What I have read from those who believe in the Rapture, all the events described in Matthew 24 are yet in the future. In particular based on current events the belief is that it is about to happen in the near future. No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). Let me take you back to an prophecy found in Isaiah 54:17. The prophecy declares that “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper…”. I find that interesting because they cite this passage as proof that national Israel today has God’s protection. If no prophecy is of any private interpretation, how would you interpret these words from Isaiah 54:17?
Bear in mind the Rapture people want to move all the events in Matthew 24 to the future. What then do they do with Jesus’ statement found in Matthew 24:2? Jesus said, “…There shall not be one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down…”. No weapon will prosper against it and yet Jesus said, not one stone left upon another. Prophecy cannot be privately interpreted, so how then does one interpret Isaiah 54:17? If no weapon means national Israel (that is Jerusalem), you cannot interpret the Isaiah passage without having a contradiction. No stone left upon another is a message of destruction. The passage in Isaiah must have reference to something other than national Israel.
What does Matthew 24 deal with? Why not interpret it from the standpoint of who the audience was that Jesus was speaking to. Mark’s account of the gospel has Peter, James, John and Andrew as the audience (Mark 13:3). The pronouns found in Matthew 24 must therefore be applied to Peter, James, John and Andrew. Who then would hear of wars and rumors of wars but Peter, James, John and Andrew? What about verse 9 of Matthew 24? They shall deliver you up to be afflicted. Who would that apply to but Peter, James, John and Andrew? Jesus taught the apostles in other settings about facing trials which would lead to them to be persecuted. He warned them to keep them from being offended (John 16:1). The time would come (for them in their life time) that whoever killed them would see it as doing service to God (verse 2).
Is the Bible filled with God giving people things they could not use? Does God hear sinners? (John 9:31). When then has the right of prayer but God’s people? Jesus said to these four men, pray that your flight will not be in the winter nor on the Sabbath day (Matt. 24:20). Wintertime would make travel difficult and on the Sabbath day the gates of the city would be closed. Why would Jesus give these four men this information, teach them to pray about it, knowing it could not be fulfilled until at least the 21st century. Is God in the habit of giving men revealed truth which they cannot use? Would we argue from Ephesians 4:32 that we do not have to be kind, tenderhearted or forgiving? Oh, no, that is something that we all need to understand. How then can one pick out what they want that suits them and then disregard any thing they do not want? The truth that would set men free is the truth of the gospel (John 8:32). This Word of His grace is able to build up and give saints an inheritance (Acts 20:32). This engrafted Word into our hearts is able to save our souls (James 1:21). Since all spiritual blessings are in Christ, what else do we need?
What more could be done if Christ comes back to earth and reigns for a thousand years? What greater blessing can there be than to know our sins are forgiven and that we have been adopted into the family of God (Acts 2:38; Rom. 8:15). Is there any greater peace than what Jesus offers us through the truth (Phil. 4:7). The Word of God is a finished product as of the close of the first century. All that we need to know is found therein. Why, then, with all these blessings being made known would we desire a physical kingdom here on earth.