Well about Mt 24, Jesus isn't talking about the rapture.. here but at his second coming. And about the destroying of Jerusalem in 70 AD. So thanks for the sharing of Mt 24, but it was to long to read.. and it cost my to much time.. The Lord didn't told it with a purpose.. Because He would tell Paul it in 1Cor 15.
But when Paul wrote the mystery.. he meant actually he got a word of the Lord Him self. So, it mean too.. the Lord Jesus didn't mention it with purpose.
What are the arguments?
Well I will start first with Mt 25:1,6
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom
6 And at midnight there was a cry made: ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him..
we have to understand, that the main subject is do we have oil? is the Spirit burning? The Spirit is the only ticket to be with the Lord. We can see too.. that the virgins are walking to the Lord... when He come.. So this would be happen. Is that true? Yes.. because Paul write in 1Tes 4:15
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so will God bring with Him those also who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord: that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
17 then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Is there a escape? Well we can read Lc 21 with Mt 24.. So we can read in Mt 24 24 things that is going to happen before the Lord comes.. And Mt 24 said: It hit anybody.. But Lc 21:36 said: Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man
The next passage is;
John 14:1-4
1 Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.
First.. we have to understand.. the Lord is going to the Father.. to prepare a place for us.. and He will come to receive us.. When the Lord Jesus will come to reign..and there is no rapture.. there is a problem with this text. Because actually Jesus said here: I am going,but first I am coming back to pick you up.. actually it is just like is written in 1Tess 4, Mt 25.
On this moment there is no talking about the second coming of Jesus.. like is written in Mt 24. This passage is a passage of hope for the Christians. To look forward that the Lord will pick them up. But when we look at the second coming we can see that the Lord comes and put His feet on Mt Olive..So, when we have to look with a 'honest' eye.. before that the Lord comes back.. there is something happen before...that the Lord comes back..
And it will be happen before the 1000 year of peace..
Interesting is the Greek word Paralam'bano
The Greek-Dutch dictionary of this word said how it is written here in this context: to take up ...
Another argue:
1Cor 15:51-56
51 Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality
this is a mystery.. It is not a secret.. but the Lord Him self revealed it to Paul..
We have to understand some... because actually this is not an easy text.. Because what will happen... if there is no rapture?
If Jesus is coming back.. and He put His feet on the Mt Olive well.. the Bible teach us, in Isaiah, and Zach that we are mortal people.. The world isn't perfect (see for example Is 65:20, and Zach 14:17.. Here we aren't talking about the New Jerusalem.. But the old Jerusalem.. the city like it is now.
To understand everything clear and 'honest' we have to watch the at the OT.. and we have to watch the meaning of the Trumpet.. Or in the Hebrew it is called the Shofar...
I will go further on this subject an other time.. because I, if I am going to about this part... and the rapture.. I think the message would be to long. And I can show you a Jewish 'look' at it..
Is it possible a kind of rapture? Yes in my eye's it is possible.. when we looked at Henoch and Eliah. So yes it is possible...