Page 69 - Prophetic Word Newsletters Archive 2006 by Pastor Randy Shupe

I am always amazed by the often omission of the word “but” “HEAVEN AND EARTH THE RPDAIOTEPHCTEEUSRFEI?T
by those who quote this verse as a “proof-text” for the rapture, THE RPDAIOTEPCHTEEUSRFEI?T
“…of that day and hour no one knows…” What is really WILL PASS AWAY,
interesting is that even the verse above it, as well as the one BUT MY WORDS SHALL
below it, begins with the word “but.”
NEVER PASS AWAY,
Reading this verse in its contextual setting does not support
this as being a proof-text for the rapture at all, does it? Again, BUT OF THAT DAY AND
you could ask an English teacher what is the “that day”
referring to in these verses. It is the “day” that heaven and HOUR NO ONE KNOWS,
earth will pass away! This is the day of which Jesus speaks NO, NOT EVEN
“but of that day and hour no one knows…” The contextual
setting goes on in the verse below to support the fact that all THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN,
of Matthew Chapter 24 is speaking of the Second Coming of
Jesus Christ, not “the rapture.” We can prove this to be so by BUT MY FATHER ONLY.
considering the context of the second passage I gave you BUT AS THE DAYS OF NOAH
earlier that is attributed to the rapture from this chapter:
WERE, SO ALSO WILL THE
Isolate the verse and it will sound like the rapture, but the COMING OF THE SON
context is not a people being taken away to ESCAPE OF MAN BE.”Mat. 24:35-37
judgment but rather this describes what happened in the
days of Noah, “…the flood came and took them all away.” “…UNTIL THE DAY THAT
Friends, they all died in the flood by the hand of God’s NOAH ENTERED THE ARK,
judgment! You don’t want to be the one taken in this setting; AND DID NOT KNOW UNTIL
and to prove that, you need only add the second great tool THE FLOOD CAME
necessary to rightly divide the Word. In addition to “consider AND TOOK THEM ALL AWAY,
context” we must also “compare text.” Let us see what SO ALSO WILL THE COMING
happens when we look at the other account of this scenario OF THE SON OF MAN BE.
found in Luke Chapter 17:
“THEN TWO MEN WILL

BE IN THE FIELD;
ONE WILL BE TAKEN
AND THE OTHER LEFT.
TWO WOMEN WILL BE
GRINDING AT THE MILL;
ONE WILL BE TAKEN
AND THE OTHER LEFT.”

Mat. 24:38-41

“…THERE WILL BE TWO MEN THE RPDAIOTEPCHTEEUSRFEI?T
IN ONE BED; THE ONE WILL BE
CONSIDER TEXT TAKEN AND THE OTHER LEFT.
TWO WOMEN WILL BE
“…THE CONTEXT IS OFTEN A “…NOT IN WORDS WHICH GRINDING TOGETHER,
SUFFICIENT COMMENTARY ON MAN’S WISDOM TEACHES BUT THE ONE WILL BE TAKEN AND
THE OTHER LEFT.
A DIFFICULT VERSE. NO WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT TWO MEN WILL BE IN THE
SOLITARY, MINUTE PORTION TEACHES, FIELD; THE ONE WILL BE
CAN BE EXPECTED TO YIELD TAKEN AND THE OTHER LEFT.’
ITS MEANING WITHOUT FULL COMPARING SPIRITUAL THINGS AND THEY ANSWERED AND
WITH SPIRITUAL.” SAID TO HIM,
CONSIDERATION OF ITS 1 Cor. 2:13
ILLUMINATING ‘WHERE, LORD?’
“BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR
SURROUNDINGS.” THREE WITNESSES EVERY WORD SO HE SAID TO THEM,
Harold Horton ‘WHEREVER THE BODY IS,
SHALL BE ESTABLISHED.” THERE THE EAGLES
2 Cor. 13:1 (VULTURES) WILL BE
GATHERED TOGETHER.’”
Luke 17:34-37

How important is it to “compare spiritual
things with spiritual?” Matthew’s account

does not ask “Where (are they taken)
Lord? But Luke’s account does. They
are taken TO judgment at the Second
Coming of Christ rather than being taken
AWAY from judgment by the rapture!
These are not depictions of the rapture!

If you will read these passages (Ezek. 39:17-21, Rev.14:14-20, Rev.19:17-21) about the Second Coming of
Christ, you will find that the carnivorous birds of the air (vultures and eagles) are called to a great feast of
flesh of those gathered together for judgment at Armageddon! This is why Jesus answered the disciples
question as to where they are taken with the words, “Where the body is, there the eagles (vultures) will be
gathered together.” (Luke 17:37). It is noteworthy to see that this same statement is also made in the
beginning of Matthew Chapter 24 (vs.28), just ten verses before Jesus depicts the scenario of “one taken
and the other left” (vs.38). His whole theme and thrust in Matthew Chapter 24 is pending judgment just
prior to His physical return to earth, “…so also will the coming of the Son of man be” (vs.37,39). Let us now
consider the third passage from Matthew Chapter 24 which is attributed to the rapture, but is in reality, as
context will again prove, a picture of the Second Coming of Christ: