Like Noach's Flood

 Matthew 24:36-44

³⁶ “But when that day and hour will come, no one knows — not the angels in heaven, not the Son, only the Father. ³⁷ For the Son of Man’s coming will be just as it was in the days of Noach. ³⁸ Back then, before the Flood, people went on eating and drinking, taking wives and becoming wives, right up till the day Noach entered the ark; ³⁹ and they didn’t know what was happening until the Flood came and swept them all away. It will be just like that when the Son of Man comes. ⁴⁰ Then there will be two men in a field — one will be taken and the other left behind. ⁴¹ There will be two women grinding flour at the mill — one will be taken and the other left behind. ⁴² So stay alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But you do know this: had the owner of the house known when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you too must always be ready, for the Son of Man will come when you are not expecting him.

Most of us are probably very familiar with these verses of Scripture. More than likely we've heard these verses mentioned by people in various churches attempting to show that no one knows the day, or the hour, in which the so-called church will be caught up into the clouds and raptured off to heaven to ever be with the Lord. In fact, they use these verses as a proof text in an attempt to prove that Yeshua's return is eminent.  They attempt to take the words, of verses 40 and 41 to show that the righteous will be taken, and the evil ones will be left behind here

on earth to go through the Tribulation and then the Great Tribulation. This belief is the source for the Left Behind movie presently in theaters across America. But, does that agree with Scripture? In Proverbs 10:28-30 we find these words from the NKJV.

²⁸ The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish. ²⁹ The way of the Lord is strength for the upright,
But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.³⁰ The righteous will never be removed, But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

Does this pre-tribulation rapture teaching even agree with what Yeshua said earlier in this same book of Matthew? Let's back up to Matthew 13:36-42, Where Yeshua is speaking about this same point in time.

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His talmidim approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” ³⁷ He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸ the field is the world. As for the good seed, these are the people who belong to the Kingdom; and the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. ³⁹ The enemy who sows them is the Adversary, the harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds are collected and burned up in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah; ⁴² and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth.

Notice what it says here. The good seed are the people who belong to the Kingdom; and the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. Also remember that the field is the world, and the harvest is the End of the Age. It is important that you see these facts. The angels gather the weeds together out of the Kingdom and all that cause people to sin and they will throw them into the fiery furnace. It says nothing about removing the righteous from the earth. Only the weeds.

The pre-millennial dispensationalists say that the return of Yeshua is eminent and is hanging over our head like a pizza stuck to the ceiling. Nobody knows the exact moment it will fall to the floor. I have to ask. Is that really what these verses are saying?

Let's back up a bit and try to put these verses into their proper context. Without the proper context, these words can certainly appear to support their rapture theory, but does it really?  Without the confines of dispensationalist thinking we can attempt to find a more realistic approach to exactly what Yeshua is saying in these verses. Lets back up to verse 30 and attempt to put these verses together properly.

Matthew 24:30-31 says:

³⁰ “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, all the tribes of the Land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with tremendous power and glory. ³¹ He will send out his angels with a great shofar;^[c] and they will gather together his chosen people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Verse 30 here is referring back to Zechariah 12:10.

and I will pour out on the house of David and on those living in Yerushalayim a spirit of grace and prayer; and they will look to me, whom they pierced.”They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son; they will be in bitterness on his behalf like the bitterness for a firstborn son.

Take notice to something that most dispensationalists miss. At this time, Yeshua is returning on the clouds of heaven with tremendous power and glory. It should be certain here that Yeshua is not returning to remove the faithful from earth, but that he is coming on, or with clouds. Clouds mentioned in Scripture are not always to be interpreted as literal vapors seen in the sky. The use of the word "Clouds" are often meant to be interpreted as metaphors. Clouds can mean people such as, so great a cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12:1, or clouds without water as in 2nd Peter 2:17, or again clouds without water as in Jude 12. Clouds can even represent judgment as in Jeremiah 4:13, Do you think Yeshua might possibly be returning in judgment of those who reject His ways? Clouds can also represent redemption as in Isaiah 44:22, or even a shield, or garment as in Lamentations 3:44. Do you think Yeshua might be returning to redeem what is His? To assume that Yeshua is returning in the literal clouds that we look upon in the sky is grasping at straws.

In the same way, people read the word "heaven," or its plural "heavens" and right away assume it always means the dwelling place of the Almighty. Again the context must interpret what is being said. In verse 31 we see that Yeshua is sending out His angels to gather His chosen from the four winds. In other words, from the four corners of the earth. He also says from one end of heaven to the other. He is not speaking of the dwelling place of the Almighty here, but rather from one end of the horizon to the other. The word heaven used here is speaking of the sky and it's horizons.

In Genesis 1:8 we read that God called the dome Sky, so there was evening and morning the second day. If you travel to what you can see as the horizon, when you get there, you will have a new horizon. You can continue doing this until you have circled the whole globe. Are there 4 winds in heaven? I don't know. I've never been there. Yeshua is tying the 4 winds to the horizons to give us a clear picture that His chosen people are being gathered up from the whole earth to where He is. Tell me something. Where is He at this time? He is probably in Jerusalem where Scripture continuously puts Him at the time of His return. If the weeds have been removed from the Kingdom, and Yeshua is setting up His Kingdom right here on earth. Wouldn't it make perfect sense that He is right here among His people in His holy city? In the Tanakh from the book of Zechariah 2:14-16, we read these words:

^14 (10) “Sing, daughter of Tziyon; rejoice! For, here, I am coming; and I will live among you,” says Adonai. ^15 (11) When that time comes, many nations will join themselves to Adonai. “They will be my people, and I will live among you.” Then you will know that it was Adonai-Tzva’ot who sent me to you. ^16 (12) Adonai will take possession of Y’hudah as his portion in the holy land, and he will again make Yerushalayim his choice.

In the Apostolic writings from Revelation 21:1-3 we read:

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,  for the old heaven and the old earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer there. ² Also I saw the holy city, New Yerushalayim, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “See! God’s Sh’khinah is with mankind, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and he himself, God-with-them, will be their God.

Verse 1 points back directly to the Tanakh where God promises in Isaiah 65:17-19:

¹⁷ “For, look! I create new heavens and a new earth; past things will not be remembered, they will no more come to mind. ¹⁸ So be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for look! I am making Yerushalayim a joy, and her people a delight. ¹⁹ I will rejoice in Yerushalayim and take joy in my people. The sound of weeping will no longer be heard in it, no longer the sound of crying.

Verse 3 points directly back to Torah where in Leviticus 26:11-12, God promises the children of Israel:

¹¹ I will put my tabernacle among you, and I will not reject you, ¹² but I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

Back then, before the Flood, people went on eating and drinking, taking wives and becoming wives, right up till the day Noach entered the ark;  and they didn’t know what was happening until the Flood came and swept them all away. It will be just like that when the Son of Man comes. In that day the wicked will be swept away. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Unless I sleep with my fathers' in the dust before that day gets here, I desire to be accounted worthy to be left behind. That will be the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. It will be a great day for those chosen to reign with our King. It will be a terrible day for those who had been deceived and reject our Messiah. Even so, Bo Yeshua. Bo!

Shalom,

Barry W. Gaugler.