I'm Lutheran and I've always been of the persuasion that the rapture occurs on the last day when Christ returns and raises the dead.
Matthew 24:40-41 has me questioning this. It doesn't seem to jive with my beliefs. For instance it says that "one will be left" which gives me the idea that life will continue on earth after this "taking" takes place.
Thoughts?
1Th 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:
1Th 4:17
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.
Mat_24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and
shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness
in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
Mat 24:30 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.
Mat 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.
Rev_1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
It says God descends with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God, as lightening, every eye shall see Him, all the tribes of the earth shall mourn------not exactly quiet and unnoticed! He isn't sneaking in to grab the saved and sneak off with them when nobody's looking.
Now 2 Th 2:8 does day it is the Wicked One that God will destroy with the brightness of His coming---but the wicked also will be destroyed with His brightness--that brightness affects all the wicked "that perish, because they received not the love of the truth"
When Jesus comes, it is seen by all, it is loud, it is joyous (except to the wicked) it is not secret, "the dead in Christ will rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds." The living wicked are destroyed by the brightness of His coming. The dead wicked remain dead.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
So, the saved dead are resurrected, and they, along with the saved living, are taken up with God for the 1000 years--- the wicked are all dead for the 1000 years---after that the wicked are resurrected for their judgement and the 2nd death.
One will be left merely means that one will be saved, the other will not be. The righteous are all taken to be with God, the wicked are all left behind---dead.