“And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short.” Matthew 24:22
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24
“And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” Matthew 24:31
The answer is – it depends on the context.
A client and friend of mine asked me to listen to a preacher by the name of Irvin Baxter. She listens to him regularly and asked me to give her my thoughts about his doctrinal positions. The video I watched told me everything I needed to know about how he interprets Scripture with regard to the Church and the departure (or rapture).
Baxter said that the Church will go through the 70th week of Daniel, aka the tribulation. He argues that the Church is raptured at the end of the tribulation (post-trib). He says the basis for this belief is the 3 verses mentioned above and the elect in these passages is the Church. Therefore, according to Baxter, the gathering of the elect in verse 31 is the rapture of the Church.
Baxter says Matthew 24:24 is a warning to the Church not to be deceived by false rumors of Christ’s return. They would know He was returning because they, the Church, would see him coming in the sky. Baxter said that ‘elect’ in Matthew and the other Gospels was the same ‘elect’ as Romans 8:33. He said Paul was using the word with reference to members of the body of Christ – the Church, therefore Matthew was referring was also referring to the Church.
Baxter’s explanation is another example of inserting the Church into passages where it doesn’t belong. The context dictates who the ‘elect’ is. In Matthew, the elect are the believing Jews in Jerusalem during the tribulation. In Romans, the elect are believers who are the Body of Christ – the Church. It’s that simple.
The word ‘elect’ simply means ‘chosen ones’. There is no basis to conclude that the ‘chosen ones’ referred to by Paul are the same ‘chosen ones’ in Matthew, Mark and Luke. The context in Matthew, Mark and Luke are the same. It is about the Jews who have fled Jerusalem into the wilderness after the antichrist defiles the Holy of Holies in the coming 3rd temple.
It is Jews who are told not to come out of hiding in the wilderness when they hear the rumors that Messiah is around, not the Church. That is the ‘elect’ in the context whom Jesus will save in vs. 22. They – believing Jews – are the ones whom Satan will be trying to destroy by a flood in Rev. 12. The context in Rev. 12 is the same as Mt. 24:15 – 31.
Isaiah 11:11-12 says the Jews will be regathered a 2nd time. This passage in Isaiah prophesies that it is the DISPERSED OF JUDAH who will be regathered from the 4 corners of the earth. Isaiah and Matthew are talking about the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who will be gathered, NOT THE CHURCH! The first regathering of the Jews has happened. The 2nd regathering is what is prophesied in Matthew 24 and Isaiah 11. These passages are not talking about the rapture. They are describing a gathering of all of the Jews into the promised land for the Millennial Kingdom.
The ‘elect’ in the Gospels are not the Church; they are Jews who have believed in Christ the Messiah during the tribulation. The gathering in Matthew is the gathering of all the believing Jews to the promised land when Christ returns to earth. The rapture or departure of the Church takes place prior to the tribulation.
For supplemental support for this post see my posts “The Great Falling Away of the Church”, “Revelation 12 Sign”, “The Greatest Sign”, “Who or What is the Restrainer”, and “Michael the Restrainer?”.
Dan Baker
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