The Timing of The Rapture
Matthew 24:36-44
Message #11
Last week the title of the message was “Rapture,” and we looked at the biblical details of the Rapture itself. And today, we are going to look at “The Timing of The Rapture.” Our key verses today come from the famous Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. And so, if you weren’t here last week or haven’t watched or listened to that message – you should do that. You can get it on the Word By Mail phone app, or you can get to it under the teaching tab at calvarynuevo.org.
We said last week that Believers have been looking for the Rapture to occur since the New Testament was being written because the teaching of the Rapture is meant to keep us always watching and always ready for the Lord’s imminent catching up of all Believers to be with him forever.
In Matthew 24, verse 36, Jesus says this.
Matthew 24:36 (NKJV)
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
So, the reason why there are different views on the timing of the Rapture is because God doesn’t want us to know so that we would live always ready for the Lord’s return for us – any day, any hour. And so, because the Bible says we cannot know for sure . . . Believers have different views on when the Rapture could take place.
Some say the Rapture is at the middle of the Great Tribulation
Some say the Rapture is at the end of the Great Tribulation
And so again, all I can do is show you what we see in scripture about the timing of the Rapture in relation to the Great Tribulation.
Our clear view is the Rapture could happen at any moment, and it seems clear to us that the Rapture will occur BEFORE (or at) the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
Again, this is really a part 2 message, so be sure to watch, listen to, or read last week’s message called “Rapture!!” because we did discuss some critical verses about the timing of the Rapture last week as well, and I can’t re-teach those verses in this message.
Before we get rolling on the timing of the Rapture, let’s remember that the Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events. We addressed this in the last message, but let’s review. We see the Rapture happening at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period. So, Rapture and Second Coming – two separate events at two separate times.
So, let’s look at some reasons why we see the Rapture occurring before the seven-year Tribulation. Let’s start all the way back in Genesis Chapter 6. By Genesis Chapter 6, the world had already deteriorated into such wickedness that God had decided to destroy mankind with the Flood.
Genesis 6:5–8 (NLT)
5 The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
6 So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.
7 And the LORD said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing . . .
8 But Noah found favor with the LORD.
This is the righteous wrath of the judgment of God about to be justly poured out on the sinful wickedness that was on the earth. But Noah – who was righteous in the sight of the Lord – was saved out of the judgment of God that was coming.
Noah and his family were not given the ability to tread water so they could swim through God’s judgment of the Flood. They were taken out of that judgment IN the Ark, which is a picture, a type of us being saved from God’s judgment by us being “in Christ.” This word “in” is a word of identification. When the Bible says we are in Christ, it means that we are so identified with Jesus that his righteousness becomes our righteousness. And so, we are seen as righteous because we are in Christ, and being in Christ, we are saved out of the judgment of God. That’s exactly what God did for Noah – he was saved out of the judgment.
Let’s turn over to Genesis 18. In Genesis Chapter 18, the Lord is heading to Sodom and Gomorrah to pour out his judgment upon sin, and Abraham is with him.
Genesis 18:23–25 (NLT)
23 Abraham approached [the Lord] and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?
24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes?
25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
Abraham is speaking to the Lord about the Lord’s own character, and he says certainly you wouldn’t pour out your wrath on both the righteous and the wicked in the same way. And then Abraham goes through a classic Jewish negotiation with the Lord (though not “Jewish” yet), and the entire time the Lord assures Abraham that he would not treat the righteous and the wicked in the same way.
In the end, Lot and his family – the only ones righteous – were taken out of Sodom and Gomorrah before the judgment of God was poured out on those cities.
Lot and his family were not given fire-proof suits and told to ride out the firestorm. Because the Lord saw them as righteous, they were taken out – kept from - God’s judgment.
Noah was taken out before God’s judgment was poured out
Lot was taken out before God’s judgment was poured out
And this shows God’s character (his attribute) of saving the righteous from the judgment that must justly be poured out on sin, which IS the entire message of the Gospel.
And these descriptions of God’s character are the foundation of why we believe that those who have received righteousness through faith in Christ will be taken out of this world before God’s judgment on sin is poured out in the Great Tribulation.
And so, in Matthew 24:37 (NLT), Jesus says 37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. (referring to the condition of the world and the righteous)
And then in Matthew 24, verses 40-42,
Matthew 24:40–42 (NLT) – same conversation
40 (at that time) “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken (as in taken out of the world), the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken (as in taken out of the world), the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
And then verse 44 says,
Matthew 24:44 (NLT)
44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
The coming of the Lord to take the righteous out of the world could be at any moment on any day.
And remember, the only true righteousness we can have is God’s righteousness received through faith in Jesus Christ, which saves us from the just judgment of God upon our sin.
That just judgment of God upon sin is what Jesus Christ died to save us from. Jesus took upon himself the full judgment of God upon our sin in our place, and then he gave his own righteousness of God so that we could be saved from the judgment of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:9–11 (NLT)
9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger (wrath) on us.
10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. (we see this as referring to the Rapture)
11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Encourage each other
So, if we were to see the Rapture occurring at the end of the Tribulation, we would be encouraging each other like this. God saved you from his just judgment on sin through your faith in Jesus Christ, and even though God saved Noah out of the judgment, and even though God saved Lot out of the judgment, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you get to go through an absolutely unimaginable level of God’s full-scale judgment on sin and wickedness in this world along with the full power of hell – all being poured out on earth at the same time during the Tribulation – so be encouraged, brother!
No! This doesn’t match the character of God, in our view.
Alright, moving on. Let’s look at some examples of individual Rapture experiences just so we know the concept of “being Raptured” IS throughout the Bible.
In Genesis Chapter 5 is an account of the descendants of Adam, one of which was Enoch.
Genesis 5:23–24 (NLT)
23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.
No death – just disappeared – Because God took him. This is the first picture of the Rapture in the Bible, and this is what the world will say about us – they just disappeared (or maybe – aliens).
Then, we have the story of Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11, where Elijah and Elisha were walking along, and suddenly, Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into Heaven. No death – just carried up into Heaven in a whirlwind.
And God even used a type of Rapture to instantly move Philip from one location to another. Philip had just baptized the Ethiopian eunuch on the Road to Gaza.
Acts 8:39 says (NLT)
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away (Harpazo). The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.
Unfortunately, Philip wasn’t raptured to Heaven, but only to the next place the Lord wanted him to preach.
And the Apostle Paul even got a taste of the Rapture.
2 Corinthians 12:2–4 (NLT)
2 I was caught up (exact same word for Rapture “Harpazo”) to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows
3 . . . But I do know 4 that I was caught up (Harpazo) to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
Jesus did do some special things for Paul, maybe because Paul was going to write half of the books of the New Testament. And maybe just for the motivation and encouragement, I could easily see Jesus saying to Paul, hey. You can’t tell anybody . . . but check this out!
And so, the concept of the Rapture is found throughout the Bible, and God saving the righteous out of the just judgment he must bring upon sin is also well documented as we read earlier – this time from the NKJV.
1 Thessalonians 5:9–11 (NKJV)
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (we see this ref to the Rapture)
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
The more you know about the horror of the Tribulation, the more you will know the comfort and encouragement of Jesus saving us out of the Tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 (NLT)
10 And [people] speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
The context here is believers looking forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus, who will rescue us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Okay. Just one more (we’ve mentioned before). Jesus says to the faithful church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3, verse 10.
Revelation 3:10 (ESV)
10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
This Greek word translated from (in both these last two verses) means “to be apart from – free from – independent from.”
Finally, one very important point in all of this. The only view of the timing of the Rapture that keeps us always on our toes, always ready, always expecting the imminent return of Jesus at any moment IS the pre-Tribulation Rapture view of the timing of the Rapture. So many times in the New Testament, we are called to always be ready and always be expecting the imminent return of the Lord Jesus to catch us up to rapture us to be with him forever.
So, let’s close with the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (commonly ten virgins – but they were actually Bridesmaids). This parable is smack-dab in the middle of Jesus talking about his return to “catch-up” his true Believers to the marriage supper in Heaven.
Matthew 25:1–13 (NLT)
1 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps,
4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.
5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’
7 “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.
8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’
9 “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.
11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’
12 “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’
13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.
You can be ready today by putting your full faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and your Lord.
And the Bible says THAT is the ONLY way you can be ready.
And you can stay ready by always maintaining and growing in your relationship with Jesus.
And I want to give you a chance right now to commit your life to both of those things.
We said last week that Believers have been looking for the Rapture to occur since the New Testament was being written because the teaching of the Rapture is meant to keep us always watching and always ready for the Lord’s imminent catching up of all Believers to be with him forever.
In Matthew 24, verse 36, Jesus says this.
Matthew 24:36 (NKJV)
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
So, the reason why there are different views on the timing of the Rapture is because God doesn’t want us to know so that we would live always ready for the Lord’s return for us – any day, any hour. And so, because the Bible says we cannot know for sure . . . Believers have different views on when the Rapture could take place.
Some say the Rapture is at the middle of the Great Tribulation
Some say the Rapture is at the end of the Great Tribulation
And so again, all I can do is show you what we see in scripture about the timing of the Rapture in relation to the Great Tribulation.
Our clear view is the Rapture could happen at any moment, and it seems clear to us that the Rapture will occur BEFORE (or at) the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
Again, this is really a part 2 message, so be sure to watch, listen to, or read last week’s message called “Rapture!!” because we did discuss some critical verses about the timing of the Rapture last week as well, and I can’t re-teach those verses in this message.
Before we get rolling on the timing of the Rapture, let’s remember that the Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events. We addressed this in the last message, but let’s review. We see the Rapture happening at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period. So, Rapture and Second Coming – two separate events at two separate times.
So, let’s look at some reasons why we see the Rapture occurring before the seven-year Tribulation. Let’s start all the way back in Genesis Chapter 6. By Genesis Chapter 6, the world had already deteriorated into such wickedness that God had decided to destroy mankind with the Flood.
Genesis 6:5–8 (NLT)
5 The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
6 So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.
7 And the LORD said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing . . .
8 But Noah found favor with the LORD.
This is the righteous wrath of the judgment of God about to be justly poured out on the sinful wickedness that was on the earth. But Noah – who was righteous in the sight of the Lord – was saved out of the judgment of God that was coming.
Noah and his family were not given the ability to tread water so they could swim through God’s judgment of the Flood. They were taken out of that judgment IN the Ark, which is a picture, a type of us being saved from God’s judgment by us being “in Christ.” This word “in” is a word of identification. When the Bible says we are in Christ, it means that we are so identified with Jesus that his righteousness becomes our righteousness. And so, we are seen as righteous because we are in Christ, and being in Christ, we are saved out of the judgment of God. That’s exactly what God did for Noah – he was saved out of the judgment.
Let’s turn over to Genesis 18. In Genesis Chapter 18, the Lord is heading to Sodom and Gomorrah to pour out his judgment upon sin, and Abraham is with him.
Genesis 18:23–25 (NLT)
23 Abraham approached [the Lord] and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?
24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes?
25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
Abraham is speaking to the Lord about the Lord’s own character, and he says certainly you wouldn’t pour out your wrath on both the righteous and the wicked in the same way. And then Abraham goes through a classic Jewish negotiation with the Lord (though not “Jewish” yet), and the entire time the Lord assures Abraham that he would not treat the righteous and the wicked in the same way.
In the end, Lot and his family – the only ones righteous – were taken out of Sodom and Gomorrah before the judgment of God was poured out on those cities.
Lot and his family were not given fire-proof suits and told to ride out the firestorm. Because the Lord saw them as righteous, they were taken out – kept from - God’s judgment.
Noah was taken out before God’s judgment was poured out
Lot was taken out before God’s judgment was poured out
And this shows God’s character (his attribute) of saving the righteous from the judgment that must justly be poured out on sin, which IS the entire message of the Gospel.
And these descriptions of God’s character are the foundation of why we believe that those who have received righteousness through faith in Christ will be taken out of this world before God’s judgment on sin is poured out in the Great Tribulation.
And so, in Matthew 24:37 (NLT), Jesus says 37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. (referring to the condition of the world and the righteous)
And then in Matthew 24, verses 40-42,
Matthew 24:40–42 (NLT) – same conversation
40 (at that time) “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken (as in taken out of the world), the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken (as in taken out of the world), the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
And then verse 44 says,
Matthew 24:44 (NLT)
44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
The coming of the Lord to take the righteous out of the world could be at any moment on any day.
And remember, the only true righteousness we can have is God’s righteousness received through faith in Jesus Christ, which saves us from the just judgment of God upon our sin.
That just judgment of God upon sin is what Jesus Christ died to save us from. Jesus took upon himself the full judgment of God upon our sin in our place, and then he gave his own righteousness of God so that we could be saved from the judgment of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:9–11 (NLT)
9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger (wrath) on us.
10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. (we see this as referring to the Rapture)
11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Encourage each other
So, if we were to see the Rapture occurring at the end of the Tribulation, we would be encouraging each other like this. God saved you from his just judgment on sin through your faith in Jesus Christ, and even though God saved Noah out of the judgment, and even though God saved Lot out of the judgment, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you get to go through an absolutely unimaginable level of God’s full-scale judgment on sin and wickedness in this world along with the full power of hell – all being poured out on earth at the same time during the Tribulation – so be encouraged, brother!
No! This doesn’t match the character of God, in our view.
Alright, moving on. Let’s look at some examples of individual Rapture experiences just so we know the concept of “being Raptured” IS throughout the Bible.
In Genesis Chapter 5 is an account of the descendants of Adam, one of which was Enoch.
Genesis 5:23–24 (NLT)
23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.
No death – just disappeared – Because God took him. This is the first picture of the Rapture in the Bible, and this is what the world will say about us – they just disappeared (or maybe – aliens).
Then, we have the story of Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11, where Elijah and Elisha were walking along, and suddenly, Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into Heaven. No death – just carried up into Heaven in a whirlwind.
And God even used a type of Rapture to instantly move Philip from one location to another. Philip had just baptized the Ethiopian eunuch on the Road to Gaza.
Acts 8:39 says (NLT)
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away (Harpazo). The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.
Unfortunately, Philip wasn’t raptured to Heaven, but only to the next place the Lord wanted him to preach.
And the Apostle Paul even got a taste of the Rapture.
2 Corinthians 12:2–4 (NLT)
2 I was caught up (exact same word for Rapture “Harpazo”) to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows
3 . . . But I do know 4 that I was caught up (Harpazo) to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
Jesus did do some special things for Paul, maybe because Paul was going to write half of the books of the New Testament. And maybe just for the motivation and encouragement, I could easily see Jesus saying to Paul, hey. You can’t tell anybody . . . but check this out!
And so, the concept of the Rapture is found throughout the Bible, and God saving the righteous out of the just judgment he must bring upon sin is also well documented as we read earlier – this time from the NKJV.
1 Thessalonians 5:9–11 (NKJV)
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (we see this ref to the Rapture)
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
The more you know about the horror of the Tribulation, the more you will know the comfort and encouragement of Jesus saving us out of the Tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 (NLT)
10 And [people] speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
The context here is believers looking forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus, who will rescue us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Okay. Just one more (we’ve mentioned before). Jesus says to the faithful church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3, verse 10.
Revelation 3:10 (ESV)
10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
This Greek word translated from (in both these last two verses) means “to be apart from – free from – independent from.”
Finally, one very important point in all of this. The only view of the timing of the Rapture that keeps us always on our toes, always ready, always expecting the imminent return of Jesus at any moment IS the pre-Tribulation Rapture view of the timing of the Rapture. So many times in the New Testament, we are called to always be ready and always be expecting the imminent return of the Lord Jesus to catch us up to rapture us to be with him forever.
So, let’s close with the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (commonly ten virgins – but they were actually Bridesmaids). This parable is smack-dab in the middle of Jesus talking about his return to “catch-up” his true Believers to the marriage supper in Heaven.
Matthew 25:1–13 (NLT)
1 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps,
4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.
5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’
7 “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.
8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’
9 “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.
11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’
12 “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’
13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.
You can be ready today by putting your full faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and your Lord.
And the Bible says THAT is the ONLY way you can be ready.
And you can stay ready by always maintaining and growing in your relationship with Jesus.
And I want to give you a chance right now to commit your life to both of those things.