WHO WILL NOT BE IN THE RAPTURE?

It is important to keep everything in context.  

Jesus tells the story of the rapture in Matthew 24:40, “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.”  He then goes on to tell people to be alert, because he will be a long time in coming.  Next, he tells the parables of the Ten Virgins and the Talents.  These parables and their order are significant.

The parable of the Ten Virgins explains who will and will not be in the rapture.  The parable of the Talents covers the time after the rapture and explains the judgment-rewards of the Christians.

In Matthew 24:1-35, Jesus describes the end times.  Then begins a passage, Matthew 24:36 - 25:30, where he talks about the attitude a person should have as they wait for his return.  He starts off by comparing the end times to the time of Noah.  He then briefly describes the rapture and talks about how one person is taken and another left.  Then to explain what is happening in the rapture passage, he says, “Therefore…” and launches into four parables illustrating vigilant watchfulness, faithful obedience, holy preparedness, and fruitful obedience.

1.  Vigilant watchfulness - Be Ready like Noah.  Matthew 24:42-44, “Therefore keep watch…so you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

2.  Faithful obedience - The Alert Servant.  Matthew 24:45-51, “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so [faithfully doing the task he was given] when he returns…”

3.  Holy preparedness - The Ten Virgins.  Matthew 25:1-13, “…The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps…”

4.  Fruitful obedience - The Talents.  Matthew 25:14-28, “…I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground…”

In the Know God chapter I use these four terms to help define the things Christians should do to prepare for the Tribulation period.

THE TEN VIRGINS

In Jewish tradition a congregation was at least ten men (women do not count in the minimum).  The bridesmaids are virgins, which implies quality, spotlessness, and chastity.  In Eastern society, not just Jewish tradition, the bridesmaids would escort the bride to the groom’s dwelling in the early evening, between seven and eight o’clock (Exposition of the Bible, John Gill, Matt 25:1). 

The Ten Virgins parable describes preparedness.  The wise virgins are investing in the future, but more than that, they had a word from the bridegroom that he might be late and prepared accordingly.  When their light was needed in the middle of the night, they had the reserves necessary to complete the given task. 

Like the other parables, this passage speaks of individual responsibility.  Among Christians today, there are people who seek righteousness and a closer relationship with Jesus, and there are people who do not.  There are many people who believe they are “right with God,” but their lives do not bear witness to this belief.  They might go to church and behave piously on Sunday, but Monday through Saturday they are firmly members of the world. 

We should also note that if the bridegroom had come early, at the normal time, it is likely that all of the virgins would have been ready.  But the bridegroom has a purpose in coming late: He is ensuring that his bride is ready.  Whether early or late, he arrives at the right time. 

The light in the lamp is fueled by the oil.  What is the oil in the lamp that keeps the light burning during the dark night of persecution, hardship, and trials?  We are the jars, and the oil is the Holy Spirit within us.  The oil is manifested as the light of holiness made up of righteousness, faith, hope and love found in the Word of God, prayer and fellowship - evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit. 

“May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (1 Thess 3:13).

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14). 

The flame in the lamp is the fruit of the Spirit.  “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Gal 5:16).  Jesus said it another way, “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16).

Five of them are foolish virgins, but virgins nonetheless.  They do have lamps, the lamps do have oil, and the lamps are lit.  They do start off expectant and hopeful for the bridegroom’s return, their lamps shining brightly, but from the beginning, they did not bring reserves.  From the very beginning of the task, they were not prepared for a long wait.  They were not prepared to endure the long night and then have anything left over to light the way for the bride to meet the bridegroom. 

I believe this means that people need spiritual reserves in the darkest night of the Tribulation - the last three and a half years.  All of the virgins woke up and knew the bridegroom was about to come.  At that time all ten of the lamps were lit, but the foolish virgins did not have the reserves to escort the bride to the bridegroom in the darkness of the late night.  Why not?  Who are the five foolish virgins?

In the last half of the tribulation period, the virgins who do not have the oil to wait longer are those who avoid persecution or choose the cares of this world, deciding that the cost of following Christ is too high.  The parable of the Sower of the Seeds talks about two types of believers who could be living in the end times: Matthew 13:21-22, “But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.  When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.  What was sown among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” 

If their light needs to shine during the long, dark night of the Tribulation, they won’t have the reserves inside themselves to withstand.  They won’t have the fuel to keep their internal light of hope and love burning brightly in expectant radiance.  When persecution and trials come, what little light they have will be hidden - if it shines at all.

If you expected Jesus before the Tribulation and he came later, would you be prepared, mentally and spiritually, for what was to come?  Knowing you were going to go through the Tribulation as a Christian, how would that affect your Christian walk today - your attitude and preparation?  “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”  “...the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt 24:42, 44).  And right now, many Christians do not expect him to come at the end of the Tribulation!

Finally, if half of the virgins are not ready, we might infer that at least half of the end times Church will not be in the rapture to meet Jesus.  The foolish ones did show up later with their oil-filled lamps: The Great Tribulation ended and they figured out that the rapture happened and Jesus returned.  Like Peter, who got on his knees and wept bitterly after denying Jesus, they got on their knees asking for forgiveness and mercy and repented.  But they were too late and were not allowed entrance to the wedding banquet. 

I, personally, believe this means they did not lose their salvation, and they will go to heaven when they die.  They did find the oil, but they were denied participation in the rapture, the joy of celebrating the return of Jesus, becoming immortal without having to die, and the wedding feast and the rewards.  They will die a normal death and participate in the second resurrection.  But how terrible it must be to hear the words, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you” (Matt 25:12). 

Do those words mean the five virgins were not saved?  I don’t believe that means they were not saved, any more than Jesus’ admonish to Peter, “Out of my sight, Satan!” meant that Peter was possessed of Satan and doomed to damnation (Matt 16:23).  No one would want Jesus to talk to them that way, even if they were wrong.  Jesus doesn’t recognize their claim to be participating in these end time events, and he will not be seeing them again until the second resurrection.  Then they will only want to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:23).

THE TALENTS 

Right after telling the parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus launches into the parable of the Talents: “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey...” (Matt 25:14).

In the Parable of the Talents, each person is given a weight in gold or silver based on their ability.  Although the type of coin was a “talent,” it could be analogous of the “talent or ability” a person has in themselves.  As in the parable of the Ten Virgins, this is in the Kingdom of Heaven, so these people are believers.  

“After a long time, the master returns...” and he wants to know how his servants managed the talents he gave them.

One person invested the five talents and had five more.  He was rewarded.  Another was given two talents.  He invested them and was rewarded, likewise.  They both went from being servants to being rulers.  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ” (Matt 25:21).

Another was given one talent, but he did nothing with his talent.  In fact, he blames the master for his unproductive life!  Before the master even spoke, the servant started his excuses: “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you” (Matt 25:24-25).  The unprofitable servant is cast into outer darkness (verse 30).

The five foolish virgins were not unproductive.  They had lamps filled with oil, and they did light their lamps and began their task.  The third servant was totally unproductive.  If you compared him to the virgins, you might say he did not even buy an oil-filled lamp.  His fate is quite different from the virgins.  They are called foolish and not allowed to participate in the festivities, while the unfaithful servant is called wicked and lazy and cast into outer darkness.  When you read this, you start to understand the fear of the Lord.  Are you a foolish virgin or an unproductive servant?

In the parable of the Ten Virgins half of them were ready for the master’s return and led the bride to the bridegroom.  Then Jesus spoke about rewards based on God-given ability.  If we follow this chronology, we can infer that after the Second Coming of Christ, the wedding of the Bride will take place first, the wedding feast, and then the judgment/rewarding of the saints.  There is more on this in the chapter, After the Great Tribulation.