Last week, we looked at two passages that people use to support their belief in a rapture event when Jesus returns to whisk believers away to Heaven. It seems clear, though, after studying those verses, that it is poor hermeneutics to reach that conclusion.
Today, I want us to look at another passage that often gets cited as proof of the rapture, Matthew 24:1-51 (CSB). This passage in Matthew is often called the Olivet Discourse, for Jesus spoke these words while on the Mount of Olives. Let’s read it, taking one section at a time, first looking at verses 1-3, which say:
1 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. 2 He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.”
3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
The four disciples, according to the Gospel of Mark, are Peter, James, John and Andrew. As is often the case when Jesus is asked questions, He answers in an unexpected way and so as we read through Jesus’ response, we have quite a task of figuring out which question He is addressing. As Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says, “To these questions He replies in this and the following chapters [not by answering] distinctly, but by intermingling the descriptions of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the end of the world, so that it is sometimes difficult to tell to what particular subject his remarks apply. The […] description of two events […] appears to be described in the same words and therefore the accounts are intermingled. A similar use of language is found in some parts of Isaiah, where the same language will describe the return from the Babylonian captivity, and deliverance by the Messiah.”
Let’s see if we can untangle the answers and figure it out by moving on to the next section, verses 4-22. It says:
4 Jesus replied to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. 6 You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these events are the beginning of labor pains.
9 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10 Then many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 A man on the housetop must not come down to get things out of his house, 18 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great distress, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again. 22 Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.”
While a lot of commentaries interpret this section to be about the end times, this passage seems to actually be about the impending destruction of the temple that would take place in 70AD. If you read through the historical writing of Josephus or Tacitus, there is ample evidence of wars, famine, pestilence, and earthquakes taking place before the temple was destroyed. We know too, of course, that the Apostles and early followers of Jesus suffered great persecution. And we know that this directive to flee to the mountains was followed by the Christians who were living in the city. Unlike the Jews who stayed during the destruction of the temple, the Christians scattered, most of them escaping with their lives as Barnes’ Notes mentions, citing Eusebius’ writings. He says, “These directions were followed. It is said that the Christians, warned by these predictions, fled from Jerusalem to Pella, and other places beyond the Jordan; so that there is not evidence that a single ‘Christian’ perished in Jerusalem” (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., lib. 3 chapter 6). It’s clear that the early Christians took Jesus’ warning seriously, and they left the city in order to escape the destruction.
In verse 15, Jesus mentions something called, “the abomination of desolation,” which may simply refer to the encircling army, for the parallel passage in Luke 21:20-24 (CSB) says, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that its desolation has come near. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Those inside the city must leave it, and those who are in the country must not enter it, because these are days of vengeance to fulfill all the things that are written. Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for there will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will be killed by the sword and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
We see from reading His words in Luke, that Jesus is describing not what will happen when He returns, but when the temple is thrown down and destroyed. And certainly, the destruction that took place in Jerusalem was catastrophic. We see in The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges commentary that, “Jerusalem was taken on the 10th August, A.D. 70. 1,100,000 Jews perished in the siege, 100,000 were sold into slavery. With the fall of Jerusalem Israel ceased to exist as a nation.”
I want to point out something about verse 22, which says, “Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.” The word for elect, according to Strong’s Concordance, is eklektos, and it means, “select, by implication favorite.” It is the same word used in Matthew 22:14 when Jesus says, many are called, but few are chosen. The chosen or elect are the people who are chosen for salvation once they have responded to His call; they are the believers. I think Jesus is saying those days were cut short so that more Christians were not killed in the violence.
Then there is further warning of false prophets and people pretending to be Jesus. Verses 23-28 say:
23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.”
When the destruction of Jerusalem happens, the devastation and distress will be so extreme that people will spread rumors that Jesus has returned and it’s the end of the world. Jesus is warning the disciples to not be deceived by people who say that He has come back. Jesus is saying that when He does come back, it will be unmistakable. That’s why Jesus says in verse 28, “Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.”
Although, I should point out that there is disagreement about the meaning of verse 28 and what the carcass represents and who the vultures are supposed to be. Some translations say eagle instead of vulture, and so some theologians think the eagle represents the Roman legion with their eagle emblem. I think Luke 17:37 gives us the clue to understanding it. The disciples ask Jesus where all this will take place. “’Where, Lord?’ they asked him. He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there also the vultures will be gathered.’” In other words, the location of where this destruction will take place will be obvious. As easy as it is to see that something has died because vultures are circling overhead, so it will be easy to know where this happening.
Now we get to the next part of Jesus’ answer. In Ellicott’s Commentary, he writes, “From this point onwards the prophecy takes a wider range, and passes beyond the narrow limits of the destruction of Jerusalem to the final coming of the Son of Man, and the one is represented as following ‘immediately’ on the other.” I agree that this is when Jesus switches to answering the next question.
Reading the next three verses, 29-31, Jesus says, “Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples 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 He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”
Luke 21:25-28 also speaks of this, and in the CSB translation, it rightfully designates this as a new section. It says, “The Coming of the Son of Man,” and then states, “Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and expectation of the things that are coming on the world, because the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is near.”
This is very clearly about something more than the destruction of Jerusalem. It is telling of the return of Christ at the end of the world. Back to Matthew’s account, verses 32-35 say:
32 “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near—at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
Some theologians, N.T. Wright included, believe that all these verses are still talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, but I think in verses 29-31, Jesus switched to the question about His return, and is now referring to Jerusalem again in verses 32-35. I think we’ve all done that in conversation when we are talking about two different events with someone. We go back and bring up another point we didn’t mention yet. I think it’s also okay to think that “this generation will certainly not pass away” is referring to the end times, if we take that to mean this “time of the Gentiles” as Luke stated it.
Picking back up in verses 36-44, Jesus says, “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son —except the Father alone. 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. 39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. 44 This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
This is the section that people think is referring to the rapture, and especially that there will be a pre-tribulation rapture, when Jesus will take believers away, suddenly and without warning. They refer to the verses which state that one will be taken and one will be left. But rather than the believers being the ones who are being taken, we see as verse 39 states, “They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be.” Those who are taken or swept away are not the saved. Those who are “left” are those who are spared destruction. Those “taken” are those who are taken away in the same way that in 1 Samuel 14:42 (ESV) it says, “Then Saul said, ‘Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.’ And Jonathan was taken.” Jonathan was supposed to be taken in judgement. We see this also in Isaiah 4:2-4 (ESV) which says, “In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.”
If we believe that the one being saved is the one who is taken, then I believe we have misunderstood the passages.
Again, we see this same concept in Matthew 13:41-43 (ESV) which says, “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” It is the unrighteous who are gathered and thrown out of His kingdom, not the opposite. It is the righteous, the children of God, who will stay with Jesus in His kingdom for eternity.
I’m sure you agree with me that this chapter of Matthew is very important to understand. So much of modern theology has been based off these words of Jesus, and yet it has been greatly misunderstood. But even though the first half of this chapter is largely addressing the destruction that was coming to Jerusalem, there is a lot to apply to our lives today. In the same way that the early Christians held on to the words of Jesus and took Him literally, and left Jerusalem so as to escape the destruction of the city and the temple, we too, should hold on to the words of Scripture and take them literally and seriously. While the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD already took place, Jesus will still be returning, and His return could take place within our generation. We don’t know exactly when He will come again, but we know that He will. Are we prepared to meet Him? Or will we be swept away by false doctrines or false prophets? I don’t think it’s too far of a exegetical stretch to ask this question: In our present day and culture, will we flee to the mountains in time or will we be taken and destroyed along with everyone else? Meaning, will we prepare ourselves for His return, keep our faith in Jesus, and follow His directives? Or will we be conformed to the society we live in, lose our faith, and suffer destruction along with all who are thrown out of His Kingdom?
This chapter then concludes with a parable of warning. In verses 45-51, Jesus says, “45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
That parable is as applicable to us today as it was to the disciples who were listening to Jesus. We must be faithful and wise servants; always watchful and ready for our Master to return. We must be careful to follow Jesus’ words and not live as hypocrites; living double lives. Jesus could return at any hour. Let us be found ready. Let us not fall away, but let us watch and prepare for His arrival, sharing His message of hope and love with all the world. He is surely coming!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your great love for us. Thank You for sending us Jesus so we might become Your children. We know that only You know when He will return. Help us, by Your Holy Spirit, to live in readiness. Help us not to be conformed to this world we live in, but help us to follow Your Word in all areas of our lives, conforming us more and more each day into Jesus’ example. We love You and praise Your Holy name. In Jesus, our Savior’s name we pray, amen.
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