Before the great tribulation, the Savior will probably still be on the throne. The Lord’s parousia (presence) will begin from the throne. This parousia will continue with His coming to the air and will end with His coming to the earth. Within His parousia, there will be the rapture of the majority of the believers to the air (1 Thes. 4:15-17), the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), and the marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9). However, certain believers, such as the one hundred forty-four thousand firstfruit in Revelation 14, will be raptured to the throne of God and stand with the Savior on the heavenly Mount Zion. This is what it means in Luke 21:36 “to stand before the Son of Man.” Therefore, to stand before the Son of Man is to be raptured to the throne in the heavens to stand before the Savior. After this rapture, the Savior will leave the throne with those who have been raptured to the heavens and descend to the air in order to take care of the other believers who will be raptured later.
There has been much debate among Bible teachers concerning the rapture of the saints and the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Some claim that the rapture will be before the tribulation, and others say that it will take place after the tribulation. According to the Scriptures, we believe not only in the general rapture of all the saints but also in the rapture of the overcomers. Concerning this, I encourage you to study the messages we have given on Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation.
We need to put together verses 34, 35, and 36. These verses help us to realize that the downward trend on earth today is very strong. Actually, this trend has become a tide that carries everything and everyone along with it. It is extremely difficult for us as believers in Christ to stand in the midst of this tide. In order to stand, we need to be watchful and pray daily in a particular way so that we may receive the strength that comes from the resurrection life within us to stand against the trend, the tide, of the world. If we are strengthened in this way, we shall not be caught by the trend of this age. Rather, we shall be full of Christ and shall be buoyant. As those filled with Christ as the divine air, we shall be raptured to stand before the Son of Man.
Although the word “rapture” is not found in 21:34-36, there is a strong indication of the rapture in verse 36. This verse speaks negatively of escaping all the things that are about to take place and positively of standing before the Son of Man. Where will the Son of Man be at the time implied in verse 36? He will still be on the throne in the heavens. How, then, can we stand before Him there? The only way for us to stand before the Son of Man on the throne is for us to be raptured, to be taken away to the heavens.
In the epistle to the church in Philadelphia, the Lord promises the overcomers that they will be kept from, taken out of, the hour of trial. He promises to keep them from the time of the great tribulation. This means that they will be raptured before the three and a half years of the great tribulation and will not remain on earth to meet Antichrist.
Whether or not we shall be raptured before the great tribulation and be taken away to meet Christ on the throne does not depend on Him. It depends on our watchfulness and on our praying in a particular way. Constantly we need to be watchful and beseeching that we may prevail to escape the great tribulation. We need to pray that we may have the strength and ability to escape the things that will take place on earth.
Lot’s wife is an example of one who did not prevail to escape. In 17:32 the Lord says, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt because she took a lingering, backward look at Sodom. This indicates that she loved the evil world that God was about to judge and destroy. We should not be like Lot’s wife. We should prevail to escape, prevail to be kept away from the great tribulation. As we have emphasized, this is to be raptured to stand before the Son of Man on the heavenly Mount Zion. Then He will begin His parousia with us. When He leaves the throne to come back to earth, we shall be with Him. How exciting that will be! No doubt, those who stand before the Son of Man on Mount Zion in the heavens will be beside themselves with joy in the Lord.
Luke 21:37 and 38 say, “Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but during the night He went out and spent the night on the mountain called the Mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the temple to hear Him.” The Lord’s teaching recorded in 21:5-36 was given on the Mount of Olives. Then, as verses 37 and 38 indicate, the Lord taught daily in the temple. However, during the night He stayed on the Mount of Olives. By teaching in the temple day by day, He made everything ready for Him to be killed on the day of Passover. He prepared Himself, His disciples, and the environment for His crucifixion. The people who came to the temple early in the morning to hear the Lord did not know what was happening. But He was clear about what was taking place. He knew that He was preparing Himself, His disciples, His opposers, and the environment for the accomplishment of His redemptive death.