RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-07-03	Those Taken and Those Left Behind (Mt.24:36-41)
		Mat 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Mat 24:38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, Mat 24:39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Mat 24:40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Mat 24:41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. In this famous rapture (coming resurrection) passage Jesus illustrates from Noah, two men, and two women. The passage starts with Noah including the world conditions at the time of the Flood. He further describes Noah entering the ark, and the people not knowing until the Flood “took” them all away. When the Flood came it “took” them away in the sense of judgment because they drowned. So far there is not much debate. But now we move on to the illustrations of the two men and two women. Two men are in the field, one is “taken” and the other is “left” behind. Two women are grinding at a mill, one is “taken” and the other is “left” behind. So those in Noah's day were “took” away by the flood, and one of the two men and two women were “taken”. The apparent similarity is only there in our English translations. Took and taken sound like the same thing. To follow this thought, those in Noah's day who the Flood “took” away went into judgment. So the one man and one woman must also be “taken” in judgment. In other words, those “took” and those “taken” must be the same people. This understanding works well if you believe in a post-tribulational view of the rapture. But this is NOT what the text is teaching. POINT 1 [Greek Terms Used] First century readers of this text would not have any problem understanding the difference. In verse 39 those the Flood “took” is the Greek word AIRO. In verses 40-41 the ones "taken" by the Lord is the Greek word PARALAMBANO. Generally a positive term. The word PARALAMBANO is used in John 14:3 where Jesus tells us he will “receive” us to Himself at the rapture. The same word is used in both passages to refer to the rapture of believers. Plus the word “left” in verse 40-41 is APHIEMI. This is generally a negative term. It implies the idea of “forsaking” (see Mk.14:50, disciples “left” Jesus; Rv.2:4, describing those who “left” their first love). POINT 2 [Supporting Illustrations] At the time of Noah and Lot, the righteous were “taken” and the sinners were “left”. 1. "Noah entered the ark" (Lk.17:27) 2. "Lot went out from Sodom" (Lk.17:29) If we look at the Noah and Lot stories, who was taken and who was left? Noah and Lot were not the ones “left”. They were the ones “taken” to safety. Noah was the one taken into the ark, and Lot was rescued from Sodom by the angels who took him out of the city. POINT 3 [Context] The “taken” are the same gathered saints Jesus mentioned in the larger context of Matthew 24:31. Mat 24:31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Here the saints are “gathered” (v.31) and the righteous are “taken”, just like Noah and Lot (v.36-41). These illustrations are given to further explain the coming of Jesus from Matthew 24:29-31. This is the actual context. So the Greek terms used, the supporting illustrations employed, and the immediate context tell us the ones “taken” are the ones rescued from judgment. And the ones “left” behind go through judgment. As believers we look forward to the time when Jesus comes to rescue us from the Day of the Lord's judgment that will come upon the earth. Unbelievers will be “left” here on this earth and will experience the judgments of God. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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