Jesus says what the beginning of birth pains are and when the end [of birth pains] comes with the preaching of ths gospel to all nations.
"The beginning of birth PANGS"
are the "SEALS" of Rev6.
And (in view of that ^ ) Rev1:1 / 1:19c / 4:1 is making the point that the "
future" aspects of that Book (Rev) are "things which must come to pass
IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]" [the 7 yrs]
(
NOT things which would transpire over the course of some 2000 yrs;
IN CONTRAST to "the things WHICH ARE" [chpts 2-3] which are things NOT said "must come to pass
IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]"); i.e. the "IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]" time-period 1:1 speaks of (which STARTS when Jesus will "
STAND to JUDGE" [Isa3:13, Rev5:6; Lam2:3-4 (<--parallel the wording of 2Th2:7b-8a)] by His opening the FIRST SEAL [Matt24:4 / Mk13:5 "G5100 -
tis - 'A CERTAIN ONE' [
'a certain one' bringing deception]"--aka the INITIAL "birth PANG [SINGULAR; 1Th5:2-3] Paul spoke of in both this passage AND 2Th2:3,8a,9a (parallel Dan9:27
a[26
b] "
FOR ONE WEEK [7 yrs]")--
ALL of these (being the SAME ITEM & point in time) at the START of the SEVEN YEARS, not at its MIDDLE, nor at its END]);
... it is DURING those seven years [
future to "our Rapture"] that Matt24:14 / 26:13 will be being preached: "THIS gospel of the KINGDOM" will be going out THEN,
... which is the same thing as "the INVITATION" TO "the wedding
FEAST / SUPPER [/ FESTIVITIES;
aka the EARTHLY MK age]" and THAT PARTICULAR "invitation" is
not what is going out
NOW (WE are asking ppl to be a part of
the "MARRIAGE" itself, as "BRIDE / WIFE [SINGULAR]"... who is
not "the GUESTS [PLURAL],"
nor the "10 Virgins/Bridesmaids [PLURAL],"
nor the particular "Servants/Attendants [PLURAL]" of that particular, future, specific,
LIMITED time-period [the 7-yr trib] leading UP TO the promised and prophesied
EARTHLY Millennial Kingdom age, commencing upon His
"RETURN" to the earth ("when he will
RETURN FROM the wedding" [
Lk12:36-37],
THEN the meal [G347... used also in various other texts, as well as this one--same thing.])
Thus, EVERYTHING in Matt24 (onward two chpts) is
FOLLOWING "our Rapture"... and we see this is CONSISTENT with what the "24 elders" say in Rev5:
9 (
BEFORE the FIRST SEAL is opened), "hast redeemed
US" (where in this scene they are wearing "
stephanon/crowns" [see Paul's reference to "IN
THAT DAY" regarding this "awarded" crown] and are seated on "THRONES"); and is consistent also with the point Paul is making in 2Th2:3-9 (esp.2-3) "
that day [the one referred to
in v.2! (NOT the split-second EVENT
of v.1!) will
not be present if not shall have come
THE DEPARTURE
*FIRST*..." [
ONE THING *FIRST* b/f that time-period can "be present" to unfold upon the earth, and that is, the EVENT he'd ALREADY MENTIONED
in verse 1! (OUR DEPARTURE / RAPTURE)] *and* [
distinctly!] the man of sin BE REVEALED..." (the man of sin will "be revealed" at the START of the 7 yrs, NOT at its MIDDLE and NOT at its END--consistent with ALL of the related passages regarding that future, specific,
LIMITED time-period we call "the 7-yr trib")
The next phase is the great tribulation which begins with the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. Then there shall be great tribulation such as has never been seen before.
The end of the great tribulation is marked by the return of Christ who first touches down upon the Earth on Mount Zion to meet His 144K people as shown in Revelation 14:1.
After Christ meets His 144K on Earth at Mount Zion, as noted in Revelation 14, they are raptured to the throne to sing praises. This is why they are known as first fruits.
There is more than one "harvest" in both nature and in Scripture: I've already pointed out the TWO distinct mentions of "firstfruit" in Lev23, where the language of Rev14:
4 (
re: the 144,000) parallels the
SECOND of these TWO mentions of "firstfruit" in Lev23, where
v.17 says, "
TWO loaves" and "baken
WITH LEAVEN" (<--
that ain't US).
James 1:18 also says, "a KIND of firstfruit / A CERTAIN firstfruit" (also making the same point, there is MORE THAN ONE kind).
Then, in step with Matthew 24, Jesus sends out His angels to gather His elect from the rest of the Earth. This is the completed rapture and it is also known as the harvest of the wheat and the tares.
These passages are NOT speaking of "our Rapture," but of the point in time of His
"RETURN" to the earth [/Second Coming TO THE EARTH, FOR the
EARTHLY MK age,
where these folks will still be located [as
still-living persons at the time of His "RETURN"
to the earth--
they will be involved with this "separation judgment" [same as Matt25:31-34, etc]). Same time-slot as Lk12:36-37 "when he will
RETURN FROM the wedding" (i.e. as an
ALREADY-WED Bridegroom... not TO BE wed, at that point)
Since this is a chronological sequence of events there's no other conclusion that Jesus returns post-tribulation. I think He made every effort to say this, including stating point blank that He returns after the tribulation of those days.
Read Matthew 24, understanding it's a chronological sequence of events.
We AGREE (
we ALL AGREE) He
"RETURNS" [to the earth] AFTER the trib / POST-trib. But Matt24:29-31 corresponds with Isa27:12-13 (the believing remnant
of Israel being gathered
"ONE by ONE" to "worship the Lord in the holy mount, AT JERUSALEM"; and Matt25:31-34 is "all the nations" gathered before Him [which is NOT "IN THE AIR" either!!]--This is NOT "the Church WHICH IS HIS BODY" going to "the meeting of the Lord
IN THE AIR / our
episynagoges UNTO HIM"
there<--b/c "all the nations" is
not who goes up / is
SNATCHED AWAY at the time of "our Rapture" [our Rapture (gathering-action) "AS ONE"--completely distinct from the manner in which Matt24:29-31/Isa27:12-13's "gather together" will occur "ONE by ONE" to one location ON THE EARTH]).
It is because you are getting
a couple of the SEQUENCE issues messed up (and particularly "what happens when, in relation to what other item" in 2Th2 involving "our Rapture"), that you are failing to see that EVERYTHING in Matt24 is speaking of events
FOLLOWING "our Rapture" (Jesus is NOT covering the Subject of "our Rapture [IN THE AIR]" ANYWHERE in His Olivet Discourse... Up to the time He spoke His Olivet Discourse [including throughout His entire response there], He had NOT YET spoken ANYTHING regarding "our Rapture".)
Boiled down: "the beginning of birth PANGS [Matt24:4-8 / Mk13:5-8 / Lk21:8-11 ; 1Th5:
2-3]" ARE the "SEALS" of Rev6, ALL of which take place in the "
IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]" time-period (
the 7 yrs) and ALL
FOLLOWING "our Rapture" (which must take place
*FIRST* ... and as all of the
related passages consistently present as being the case).
"Rapture" pertains
SOLELY TO "the Church WHICH IS HIS BODY" [(
Eph1:20-23 WHEN [as to its existence])...
ALL those saved "in this present age [singular]" (aka "the BRIDE/WIFE [SINGULAR]" pertaining to "the MARRIAGE" itself)],
NOT to all other saints of all
OTHER time-periods: not to OT saints, not to Trib saints, not the MK saints. So this is a matter of CHRONOLOGY (meaning, WHEN ppl come to faith--OT times, "IN this present age [singular]," or IN/DURING the Trib yrs... There is a DISTINCTION between "the Bride/Wife [SINGULAR]" and the "GUESTS [PLURAL]," for example... [having come to faith at DISTINCT time-periods in the overall chronology]).