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Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Matthew 24:40
This week, we want to look at Matthew 24:36-44, for our consideration of the Pre-Tribulation rapture. This is a belief that is held by Dispensationalists. The word 'rapture' in our modern day refers to a 'snatching away,' to be taken quickly and quietly. Luke 17:34 says, "Two men will be in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left." This verse in Luke certainly seems to be consistent with Matthew 24:36-44.
Are these two passages referring to a secret rapture, or are they referring to the second coming of Christ – Matthew 26:64, the end of the age - Matthew 28:20, or the day of the Lord – I Thessalonians 5:2? There is a difference, and we will look at those differences in a future article. For right now, we will be looking at the context of the verses in Matthew 24:36-44.
In the beginning of chapter 24, Jesus is talking to His disciples and telling them about the destruction of the temple. Jesus goes on to say about the tribulation they will go through. Then in verse 37 He gives further instruction, "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."
In the days of Noah, the people had their warnings, but they chose to live wicked ungodly lives. Then God sent the great flood on the earth and took the people away in judgment, except for righteous Noah and his family. This seems to be a key to understanding our text. The text in Luke 17:20-37 is very much the same.
In Luke's account, he adds another phrase that Jesus said, "Remember Lot's wife." This phrase helps us to understand the Luke passage, and also the verses in Matthew 24:36-44. Lot's wife was destroyed (taken away in judgment) when she longingly looked back at the lifestyle she had been living. This is also what happened in the days of Noah, the ungodly were taken away in judgment. To be left behind was a good thing.
God took care of Noah and his family by providing the ark that He had told Noah to make. In those days, there was no salvation outside of the ark. For the people of Jesus day and into eternity, there is no spiritual life (salvation) except in Christ and His atoning work on the cross.
Another key to understanding Matthew 24:36-44 and Luke 17 is the phrase, "and took them all away."
It would seem to me that these passages are not teaching the 'rapture' (a secret snatching away), but rather a taking away in judgment. In this situation, the child of God is blessed to be left behind as in the days of Noah. Instead of people being raptured up to be a part of a millennial reign, the judgment of God will come down on them.
Are you going to heed God's warning and be like Noah and his family who went into the ark? Or will you choose to be like Lot's wife and the wicked in the days of Noah? All of us have a choice to make.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.