An Interpretation of Matthew 24-25 (Part 29)

Dr. Thomas Ice

"And He will send forth His angels with agreat trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, fromone end of the sky to the other."

-Matthew 24:31

Manynon-pretribulationists contend that Matthew 24:31 teaches a posttribulationalrapture. All agree that thispassage teaches a return of Christ. This means that the question revolves around whether Matthew 24:31 andMark 13:27 are references to the rapture. I contend that the rapture is not in view in this passage.

Posttribulationalradio personality, Irwin Baxter, believes that the rapture and the secondcoming "are the same event" in Matthew 24:31.[1] "Matthew 24:29 teaches that the comingof the Son of man and the rapture are the same event," contends Baxter. He arrives at this conclusion bycomparing Matthew 24:29-31 to Christ's return in Revelation 19. In the discussion cited, Baxter doesnot refer to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, the undisputed rapture passage, as abaseline for defining the rapture.

Posttribulationalrapture scholar, Dr. Robert Gundry, also equates the rapture with the secondcoming in Matthew 24:31. "Posttribulationists," contends Gundry, "equate the rapture with thegathering of the elect by angels at the sound of the trumpet (Matt. 24:31)."[2] Unlike Baxter, Dr. Gundry does interactwith the rapture passage (1 Thess. 4:13-18). He says, "If we define the rapture strictly as a catchingup, only one passage in the entire New Testament describes it. That passage is 1 Thessalonians4:13-18."[3]

Baxter does noteven attempt to define the rapture. Apparently this allows Baxter flexibility to find the rapture in Matthew24:31. Dr. Gundry includes in hisdefinition of the rapture "a catching up" from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Dr. Gundry wants to "broaden thedefinition to include a gathering or reception" from Matthew 24:31, etc.[4] Since the present debate is whether ornot Matthew 24:31 is a rapture passage, it would beg the question to includeMatthew 24:31 in an a prioridefinition of the rapture.

1 Thessalonians4:17 is the only undisputed passage describing the rapture event. Only in this passage is the Greek word harpaz ("caught up") used, from which the English wordrapture descends. Whatever elsethe rapture may include in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, it clearly consists of atranslation of living believers.

In an attempt toequate Matthew 24:31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17 as referring to the same event,Dr. Gundry notes "parallel terminology in Paul's Thessalonian discussion of theChurch's rapture, where we read of a trumpet, clouds, and a gathering ofbelievers just as in the Olivet Discourse."[5] Indeed, there are some similaritiesbetween the rapture and the second coming. There are also some similarities between Christ's firstadvent 2,000 years ago and His second advent. But they are not the same events. We know they are not the same because of the differences. It is the differences that are importantwhen comparing Matthew 24:31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Enough differences exist between thetwo passages to clearly conclude that they must be separate events.

Dr. Steven McAvoynotes that "the differences between Paul's Thessalonian statements and Matthew24:30-31 far outweigh any alleged similarities."[6] He says:

Sproule asks,

Where does Paul mention the darkening of the sun(Matt. 24:29), the moon not giving its light (Matt. 24:29), the stars fallingfrom the sky (Matt. 24:29), the powers of the heavens being shaken (Matt.24:29), all the tribes of the earth mourning (Matt. 24:30), all the worldseeing the coming of the Son of Man (Matt. 24:30), or God sending forth angels(Matt. 24:31)?[7]

Feinberg also notesthe dissimilarities between the two accounts:

Notice what happens when you examine bothpassages carefully. In Matthew theSon of Man comes on the clouds, while in 1 Thessalonians 4 the ascendingbelievers are in them. In Matthewthe angels gather the elect; in 1 Thessalonians the Lord Himself (note theemphasis) gathers the believers. Thessalonians only speaks of the voice of the archangel. In the Olivet Discourse nothing is said about aresurrection, while in the latter text it is the central point. In the two passages the differences inwhat will take place prior to the appearance of Christ is striking. Moreover, the order of ascent is absentfrom Matthew in spite of the fact that it is the central part of the epistle.[8][9]

In addition tothe above differences, the order of events are different between the twopassages. In 1 Thessalonians 4believers are gathered in the air and taken to heaven, while in Matthew 24 theyare gathered after Christ's arrival to earth. "In order for Gundry to establish his view that Matthew24:31 refers to the rapture, he must reconcile the dissimilarities; not simplepoint to a few similarities."[10] Thus, the differences in the twopassages support the contention that they speak of two distinct events.

I believe theelect in Matthew 24 is a reference to the Jewish remnant who will come to faithin the Messiahship of Jesus during the tribulation period. Commentators generally recognize that"elect" "may refer to Israel, to the Church, or to both."[11] The context is the determinative factorin any attempt to discover which nuance the author intended. The contextual usage of Matthewsupports the elect as a reference to Israel because of the Jewish orientationof the passage. "Such terms as thegospel of the kingdom (24:14), the holy place (24:15), the Sabbath (24:20), andthe Messiah (24:23-24) indicate that Israel as a nation is in view,"[12]observes Dr. Stanley Toussaint. Dr. Renald Showers provides a more focused explanation:

The elect are the faithful, believing Israeliteremnant in contrast with the unbelieving sinners within the nation. In Isaiah 65:7-16 God drew a contrastbetween these two groups and their destinies. In verse 9 He called the believing remnant "mine Elect," andin verses 17-25 He indicated that in the future Millennium His elect remnant ofthe nation will be blessed greatly on the earth.[13]

Since the term"elect" is used three times in Matthew 24 (verses 22, 24, 31; see also Mark13:20, 22, 27), it is most likely that the author uses it to refer to the sameentity all three times. Dr. McAvoysays, "The rule of context precludes understanding 'elect' in 24:22, 24 asreferring to Israel and then nine verses later as referring to the church. Without some indication of transitionfrom one intended meaning to another 'elect' in 24:21 must mean the same as itdoes in 24:22, 24."[14]

To me, the mostconvincing reason why Matthew 24:31 is not a rapture statement is found in thefact that this verse includes citations from Old Testament passages,specifically Deuteronomy 30:4. These references clearly support the notion that this angelic gathering,which was predicted in the Older Testament, references a regathering of savedJews who need to be returned to the land of Israel in which they will live fora thousand years during Christ's Kingdom. Instead, of using El Al airlines, the Lord will use angelic carriers totransport His people back to their land. What is the support for this view? Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum tells us the following about the use of OldTestament citations in Matthew 24:31:

The Matthew passage is a rather simple summary ofall that the prophets had to say about the second facet of Israel's final restoration. Its purpose was to make clear that theworld-wide regathering predicted by the prophets will be fulfilled only afterthe second coming.[15]

Dr. RenaldShowers has done an excellent job collecting evidence and arguing for thisview.[16] After noting that "from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other"means that "the elect will be gathered from all over the world at Christ'scoming,"[17]Dr. Showers provides three lines of proof for his view as follows:

First, because of Israel's persistent rebellionagainst God, He declared that He would scatter the Jews "into all the winds"(Ezek. 5:10, 12) or "toward all winds" (Ezek. 17:21). In Zechariah 2:6 God stated that He did scatter them abroad"as four winds of the heavens." . . . God did scatter the Jews all over theworld.

Next,God also declared that in the future Israel would be gathered from the east,west, north, and south, "from the ends of the earth" (Isa. 43:5-7). We should note that in the context ofthis promise, God called Israel His "chosen" (vv. 10, 20).

. . . Just as Jesus indicated that the gatheringof His elect from the four directions of the world will take place inconjunction with "a great trumpet" (literal translation of the Greek text ofMt. 24:21), so Isaiah 27:13 teaches that the scattered children of Israel willbe gathered to their homeland in conjunction with the blowing of "a greattrumpet" (literal translation of the Hebrew). . . .

GerhardFriedrich wrote that in that future eschatological day "a great horn shall beblown (Is. 27:13)" and the exiled will be brought back by that signal. Again he asserted that in conjunctionwith the blowing of the great trumpet of Isaiah 27:13, "There follows thegathering of Israel and the return of the dispersed to Zion."

Itis significant to note that Isaiah 27:13, which foretells this futureregathering of Israel, is the only specific reference in the Old Testament to a"great" trumpet.

AlthoughIsaiah 11:11-12 does not refer to a great trumpet, it is parallel to Isaiah27:13 because it refers to the same regathering of Israel. In its context, this passage indicatesthat when the Messiah (a root of Jesse, vv. 1, 10) comes to rule and transformthe world as an "ensign" (a banner), He will gather together the scatteredremnant of His people Israel "from the four corners of the earth."[18]

What Jesusdescribes in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 is the Jewish ingathering that will fulfillthe prophetic aspects of the Feast of Trumpets for the nation of Israel. In fact, a prayer for this regatheringof the children of Israel appears to this day in the Jewish Daily Prayer Book.[19]

It is quite clearthat since the church is not mentioned in Matthew 24, then verse 31 cannot be areference to the rapture of the church. Instead, as one studies the context and Old Testament references thatour Lord alludes to, it becomes quite clear that He speaks of an end timeregathering of elect Israel in order to return them to the land for theMillennium. At Christ's firstcoming he wept over Jerusalem and expressed His desire to gather Israel toHimself "the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wereunwilling" (Matt. 23:37). At Hissecond coming, elect Israel will look upon Him whom they have pierced (Zech.12:10) and say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Ps. 118:26; Matt. 23:39). Maranatha!

(To BeContinued . . .)

Endnotes

[1] This information is take from the web site ofIrwin Baxter at www.endtime.com, underthe Question and Answer section dealing with the rapture. All subsequent quotes from Baxter arefrom the same source.

[2] Robert H. Gundry, The Church and theTribulation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 135.

[3] Robert H. Gundry, First the Antichrist: Why Christ Won't Come Before theAntichrist Does (GrandRapids: Baker, 1997), p. 71.

[4] Gundry, First the Antichrist, p. 71.

[5] Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation, p. 135.

[6] Steven L. McAvoy, "A Critique of Robert Gundry'sPosttribulationalism," Th. D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1986,p. 136.

[7] John A. Sproule, "An Exegetical Defense ofPretribulationism," Th. D. dissertation, Grace Theological Seminary, 1981, p.53.

[8] Paul D. Feinberg, "Response: Paul D. Feinberg," in The Rapture:Pre-, Mid-, or Posttribulational? byRichard R. Reiter, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), p. 225.

[9] McAvoy, "Critique of Gundry," p. 137.

[10] McAvoy, "Critique of Gundry," p. 138.

[11] Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation, p. 135.

[12] Stanley D. Toussaint, Behold The King: A Study of Matthew (Portland: Multnomah, 1980), p. 277.

[13] Renald Showers, Maranatha: Our Lord, Come! (Bellmawr, NJ: The Friends of Israel, 1995), p. 182.

[14] McAvoy, "Critique of Gundry," pp. 140-41.

[15] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of theMessiah (San Antonio: Ariel Press, 1982), p. 299.

[16] For more information supporting this view seeShowers, Maranatha, pp. 181-84.

[17] Showers, Maranatha, p.182.

[18] Showers, Maranatha, pp.182-83.

[19] For this prayer see Showers, Maranatha, p.183.