THE SIGNS OF THE RAPTURE

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This article revolves around Chapter 24 of the book of Matthew. In this Chapter, the Lord Jesus discussed with His disciples the signs that will lead to the start of the Great Tribulations, the signs of His Second Coming and most especially, the signs that the Rapture is about to take place. The Lord laid down all of them in this chapter. We will just need to rightly divide which among these verses talk about the signs of the Second Coming, the Great Tribulation and the Rapture.

Let’s start.

We can read in verse 3 that the disciples came to the Lord Jesus and asked him two questions:

Mat. 24:3 “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?”

It’s vital to recognize that there are two distinct questions being asked here:

1. What will be the sign of Your coming?
2. What will be the sign of the end of the age?

In rightly dividing this Chapter, we need to take note the sequence of how the Lord answers them. He first answers the second question followed by the first. In answering the second question, He outlines the signs that will mark the “end of the age,” which is the Great Tribulation period that will make way for the new age: the Age of Regeneration.

In answering the second question, the Lord divides His answer about the “sign of the end of the age” into two main parts:

A. Signs of the Start of the First Half of the Great Tribulation
B. Signs of the Start of the Second Half of the Great Tribulation up to its end

When the disciples ask about the “sign of the end of the age,” the Lord Jesus answered it in Matthew 24 by detailing the eventsduring the Great Tribulation. So basically, when the Lord say “End of Age,” it actually means the Great Tribulation.And true enough, the Great Tribulation is the end of Age or more specifically, Grace Age. It is the end of Grace and will be followed by the Age of Regeneration (Mat. 19:28, Titus 3:5), when Christ will reign for 1000 years.

We will now examine these two parts of the “sign of the end of the Age:”

A. Signs of the First Half of the Great Tribulation (Matt 24:4-14)

Matthew 24:4-14
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

The first part of the End of Age is the first half of the Great Tribulation. So what will be the signs for this? According to Matthew 24:4-14, the following are the signs of the first half of the Great Tribulation. Many of which we can see in our day, but they will much increase in intensity at the start of Great Tribulation:

1. False messiahs and deception

“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” (Matthew 24:5)

2. Wars and rumors of wars

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6)

3. Nation rising against nation

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:7a)

4. Natural disasters

“And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7b)

5. Persecution of believers

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9)

6. Apostasy and betrayal

“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” (Matthew 24:10)

7. Rise of false prophets

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” (Matthew 24:11)

8. Increase in wickedness

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)

9. Global proclamation of the gospel

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

These signs paint a picture of increasing global turmoil, deception and hardship, culminating to a worldwide proclamation of the Gospel. Although most of these signs are seen in today’s generation, we are not yet in the Great Tribulation. They will still increase and will culminate during the Great Tribulation. Global proclamation of the Gospel will be seen even in Israel.

B. Signs of the Second Half of the Great Tribulation up to its end (Matt 24:15-28)

Matthew 24:15-28
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand). Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day. 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 Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew 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 carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”

These are the signs of the second half of the Great Tribulation. The Lord Jesus pinpoints here a critical event that signifies the start of it:

Mat 24:15 “ When ye therefore shall see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand)…”

The “abomination of desolation” here refers to the Antichrist who will set up his throne at the newly rebuilt third Jewish temple in Jerusalem and desecrating it by declaring himself to be God. This is prophesied by the prophet Daniel, whom the Lord Jesus Himself quoted in this verse:

Dan. 9:27 “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate. Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

At this juncture, the Lord Jesus gives an urgent warning to those in Judea during that time, to flee immediately whenever they see these things happen. It is for this reason that the events that will follow will be unparalleled in their severity (Matt 24:16-22).

After answering the sign of the end of age, the Lord Jesus then answered the first question of the disciples: What will be the sign of Your coming?

In answering the first question of the disciples —“What will be the sign of Your coming?”—the Lord Jesus Christ divided His answer into two distinct parts: the Rapture and the Second Coming. He carefully outlined the signs that would precede each event. Thus, when Scripture speaks of “His coming,” it encompasses both the Rapture, when Christ comes for His Bride, and the Second Coming, when He returns with His saints to establish His kingdom on earth.

We can see this by His use of two different Greek words for the word “Coming.” He used the Greek words “Parousia” and “Erchomai”:

Parousia – means “presence, coming or advent”(Mat. 24:3,37,39)
Erchomai – means “to appear, to come in person” (Mat. 24:30)

Based on these meanings, the Lord used “Parousia” to relate to His presence or His coming during the Rapture of His Bride which will happen before the start of the Great Tribulation. He will come for His Bride and His Bride will be caught up and meet Him in the air (1 Thes. 4:17). He will come back just like the way He was taken up in Heaven (Acts 1:11). He will come only for His Bride and that’s why this Coming is a secret one. This is also the reason why no one will know about the day and the hour that the Rapture will happen.

Erchomai on the other hand, was used to refer to His appearing in person during His Second Coming when He will claim the Earth, judge the nations and establish His kingdom. Unlike His coming in the Rapture which is secret, this one is His visible public return to Earth together with His saints where everyone will see Him (Rev. 1:7).

Matthew 24:29-31 talks about the Erchomai (Second Coming) of the Lord Jesus and not about the Rapture (Parousia):

“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. 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 (erchomai) on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 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.”

Here is the answer of the Lord on the signs of His Second Coming:

1. After the Tribulation

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days…” (Matt 24:29)

It is clear that the Second Coming will happen at the end of the Great Tribulation.

2. Global Visibility and Reaction

“Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming…” (Matt 24:30)

Unlike the Rapture, this is a public Coming where every tribe of the Earth will see Him. This is also the time of the Battle of Armageddon and the subsequent gathering of nations for judgment, as depicted by the separation of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:32-33.

Now let’s go to the Rapture – His Parousia or His Coming for His Bride.

Having detailed His Second Coming at the end of the Great Tribulation, the Lord Jesus then appears to concentrate on discussing His Parousia – the Rapture. This discussion is found in Matthew 24:32-44. He started it by discussing first the Parable of the Fig Tree in Matthew 24:32-35:

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

Throughout the Bible, the fig tree consistently symbolized the nation Israel, especially in the Old Testament (cf. Jer 24:1-10; Hos 9:10). After the Lord Jesus cursed the fruitless fig tree in Matt 21:18-22 which symbolized Israel’s spiritual state during His Earthly ministry, Israel was largely “dormant” for nearly 2,000 years. However, in 1948, Israel “sprang back to life” with the re-establishment of the nation. This “putting forth of leaves” is a monumental sign indicating that His coming is “near, right at the door.“

The Lord is telling us here that the Rapture will not take place until the parable of the fig tree is fulfilled. Therefore, one of the sign of the Rapture is Israel becoming a nation. And this is already fulfilled.

Let’s continue on the signs of the Rapture:

Mat 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”

One thing that the Lord emphasized about this Parousia is that no one will know that day and the hour of its occurrence, not even the angels. Many will know the day and the time of his Second Coming, this is because once the Great Tribulation begins, according to the Bible, there is exactly 2,520 days (7 years) for it to finish. From the abomination of desolation (midpoint), there is 1,260 days (or 3 and a half years) until the Great Tribulation is finished (Rev 11:2-3, 12:6, 13:5). And the Second Coming of the Lord will follow after that. So the general timing of the Second Coming becomes calculable within this framework.

In contrast, the Rapture is presented as an event for which there are no immediate preceding event that allow for such calculation. Its exact timing is truly unannounced and cannot be calculated. Another reason why no one will know when it will happen and why it is called “a secret catching away” is because this is an attempt of earthly beings (the Bride of the Lord) being able to access Heaven. And Satan has long been attempting to access Heaven again. If he knows when this is, he will surely prepare for this. He will prepare his army and fight the Bride, making this event just like the battle of Armageddon.

Matthew 24:37-39 “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Another sign of the Rapture is, it will be like in the days of Noah. The Lord Jesus emphasized on the normalcy and unawareness state of the world when the Rapture comes. It will be like a normal day. But it will occur suddenly while life seemingly normal as usual for the unsuspecting people.

Mat 24:40-41 “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.”

The word for “taken” here is the Greek word “Paralambano”. Strong’s Concordance defines paralambanō as “to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy, to assume an office; figuratively, to learn.” In short, it means “to take with one’s self, to join to one’s self.”

Significantly, this is the exact same Greek word the Lord Jesus used in John 14:3 when promising the Rapture to His disciples:

Joh 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive (paralambanō) you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

This means that the word “taken” in Matthew 24:40-41 does not talk about the Second Coming and it is not a taking in judgment (like the wicked being “taken” by the flood in verse 39, which uses a different Greek word, airō), but a taking to be with Christ in the Rapture, a receiving unto Himself – the very essence of the Rapture. The one left behind will enter the Great Tribulation.

Then the Lord Jesus concludes this section with the exhortation:

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matt 24:44).

So except for the parable of the Fig Tree and its likeness in the days of Noah, the Lord has given us no specific signs that can be calculated for the exact occurrence of the Rapture. And that’s why he advises us to be ready (Mat. 24:44).

Indeed, Matthew 24:36 clearly states “no one knows the day or hour,” of the Rapture. But following the signs of the parable of the fig tree and the description of “days of Noah” normalcy, those who watch and pray can certainly see that our Rapture is drawing nigh.

The Season of the Rapture is already here. The Fig Tree is already green and the days of Noah have already taken place. Be prepared therefore.

Don’t be like others who calculate the date of the Rapture. It is futile. It’s not about calculation, it’s about spiritual preparedness, living in such a way that His coming is our constant, joyful expectation. If you are one of those who truly desire to be ready for the Rapture, to be counted among those “taken” to be with the Lord, I would earnestly encourage you to seek what it truly means to “Possess the Knowledge of God.” That is where true readiness lies.

God bless you Bride.