Gathered Together or Left Behind

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Gathered Together or Left Behind

Matthew 24:31
     And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

    Before we consider "Gathered Together or Left Behind" it is important for us to identify who the elect are being spoken of in each record.

I Corinthians 10:32
     Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God.

      The Word of God declares that there are three distinct groups of people: Jews, Gentiles, or church of God. As believers concerned about rightly dividing the word of truth, we must examine the Scriptures in light of to whom it is speaking, of whom it is true, and to whom it is addressed. The word "Jew" refers specifically to one who is of the tribe of Judah and is used Biblically to represent all of the people making up the nation of Israel. In the Old Testament and in the Book of Revelation the elect are selected from the tribes of the children of Israel. The word "Gentile" is used of people and nations outside of the elect children of Israel.

Galatians 3:28
     There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:11-12a
     Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
     Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

1 Peter 1:2
     Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

     In our day and time those who have believed Romans 10:9 have received sanctification of the spirit. We have been given salvation and we have been set apart from the Jews and Gentiles of the world and become a new group of people: the elect church of God. The seven church epistles (Romans - 2 Thessalonians) are specifically addressed to us and constitute right believing for someone who believes today.

     The epistles identify those who are members of the church of God as "the elect of God." This term was also used in the Old Testament regarding the "Jews" as God's people. Therefore it is very important, when reading and studying the Word of God to identify whom it is speaking of and to whom it is addressed. The context tells us to which "elect" group a particular passage is addressed. Now lets look at:

Gathered Together or Left Behind

Matthew 24:37 - 41
     But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
     For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
     And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
     Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
     Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

1 Thessalonians 4:16
     For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
     Then we which 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.

     Many believe that the records of the gathering together of the church of God which is recorded in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians is the identical event as the gathering together of his elect in the gospel of Matthew. The gospel accounts and the epistle records both talk about a trumpet. But is that enough to say the records are identical?

     In working God's Word you must be very careful to avoid identifying situations or events as identical when they are only similar. For example, if in one Gospel, Jesus Christ heals a blind man as he is entering a city and in another Gospel Jesus Christ heals a blind man as he leaves that same city - the situations are similar but NOT identical. Time and place and sequence of events must be the same if we are examining an identical situation. We must also carefully note to whom the passage is addressed, the details and context to be sure that we are comparing identical events. When studying the sequence of events surrounding the return of our Lord Jesus Christ close attention to these research principles will make the difference between truth and error.

     The FIRST principal in working the word of God is to examine the verse in its immediate context. The Word of God is its own context and interprets itself right in the verse where it is written. Every passage of scripture has its own importance derived from the place where it is located in the Word of God and the words used in each verse must be understood in light of the immediate context in which they are found. If the verse is clear and God has defined the meaning of a word, concept, or expression right where it is written, then it is an inaccurate working of the word to read into the verse meaning derived from other records.   Let us first examine the record in Matthew in its own context:

Matthew 24:37 - 41
     But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
     For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
     And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
     Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
     Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

     In the days of Noah those whose thoughts were only evil continually and were going about their daily lives with no regard for God or His word were taken away in judgment by the flood. The believers (Noah and his family) were left behind because Noah believed God. SO - IN THE SAME MANNER - shall the coming of the Son of man be. One shall be taken (away in judgment) and the elect believer left behind.

     The records of believers in the administration of grace being gathered up to meet the Lord in the air have been read into this record and therefore it has been assumed that those taken away refers to the believers. However, the immediate context of the verse clearly identifies those taken with the unbelievers of Noah's time who were taken away by the flood.

     Jesus Christ was teaching his disciples (those of Israel) regarding his coming back to earth to rule the kingdom of Israel. If records regarding this identical event are examined there is no contradiction. The elect of Israel who endure until the end ("an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel") will be left after the wrath of God has killed those who do not believe according to Revelation chapter six. These will go up to the New Jerusalem to meet the Lord on the earth. This agrees with the record in Matthew. Lets examine Matthew more detail.

Matthew 24:3
     And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

    First of all the immediate context identifies the SUBJECT - the sign of Christ's coming at the end of the world.
    The record (verse 4-14) then begins to identify a sequence of events indicative of the end of the world. There will be individuals claiming to be Christ who deceive many. Wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, believers turning against one another, false prophets, a lack of love, a preaching of the kingdom, and a requirement for endurance until the end to be saved. Many of these things existed in Old Testament times and some are evident today. Israel was well aware of the word of God regarding the rulership of the Christ as king of Israel. He would be on earth and establish the kingdom of Israel at Jerusalem. Israel has always looked for a king on earth and therefore must also be wary of the coming of an antichrist who will set himself up as Christ in the temple of God at Jerusalem. The requirement of "endure until the end to be saved" is a direct contradiction to what is available to the church of God as a result of the accomplished work of Christ. This alone makes it impossible to say that the events of Matthew are identical to those recorded in the church epistles.

Matthew 24:15
     When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

    Matthew and Daniel talk about a time when the antichrist will set himself up as God on earth in the temple of God at Jerusalem. Matthew describes this as a sign to be looking for in preparation for the coming of the true king of Israel. There must be a physical temple in Jerusalem in which the antichrist has set himself up as king on earth. Here we begin to see the problem with trying to make this record identical to the gathering together of the church of God. In our day and time this temple at Jerusalem does not exist. The church of God itself makes up the dwelling place and temple of God according to the epistles written to us and Thessalonians clearly indicates that the church must be removed before the antichrist can come. Again, the records written to the church in the epistles contradict this record and therefore cannot be understood as identical records.

Matthew 24:21-22
     For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
     And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

    After the antichrist sets up in the temple of God at Jerusalem a great tribulation will begin. It will be WORSE THAN ANYTHING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED OR EVER WILL HAPPEN. The elect who shall endure until the end will be a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel as specifically enumerated in chapter six of the book of Revelation. These are those who are left behind after the judgment and wrath of God and who walk up to the city of Jerusalem to be saved and join Christ.
     The elect of the church of God in our day and time will not have to endure the tribulation to be saved. We have received salvation already and have been freed from the wrath to come:

Romans 5:9
     Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through him.

1 Thessalonians 1:10
     And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 5:9
     For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.

     The record in Matthew requires the elect to endure the tribulation to be saved. This cannot be said of the church of God and therefore the record in Matthew cannot be compared to the records in the epistles as identical events.

Matthew 24:29-31
     Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
     And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
     And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

     Following this great tribulation and wrath the sun shall be darkened. The moon will give no light. The stars will fall from heaven. It is at this point, when all are dead but a hundred and forty four thousand elect of the tribes of Israel that Christ will come with the sound of a trumpet and gather the elect into the city of Jerusalem. This gathering CANNOT be made to be identical with the gathering of the church of God to meet the Lord in the air as recorded in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians.

Matthew 24:33-42
     So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
     Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
     Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
     But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
     But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
     For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
     And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
     Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
     Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
     Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

     Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away. God's word shall absolutely come to pass. The promises of a coming king to sit on the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem is yet to be fulfilled. How great for us to know ahead of time what God has planned. The elect of Israel who are left behind after the tribulation shall be saved and join the Christ in the new Jerusalem.

     The gathering together of the church of God as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 assures us that we will be gathered together to meet the Lord in the air. The dead in Christ will rise first. There is no record of a resurrection of the dead before the gathering of the elect of Israel in Matthew or in the book of Revelation. Then we which are alive will be changed (We will receive an incorruptible eternal body). Again there is no record of anyone being changed in Matthew or Revelation. We will meet the Lord in the air. The elect of God in Matthew meet the Lord on the earth.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52
     Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
     In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

     There is a final trumpet which indicates the gathering of the church of God just as there will be a final trumpet that indicates the gathering of the elect of Israel. This single similarity cannot be used to make the record in Matthew identical to the records in the epistles. The other details and sequence of events are contradictory. The elect in Matthew are gathered on earth from those left behind. The elect of the church of God are gathered together with the dead in Christ to meet the Lord in the air - specifically "in the clouds."

     Further proof of the unique gathering of the church lies here in Corinthians. A "mystery" is a divine secret hidden in God until revealed. The great mystery was not revealed to the Lord Jesus Christ during the gospel period and could not have been the subject of the teaching in Matthew. "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." At the time he was teaching, Jesus Christ believed that the end of the world gathering of the elect of Israel was soon to happen. God's secret regarding the Church of God and our gathering together was first revealed to the Apostle Paul and made known in the epistles he wrote. The Administration of Grace has postponed the promises to Israel and the generation to which Jesus Christ was speaking has passed. Once again, here is direct evidence that the record in Matthew cannot be identical to the record in the epistles.

     A sequence of events which includes the gathering of the church of God and the events of Matthew is given in 2 Thessalonians. There were those in the first century (as there are today) who would deceive believers into thinking they would have to face the tribulation. They even wrote letters to the believers pretending to be the Apostle Paul in an attempt to convince them.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2
     Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
     That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, that the day of Christ [the Lord] is at hand.

     The immediate context of this verse declares the subject to be "our gathering together." The day of the Lord and the wrath and tribulation of that time CANNOT be at hand because we have not been gathered. This is the whole point of this passage and the context in which it must be understood. An excellent translation of this passage is given by Kenneth Wuest:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8
    Now, I am requesting you, brethren, with regard to the coming and personal presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, even our being assembled together with him,
     Not soon to become unsettled, the source of this unsettled state being your minds, neither be thrown into confusion, either by a spirit, [a believer in the Christian assembly claiming the authority of divine revelation and claiming to give the saints a word from God], or through a word [received personally] as from us or through a letter falsely alleged to be written by us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come and is now present.
     Do not begin to allow anyone to lead you astray in any way, because that day shall not come except the aforementioned departure [of the Church to heaven] comes first and the man of the lawlessness is disclosed [in his true identity], the son of perdition,
     He who sets himself in opposition to and exhalts himself above everyone and everything that is called a god or that is an object of worship, so that he seats himself in the inner sanctuary of God, proclaiming himself to be deity.
     Do you not remember that while I was still with you I kept on telling you these things?
     And now you know with a positive assurance that which [namely, the departure of the Church, the saints being assembled together with the Lord] is preventing his being disclosed [as to his true identity] in his strategic, appointed time,
     For the mystery of the aforementioned lawlessness is now operating, Only he [the holy spirit in the believers] who is holding [the lawlessness] down, [will do so] until he (Christ in the believers) goes out from the midst [of humanity].
     And then shall the Lawless One be disclosed [in his true identity], whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth and render inoperative by the sudden appearance of His personal presence.

     Certainly the day of the Lord which is characterized by wrath and tribulation is one that would cause a person to become shaken in his mind with fear and dread. Our gathering together before the tribulation is revealed to provide great comfort.

   The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as king of the kingdom of Israel to gather his left behind elect into the new Jerusalem will occur after he has gathered together the elect of the church of God and met them in the air (in the clouds.) It will occur after the absence of the church allows the son of perdition to exalt himself. Gathered Together or Left Behind? I'd rather be gathered.