Rapture is not in Matthew 24

The Rapture is not in Matthew 24

John Hoole – July 15, 2012

A number of non-pretribulationists present Matthew 24:31 as proof that the pre-tribulation rapture position is incorrect. This would be especially true of the post-tribulation position. Almost all hold that Matthew 24:31 is speaking of the second coming, but because the post-tribulationist believes the Rapture and Second Coming are two parts of the same event, it must also include the Rapture.

Let’s read the entire passage.

Matthew 24:29-31 NKJV

29     "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30     Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31     And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The question: Does this passage address the Rapture or the Second Coming of Christ, or both?

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is the only undisputed passage describing the Rapture of the Church. The pre-tribulationist believes there are many other Scriptures that speak of the Rapture, but there is no dispute on this passage. In it we find the Greek word, HARPAZO, from which our word “rapture” descends.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV

13     But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

14     For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

15     For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

16     For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17     Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up [harpazo] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

18     Therefore comfort one another with these words.

CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT SIMILARITIES ARE FOUND IN THESE TWO PASSAGES FROM MATTHEW 24 AND 1 THESSALONIANS 4?

There are at least four types of similarities between the Olivet Discourse and what the apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4.

1. Both passages mention a coming of Christ.

2. Both mention Christ coming in the clouds.

3. Both have the sound of a trumpet.

4. Both passages describe a gathering of God’s people.

Both passages mention a coming of Christ

There are a number of references to Christ’s coming in Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:3 NKJV

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Matthew 24:27 NKJV

27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Matthew 24:37 NKJV

37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Matthew 24:44 NKJV

44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15 NKJV, the apostle Paul also speaks of a coming of Christ.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

Both passages have Christ coming with the clouds

Matthew 24:30 NKJV

30 … and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 NKJV

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Both passages have a gathering of God’s people

Matthew 24:31 NKJV

31 …and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 NKJV

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Both passages mention a trumpet

Matthew 24:31 NKJV

31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 NKJV

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Those who attempt to link Matthew 24:29-31 with 1 Thessalonians 4:17, point to such “parallel terminology” as seen in these passages. There are indeed similarities between the two passages. This, by itself, does not prove they are describing the same event. For instance, there are also some similarities between Christ’s first coming and His second coming. But all agree they are not the same event.

In seeking to determine if the meaning in one passage of Scripture, like Matthew 24, is the same as the meaning in another passage, like 1 Thessalonians, it is the dissimilarities that must be given special attention – not the similarities.

For example, in looking at a physical object to determine its type, we must look at all those elements that go into making it what it is, but we must also look at what makes it not something else. A tree and a bush would illustrate this idea. While there are some similarities, the differences will tell the investigator they are not the same.

We can determining if both passages are the same event, not because of their similarities, but because of their differences. In the case of comparing Matthew 24 with 1 Thessalonians 4, it is the differences that are important. Let’s investigate to see if there are meaningful differences.

The two texts are asking, and answering, different questions.

Let me again set the stage in Matthews account. Late in Matthew 23, we find Jesus and the disciples going through the temple area. As they proceeded, Jesus comments on the temple’s destruction. This is something the disciples could hardly fathom, because it took 46 years to build.

So, beginning in Matthew 24, we find the disciples asking Jesus 3 questions.

1. When shall these things be (specifically the destruction of the Temple?”

2. What will be the sign of your coming?

3. What is the sign of the end of the age?

Matthew 24 & 25 make up this entire discourse as Jesus answers these questions.

On the other hand, Paul the apostle is responding to the matter of the death of saints and whether they would be taken to heaven when the Rapture occurs. This discussion centered around the certainty of a future resurrection.

As one begins to investigate any difference between Matthew 24 and 1 Thess. 4, enough differences are found to clearly conclude they must be separate events.

John. A. Sproule asks:

“Where does Paul mention the darkening of the sun (Matthew 24:29), the moon not giving its light (Matthew 24:29), the stars falling from the sky (Matthew 24:29), the powers of the heavens being shaken (Matthew 24:29), all the tribes of the earth mourning (Matthew 24:30), all the world seeing the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:30), or God sending forth angels (Matthew 24:31).”

Charles Feinberg also notes the dissimilarities between the two accounts:

“Notice what happens when you examine both passages carefully. In Matthew the Son of Man comes on the clouds, while in 1 Thessalonians 4 the ascending believers are in them. In Matthew the angels gather the elect; in 1 Thessalonians the Lord Himself gathers the believers. Thessalonians only speaks of the voice of the archangel. In the Olivet Discourse nothing is said about a resurrection, while in the latter text it is the central point. In the two passages the differences in what will take place prior to the appearance of Christ is striking. Moreover, the order of ascent is absent from Matthew in spite of the fact that it is the central part of the epistle.”

Gathered from the four winds

In the past, you have heard me say that the book of Matthew is possibly the most Jewish book in the New Testament. The focus of Matthew’s gospel is that Jesus is the rightful heir to the throne of David. And the language used in this discourse parallels very closely to prophesies made by the Old Testament prophets.

At first you may think it a far reach to go way back into the Old Testament and pick a couple obscure verses and link them to Matthew 24. But is it, really? Put yourself into the shoes of the disciples who first heard the discourse given by Jesus. Where would their minds jump? Since 1 Thessalonians was not yet written, and since the Old Testament was the only Bible they had, the answer is obvious.

One of the most convincing reasons why I believe Matthew 24:31 is not a rapture statement is found in the fact that the verses in Matthew includes citations from Old Testament passages. For instance, in Matthew 24:31, Jesus talked about His elect being gathered “from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” The elect will be gathered from all over the world at Christ’s coming with His angels.

With this in mind, some things from the Old Testament should be noted. First, because of Israel’s persistent rebellion against God, He declared that He would scatter the Jews “into all winds (Ezekiel 5:10, 12). In Zechariah 2:6, God stated that He did scatter them abroad “as the four winds of the heavens.”

In the Old Testament, the idea of scattering and reclaiming has the same meaning as that found in Matthew 24:31. God did scatter the Jews all over the world – to the four winds.

Next, God has also declared that in the future Israel would be gathered from the east, west, north and south., as Isaiah 43:5-7 says, “from the ends of the earth.” When Jesus spoke of the gathering being from “one end of heaven to the other,” certainly the Jews would be reminded of the words of Moses, in Deuteronomy 30:4. Moses said God would gather them from “the farthest place under heaven.” And God will not need to utilize the Israeli El Al airlines. His angels will be dispatched to draw them back to the land.

Gathering accompanied by a great trumpet

In Matthew 24, not only are the Jews promised they would be gather “from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other,” it will be accompanied by a “great sound of a trumpet.” The Old Testament also teaches this would occur at the gathering of the Jews back to their land. Isaiah 27:13 tells us, “in that day, the great trumpet will be blown…and they will come.” Theologian Gerhard Friedrich wrote that in that future eschatological day, “a great horn shall be blown (Isa 27:13) and the exiled will be brought back by that signal.”

Although Isaiah 11:11-12 does not refer to a great trumpet, it is parallel to Isaiah 27:13 because it refers to the same regathering of Israel.

Isaiah 11:11-12 NKJV

11 It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea.

12 He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.

In the context of this passage we read that when the Messiah comes to rule and change the world, He will gather together the scattered remnant of Israel “from the four corners of the earth.” Notice also that Isaiah mentions that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will set up an ensign, or, as it is written in the NKJV, “a banner.” In the Old Testament, and also in later Jewish writings, two things are associated with the gathering of the dispersed: a trumpet and a banner.

I would like to quote from a Jewish Daily Prayer Book, used to this day;

“Sound the great trumpet for our freedom; lift up the ensign to gather our exiles, and gather us from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are thou, O Lord, who gatherest the banished ones of thy people Israel. (Quoted from “Authorized Daily Prayer Book of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire” [S. Singer], p.48)

I have quoted from Isaiah, chapters 11:11-12 and 27:13. In the Jewish New Year’s service, the Jews quote from Isaiah 27:13 and 11:12.

What “Coming” did the disciples ask about?

I want to ask you a question.

WHEN THE DISCIPLES ASKED JESUS “WHAT IS THE SIGN OF YOUR COMING, WHAT COMING DID THEY HAVE IN MIND?

Was their question about the Rapture or the 2nd Coming?

Let me begin answering this question with another question. When, possibly, did Jesus first mention anything about the Rapture? Most would say it is found in John 14:1-3.

John 14:1-4 NKJV

1       "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

2       In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3       And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Where was Jesus when He mentions these things? The previous chapter in John is speaking of the Last Supper, which occurred the night before Jesus was crucified. And, the beginning of John 18 finds Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus first prays, then is betrayed by Judas, then arrested.

The occasion of the Olivet Discourse happened several days earlier. Since no mention of an event called the Rapture had been mentioned to the disciples, the question they asked about the coming of Christ could not be the Rapture. As you have heard in a small series on the “Mysteries of the New Testament,” the Church and its Rapture were two of those mysteries. They were completely unknown in Old Testament times. Like Revelation 6-18, Matthew 24 provides events and information leading up to the Second Coming

The rapture of the Church is not mentioned in Matthew 24. Some who do not hold a pre-tribulation rapture position have asked, why would Christ not mention something so important. Again, up to this time the Rapture had not even been revealed. And secondly, what Christ is addressing in this discourse are the question raised by the disciples. The questions raised by the disciples did not relate to the Rapture but rather to the specific signs leading up to the second coming of Christ. The silence about the Rapture here is understandable.

What is Missing?

I want to return to a brief statement I made near the very beginning.

There are a number of factors that make up all the components of the event called the Rapture. Two of the major components are:

1. A resurrection of saints who have died

2. A translation of the living saints

Not only are these two aspects of the Rapture found in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17, the one indisputable passage on the Rapture, they are both found in another Rapture passage – 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NKJV

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed —

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Indeed, the dead will be raised, or as we read in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” There is no mention of a resurrection in Matthew 24. All agree that the Rapture will have this as a major feature. Those believers who have died since the Church was born will be raised from their graves.

There also is no mentioned of a translation of living believers in Matthew 24. Translation is what happens to those believers living at the moment the Rapture occurs. Their bodies will be changed as is mentioned in Philippians 3:21, “like unto His glorious body.” Believers will have their bodies changed, in the twinkling of an eye, into bodies like Christ had after His resurrection. There is no resurrection mentioned anywhere in the Olivet Discourse. And there is no mention of those living at that time being translated.

In addition to the above differences, the order of events are different between the two passages. In 1 Thessalonians 4 believers are gathered in the air and taken to Heaven, while in Matthew 24 they are gathered after the arrival of Christ to earth.

Horizontal versus vertical gathering

We need to distinguish between these two gatherings by observing that one is vertical and the other horizontal. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, the rapture of the church is an event where Christ descends and His bride ascends to meet in the clouds. The Rapture occurs in “the air.” This is a vertical gathering.

The gathering mentioned in Matthew 24:29-31 is a horizontal gathering. It is angels gathering the Jews from all over the world. Its location is not in “the air,” but the land of Israel. God had given them an unconditional promise to return them to their land.

Ezekiel 39:8 reads:

I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

Closing

When we read Scripture, sometimes we need to remind ourselves that chapter breaks were not in the document when their author wrote it. Chapter and verse numbers were added later to help us. I want you to notice what is said by Christ near the end of the preceding chapter. We find Christ lamenting over Jerusalem.

Matthew 23:37 NKJV

37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Notice that Jesus mentions another earlier gathering that did not happen because of their unbelief. Now, a few verses later in chapter 24, this same Jesus is returning after at least 2,000 years at a future time when Jerusalem is again in peril. But this time they respond positively to their Messiah, so Jesus sends out His angels to gathering them from around the world. Instead of the scattering that occurred in 70 A.D., the Lord Jesus brings them from afar back to their land and city. This time they will say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39).