Leave it to a dispensationalist to get snarky when someone quotes scripture that doesn't fit their agenda. Of course, there is no scripture that supports their agenda, unless it is twisted and/or manipulated.
But, for the benefit of everyone else, this is the scripture in question:
"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." -- Matt 24:21-22
Now, if the elect were going to get "raptured away" prior to the "great tribulation," would Jesus need to shorten the days of the tribulation FOR THEIR BENEFIT? LOL! Not a chance.
This is how it went:
1. Jesus and his disciples were discussing the destiny of the city of Jerusalem (Matt 24:1-4)
"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 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 [the age]? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you." -- Matt 24:1-4
2. There was a great tribulation in Jerusalem. (Matt 24:21)
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." -- Matt 24:21-22
3. Many Christians fled Jerusalem when the Roman armies first arrived, and then temporarily left:
"And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto." -- Luke 21:20-21
4. But some were unable to leave, for whatever reason. There was a major civil war going on inside Jerusalem, which restricted movement, and there were these reasons:
"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:" -- Matt 24:19-20
5. So, some Christians were, by circumstances, forced to endure the tribulation. But Jesus had left them these words, encouraging them to endure the temptations to go astray:
"But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." -- Matt 24:13
6. And finally, he said he would shorten the time of the tribulation so the elect could stay alive:
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." -- Matt 24:21-22
7. All of that occurred in the generation of Jesus Christ and his disciples:
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." -- Matt 24:34
"Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done." -- Mark 13:30
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled." -- Luke 21:32
What about those elect that Jesus saved by shortening the days of the tribulation? We have a historical record that some 40,000 in the city were released by the Roman armies; that is, they were not taken into captivity because there were not enough buyers for so many slaves, and the Roman armies grew weary of killing:
"They were all received by the Romans, because Titus himself grew negligent as to his former orders for killing them, and because the very soldiers grew weary of killing them, and because they hoped to get some money by sparing them; for they left only the populace, and sold the rest of the multitude, with their wives and children, and every one of them at a very low price, and that because such as were sold were very many, and the buyers were few: and although Titus had made proclamation beforehand, that no deserter should come alone by himself, that so they might bring out their families with them, yet did he receive such as these also. However, he set over them such as were to distinguish some from others, in order to see if any of them deserved to be punished. And indeed the number of those that were sold was immense; but of the populace above forty thousand were saved, whom Caesar let go whither every one of them pleased." [Flavius Josephus, "The Complete Works: Wars of the Jews." Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Book VI.8.2, pp.1493-94]
Truly amazing!
So, there was no rapture prior to the great tribulation. I fail to see how scripture can be more on topic than this? Certainly not from those poorly researched videos you, Jerico, continually plague us with?
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