                      Timing Of The Rapture - 3 of 5

THE TRIBULATION AND THE RAPTURE

We  have thus  far seen  from four  separate and distinct Biblical
paths  that  the  Rapture  must  be  the  last day of this world's
existence.  It must be  a simultaneous event with the resurrection
of all humanity and with Judgment Day.  But  the Bible has more to
say  about this.   Let us  now look  at this question from another
viewpoint.
 
In Matthew 24 Christ gives to us an outline of the signs of events
that  must  take  place  just  before  the  end  of the world.  He
declares in Matther 24:21-31:
 
    For  then  shall  be  great  tribulation, such as was not
    since the  beginning of the  world to this  time, no, nor
    ever  shall   be.   And  except  those   days  should  be
    shortened,  there should no  flesh be saved;  but for the
    elect's sake those days shall be shortened.  Then  if any
    man shall say unto you. Lo, here is the Christ, or there;
    believe it not.  For there shall arise false Christs, and
    false  prophets and  shall show  great signs and wonders;
    insomuch that,  if it  were possible,  they shall deceive
    the   very  elect.   Behold,  I  have  told  you  before.
    Wherefore if  they shall say  unto you, Behold,  he is in
    the desert, go  not forth:  behold,  he is in  the secret
    chambers; believe  it not.   For as  the lightning cometh
    out of the east  and shineth even unto the west, so shall
    also the coming  of the Son  of man be.   For wheresoever
    the  carcass  isk  there  will  the  eagles  be  gathered
    together.  Immediately  after  the  tribulation of  those
    days shall the  sun be darkened,  and the moon  shall not
    give  her light, and  the stars shall  fall from  heaven,
    and  the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  And then
    shall appear  the sign of the Son  of man in heaven:  and
    then  shall all the  tribes of the  earth mourn, and they
    shall see the Son  of man coming in the  clouds of heaven
    with power and great glory.  And he shall send his angels
    with  a great sound  of a trumpet,  and they shall gather
    together his  elect from the four winds,  from one end of
    heaven to the other.
 
When we  examine these verses,  we shall see  that the Rapture not
only  immediately  follows  the  final  tribulation believers must
endure, but  that it  is simultaneous  with the  end of the world.
Thus it must be simultaneous with Judgment Day.
 
In  verses  21  and  22   God  speaks  of  an  increasingly  great
tribulation  which must come upon the  earth.  For the sake of the
elect this tribulation will be shortened.  We  will not discuss at
this time the  implication of this tribulation, but  we do know it
must come.  No other  passage in the Bible speaks  more plainly of
it.
 
We should  ascertain who the elect are who  are spoken of in verse
22.  God  uses  this word "elect," which is  the Greek "eklektos,"
some twenty-three times in the New Testament.
Some would teach that the "elect" refers only to believing Jews on
the ground that  Matthew 24 relates only to  the Nation of Israel,
not to the Gentiles.  If we would follow this procedure, declaring
Matthew 24 is only for  the Jews inasmuch as Jesus was speaking to
the disciples  who were  Jews, we  could then  logically argue the
John 3 has no reference to Gentiles because Christ was speaking to
Nicodemus, who was a Jew.  On that basis, only Jews are to be born
again, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
 
Likewise the book of Romans has no import for us today  because it
as  addressed to the church at Rome.  And Isaiah and Jeremiah have
no  interest  for  Gentiles  because   these  prophets  were  sent
primarily to Israel.
 
On this  basis then,  only certain  books of  the Bible  are to be
considered  pertinent  and  authoritative  for  the  New Testament
believers.
 
We  immediately  sense  the   error  of  this  line   of  Biblical
interpretation.   The Bible says that  all Scripture is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for teaching, etc.  All the Bible is to
be studied and obeyed.  Matthew  24 is to be  read and  studied by
Gentiles as well as Jews, as carefully as John 3 or any other part
of  the Bible.  The fact is, when we read Matthew 24 carefully, we
see that God is discussing the whole world.  In verse 14 He speaks
of the Gospel going to every nation.  In verses 28-31 He speaks of
His return in power  and great glory.  He does not  return to Jews
only.  He returns to  the whole world.  Therefore the  warnings of
Matthew 24 are to the whole world.  The statement of Matthew 24 is
as  important to  Gentiles as  I Thessalonians  4:14 or  any other
passage of the Bible.
 
Returning  now to the word "elect" found in Matthew 24:22, we find
that in the  King James Bible it  is translated as "chosen"  or as
"elect."  Examining  the twenty-three  places where  "eklektos" is
used,  we see very quickly that the Bible is speaking of those who
are elected  of God  to be  believers.  This  can be  seen in such
passages as:
 
             Matthew 20:16 -- So the last shall be first, and
                              the first last; for many be
                              called, but few chosen.
 
          Revelation 17:14 -- These shall make was with the
                              Lamb, and the Lamb shall over-
                              come them:  for He is Lord of
                              lords and King of kings: and
                              they that are with him are
                              called, and chosen, and
                              faithful.
 
               Romans 8:33 -- Who shall lay anything to the
                              charge of God's elect?  It is
                              God that justifieth.
 
           Colossians 3:12 -- Put on therefore as the elect
                              of God, holy and beloved,
                              bowels of mercy, kindness,
                              humbleness of mind, meekness,
                              longsuffering;
 
                 Titus 1:1 -- Paul, a servant of God, and an
                              apostle of Jesus Christ, accord-
                              ing to the faith of God's elect,
                              and the acknowledging of the
                              truth, which is after godliness.
 
Since the believers are the elect, and since Matthew 24:22 teaches
that the tribulation will  be shortened for the sake of the elect,
we  already see  that the  believers will  be present  through the
tribulation.  Thus,  on the  basis of  this verse  alone, we would
have  trouble with a  doctrine that teaches  that the Rapture will
occur before this tribulation.
 
Returning to Matthew 24  we see that God  gives us a very  careful
chronology  covering the  relationship of  the tribulation  to the
return of Christ.  In Matthew 24:29 God declares:
 
    Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the
    sun  be darkened, and the moon  shall not give her light,
    and the  stars shall fall from heaven,  and the powers of
    the heavens  shall be shaken;  and then shall  appear the
    sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all  the
    tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall  see the Son of
    man  coming in the clouds of  heaven with power and great
    glory.
 
This tells  us very emphatically  that the last  event that occurs
before  the  return  of  Christ  is  the  tribulation spoken of in
Matthew 24:21,22.  The language "immediately after" does not allow
for any  passage of  time between  the tribulation  and the events
spoken of in verses 29-31.
 
When we look carefully at  the events that immediately follow  the
tribulation, we see that the sun is darkened and the moon does not
give  its light.  This indicates that it is the end of time.   The
sun and  the moon regulate  the passage of  time.  Now time  is no
more, for Christ has returned.  It is the last day of this world's
existence.  Then we read that the stars begin to fall from heaven.
This  is  language  of  Judgment  Day  and the destruction of this
universe.   God  gives  us  further  amplification of this even in
Revelation 6:12-17, where He declares:
 
    And I beheld when he had  opened the sixth seal, and, lo,
    there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as
    sackcloth of hair, and the moon became  as blood; and the
    stars of heaven  fell unto the earth, even  as a fig tree
    casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of  a mighty
    wind.  And  the heaven  departed as  a scroll  when it is
    rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved
    out of  their places.  And the kings of the earth and the
    great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the
    mighty  men  and  every  bondman  and  every free man hid
    themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
    and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide
    us  from the  face of  him the  sitteth on the throne and
    from the  wrath of  the Lamb.   For the  great day of his
    wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?"
 
This  can only be language of  Judgment Day.  We are not surprised
to read  of the collapse of the universe.   In II Peter 3:10-13 we
read:
 
    But  the day  of the  Lord will  come as  a thief  in the
    night, in the  which the heavens  shall pass away  with a
    great  noise, and  the elements  shall melt  with fervent
    heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall
    be burned up.  Seeing then that all these things shall be
    dissolved, what manner of persons  ought ye to be in  all
    holy conversation and godliness, looking  for and hasting
    unto the coming  of the day  of God, wherein  the heavens
    being on fire shall be dissolved, and  the elements shall
    melt with  fervent heat?   Nevertheless we,  according to
    his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein
    dwelleth righteousness.
 
Thus  we  see  that  one  fact  stands out.  This universe will be
destroyed when Christ  comes again.  It must  be destroyed because
it is under the curse of sin.  The viruses, earthquakes, tornadoes
and  famines experienced are present  because mankind has rebelled
against God.  Therefore, not only was man cursed, but the universe
over which man ruled was also cursed.  We read in Romans 8:20-22:
 
    For   the  creature  was  made  subject  to  vanity,  not
    willingly,  but  by reason of him  who hath subjected the
    same  hope,  because  the  creature  itself also shall be
    delivered   from  the  bondage  of  corruption  into  the
    glorious liberty of the children  of  God,  for  we  know
    that the whole creation groaneth  and travaileth in  pain
    together until now.
 
The creation looks with eager longing at the revealing of the sons
of  glory  (the  believers)  because  it  is at that time that the
universe will be made free from the curse.  Immediately after  the
unsaved  have been judged and removed into Hill, the redemption of
this earth, its  destruction and recreation  as new heavens  and a
new earth must take place.
 
Therefore, we are not surprised to read that the stars are falling
from  heaven,  and  the  heaven  is  being  rolled  up when Christ
returns.   From  Matthew  24:29  we  know that this is immediately
following the  tribulation.  Any system of teaching which suggests
that  following  the   tribulation  Christ  will  return  to  this
sin-cursed  earth  to  set  up  an  earthly  throne is offering an
impossible suggestion.  The return of Christ immediatly  following
the tribulation signals the end of the present universe.
 
We might  note the conduct of  the unsaved  immediately after  the
tribulation  at  the  time  the  universe is collapsing and Christ
comes in power and great glory.  In Matthew 24:30 we read that all
the tribes of earth mourn.   In Revelation 12:8,9 we read that all
the peoples  are in  abject terror,  calling to  the mountains  to
hide  them and  the hills  to crush  them.  No  wonder they are in
great terror.  It is the great  day of the wrath of the  Lamb.  It
is Judgment Day, at which time they  must give an account of their
sins and  receive the righteous condemnation of God as payment for
their sins.
 
But now let us look more carefully at Matthew 24:31, for there God
reveals the first thing that Christ will do when He comes in great
power and glory.  And as we look at this verse more carefully, let
us note how parallel in language it is to I Thessalonains 4:16,17,
which speaks of the Rapture.
 
First  we read  in the  Matthew account  that Christ will send His
angels.  I  Thessalonians 4:16 speaks of the sound of the trumpet.
Christ then speaks  in Matthew 24 of gathering  the elect from the
four winds under heaven.  I Thessalonians 4:17 speaks of those who
are alive being  caught up to be with Christ.   As we saw earlier,
the  elect are the believers who  are being raptured from all over
the earth.  The  phrase "under heaven" could  simply be translated
"under the sky."   In any case  these are the  believers living on
the earth whose commonwealth is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20)
 
So we see  that there is parallel language in  Matthew 24:31 and I
Thessalonians 4:16,17 concerning angel  activity, the sound of the
trumpet at Christ's return, and the rapture of believers.
 
Thus in our study of Matthew 24 we can see very clearly that God`s
timetable for  the rapture of believers is at  the end of time. It
is  immediately  after  the  great  tribulation and coincides with
Judgment  Day.   How  marvelous  God  is  in giving so many proofs
concerning the timing of the Rapture.
 
Thus  far  we  have  found  five  very plain and distinctive paths
revealing that the Rapture will be at the end of time.  Let us now
look at a sixth path found in the Bible.
 

