Question: I am having difficulty with verse 31 of Matthew 24 since if the righteous are raptured prior to the tribulation, who are the elect that the angels are gathering at the end of the tribulation if only the wicked were left after the rapture?
Answer: Jesus answers that question for us in Matthew 13:37-43 which corresponds directly with Matthew 24:31.
It is important here to distinguish between the Children of the Resurrection and the Children of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:38, Luke 20:36).
The Children of the Kingdom are not the resurrected and caught out ones who Jesus called the Children of the Resurrection (Luke 20:35-36).
The Children of the Kingdom will marry and give birth during the millennium. Some will even die (Isaiah 65:20-23).
The Children of the Resurrection will neither marry nor give in marriage but will be as the angels who cannot die (Matthew 22:30,Luke 20:35-36).
The Children of the Resurrection will not need to have angels gather them because they will be changed in a moment--their bodies will become just like Christ's resurrected body. They will become as the angels when their bodies are raised/changed--no angelic gathering will be needed for them (Matthew 22:30, Luke 20:35-36).
The Children of the Kingdom will need angels to gather them because their bodies will not be changed to become like Christ's resurrected body or like the angels. They will enter the millennium in their mortal condition (Isaiah 65:20-23).
Below is a link to more information concerning the Pre-tribulational Resurrection and Catching Up of believers.
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