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Jesus spoke about His coming, and of the resurrection & judgement.  Both are called ends of the age, and they both involved the coming of Jesus.  There was one for the end of the Jewish Law age and there is one coming that will put an end to sin completely and usher in the New Jerusalem, new heavens and new earth.  The end of the age of the law was foretold in Daniel and was finalized with the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.  Matthew 24 is the discourse Jesus gave on both times.  If we look closely at how they differ from each other we can see better how to prepare for the end.  I highlighted these verses purple, and highlighted the end of our sinful age as yellow to help show the separation based on the separate verbiage given for the two different events.  Descriptions will follow.

MATTHEW 24

1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

3As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 

4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 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. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. 9 “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. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 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.

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather (episunagó 1996) his elect from (ek 1537) the four winds, from (ap 575) one end of heaven to the other. (see explanation below under “rapture”)

32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces (flog, scourge severely) and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mark 13:3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

14“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19  For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake.a For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows,c or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

John 5:25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

The coming of Jesus in 70AD through Rome -

Jesus was preparing his followers for the His coming time of judgement, the desolation of the temple, which was foretold in the book of Daniel:

Daniel 9: 24 Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing.And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.

Jesus fulfilled the 70th week of Daniel here because he was the anointed that was cut off in the middle of the week.  The desolation that was decreed was the destruction of the temple.  The time, times half a time is in response to the “desolation has been decreed.”  There is 42 years (12 x 3.5) between the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and when the temple destruction was complete.  The prince who is to come is the Roman army, they came like a flood, the army overtook the city suddenly.  There was a war and the temple was destroyed.  See the references that Jesus gave regarding the flight of the Jews of in Matthew 24:15-22.  After they fled from Jerusalem, then they were scattered to the four winds to proclaim the good news.  The horror of those who did not believe were documented by Josephus, you can google that to see how tragic that time was.  The sun, the leader of Jerusalem, was Nero, and he was darkened by the desire to persecute the disciples.  The moon, second in charge, the High Priest, did not give his light to help fight for the lives of the disciples.  The stars fell, the righteous of God that shine in the heavens, they were martyred.  Then Jesus came as lightning to exact judgement through the Roman army, and the heavens were shaken.  No longer would there be sacrifices at a temple, instead we worship through the new covenant of Jesus sealed in his blood.

ANTICHRIST:

Matthew 24:22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders

This is what John was trying to explain when he talked about the antichrist.  1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.

Both these verses describe the coming of the siege of Jerusalem.  John said the antichrist is now, and it was a spirit at work, coming against the believers.  Again from John in 2 John 1:7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 

The antichrist is not a man or a beast, but a spirit at work that denies Jesus came in the flesh, that he was a man and not a god. If the world tells you someone is “The Antichrist,” it’s a delusion.  

RAPTURE:

The verse in Matthew 24:31 fits with the coming of Jesus in 70 AD.  It is confusing as it is written, here is a better break-down of the sentence:  

Gather:  1996 (episunagó) I collect, gather together, assemble.

From: 1537 (ek) has a two-layered meaning ("out from and to") which makes it out-come oriented (out of the depths of the source and extending to its impact on the object).  

From: 575 (ap) From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

This verse can read like this…He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, they will collect his elect out from (Judea in v6) and to the four winds, away from one end of heaven to the other.  We have confirmation of this by reading Paul’s letter 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him… That verse applies to the Jews before 70 AD.  The verse in context is below, highlighted purple, and has the man of lawlessness, the restrainer and son of perdition are Roman leaders before the siege, warning the followers of the coming destruction.  Paul goes through a whole list of things that happen before the siege, but Jesus and others tell us there will be no warning for the time of the end.  Matt 24:32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. …35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come.  

What the rapture REALLY looks like, OT and NT examples:

Elijah - see the full explanation on this website:  

Rather than trying to make the Bible fit the traditional narrative, it is much simpler to understand that God lifted up Elijah with a whirlwind toward the sky and then transported him to some other unknown geographic location (probably in or near Israel). There he lived out the rest of his life in quiet retirement, except when he broke his silence with the letter.This circumstance was not unusual for Elijah. He had a reputation for “vanishing” for extended periods of time (1 Kings 17:2-6; 18:10) and for being transported suddenly and supernaturally by the Holy Spirit to other geographic locations (1 Kings 18:11-12). In fact, the Holy Spirit also whisked away Ezekiel (Ezek. 3:12-14) and Philip from the wilderness (Acts 8:39-40).

Not only did the 50 eyewitnesses all believe the Holy Spirit dropped Elijah off in another valley (2 Kings 2:16), the ancient Jews and the early church fathers commonly held this view, and the Eastern Orthodox Church still does.

Here is the New Testament explanation of Phillip being raptured in Acts 8:39:  And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

It is completely in the realm of possibility that we could be raptured as Elijah and Phillip were.  If God so chooses, he can take us through the air to another location to preach the good news.    But neither were raptured to the heaven of God where his throne is seated.  They were raptured through the air of the earth.  The Bible calls the Heaven of God - and the air of the earth - “heaven,” but there is a distinction.  

WHO IS GETTING TAKEN AT THE END?

Matthew 13:36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Luke 12:41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces (scourging or flogging) and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

MAN OF LAWLESSNESS, SON OF DESTRUCTION, RESTRAINER

2 Thessalonians 1:5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints… 2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,a 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

A thorough explanation of these verses are given by Kenneth Gentry, see his full description here:  https://torreygazette.com/blog/2013/07/26/gentry-theology-who-is-the-restrainer-in-2-thess-2

To summarize, the man of lawlessness was Nero, the mystery of lawlessness was the behind the scenes plotting of Nero’s mother to poison Claudius, who was the restrainer.  He was killed in 54 AD.  The rebellion should be called apostasy, which is also what Jesus warned about, the great falling away.  Here’s Paul’s word to Timothy to confirm the falling away of Paul’s disciples. 2 Timothy 1:15 You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, 17 but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— 18 may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!  Not long after this letter, Paul was killed by Nero in 62 AD.  

If you try to look for a man of lawlessness, you will have a hard time doing so, and you will be open to deception.  Remember the command from Jesus to be ready for HIS coming, not the supposed man of lawlessness. 

RESURRECTION

(the words of Jesus) John 5:25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

These are the words of Jesus, he will speak to those in the grave and they will be resurrected.  There is no trumpet sound here, that was used at his coming for the destruction of Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. / Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— / in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Paul puts the resurrection at the final trumpet, which Jesus did not.  It would be wise to keep to the warning Jesus gave, because in Revelation, the vials come after the trumpets, then the lake of fire, then the resurrection.  There could be a trumpet sound at his coming, or it could be another delusion by the enemy. 

Daniel 12:1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

This verse in Daniel says it well.  First, those that are gone are not in heaven with God.  They are “asleep.”  The resurrection wakes them back to life and God brings them to the earth to be judged.  AGAIN - there is NO ESCAPE of a rapture to heaven.  Why is this important?  If we are preparing for a rapture to heaven instead of preparing for the lake of fire, we are asleep as the 10 virgins were.  We are not buying oil while it’s still available to buy.  We are blind as the Laodicean church was, and we need eye-salve to make us see.  In Revelation 20 it says the lake of fire comes before the resurrection.  This is where we are at now.  We need to be prepared to endure the lake of fire, to be as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo, thrown in the furnace and walking with Jesus among us.  The fire will not burn us!  We won’t even smell of smoke!!  The fire is so glorious that we should expect to have even the ropes of bondage on us burned away as we endure the trial by fire.  Are you willing to pray for that kind of anointing?