Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
can this be explained from what I understand no genuine believer would be left behind
Please give the chapter and verse of your quote. Is it in Matthew 24?
Oh, I forgot that the reference is in the thread. Here is the context:
Luk 21:23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.
Luk 21:24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Luk 21:25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,
Luk 21:26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Luk 21:27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luk 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luk 21:29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
Luk 21:30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.
Luk 21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
Luk 21:32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
Luk 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Luk 21:34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
Luk 21:35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Many prophecies have both a direct and a distant fulfillment. The direct fulfillment is with the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, when the Romans destroyed it. The distant one will be the time of tribulation before Jesus' second coming (verse 27). I don't see anything about 7 or 3 1/2 years here or in the parallel passage, Matthew 24.