No one knows the day or hour... Rapture or 2nd coming?

JPN Reply:

Hi Rosanne,

yeah it is a good question and one that is often debated. Even amongst Bible prophecy teachers that I appreciate there are both (rapture and second coming) views expressed. So if you believe that it relates to the second coming, you are in good company. And if you believe it is the rapture, well you are in good company too! Now there are some that believe that Matt 24, in its entirety, is only for the Jews and that the rapture is not found here at all. I don't go along with that completely. But to reply to your specific question I need to do a little prep and background work first to show the context. 

In Matthew 24 Jesus is answering two of His disciples' questions:

Mat 24:3 '...what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'

General signs of the end times

Jesus begins with the later question. That is, He begins by answering what the signs of the end of the age are. 

General signs of the end of the age: Matt 24:4-14: These are signs that the end is approaching, which are increasing in our day but will be all the more clear in the first 1/2 of the Tribulation.

• False messiahs and deception: "For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray." (Matthew 24:5)

• Wars and rumors of wars: "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet." (Matthew 24:6)

• Nation rising against nation: "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." (Matthew 24:7a)

• Natural disasters: "There will be famines and earthquakes in various places." (Matthew 24:7b)

• Persecution of believers: "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake." (Matthew 24:9)

• Apostasy and betrayal: "And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another." (Matthew 24:10)

• Rise of false prophets: "And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray." (Matthew 24:11)

• Increase in wickedness: "And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." (Matthew 24:12)

• Global proclamation of the gospel: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14)

Great Tribulation starting with a specific sign: Matt 24:15-28 - At the mid-point of the Tribulation there is a specific sign given that the Great Tribulation has arrived (Matt 24:15) - and that is the Antichrist desecrating the rebuilt Jewish temple, declaring himself to be God. Jesus called this the 'abomination of desolation' and warned those in Jerusalem and Judea to run at this point. The time that follows will be the worst that this planet has ever seen.

The sign of Jesus' second coming

Mat 24:29-31 Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' (30) At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. (31) And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Jesus now answers the question concerning the sign of His coming. We read that there will be all sorts of disturbances in the heavens, with the sun darkened and the moon not giving any light. I believe this is portrayed in the 6th seal of Revelation where unbelievers see an open heaven and want to hide themselves from the wrath of the Lamb! In Matthew Jesus says there will be a specific sign of the Son of Man in the heavens. We are not told here exactly what this sign is but it is likely to involve the shekinah glory of God piercing the darkness on that day. And this is all said to be 'after the tribulation of those days' so it is clearly speaking of the second coming.  

So... so far so good and not overly controversial (I hope!) Jesus has taken us from the general signs of the end of the age, into the Tribulation, the important sign at the midpoint of the Tribulation, and right up to His second coming at the end.

The key sign for Church age believers - Israel!

Mat 24:32-35 "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; (33) so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (34) "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Having progressed to the very end of the Tribulation and His return in a largely Jewish context, Jesus now resets and goes back to the key earlier sign. It is one that occurs during the Church age and that is the budding of the fig tree. In the Old Testament the fig tree is used as a symbol for the nation of Israel (Jer 24:1-10 and Hos 9:10). It is also important to remember that just prior to this discourse in Matt 24, as Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He had just cursed the fig tree (Matt 21:18-22) for having no fruit:

Mat 21:18-21 Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. (19) Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you." And at once the fig tree withered. (20) Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, "How did the fig tree wither all at once?" (21) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen.

Now Mark tells us that it wasn't even the season for figs!

Mar 11:13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

So why was Jesus going to curse a fig tree for not having figs, when it wasn't even the season to have figs? Clear there is far more going on here than Jesus just being disappointed because He didn't get some natural fruit! This is a very symbolic act pointing to the fruitless state of Israel at that time. So this key parable in Matt 24 is pointing to the time when the 'cursed', 'fruitless', 'withered' fig tree puts forth its leaves once again. Having been dormant for nearly 2000 years, Israel sprang back to life in 1948 with the founding of that nation once again. This obviously fulfilled many other prophecies and is the key end time sign for our generation... and Jesus relates the nearness of His coming to this sign.

No one knows the day nor hour - Rapture or Second Coming?

Mat 24:36-39 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (37) As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. (38) For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; (39) and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Here is the verse you asked about. Having spoken about the fig tree and His coming, Jesus says that no one knows that day or hour... Only His Father in Heaven. So is this speaking of the rapture or second coming? I believe it is the rapture for the following reasons:

• We have seen that Jesus 'reset' the progression through the Tribulation and His second coming to go back and talk about an earlier key sign - the budding of the fig tree that is Israel. So the context is now pre-Tribulation.
• Does 'no one knows the day' apply to the second coming? While we don't know the day of His coming at the moment, it is something that can be known once the tribulation starts. The Tribulation will last 7 years (2,520 days) from the Antichrist's covenant (Dan 9:27) or 42 months/1260 days from the abomination of desolation (Rev 11:2, 12:6, 13:5). It is ended by Jesus' second coming. So people can know the day of His return in the Tribulation. Thus, this phrase of 'no one knows the day' is better suited to the rapture which no one can know (despite many who have said they do know it... until they are proved wrong!)
• Importantly, Jesus likens His coming to the days of Noah so we need to see what He emphasized here. There are lots of pictures from that time that He could have used if He was talking about the second coming for Noah's days were full of violence, rebellion, fallen angelic activity and hardened hearts. But that isn't the point Jesus makes here. He points to the fact that it was 'business as normal' for the world in the days of Noah before the flood. The people were eating, drinking and getting married... they had no idea that judgment was coming and were just acting like they always had. It was just another day. So does that sound like the Great Tribulation, with all its judgments having devastated the earth, when the world is preparing for Armageddon and Christ then returns? No, not at all. That time will be anything but normal. The earth will have been decimated. But it is a perfect picture of the rapture that comes suddenly and without any signs that the world knows about.

One will be taken - Rapture or Second Coming? Rescue or Judgment?

Mat 24:40-44 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. (41) Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. (42) Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (43) But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. (44) So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Jesus goes on to say what will happen at His coming. He says 'Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left'. So here is another important question - is this second coming or the rapture? Scholars are also divided on this. One the one hand, we see that in the days of Noah it was the wicked that were taken by the flood. So some say this is about the unbelievers taken into judgement. Maybe - for that happens in a sense at the rapture (unbelievers are taken into the judgment of the Tribulation) as well as at the second coming. But it is important to note that Jesus uses a different word here for 'taken' in verse 40 than that in verse 39. The word for 'taken' in verse 40 is 'paralambanō' which Strong's concordance says 'To receive near, that is, associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation)'. It was used of Jesus when speaking to His disciples of His coming at the rapture in John 14:3:

Joh 14:3 "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.

So it seems that Jesus wasn't talking about one being taken in judgment in Matt 24:40 but being taken and received unto Himself in the Rapture. The one left behind will enter the Tribulation. It is possible that He left it ambiguous to give it a dual meaning and fulfilment, but the context for me is about the rapture for the reasons I have given above. And you will note that He ends this part by saying 'So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.' Again, Jesus will be expected by His followers at the second coming. Knowing the scriptures, they will be 'wise' and will know the time of His coming. It is the rapture that is kept hidden, when Jesus comes at an unexpected time. It is the rapture that Church age believers must be ready for.

Conclusion

So I hope this helps. Certainly as mentioned, it is a well debated passage and there are good Bible teachers on both sides of the debate. And good arguments can be made for the different points of view. It is a passage that I have pondered a lot myself and see some of it differently today than I have in the past. But in conclusion, this is how I see it:

• Matt 24:4-14 gives general signs of the end of the age, seen now but all the more prevalent in the first 1/2 of the Tribulation
• Matt 24:15-28 gives the key sign in the middle of the Tribulation ('abomination of desolation') and then important information for the Great Tribulation (the second half of the Tribulation)
• Matt 24:29-31 speaks of the sign of Jesus' coming and then His return in glory at the second coming
• Matt 24:32-35 is a reset. Having spoken of His second coming Jesus goes back to the major sign that precedes all the above. And that is signs of life in the fig tree once again. This points to the establishment of the nation of Israel once again after being dormant for nearly 2000 years!
• Matt 24:36-39 is about His coming after the fig tree puts forth its leaves. It is a coming that is unexpected which even believers will not know. It is a coming like in the days of Noah that comes without any signs or warning to the world. This is the rapture.
• Matt 24:40-44 shows that at this time one will be taken and another left. The word for 'taken' means to receive near and associate with oneself and is used by Jesus at the last supper when He gave them the great promise of His coming for them at the rapture (John 14:3).

So thanks for the question. I have actually been meaning to give a breakdown on Matt 24 for a while, so it was a useful question and is why I went into a bit more detail than just what you asked! : )

Blessings,

Iain.