Need Help with Matthew 24:22

[Patrick2000]

According to Matthew 24:22 “And if those days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened.” What does Jesus mean by " but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened." Does it mean that the true Christians will face the great tribulation, but be raptured or taken away somewhere around that time? I was talking to a protestant through email and she said that the true Christians would face tribulation, but won’t face God’s wrath. She considers that the Tribulation and God’s Wrath on the unsaved (God unleashing fury on the world) separate things rather than the same thing. She believes in the rapture, her idea of the rapture is that it will take place before God’s Wrath. Sorry if this is confusing she acknowledges this as well.

 

[dscath]

Couple of things:

In the Catholic faith, there is not Rapture, or the taking away of Christians by Christ to avoid the Tribulation, as suggested by many Protestant faith.

Yes, there will be a period of tribulation. And those Christians alive at the time will have to endure it until the coming of Christ at the end of the age (after this period of Tribulation).

Catholics believe in the second and final coming of Christ, not a precursory event where Christ will take believers up, and then come back a third time for the final judgement.

So, when Christ speaks of the shortening of those days for the sake of the elect, he is speaking of a closing of the Tribulation by his coming, at which time the elect (still living) will be spared a longer period of misery.

 

[Dan_Defender]

In the preterist interpretation, the whole Matt 24 discourse refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple in AD 70. The shortened days are the 3.5 years that Jerusalem was under siege by the Roman Empire.

 

[christismylord]

I realize the Catholic Church does not definitively believe in the rapture. What is the explanation for Revelation 3:10?

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth”

Is it speaking of shortening the last days for the sake of the elect? But He said He would “keep us” from the “hour of trial?”

 

[christismylord]

Maybe He means the “hour of trial” is the judgement at the Great White Throne of Judgement?

 

[po18guy]

I’m dying to find out.

 

[Baho]

Personally I’ve always taken it to mean that things will be so bad in the last days that even those bound for heaven won’t be able to help losing faith or falling into mortal sin eventually, so God will mercifully end things early enough to prevent that.

 

[Dan_Defender]

I realize the Catholic Church does not definitively believe in the rapture. What is the explanation for Revelation 3:10?

There he is speaking to the Church of Sardis specifically. In the preterist interpretation, some or most of the Christians were spared the persecution that led to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

 

[ColoradoCatholic]

Recently as in the past century many Approved and Unapproved Catholic Mystics have spoken of what is called “The Warning” or “The Illumination of Conscience” since even the approved Marian apparitions speak of this I am at liberty to discuss some of it here, though not all of it, since many of the more “juicy details” come from mystics who have not yet been approved. Many of them say that Matt 24-25 speak of these times.

There is no rapture as previously stated (that is a false Protestant interpretation)…However, there may not even be protestants or even religion outside of Catholicism if this event happens before the tribulation and what the seers say concerning it. There are Catholic Websites that you can go to find out about this event, but one of the more popular ones is called - Queen of Peace Media - (they have a YouTube channel and another website under a different name which I will say is quite well done; IE: doesn’t look like a conspiratorial website from the 90’s if you know what I mean).

Not saying You have to believe this, as it is private revelation, nor should you blindly accept it, but a little word from the Bible:

“Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” - 1 John:4

“Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21

Prophecy should be tested, not despised. Look up “The Warning”, see what you think, I even asked my priest about this yesterday and he’d said yes hes heard of it but couldn’t give me much more information as to whether he thinks it’ll be sooner or later, etc.

The point is it is a real thing: this “Illumination of Conscience” and has been spoken about by many hard hitting modern prophets like Sister Faustina, and Even some Popes! so its not a matter of speculation as much as a matter of preparation…but shouldn’t you always be preparing anyways?

Say the Rosary Daily!

God Bless!!

 

[mcq72]

I realize the Catholic Church does not definitively believe in the rapture. What is the explanation for Revelation 3:10?

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth”

Is it speaking of shortening the last days for the sake of the elect? But He said He would “keep us” from the “hour of trial?”

And yet do we not also read in Revelation " these are they who came out of great tribulation", as in dying out of it. If I recall many will be saved during tribulation. So even if church is raptured out, others will thereafter come to faith.