Pre-Wrath Harpazo

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By definition, a pre-wrath harpazo occurs sometime before the wrath of God is poured out. Our gathering together with Him 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5,  1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, is the subject of our not being appointed to wrath in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. Luke 21:29-36 is our passage of escape through Christ catching us away. However, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 also limits our gathering to Christ after the abomination of desolation. This limits the timing of the harpazo between the abomination of desolation and the day of the Lord. This pre-wrath harpazo is the belief that I hold as far as timing goes. (Note that I do not believe that we know the day or hour of the catching away, and therefore I do not set dates on the harpazo. I do believe there is a framework of time laid out in scripture describing the events of the end in which the harpazo will happen at some unknown time within.) I will explain with scripture and clear definitions why I hold the pre-wrath view. In all your study and research, don’t take my word for it. Acts 17:11

I just came across this presentation by Chris White from his presentation given at the Politics of Religion Conference. I found it a very good collection of many of the points brought together on this page.

Chris White: The Prewrath Rapture - The Rapture Puzzle Solved with Matthew 24

The Harpazo and the Day of the Lord

The beginning of the day of the Lord is the wrath of God, which comes after the sixth seal (Joel 2:31) and is contained within the seven trumpets and seven bowls/vials. Since the timing of the pre-wrath harpazo is centered on this beginning of God’s wrath I’ll begin there.

2 Peter 3:8-10
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The heavens passing away and the earth being burned up happen at the end of the millennium since Christ rules the earth for 1,000 years. Since a day is as a thousand years to the Lord, and this is the day of the Lord, then I believe this passage is telling us the day of the Lord is 1,000 years long. It is in the twilight of this “day” that the earth is burned up. Notice in verse 10 it says, “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away...” It is within the day of the Lord that the heavens pass away with a great noise, but the day of the Lord is 1,000 years, the destruction doesn’t come until the end of Christ’s rule and the destruction of this heavens and earth for the creation of the new after the great white throne judgment.

Isaiah 13:6-13
Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

There are many more scriptures describing the day of the Lord I won’t go into here, but it is clearly God’s wrath. We know that at the harpazo we meet the Lord in the air when the Lord descends from heaven with a shout. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 In order to meet the Lord in the air, we must be caught up to Him when He arrives, which is directly connected to the time that God’s wrath comes to which we are not appointed and the day of the Lord.

Matthew 24:36-41
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah 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.

To me, this states that we don’t know the day or hour of His coming, but when He does, it will coincide with God’s wrath.

Isaiah 63:1-6
Who [is] this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this [that is] glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore [art thou] red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people [there was] none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance [is] in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and [there was] none to help; and I wondered that [there was] none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

Like Noah’s day when the people had warning but no faith, so too is God’s coming wrath disregarded in today’s world and life is expected to continue on as before. 2 Peter 3:1-7 However, the day of the Lord is sudden destruction and comes like a thief in the night. Just as in Noah’s day, it wasn’t until the rains started that they pounded on the door to be let in but the door God shut no man could open. This is what we see in Matthew 25:1-13 with the five foolish virgins who will be cast into great tribulation except they repent of their deeds. Revelation 2:22 I believe this connects Christ’s coming for His bride and the bride’s harpazo to the marriage of the Lamb with the day of the Lord, the day of Christ. Indeed in this same passage we see one taken and the other left.

In fact there are just three passages that use the term “day of Christ” and all three of them use it in a positive light for the believer. Philippians 1:9-11 | Philippians 2:14-16 | 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 This last one even specifically ties it to the coming of our Lord and our gathering to Him, placing that after the abomination of desolation. There are more that use “day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:4-9) or “day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Note in all these cases that this day appears to be the destination of the race we run. Hebrews 12:1

I further believe scripture places the timing of that harpazo before God’s wrath. Luke 17:24-37 also associates the sign of the Son of man with the sudden destruction of Noah, but also that of Lot. From Matthew 24:36-39 and Luke 17:24-37, we can see the following.

• They = Unbelievers outside the ark (place of protection above the destruction)
• Noah & Family = Believers protected inside the ark
• Flood = God’s wrath/destruction from Almighty = day of the Lord
• Door = transition portal from place of destruction to place of protection/escape. Christ is our door. John 10:6-11

The unbelievers are living their lives as normal. Even though Noah and family have been warning of the coming flood and destruction, they are ignored and scoffed at. This continues in the same way until the day that Noah enters the ark. God Himself shuts the door to the ark. He also said that the door to heaven cannot be opened or shut by man, only God. We can see the transition of Noah and his family through the door to the place of protection and escape from the destruction and God shuts the door. The floods then come and destroy the earth.

At the harpazo, the door to escape will be shut. Matthew 25:1-13 Those who were unprepared or lacked desire to go meet the bridegroom figuratively (no personal relationship with Christ) will be shut out from the door just like those at the flood were as the waters rose. I think the comparison fits quite nicely between the flood and harpazo and shows that the harpazo comes around the same time, but just before, God’s wrath comes. We escape through the door at the harpazo just before the wrath comes on all them that dwell on the whole earth. When the door to the ark Noah and family were in was shut, the destruction came.

This eliminates a pre-trib harpazo since the wrath of God doesn’t come until after the sixth seal, which is “immediately after” the time of Jacob’s trouble. The time of Jacob’s trouble began with the abomination of desolation. This is in agreement with 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and the placement of the coming of the Lord at the day of Christ with sudden destruction after the abomination of desolation and revealing of the man of sin. The pre-trib, mid-trib and post-trib all define their occurrence according to the tribulation. Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of misconceptions on what exactly the tribulation is. The most commonly accepted is that this is the 70th week of Daniel, a 7-year period, but I would highly recommend a study on “tribulation” and “great tribulation” in the context Yeshua describes in Matthew 24:15-22, Daniel 12:1, Jeremiah 30:4-7.

So if the association of our escape and God’s wrath coming almost simultaneously is correct as scripture says, then the harpazo couldn’t very well be that far before God’s wrath because that’s not what the association between the days of Noah and the coming of the Son of man says.

Luke 17:27
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

This passage eliminates a post-trib harpazo because we are removed from God’s wrath through the door BEFORE it comes. Therefore, the only real possibility is exactly what scripture states, a pre-wrath harpazo of the bride. Since it can’t be before the tribulation and can’t be after it either, it must be a mid-trib harpazo. Personally, I prefer the term pre-wrath because it eliminates the tribulation, often misunderstood, from the equation. Of course the same can be said for wrath, but I digress. We see here the same sequence of removal through the door to the place of escape before the wrath of God arrives. Otherwise, their fate would have been the same as the unbelievers.

Chris White: The Rapture and the Day of the Lord are on the Same Day

The day of the Lord and the Sixth Seal

Since the people of earth continue getting married and living life like normal until the sudden destruction comes, the fact that they are quoted as recognizing God’s wrath in the sixth seal should be a big indicator that the day of the Lord is at hand at the sixth seal. The only thing between the sixth seal and the trumpets are the seventh seal, ½ hour of silence in heaven. Then the censer is cast to the earth and the trumpets begin. I believe the sixth seal and censer/first trumpet will occur on the same day, suddenly.

Revelation 7:9
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

What firms up my belief in a pre-wrath harpazo from that point is Revelation 7:9, which is the fulfillment of the promise to stand before the Son of man in Luke 21:34-36! Notice that this is placed between the sixth seal and the trumpets. It is the first time we see a vision of heaven with countless multitudes of all languages tribes, and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb. The 24 elders and the four beasts are there too, so we know its in heaven. We can see the multitudes in heaven standing before the throne and before the Lamb after the sixth seal, Revelation 6:12-17, and before the seventh, Revelation 8:1-2.

I also believe there is a link between Revelation 7’s placement after the sixth seal at the end of Revelation 6 and before the seventh seal and the beginning trumpets, which are God’s wrath.

Events of Revelation 7:

• 4 Angels on the four corners of the earth, holding the wind from blowing across the earth.
• Angel seals the 144,000, all Israelis from the 12 tribes of Israel, 12,000 each. No Gentile will be sealed, which is what most Christians are. These are independent of the church.
• Multitude uncountable standing before the throne of God in heaven in white robes and palms in their hands glorifying God.
  • It should be noted that if the fall feasts are fulfilled in Christ’s second coming as the spring feasts were in His first, it’s interesting that we see Israel being taken to the wilderness in a place prepared for her to live in tents just as their forefathers did when brought on eagles’ wings out of Egypt into the wilderness. Exodus 19:3-5 | Revelation 12:13-17 Sukkot is the feast of booths/tabernacles. Leviticus 23:40-41 and Revelation 7:9 shows while Israel is celebrating their salvation on the earth, the bride is celebrating Sukkot in heaven with palms in their hands.
• These in white robes came out of great tribulation accepting the blood of Christ to atone for their sins. They are Christians, both Jew and Gentile. (I believe the great tribulation these have come out of is the Time of Jacob’s trouble specifically, not the entire 3 ½ years or 7 year 70th week of Daniel)
  • Their future: They serve Him day and night in His temple and He dwells among them. He wipes away all their tears and they dwell with Him forever. There is no death at that point.

Events of Revelation 14:

• 144,000 on Mt. Sion with a Lamb. This part further describes who these 144,000 are.
  • Father’s name is written on their foreheads
  • They sing a new song that nobody but they can sing
  • They’re redeemed from the earth
  • They are virgins
  • They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
  • In their mouth is no guile G1388
• Angel 1 with everlasting gospel to preach to all them that dwell on the earth. The timing of this angel is given in verse 7: “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” This is about the time of God’s wrath coming.
• Angel 2 saying Babylon is fallen
• Angel 3 warns everyone not to worship the beast or they will receive the wrath of God forever.
• Voice from heaven blessing those who die in the Lord from this point on.
• One like the Son of man on a white cloud reaps the ripe harvest of the earth.
• One like the Son of man gathers the “vine of the earth” and casts it into the winepress of the wrath of God.

The Day of the Lord in Relation to the Time of Great Tribulation

Since the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night and we don’t know the day or hour of it, how do we get any understanding of God’s timing? We’re told we are not in darkness regarding it. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5 This comes from understanding the relationship of the great tribulation to the day of the Lord.

Matthew 24:15-22
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:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. [Daniel 12:1 | Jeremiah 30:4-7] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

The abomination of desolation starts the time of great tribulation. It is marked by the revealing of the man of sin as he declares himself god in the temple. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 states that a falling away and the revealing of the man of sin must precede the coming of our Lord and our gathering to Him. As Daniel 9:27 states, this is in the midst of the 70th week of Daniel.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
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, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

I believe scripture is pretty clear that the “day of Christ” is the same time of the catching away of the bride to the clouds, the harpazo. This is also mirrored with the coming of our Lord is associated with sudden destruction mentioned earlier...

Matthew 24:37-42
But as the days of Noah 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.

Notice that the sudden destruction is flanked on both sides with the coming of the Son of man. In other words, we should expect the sudden destruction about the same time as Christ’s coming for His bride. The sudden destruction from God’s wrath does not occur before the man of sin is revealed at the abomination of desolation.

Joel 2:31
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.

Matthew 24:29
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:

All this means that the wrath of God, associated with the coming of our Lord, can’t happen until after the abomination of desolation. This is in complete agreement with 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 which states that the falling away and the revealing of the man of sin must precede the coming of our Lord and our gathering to Him.

What does “the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” mean? Some people skip over this term and assume that the Lord returns in glory immediately after the sixth seal, therefore, the sixth seal is at the end of the 7 years. Let’s examine what shaking the heavens means according to scripture...

Isaiah 13:6-13
Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
[6th Seal]
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

The shaking of the heavens is the beginning of the wrath of God. Given what the Bible says, about escaping this time and standing before the Son of man, Luke 21:34-36, I believe we will be gone before the first trumpet sounds from Revelation 8:7 and even before the censer is cast to the earth in verses 3-5.

I believe this is why we don’t know the day or hour of Christ’s coming, because the children of disobedience are going to be taken by surprise when God’s wrath comes, being in darkness. While we won’t know the day or hour of His coming, we won’t be in darkness about the times. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Since the abomination of desolation and the revealing of the man of sin will have happened just prior to this time, the true church will be aware and awake. They may not know the day or hour, but they will know the season they are in. And when the world sees the sign of the Son of man coming and hides in the rocks and caves, the bride should be looking up because the time of their redemption has come.

Other Supporting Scriptures:

Here are some more scriptures that I feel support the pre-wrath timing. If you have some more, feel free to share!

Romans 5:1-11

Romans 5:1-11
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Being saved from wrath through Christ could be referring to eternal wrath, separation from God. However, given the support of the other scriptures, I believe its meaning covers all of God’s wrath. We saw this when God told Abraham of the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God said if there were 10 righteous He would not destroy it. Lot and his family were the only ones and they were removed before God’s wrath was poured out on the children of disobedience there.

1 Thessalonians 1:10

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.

The same issues from above apply here as well and just like the days of Noah, all the righteous were spared from God’s wrath. In that instance, the physics of buoyancy were what God used to lift them up above the destruction of the flood. At the harpazo, it will be our meeting the Lord in the air that will lift us above the destruction coming on the children of disobedience and all them that dwell on the whole earth.

Luke 21:29-36

Luke 21:29-36
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree [symbolic for Israel], and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

There are several key things to learn from this short little passage. First is the warning not to get wrapped up in the things of this world. We are to live spiritual lives, temporarily living in this physical, mortal existence as witnesses for Christ to the lost. The lost are the ones described being caught unawares by this snare that suddenly comes upon all them that dwell on the whole earth.

We are told to watch and pray that we are accounted worthy to escape all these things. All what things? The wrath of God that is encompassed in the phrase, “as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” We saw this mirrored in 1 Thessalonians 5:2,3 when the day of the Lord is labeled as coming like a thief in the night. We also see it in this next passage.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

This passage seems pretty clear, we are not appointed to wrath. It doesn’t matter if its eternal wrath or if it’s the coming wrath of the Almighty that will shake the heavens and earth. Either way, God’s wrath is always intended for the disobedient, not those that love and obey Him. As the previous passage said, God’s wrath is coming on all them that dwell on the whole earth. To escape it, we must be removed from the earth.

2 Thessalonians 1:4-10

2 Thessalonians 1:4-10
So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

Those who are troubled are told to rest when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels taking vengeance on them that know not God. That sounds to me like the wrath of God being brought by the seven angels with the seven trumpets and the seven angels with the seven bowls/vials. In them are filled up the wrath of God. Revelation 15:1 I would also like to point out that obedience to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is a condition to whether you are under the flaming fire of vengeance or resting with the disciples. Obedience is paramount and understanding what we’re to obey requires study of the Bible. Yeshua gave us two commandments in which the law of the prophets are fulfilled. He told us to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Romans 13

Luke 17:24-37

Luke 17:24-37
For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

{Unexpected Time (Like a thief [But we are not in darkness to be caught off-guard Amos 3:7])}--> And as it was in the days of Noe, [Noah] so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

{Abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15-22 | Mark 13:14-16)}--> In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you,

{harpazo (1 Corinthians 15:50-53 | 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 | Matthew 24:40-42)}--> in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be takenG3880, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be takenG3880, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be takenG3880, and the other left.

And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the bodyG4983 is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

Here again, we see sudden destruction catching the world off guard and they don’t escape. Sounds eerily similar to the flood. God directly associates the revealing of the Son of man with this sudden destruction. What the remainder of Luke 17:24-37 shows is that from the time of the abomination of desolation until the sixth seal, will be the timeframe of the revealing of the Son of man, the harpazo of the bride, and the wrath of God beginning the day of the Lord.

I’d like to point out a couple interesting things in this passage.

• Notice that the only other places in the Bible where the warning to not come in from the field or down from the housetop are in Matthew 24:15-22 and Mark 13:14-16. Both are directly referring to the abomination of desolation. The duplicate passages are in green italics. Closer view of this comparison below
• Notice that the only other place in the Bible where the two people are grinding, sleeping, etc. is Matthew 24:38-42, and is directly associated with watching for the Lord’s coming. The duplicate passages are in green italics. Closer view of this comparison below

So the day when the Son of man is revealed is sudden and unexpected. It is also the time of the abomination of desolation. Then, in that night, there are two in bed, one taken the other left, etc. The disciples ask specifically where these people are gathered to. The answer: “Wheresoever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”

There have been some who say that the ones being taken are those being punished like the story of Noah, how the flood came and “took took them all away.” What about the story of Lot? It was Lot and his family that were taken away prior to God’s wrath raining down on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Once again, a look at the original Greek clears this up right away. Over and over, the term “shall be taken” is used, which means in the original Greek...

shall be taken (G3880)
paralambanō (par-al-am-ban’-o)
From G3844 and G2983; to receive near, that is, associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy to assume an office; figuratively to learn: - receive, take (unto, with).

Revelation 1:6 - Assuming our office
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 5:10 - Assuming our office
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

body (G4983)
soma (so’-mah)
From G4982; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively: - bodily, body, slave.

The original Greek meaning of “shall be taken” seems to cover every aspect of what the harpazo is all about! Some say the talk of eagles is referring to the great feast of the birds at the end of the 70th week when Christ returns in glory. There are several words for body in Greek. Notice the distinction of the body and eagles gathered together in these two verses:

• Matthew 24:27,28 talks about dead bodies [CarcaseG4430] being eaten by gathered eagles.
• Luke 17:34-37 is answering the question of the disciples as to where these disappearing people went. Those disappeared people are the bride of Christ, or the [bodyG4983] of Christ. More detail on that comparison here.

So what is the eagles reference all about then? The first mention of “eagles” in the Bible is found relating to God bringing Israel out of Egypt to Himself.

Exodus 19:1-4
In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

We also have a day/night relationship between the abomination of desolation and the harpazo. No man can know the day or hour of the harpazo, so this can’t be a literal day/night relationship, but one that shows order progression. First the day (abomination of desolation), then the night (harpazo).

Luke 17 / Matthew 24 / Mark 13 Side-by-side

Read the passages through comparing the blue text from Luke 17 to the red text from the other passages. Are these not perfect fitting descriptions of the same one-time event of the time of great tribulation? These are pretty self-explanatory. They are also the only three verses I can find that speak to this detailed event, immediately following the abomination of desolation.

Luke 17:31
he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

Matthew 24:17,18
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Mark 13:15,16
And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.

These are the only places in the Bible that talk about one being taken and the other left. Given the warning of an unexpected time and to watch centered around this “taking,” I think it’s important.

Luke 17:34-36
in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Matthew 24:37-42
But as the days of Noah 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.

Luke 21:34-36
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

1 Thessalonians 5:3-6
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

2 Thessalonians 2

There is a teaching that says the Holy Spirit indewlling the Church is the restrainer holding the revealing of the man of sin from revealing himself. The idea is that the harpazo is what removes this restraint triggering the time of great tribulation. So is this confirmed elsewhere in scripture that the harpazo would happen after the abomination of desolation? Please go here for the details.

Jude 1:14,15

Jude 1:14-15
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saintsG40, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

This is Christ’s return in glory and ten thousands of His saints are coming with Him. “Saint” is defined for us as:

sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated):--(most) holy (one, thing), saint.

This means we must have been taken before His coming in glory in order to be returning with Him.

Matthew 24:29-31

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.

This scripture needs to be looked at in light of an understanding of what the “powers of heaven shall be shaken” means.

Isaiah 13:10-13
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

As we can see, this short sentence in Matthew 24:29 actually encompasses God’s wrath being poured out. This wrath of God takes place over a 1230 day period immediately after the great tribulation Matthew 24:29 and ends 42 months after the abomination of desolation Revelation 13:5 when Christ destroys the beast and false prophet in the lake of fire upon His return in glory. Revelation 19:20 As we are not appointed to God’s wrath, we will meet the Lord in the air when the world sees His sign, the sixth seal and the coming wrath of God on the day of the Lord.

Related to Matthew 24:29-31 and Mark 13:24-27, we see in both of those accounts that after the signs of the sixth seal, the sign of the Son of man appears and his angels gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. In the same depiction of this time, Luke words it a little differently, highlighting that this gathering is indeed the catching away of the bride.

Luke 21:25-28
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls


View of the second half of the 70th week of Daniel

Matthew 24:15-21

Matthew 24:15-21
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:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Both in this passage and Mark 13:14-20, that there are nursing children at this time. Ephesians 5:1-8 clarifies that the wrath of God is coming on the children of disobedience and newborn children hardly fit into this category. I’ve gone over how Christ’s coming is with sudden destruction that comes after the abomination of desolation and after the time of Jacob’s trouble is over. Since we meet the Lord in the air and escape that destruction as well as His coming following the revealing of the man of sin at the abomination of desolation, the fact that there are nursing children present seems significant to show the harpazo has not happened by the beginning of the great tribulation.

Biblical Precedent

Joshua 6:22-25
But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

This is an example of Joshua (same name as Yeshua in Hebrew) saving Rahab and her family from Jericho before it’s impending destruction. Rahab helped Joshua and the spies, therefore she and her family were saved. They did not destroy the city until they were taken out of it. This is the same principle found in Abraham’s questioning of the LORD just before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 18:20-33
And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Lot and his family were the only righteous in Sodom and indeed, the angels couldn’t carry out their orders without removing Lot and his family from the area of His wrath. In the trumpet and bowl judgments, that will be the whole earth and all them that dwell upon the earth. Truly we are not appointed to God’s wrath.

In this venn diagram, notice that the green “Bride of Christ” circle is made up both of Jew and Gentile. The circles are not to any particular scale. It is part of “Spiritual Israel,” or all those who will be in heaven at the end of this heaven and earth. According to Yeshua, we are not of this world because He has chosen us out of it and at the harpazo, they are the only group who will not remain on the earth when God’s wrath is poured out. They are removed from it first. That is what the harpazo is all about.

harpazo in relation to: the last 3½ years of Daniel’s 70th week

harpazo in relation to: The seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments

Links:

Antichrist Before the Day of the Lord: What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Return of Christ

Many of us have been told that we will be "raptured out of here before the Antichrist arrives." But what if this is wrong? Is this really what the Bible teaches? In this thought-provoking and freshly examined account on the second coming of Christ, Alan Kurschner traces the key topics and passages, providing compelling biblical evidence that the church will first encounter the Antichrist’s great tribulation before Christ returns to rapture his people and judge the world.

• Pre-Wrath Commentary on the book of Revelation