In the Gospel of Matthew, we read the following text that mentions those who will be taken and those who will be left.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” Matt. 24:36-41
From these verses, it is often taught that those who are taken are those who will be caught up to be with the Lord in the Rapture, and those who are left are thought to be those who will be left behind. Despite this popular teaching, these verses are not describing the Rapture but, rather, the Attack on Jerusalem. The evidence for this can be found in the corresponding Gospel accounts that describe this same event.
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.” Lk. 21:20-22
In these verses, which describe the Attack on Jerusalem, the people are warned that when they see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, they are to flee to the mountains and those in the country are told not to enter the city. From this description, we learn that whenever we read about fleeing to the mountains or not entering the city, we are reading about the Attack on Jerusalem. This leads us to the following passages that contain these same warnings and that also mention those who will be taken and those who will be left.
“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” “Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” Luke 17:30-37
In the above passages, we find the identical warning concerning not entering the city as we saw in the previous verses, which tells us that the context of this passage is the Attack on Jerusalem, and not the Rapture. When we read that during this attack one will be taken and the other left, it tells us that this phrase is also being used to describe this attack, which would mean that the people who are taken, are taken in the negative sense, or against their will. This is confirmed in the following verses that describe how, during the Attack on Jerusalem, half of the survivors will be taken into exile.
I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Zech. 14:2
“How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Lk. 21:23-24
From these verses, we learn that during the Attack on Jerusalem, those who are taken will be those who are taken as prisoners to all nations. Further evidence for this can be seen in the answer that the Lord gave to the disciples when they asked Him, “Where would the people be taken?”
“Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” “Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” Luke 17:35-37
The answer that Jesus gave to His disciples is the universal way of describing what happens when dead bodies are left exposed and attract vultures. This is not a description of people being taken up to Heaven in the Rapture, but of the exiles who will be killed and whose dead bodies will be left unburied to be devoured by the birds of the air.
In Luke’s account, we also read how the people are warned not to enter their homes to retrieve their possessions before fleeing to the mountains. This tells us that the Attack on Jerusalem will come as a complete surprise to the residents of the city who will not have time to gather anything from their homes before escaping from the attack. The suddenness by which the Attack on Jerusalem will take place can also be seen in the reference to Lot who had to suddenly flee from Sodom to avoid being killed in the destruction of that sinful city. Jesus used the example of Lot’s wife, who hesitated and was destroyed, to emphasize how the people living in Judea should not attempt to save their life, in the form of gathering their possessions, before fleeing to the mountains.[1] Obviously, if these verses were describing the Rapture, there would not be any instructions concerning fleeing from the city, since, during the Rapture, where a person is located will not matter.
The above descriptions of the Attack on Jerusalem provide us with the context by which we are to understand the original verse found in the Gospel of Matthew, which is repeated below.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” Matt. 24:36-41
In Matthew’s description, we again read that one will be taken and the other left. Based on the previous Gospel accounts, we know that this is a reference to the Attack on Jerusalem, when half of the survivors will be taken into exile and put to death. In addition, these verses also contain a warning concerning the days leading up to the attack, which will be similar to the days of Noah. In this warning, the people of Israel are reminded how Noah escaped from the time of punishment by entering the Ark, while those who were destroyed in the flood were eating and drinking before the flood came. This is a reference to how leading up to the Attack on Jerusalem, the people will be carrying on with their daily activities and will be completely unaware of their pending destruction. Only those who act to save themselves by fleeing from the city, before the attack begins, will be spared, just as it was in the days of Noah.
The Day and the Hour
In Matthew’s account, the disciples are told that the day and the hour of the attack is known only to the Father, which is why the people were given the signs to keep watch for that will warn them before the Attack on Jerusalem begins. Specifically, when the people in Jerusalem see their city surrounded by armies, they are to flee to the mountains. Since modern-day technology would prevent an army from gathering around the city without being detected, we must assume that the army that will suddenly surround Jerusalem will already be stationed in proximity to the city, under some other “peaceful” pretext, before the attack begins. One possible scenario would involve a multinational force created to maintain “peace” and “safety” in the region, which will later turn on the city. According to the Lord, these circumstances will lead to the people in Jerusalem being completely unaware of their impending doom before Jerusalem is suddenly surrounded and attacked.
In addition to the above sign, Jesus gave an additional warning concerning the Abomination that Causes Desolation, which will also take place before the attack begins.
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Matt. 24:15-19
In the above description, the Abomination that causes Desolation is a reference to how an unclean sacrifice will be offered to an idol in the Temple before the Attack on Jerusalem takes place. This tells us that the Attack on Jerusalem will be preceded by the presence of a “friendly” army in the vicinity of Jerusalem, followed by the desecration of the Temple, and the surrounding of the city. When the people see these events take place, they will know that the destruction of the city is right at the door.
Taken and Left – Definitions
The original Greek meaning of the words taken and left, which are used in the above passages, can also be studied to gain an understanding of what is taking place in the Gospel accounts.
“I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken (paralambano; SEC 3880)* and the other left (aphiemi; SEC 863). Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken (paralambano; SEC 3880) and the other left (aphiemi; SEC 863).” Luke 17:34-35
* The numbers in parenthesis are from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, which lists all the words found in the Scriptures and their original definitions.
In these verses, the word taken (paralambano; SEC 3880) means to take someone or something in the normal sense. This word is never used in the New Testament to describe someone being caught up to Heaven in an event such as the Rapture. Instead, when someone is taken up to Heaven, a different form of the Greek verb is used that means “I take up” (analambano; SEC 353). Examples of how this word is used to describe those who are taken up to Heaven can be seen in the following verses.
After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up (analambano; SEC 353) into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Mk. 16:19
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up (analambano; SEC 353) to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. Acts 1:1-2
The above examples demonstrate why some verses in our English Bibles contain the words taken up when referring to those taken up to Heaven, and other verses, such as those that describe the Attack on Jerusalem simple say taken. Simply, they are coming from two different words in the original, which are describing two different types of events. Accordingly, when Scriptures tell us that during the Attack on Jerusalem, half of the people will be taken, and not taken up, it is a reference to how half of the people will be taken into exile and is not a description of those being caught up to Heaven in the Rapture.
The word that is translated as left (aphiemi; SEC 863) can also be looked at in the original language to understand what events are taking place. Often, this word is thought to be describing those who will be “left behind” to experience the Great Tribulation, but in the original language of the Scriptures, this same word is used in the Lord’s Prayer to describe those who are forgiven!
“For if you forgive (aphiemi; SEC 863) other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive (aphiemi; SEC 863) you. But if you do not forgive (aphiemi; SEC 863) others their sins, your Father will not forgive (aphiemi; SEC 863) your sins.” Matt. 6:12-14
The fact that the same Greek word is translated as left in some verses and as forgive in others implies that in the original language, this word is describing someone who is left alone, unmolested, or forgiven. Accordingly, the verses that describe one person being taken and one person being left are not describing the Rapture, but rather the Attack on Jerusalem when half of the survivors of the attack will be taken to their deaths, and half will be left alive.
A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Zech. 14:1-2
(To read more about the future Attack on Jerusalem, click here: Is the Attack on Jerusalem a Past Event?)
(To read about the events that will take place before the Rapture occurs, click here: The Timing of the Rapture.)