Joel 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

Returning once again to Joel chapter 2 for some relevant understanding of the bride coming out as it relates to the great and terrible day of the Lord. Here once again please note bridegroom and bride not husband and wife. The wedding has not taken place yet.

What is the relationship to this event with the rapture? Nothing in chapter 1 or 2 of Joel indicates anything related to the abomination which leads to desolation. Let us be clear on that if we can agree. No ties to that prophecy here which came from Daniel. The daily sacrifices and numbers of days are not relevant to this rapture event.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Paul, being a very learned scholar of the Old Testament did not refer to this as the abomination that leads to desolation. If it were, I am sure Paul would have said so. Paul would have known and shared that if the two were related. Once again we fail to put a timeline that can be measured beforehand for a rapture event.

Joel 2:11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Jesus answers His disciples about the three questions asked in Matthew 24 by quoting Joel. How you define the questions has everything to do with how you understand the answer. We have no way to comprehend the thoughts of the disciples when they asked about the end of the age. We are left with the horrible task of picking a definition.

Answers only have clarity if they are placed in context to the question without ambiguity. What age were they looking for answers? The issue of generational age is assumed to be between 40 and 70 years. I have seen the passages in Matthew 24 being tied together so that any historical prophetic event becomes nullified.

When prophecy has been fulfilled, that event is over and should not be reassigned to satisfy personal desires. This leads to false assumptions and looking to events in current history to match prophetic scriptures when they have no bearing on future events.

We of this church age often look to scriptures to glimpse at what we call the end of the church age. Once again, we are choosing to define an age with unspecific timelines for our own personal comfort and hope. I too have looked for those signs of His second coming, assuming as others have that this marks the end of the church age.

What if, mind you, what if the church age does not end until the wedding? If you look at Jewish history the betrothed is called a bride, not because she is married but because the bridegroom has committed Himself to her without any possibility of backing out before the wedding.

Does the event called the rapture have anything to do with the end of the church age? Isn’t that what we are really asking?