Eschatology review online

By Ron McRay

June 3, 2002

Marie Powers says:

Re: the rapture and Matthew 24:40, 41 "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

While many people use this verse to explain the rapture, it is saying something totally opposite. "As in the days of Noah...when the flood came" (vv37-39), those who were "taken" from the earth were the evil, unbelieving people. Those who were "left" were the righteous believers that heeded God's warning through Noah, i.e. Noah and his family who were left on earth to "begin again" after a cleansing judgment by God. Of the "two" in the field and at the mill in the above vv., the righteous of the two would flee at that time of the signs, "not turning back to get his coat" or go back into his house "to get the things out that are in his house" (vv17-20). Having fled the city, the righteous were saved from destruction and left on earth to begin again as "a new creation" (2Cor. 5:17) after a cleansing judgment by God. The unrighteous, unbelieving stayed and were "taken" in the sacking of Jerusalem by the Roman army. Read the above verses in their preceding context:

Matt 24:37-41 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. (38) For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, (39) and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (40) Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. (41) Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left."

Those who "did not understand" were the wicked (see ref. below). So also in 70 AD at the destruction of Jerusalem, the righteous understood, heeded the warning of Jesus to flee the city when the signs came (vv 5-21) and were saved, thereby "left" on the earth to "begin again." The unrighteous, unbelieving ignored Jesus warning and stayed in the city. These were "taken" in death like the unrighteous of Noah's day.

Matt 13:40-43 (Jesus speaking only to his disciples, see v.36) "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Matt 13:47-51 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes."

Through OT Scripture we see that it was God's way to destroy the wicked and leave the righteous. God continually destroyed idolatrous nations at the hands of His people (OC Israel) whom He intended would be fully righteous before Him. However Israel as a nation backslid again and again, turning to "other gods." Eventually God deemed them to be the epitome of all the unrighteous nations whom He had judged at their hands. Thus they became not only a nation of harlots, but the "mother of harlots." Together they had become an unfaithful wife, whose end was only worthy of utter destruction (see Lev. 20:10). Among them were a few, a remnant, of believing faithful. These were gathered into the Kingdom of God at the end of the age, the ones who had died were resurrected and the ones who were living on earth were "changed" and put on immortality. Since that time they, with us who believe, "shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (13:43). For an added blessing read Ps. 37.

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