I was mentioning that because of the earlier convo, where I pointed out,
the Olivet Discourse (and parallels) Jesus is
NOT covering the Subject of "our Rapture"
AT ALL, but rather, of His Second Coming
to the earth FOR the promised and prophesied
earthly Millennial Kingdom commencing upon His "RETURN"
to the earth (Rev19).
Up to the time Jesus spoke His Olivet Discourse [and its parallels] (
and His response throughout it [i.e. both chpts 24 & 25]), He had NOT YET spoken ANYTHING regarding the Subject of "our Rapture," but
everything pertaining to His Second Coming
to the earth.
Everything in Matthew 24 is speaking of events (and persons)
FOLLOWING "our Rapture"; and in fact "our Rapture" [which is HIS DOING, we are passive recipients in that "snatch-action"]
is a PRIMARY IMPETUS that helps Israel
turn to and come to faith in their Messiah (Jesus Christ).
When they do come to faith (while on the earth IN/DURING/WITHIN the trib years), THEY will never "lift off" the earth (
as "Rapture [IN THE AIR]" does NOT pertain to them!), but they [if they survive throughout the trib yrs,
like Dan12:12, and many other passages] will still be located
on the earth upon His
"RETURN" there--with Matt24:29-31 ("GREAT trumpet") paralleling Isaiah 27:12-13:
12 In that day the LORD
will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt,
and you, O Israelites, will be
gathered one by one.
13 And
in that day a
great trumpet will sound, and those who were perishing in Assyria
will come forth with those who were exiles in Egypt. And they will worship the LORD
in the holy mountain at Jerusalem. [same as Isa24:21-
23]
It is
to Israel that these
"earthly" things were promised,
not to "the Church which is His body" (ALL those saved "in this present age [singular]"); and we see this in
both their Q of Jesus (after having spent some "40 days" with Him
POST-resurrection speaking to them about that very issue, and His response to their Q of Him there
in Acts 1:6 which had to do with
its TIMING, not its NATURE which aspect they understood correctly),
and in Peter's words to "ye men of Israel"
in Acts 3:21, "whom indeed it behooves heaven to receive until
the time
s of restoration OF ALL THINGS OF WHICH GOD SPOKE BY the mouth of His holy prophets
from the age."
[by contrast (
said to/for/about us/the Church which is His body), "For
our citizenship is in
the heavens, whence also a Saviour we await -- the Lord Jesus Christ" Phil3:20 (and other such like passages)]