If there is a sizable gap between the rapture and start of 70th week, as some think may be the case, who will carry on the work of. the church after it’s gone? That being missions, evangelism etc? Will there be a pause of present evangelistic movement till 144,000 Jewish evangelicals come on scene later on – or what?
I first heard this idea 20 years ago as an off hand comment by a well known teacher who was trying to show that the rapture of the church is not connected to any other end times events. By now it has been repeated often enough that some people think it’s a valid assumption. I disagree. In fact, so much time has passed since this comment was first made that I don’t believe there is any “dead time” left in the scheduled fulfillment of end times prophecies. I think once they begin, the events remaining to be fulfilled will pretty much happen in rapid fire order. Remember, Jesus said many from the generation being born when the first end times signs were fulfilled will still be alive at the 2nd coming (Matt. 24:34). The clock started ticking in 1948 when Israel reappeared on the world stage after a 1900 year absence.