[[There are two events discussed in Matthew 24: the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Coming. The failure to distinguish between the two is what leads to confusion. One has come to pass; the other is still in the future.]]
There is also a distinction between the rapture and the second coming- the second coming is not the rapture- the context of Matt & the verse about hour and day is speaking of the second coming- not the rapture apparently— Many have always just assumed the verse on hour and day referred to rapture- but a careful reading of the whole context shows that it is speaking of His second coming and beginning of judgment by Christ/God-
The correct response to Sept 23 or any other date is something along the lines of:
“There —SEEMS TO BE— some signs that are lining up that —COULD INDICATE— That the Rapture —MIGHT OCCUR— on Sept 23...And here is why it —MIGHT— (cite evidences that —MAY INDICATE— that the rapture —MIGHT HAPPEN—)... But, IF the rapture does not happen at that time, then we will carry on as usual, and look forward to God rapturing us before we die sometime in the future if we’re fortunate...”
Soem folks seem to get mighty insistent and adamant one way or the other- as though it’s an ‘all or nothing’ situation- Yet there is room for error AND for hope that it —COULD HAPPEN because (fill in the blank)
We should look with high anticipation that it —COULD HAPPEN— and be prepared to carry on if it indeed doesn’t happen- if it doesn’t- it doesn’t mean we have to stop looking and hoping either- There may yet be future signs that take place that are —MORE INDICATIVE— that the rapture might be imminent- but there does —SEEM TO BE— some pretty good signs lining up for Sept 23 (or soon after) that were not present in earlier guesstimates-
“There —SEEMS TO BE— some signs that are lining up that —COULD INDICATE— That the Rapture —MIGHT OCCUR— on Sept 23...And here is why it —MIGHT— (cite evidences that —MAY INDICATE— that the rapture —MIGHT HAPPEN—)... But, IF the rapture does not happen at that time, then we will carry on as usual, and look forward to God rapturing us before we die sometime in the future if we’re fortunate...”
I would say, rather, that the correct response to September 23 is something along the lines of, "There is no evidence of any Planet X or whatever about to hit the earth on September 23. If there were, we would have seen it by now. If Jesus is coming again on September 23, it will be in spite of your delusional drivel, not because of it."
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I don’t want to stir anything up, but it might be helpful to note what a recent development the rapture doctrine is. For your consideration, here is the impetus of the rapture doctrine, from an incident that occurred in 1830:
‘On one particular evening, the power of the Holy Spirit was said to have rested on a Miss Margaret Macdonald while she was ill at home. She was dangerously sick and thought she was dying. In spite of this (or perhaps because she is supposed to have come under the “power” of the spirit) for several successive hours she experienced manifestations of “mingled prophecy and vision.”She found her mind in an altered state and began to experience considerable visionary activity.
The message she received during this prophetic vision convinced her that Christ was going to appear in two stages at His Second Advent, and not a single occasion as most all people formerly believed. The spirit emanation revealed that Christ would first come in glory to those who look for Him and again later in a final stage when every eye would see Him. This visionary experience of Miss Macdonald represented the prime source of the modern Rapture doctrine as the historical evidence compiled by Mr. MacPherson reveals.’
http://askelm.com/essentials/ess025.htm