Rapture Or 2nd Coming

Q.. Thank you for your teaching and ministry, Mr. Kelley. Does Matthew 24:44 ”Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” imply that the world will be calm at the time Jesus calls for His Bride – i.e. the rapture?  Will He call for us at a time of calm on the earth?

A. Jesus never referred directly to the Rapture in any of His teaching. It was an undisclosed secret until Paul first revealed it 20 years after the cross.  Additionally, from the context of the passage you can see that beginning at Matt. 24: 29 He was speaking of the time following the Great Tribulation.  In Matt. 24:36 the phrase “that day” refers to the day of His 2nd coming.

So in Matt. 24:44, He’s talking about the 2nd Coming, not the Rapture, and yes, that day will be dead calm.  The Great Tribulation will be over and the world will have seen the sign of His coming.  People everywhere will be waiting in breathless anticipation, not knowing exactly when He’ll appear.