Hello, You have a wonderfully informative site. I have a quick question regarding people being left behind after the rapture and the possibility of their salvation. You state, and I agree, that the rapture is a “number” event. Specifically, the number of the gentiles being fulfilled. I personally take this to mean that there is no more. I just don’t see how gentiles can still be saved, after the number of the gentiles is fulfilled. I lean towards the rapture occurring during a time of intense global turmoil, where when the rapture occurs, it will be explained away. This may coincide with the strong delusion that Paul speaks of. Thoughts?
I believe the phrase “full number of Gentiles” in Romans 11:25 is related to the phrase “taking from the gentiles a people for Himself ” in Acts 15:14. Therefore it refers only to the Church. There will be many people, both Jew and Gentile, saved after the Church is gone. We know this because of the great number of Tribulation martyrs and tribulation saints mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
I don’t know what the world situation will be when the Church is Raptured, but the strong delusion that Paul spoke of in 2 Thes. 2:11 concerns a willingness by unbelievers to believe in the Anti-Christ because of his supposed miraculous power. This will happen after the Church is gone.