Shalom, all.
The question was, "What Should A Person Do If They Miss The Rapture?" Maybe if he or she jumps up and down and flaps his or her arms really hard....
Nah, probably not. LOL!
Be extremely careful with what I call "universalisms," particularly those from a dichotomous mindset. Ask yourself the question, "Is it possible that I've read into this passage more than what the author intended?" For those who are new to the study of Scriptures, "dichotomous" is defined as "divided or dividing into two parts." A "universalism" is defined as a "universal character; universality" or "a universal range of knowledge, interests, or activities." My usage of the term takes this to the interpretation of Scripture such that the Scripture in question is regarded as that "universal range" of coverage, a verse that has a "universal character," covering all people for all time.
Some dichotomies are legitimate. For instance, that all people will be divided into two groups, those who are justified by God and accepted by Him through the blood of His Son, and those who are NOT justified by God but stand condemned already.
Other dichotomies are fictional and fabricated according to one's theological stance rather than directly upon Scriptural truth. These dichotomies are then imposed upon certain Scriptures, and the Scriptures imposed upon are then said to be "proof" of the dichotomy and one's theological stance in retrospect.
(Hmmm... That last paragraph sounded too harsh to me. Most people don't even KNOW that they are making such rash fabrications; many have been TAUGHT such fabrications by a well-meaning pastor or teacher who himself or herself was taught by some other well-meaning pastor or teacher! Not too many people are shepherds; most however make EXCELLENT sheep! "Tell me what to do, and I'll do it; tell me what to believe, and I'll believe it.")
Let's look at the two passages quoted above:
Matthew 13:40-43
40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
41 The Son of Man will send out His messengers, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
NKJV
Matthew 24:39-42
39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
NKJV
While some may see these as two passages speaking about the same event, others like myself see them as speaking about two separate events in human history. The key phrases in my opinion are "they will gather OUT OF HIS KINGDOM all things that offend," "then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father," and in the other passage "so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" and "you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." In the first passage, I perceive that the Son has ALREADY been reigning and it is at the END of such a time period that they gather "OUT OF HIS KINGDOM" all who offend. In the second passage, I perceive that the Son of Man is JUST ARRIVING to set up His Kingdom. Using 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 as a guide, Yeshua` (Jesus) must reign BEFORE the Father begins His reign.
1 Corinthians 15:20-28
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
KJV
Some see that Yeshua` is already reigning "in the hearts and lives of believers" or "in the Church" (usually capitalized as representing the Universal or Catholic Body of believers). I do not. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: IF Yeshua` is already reigning, then He is being an EXTREMELY IMPOTENT King, which is NOT AT ALL how the Scriptures portray Him nor how the prophecies predict Him to be! No, I see Him coming to "take the bull by the horns" and BEGIN to reign victoriously, as Scripture predicts. He will be the world's first "truly benevolent Dictator!"
He will be benevolent to those who are part of His Kingdom, and even to those who come to Him for His help from other countries, but He will also be a "no duff, accepting no guff" Dictator! He will not put up with a rebellious attitude in any form! His title "King of Kings" means that He will be a King over other kings over their respective countries. When a king comes to Him for His help and submits Himself to be ruled by the King of Kings, then the King of Kings - the World Emperor, Yeshua` - will take over command of that king and his country! They will receive His aid, His benevolence, His wisdom, but they will also receive His rulership, His dictatorship, and His rules!
He will also conquer those who come forcefully against Him, subduing all of His enemies, one by one, until none are left to challenge Him. To them, He will be a truly awesome and malevolent Dictator to fear, a TERROR to all who oppose Him!
This will all take time, and according to Yochanan (John, in Revelation 20) and Kefa (Peter, in 2 Peter 3), it will take a thousand years to complete.
So, I see Matthew 24 happening (at least in part) BEFORE the 1000 years, with the coming of the Messiah Yeshua` - coming to BECOME King, and Matthew 13's parable happening a thousand years later at the END of the age (at what Kefa says is the Fire, when we move from the second earth and sky to the third earth and sky) at what Yochanan relates is the time of the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:8-15.