I have a question about Matthew 24:19, “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days.” I know this verse is instructions given to those living in Judea (the Jewish people) after they see ‘abomination of desolation’ which occurs at the mid-tribulation point or after the Rapture of the Church. So, does that mean that Jewish children will not be raptured? I thought all children under the age of accountability would be raptured. Thank you so much for your hard work.
Even though the verse is written to Jews on Earth in the End Times, we can get some clues as to the timing of the passage as well as the timing of the Rapture from it. As you indicated, The phrase “those days” in Matt. 24:19 refers to the time of the Abomination of Desolation (Matt. 24:15) which begins the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21) in the middle of Daniel’s 70th Week (Daniel 9:27).
Many scholars, myself included, believe all children who are not intellectually mature enough to comprehend the sin / salvation issue will be taken in the rapture. Since the above events take place in the middle of Daniel’s 70th Week, then Matt. 24:19 must refer to babies who will have been born after the rapture but before the Abomination of Desolation. In other words, during the first half of Daniel’s 70th Week.