jesus instructing Christians to pray?
TTN ANSWER: Before the start of the 70th week! Since Antichrist will set up the abomination of desolation mid way through the week, then once the seven-year period has begun, the date for the abomination of desolation is fixed. As such, once the 70th week begins, it will be of no use to pray that our flight “be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.” Even for those who come to faith during the 70th week, by the time they do, the date for the abomination of desolation will be set …it will not change.
WHY DOES IT MATTER: If Christians are being instructed to pray about their future flight into the mountains (on the day Antichrist is revealed), they will obviously be living on the earth during the 70th week and for at least part of the great tribulation. In other words, according to Matthew 24:20, the pre-tribulation rapture cannot be possible …the rapture must occur after the abomination of desolation!
3 replies on “Rapture Timing & Matthew 24:20”
Greetings,
Since I don’t believe the pretrib scenario, that leaves prewrath or post trib. I tend to favor post trib based on the following because I can’t reconcile them with prewrath.
Are “those days” in Matt. 24:22 the same as “those days’ in Matt. 24:29?”
If those days are cut short by the rapture, after two years into the great tribulation, is this when Joel 2:30,31 and Matt. 24:29 will be fulfilled?
Did Paul intend the reader to understand that the comings in 2 Thes. 1:10 and 2:1 are separated by an indeterminate period of time in the second half of the tribulation?
If the church is raptured before the end of the tribulation, does that mean Rev. 13:5,7 are in error? Will God cut short the 1,260 days He prophesied for the church in Dan. 7:21,22,25 and Rev. 13:5,7?
If “every” island and mountain” are moved out of their places in Rev. 6:14, how could there be any more to be moved in Rev. 16:20? Both passages record “every.”
In Rev. 6:14, the sky split apart and every island and mountain displaced before Matt. 24:22?
If Jesus raptures the saints at some point in the second half of the tribulation (Matt. 24:22), then who do the angels “gather together” in Matt. 24:31?
Will there be a second rapture at the end of the tribulation?
Rev. 19:2: Babylon is destroyed. Rev. 19:7-9: The bride has made herself ready for the marriage of the Lamb. Rev. 19:11: Jesus comes on his white house to judge the nations. If the bride is made ready after Babylon is destroyed, isn’t this the rapture?
Could it be that God begins pouring out his wrath over a period of five months to include all the trumpet and bowl judgments? (Rev. 8:7-19:21).
Some of these ?s may seem irrelevant, but I think if they are cleared up it will steer me in the right direction.
Thanks and God bless,
J. Black
Dear J. Black, thank you for your questions regarding the end times. Please find my responses below.
Are “those days” in Matt. 24:22 the same as “those days’ in Matt. 24:29?”
I would say yes. We are told the “great tribulation” will begin after the abomination of desolation (Matt 24:15, 21). We’re also told that for the sake of the elect, “those days” [of great tribulation] will be shortened (v22); they are shortened for the elect because the elect are raptured out of the great tribulation. So antichrist is revealed in v15, the seal judgments (and great tribulation) begin, and then in v29, we see the 6th seal judgment. Then, in v30, we see the coming of Jesus and in v31, the rapture. The bible says that the 6th seal will come after the tribulation of “those days” (v29). So “those days” are the days of tribulation between the revealing of antichrist and the rapture, which happens right at the time of the 6th seal.
Antichrist revealed >>> “Those days” of great tribulation >>> 6th Seal >>> Christ comes in the clouds >>> Rapture
If those days are cut short by the rapture, after two years into the great tribulation, is this when Joel 2:30,31 and Matt. 24:29 will be fulfilled?
I’m not sure about your reference to “after two years into the great tribulation” …maybe you can expand on that. However, I believe the abomination of desolation happens near the mid-point of the 7-year covenant (1267 days after the covenant between Israel and antichrist is signed). Then the seal judgments and great tribulation begin, and at some point (an unknown date), the 6th seal and the rapture occur. I certainly believe that Joel 2:31 is a reference to the 6th seal judgment, and that the day of the Lord occurs very soon after the 6th seal. Whether Joel 2:30 is limited to the 6th seal judgment, I can’t say for sure (it could apply to other times prior to the great tribulation as well). And yes, I would say that Matthew 24:29 is certainly a reference to the 6th seal judgment, the time when the great tribulation is cut short by the rapture.
Did Paul intend the reader to understand that the comings in 2 Thes. 1:10 and 2:1 are separated by an indeterminate period of time in the second half of the tribulation?
I don’t believe so. I think those verses both speak of the coming of Jesus in the clouds at the time of the rapture. 2 Thes 1:7 talks about Jesus being revealed at his coming, and it is followed by a description of the day of the Lord in verses 8-9. Verse 10 speaks of his coming and how he will be admired by all his believers. 2 Thes 2:1 is simply a word of encouragement (and clarification) that Jesus will certainly come, that we will be raptured or gathered to him when he comes, and that after he comes, the day of the Lord will begin; but that Jesus’ coming and the day of the Lord will not happen until the falling away and the antichrist is revealed.
If the church is raptured before the end of the tribulation, does that mean Rev. 13:5,7 are in error? Will God cut short the 1,260 days He prophesied for the church in Dan. 7:21,22,25 and Rev. 13:5,7?
No, but this is a very intriguing question. Antichrist’s great tribulation will begin when he takes his place as God in the temple (abomination of desolation), and it will continue for 1260 days, just as you referenced. However, the raptured generation will not experience all of the 1260 days of persecution/tribulation; they will be raptured from off the earth sometime (hopefully soon) after antichrist is revealed. There will be others that come to faith in Jesus after the rapture, and they will be persecuted by antichrist for the remaining part of the 1260 days. So antichrist will persecute believers for 1260 days, as mentioned in Rev 13 and Daniel.
If “every” island and mountain” are moved out of their places in Rev. 6:14, how could there be any more to be moved in Rev. 16:20? Both passages record “every.”
I have not studied this in great detail, but I think the delineation between those verses lies in the words “moved” in 6:14, as opposed to “fled away…not found” in 16:20. Rev 6:14 happens at the time of the 6th seal judgment and appears to describe a moving of the mountains and islands out of their places. Rev 16:20 happens later, at the end of the bowl judgments, and describes islands and mountains as no longer existing.
In Rev. 6:14, the sky split apart and every island and mountain displaced before Matt. 24:22?
As mentioned above, I believe Rev 6:14 happens as part of the 6th seal judgment (when the sun becomes black and the moon as blood). Matt 24:22 is a description of the time of the rapture, which also takes place just after the 6th seal. Matt 24:29-31 show us that the 6th seal judgment happens first (v29), and then the rapture happens (v31). So since Matt 24:22 is a reference to the rapture, it will happen immediately after the 6th seal of Rev 6:14.
If Jesus raptures the saints at some point in the second half of the tribulation (Matt. 24:22), then who do the angels “gather together” in Matt. 24:31?
Matthew 24:22 & 31 are both referring to the rapture, just as the reference to “those days” in verses 22 & 29 are both referring to the days of great tribulation before the rapture.
Will there be a second rapture at the end of the tribulation?
Very interesting question!! Yes, there will be a “second rapture” at the end of the great tribulation. Recall that although the believers at the time of Christ’s coming are raptured just after the 6th seal, people will continue to come to faith in Jesus after the rapture. There will be 144,000 of God’s servants living on the earth, no doubt testifying to the gospel of Jesus, but there will also be three angels flying in mid heaven, proclaiming, among other things, “the everlasting gospel” (Rev 14:6). Some of the people living on the earth after the rapture will be saved, and they will be “raptured” at the end of the 1260 days of antichrist’s tribulation. We see this in Rev 15:2: “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”
Rev. 19:2: Babylon is destroyed. Rev. 19:7-9: The bride has made herself ready for the marriage of the Lamb. Rev. 19:11: Jesus comes on his white house to judge the nations. If the bride is made ready after Babylon is destroyed, isn’t this the rapture?
Rev 19:11-21 is a description of the battle of Armageddon, which takes place after the 6th bowl judgment (also referenced in Rev 14:20 and 16:13-16). This battle is the final event before Jesus takes his 1000-year reign in the millennial kingdom (aside from the final bowl judgment where God proclaims, “it is done”). Before the battle of Armageddon, and really before all the bowl judgments, all who will ever come to faith in Jesus will have done so and will have been raptured and will be with Jesus in heaven. The rapture is actually referenced in Rev 18:4: “Come out of her, my people.” Rev 19:9 is simply a statement of blessing for all those that came to faith in Jesus: “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” However, the actual marriage doesn’t take place for a while.
While I didn’t address the bride of Christ in the book The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand, I am addressing it in a new book that I’m writing (untitled at this point). I believe it is wrong to refer to Jesus’ saints/believers as the “bride of Christ.” Although many times we believers are referred to as being married to Christ, I believe that is simply a metaphor for being in covenant with him; that we didn’t go a “whoring after” or “play the harlot” with other gods. Before you get too upset with what I just stated, I’d ask that you refer to Revelation 21, where we find that it is the “new Jerusalem” that is explicitly called the bride of Christ. Verse 2 talks about the new Jerusalem being “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Verses 9-10 refers to the new Jerusalem as “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” The new Jerusalem is the bride of Christ and we believers are “called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9). Also, in John 3:29, John the Baptist makes it clear that he is not the bride but simply the friend of the bridegroom. As I mentioned, I will more fully develop this teaching in my next book.
Could it be that God begins pouring out his wrath over a period of five months to include all the trumpet and bowl judgments? (Rev. 8:7-19:21).
I do believe the trumpet and bowl judgments (i.e. the day of the Lord) represent the pouring out of God’s wrath. However, I believe that time of judgment lasts for more than five months. In Rev 9:1-11, we are told that the fifth trumpet alone lasts for five months. I don’t think the bible tells us how long the day of the Lord lasts; if it did, we would be able to determine when the rapture takes place, since it occurs just prior to the start of the day of the Lord. That timing will remain a mystery until the day it happens.
Thank you again for your interest in what the bible says about the end times and for taking the time to send me your list of questions. I hope my responses will be helpful to you! You are certainly welcome to send any other questions or comments on this and other matters of the bible. May God bless you greatly.
Your brother in Christ,
Craig Reid
Dear J. Black, there’s one other thing I’d like to point out in regard to the timing of the rapture. Since in Matt 24:29-31, we read that the appearing of Christ (v30) and the rapture (v31) occur just after the 6th seal (v29), we ought to be able to go to the description of the 6th seal in Revelation and then read a little further and find the rapture. Sure enough, we read about the 6th seal and the appearing of Christ in Rev 6:12-17. And then in Rev 7:9, we read this: “After this I beheld, and, see, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.” – The rapture!!