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Introduction to My E Book, 'Introduction to The Mid Week Rapture,' Part 4
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We will discuss Matthew 24:15, 21, 22, and 29-31 here at the beginning of Part 4.
I'll turn back to MATTHEW 24:15, "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)." These last words "(let the reader understand)" caution the readers to pay close attention because of the awesome significance of this teaching. Let's jump down to MATTHEW 24:21, 22, "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. (22) Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short."
WHAT IS THE GREAT TRIBULATION? WHEN WILL IT START? HOW LONG WILL IT LAST? These are very important questions, and we'll spend quite a bit of time answering these questions. Briefly, I believe the short great tribulation will begin shortly after the abomination of desolation and that it will be over before the Lord Jesus returns with the clouds of heaven and the rapture takes place (Matt. 24:30, 31), right in the middle of the seven years. The short great tribulation will involve very intense warfare that won't last more than a few weeks. It will involve very intense warfare of armies of the world against one another. This very intense warfare, warfare that will undoubtedly involve nuclear weapons and perhaps other weapons of mass destruction, is pictured, for one place, in the second half of Revelation chapter 9, which spells out the events that will accompany the sounding of the sixth trumpet of the book of Revelation.
That trumpet will sound about a month before the middle of Daniel's 70th week, about the time of the abomination of desolation. (As we have discussed, the Lord Jesus Christ will return and the rapture will take place right in the middle of Daniel's 70th week, at the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet of the book of Revelation.) The great tribulation isn't something coming against true Christians. In fact, as we will see, we can even say that the great tribulation and God's end-time judgment of the world is coming (in part) in answer to the prayers of God's people, including the prayer "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." We will, however, still be living on the earth at the time of the short great tribulation in that the great tribulation will take place just before the Lord Jesus Christ returns and the rapture takes place.
I'll read MATTHEW 24:21, 22 again, "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. (22) Unless those days had been cut short no life would have been saved [The warfare is going to be very intense, and the loss of life will be gigantic]; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short." Yes, short indeed, not lasting more than a few weeks. I am just giving a brief overview of some of the key points of Matthew chapter 24 here; we will discuss these important things in more detail as we continue with these studies. Later in this article we will begin a more detailed study of the short great tribulation. It is of crucial importance for us to understand the short great tribulation.
Now we'll skip down to MATTHEW 24:29, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." What is going to cause the darkening of the sun and moon? I believe that most of the light coming from the sun and moon will be blocked out by the large amounts of smoke and dust generated during the very intense warfare of the short great tribulation. Notice that verse 29 says, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days" [referring to the days of the short great tribulation spoken of in verses 21, 22; in the Greek the same noun for "tribulation" is used in verses 21 and 29]. I will have a lot more to say about the darkening of the sun and moon as we continue with these studies that will confirm this interpretation.
"AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Satan's kingdom will be greatly shaken at that time, right in the middle of Daniel's 70th week. For one major thing, Revelation chapter 12 shows that Satan and his angels will be cast down to the earth right in the middle of the seven-year period, and significantly, Satan's angels are called STARS in Revelation chapter 12. This helps us understand the meaning of these words here in Matthew 24:29 about the STARS falling from the sky. Satan's angels will be cast down to the earth with him when he is cast down right in the middle of Daniel's 70th week.
MATTHEW 24:30, 31, "And then the sign of the Son of Man [the Lord Jesus Himself] will appear in the sky [This is the primary sign we need to be looking for (see Matt. 24:3), the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when He returns with the clouds of heaven, at the sounding of the great trumpet, to take us to Himself in the rapture and to begin His end-time judgment of the world (and to do some other things).], and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn [They will mourn because they will know that the day of judgment has arrived.], and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. (31) And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."
The Lord Jesus Christ will return (He only returns once), and it won't be a secret coming (as many believe it will be). His coming will be visible across the world. His angels gathering together the elect worldwide is the rapture, the same rapture the apostle Paul spoke about in 1 Thess. 4:16, 17, verses that we have discussed already. And the great trumpet here in Matt. 24:31 is the trumpet of 1 Thess. 4:16. Also, as we have discussed, this is the same trumpet as the last trumpet of 1 Cor. 15:52 and the seventh and last trumpet of Rev. 11:15.
Most Christians who believe that the Lord Jesus will return and the rapture will take place (just) before Daniel's 70th week begins insist that Matt. 24: 30, 31 do not speak of the same coming of the Lord with the clouds of heaven and the trumpet that the apostle Paul spoke of in 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. They are pretty much forced into this unnatural interpretation by their view of the end times. They believe that Christ will return and the rapture will take place before the seven-year period begins, but His coming pictured in Matt. 24:30, 31 is AFTER the abomination of desolation, and essentially everyone agrees that the abomination of desolation will take place in the (approximate) middle of Daniel's 70th week. Therefore, they are pretty much forced to deny that the coming of the Lord in Matt. 24:30, 31 is the same coming that the apostle Paul spoke of. However, it has always seemed clear to me (and to very many others) that Matt. 24:30, 31 are talking about the same event that Paul taught about.
Matthew chapter 24 was one of the two primary passages that began to convince me that the pre-week rapture viewpoint is wrong. The other primary passage was 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, which we will discuss later in this article. As I mentioned, I'm not here to argue with anyone, but it is very important for us to rightly divide God's word. The closer we get to the time of the return of the Lord Jesus, the more important it is for us to rightly understand the end-time prophecies.
I'll read MATTHEW 24:30, 31 again and make another comment. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. (31) And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other." That worldwide gathering of the elect includes the mid-week rapture. I believe it also includes the gathering ON THE EARTH of the repentant end-time remnant of Israel that is spoken of in Isa. 27:12, 13. It is significant that Isa. 27:13 mentions the sounding of a GREAT TRUMPET.
Now I'll turn to 2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-5. These verses are very important too. As I mentioned, I never could reconcile Matthew chapter 24 or 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 with the pre-week rapture viewpoint. "Now we request you, brethren [the apostle Paul says], with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [[This is the same "coming" (Greek "parousia") of the Lord Jesus Christ (with the clouds of heaven and with the trumpet) that the New Testament frequently speaks about that will come to pass (I believe) right in the middle of Daniel's 70th week. The Greek noun "parousia" is also used, for example, in Matt. 24:3, 27, 37, 39; 1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 4:15; and 2 Thess. 2:8.]] and our GATHERING TOGETHER [my emphasis] to Him [[I'll read Matthew 24:31 again, "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to other." The Greek verb translated "THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER" in Matt. 24:31 is "episunago." The Greek noun translated "gathering together" here in 2 Thess. 2:1 is "episunagoges
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