" one will be taken and one will be left." ?? Matthew 24:40-44

 We ended the last study looking at Matthew 24:36-39, as Jesus compared what the times would be like when He comes back as the Messiah that the Jews long for.

Most Bibles title this section “No one knows the day or the hour,” it immediately references Noah and how the flood shocked everyone on Earth.

So, let’s set aside assumptions for a moment and try to figure out what Noah said or did that would potentially eliminate the ability of these “people” to argue that they did not know what was coming.

Now, seeing as they had never seen or experienced rain, I might give them some grace for their lack of understanding about something as tactile as rain.

I can work off another assumption: Noah explained that the water would also come gushing out of the earth. You cannot convince me they did not drink or collect water from underground springs.

To initiate a response, we have to start with this truth: 

We were told that Noah was a preacher of righteousness.

“... but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;”  2 Peter 2:5 NKJV

Let’s camp here for a moment.

Preacher is the Greek word kērux from G2784, meaning a herald of divine truth. So, with this information, I recognize that Noah was a messenger of divine truth.

Some will say something stupid like that might have been true for Noah, but not for me. I am not adept with the parameters of philosophy, but I know enough to understand that a statement like this is an unsound and quickly challenged judgment because the one espousing it cannot substantiate what they are saying with truth in their argument.

Consider that for 99 years and a few days, Noah could not substantiate his claim either, but that did not stop him from building this enormous vessel.

When the flood came, God affirmed His support for Noah and his claims; thereby, God corroborated Noah’s claim that rain, sufficient to cover the highest peaks of the earth and wipe out everything that breathed air, was coming. I might add that a logical assumption would be that Noah pointed to the ark as the only method of salvation, a type of Christ.

If I can be direct, righteousness has always been a troublesome word for me.

Why?

Because righteousness, as espoused by religion, has always had works attached to it.

For example suppose you are doing Bible study to meet someone else’s demands, (typically associated some organizational and religious standard.) In that case, you are doing works to meet a demand to live in a particular manner so that God may find you acceptable.

Do you realize that God loved you enough to send His Son Jesus to earth so that He would be slaughtered to purchase your life back to Himself?

In doing this, He reacquired us all back into His legal possession. (But don’t worry—you don’t have to go with Him if you don’t want to, and many are choosing that path.) Having realized that this is the situation, all I can think about anymore is how soon you will find me, wrapping my arms around at least one leg and weeping for joy.

Righteousness - this is the Greek word dikaiosunē. Thayer's definition explains that: "1) in a broad sense, it is the state of him who is as he ought to be, righteous, and the condition acceptable to God. 1a) the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God."

Since Jesus directed the small crowd to consider the days in which Noah lived, let’s add one last thing.

- Before the command to build the ark, we have little that tells us how Noah lived his life.

Note to self: We can assume things all day long, but that is a useless endeavor unless there is some from of evidence to validate such assumptions. 

One such piece of evidence provides a provocative lineage.

Adam – Seth – Enosh – Kenan – Mahalalel– Jared– Enoch– Methuselah– Lamech– (this is where it gets interesting)

“Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed.”
Genesis 5:28-29NAS95

Adam walked with God.

We can assume that Eve also walked with God, but not as Adam did because of her action with the fruit. (Admittedly, this is an assumption, but a good one.)

This following assertion is NOT an assumption, but few will read and pay attention to the details involved with God putting humans on earth.

Day is the Hebrew word yôm. It is from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day(as the warm hours), whether literally (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figuratively (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverbially): -age.

Pay attention to the word age. In the Greek, this is eon, meaning an indeterminate time frame. So, if you choose to argue for the idea that what we see here is a strict 24-hour time period, then perhaps you can tell me what brand of watch God used.

In Genesis 1 

verse 23, we see the arrival of the fifth day. Carry this forward to Genesis 1:26-28, and we see God speaking to others and saying,

“Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female, He created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28 NAS95

Let that information hang there for a moment.

Next, God decreed a seventh day and rested, which moves us into Genesis chapter two and, though not kept track of, the eighth day and beyond.

Another logical assumption we must resolve is, 

"how do we explain when Adam showed up?"

We have made huge assumptions about Genesis 1:26-28, but I can tell you now that those assumptions are only correct if they are based in spirit.

While the terminology may uphold your argument, explain how God speaks to the “male and female He created and then calls the creation him?

At some point  after this verbal introduction we are introduced to Adam in Genesis 2:7 but not to Eve until an indeterminate time later (a yôm.)

“Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7 NAS95

Some time later.

“Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
Genesis 2:15-17NAS95

Did you see Eve in that conversation?

Neither did I.

So the only instruction about the one tree that cannot be eaten from has been given to Adam alone.

Your assumption should be, how did she learn about the tree?

Where is Eve?

She has yet to be formed.

Now, there is no denying that she has been a spiritual being with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but she has NOT been physical.

“The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.”
Genesis 2:20-22 NAS95

Until Genesis chapter 3, nothing defines when or how Eve obtained information about “the tree.”

If God did not tell Eve about the tree, then who did?

Having handed dominion over to the man, Adam, it was his job to tell Eve. This same principle applies when it comes to Cain and Abel.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 

Genesis 1:26-28 NAS95

Rule is also translated as dominion. Within a marriage relationship it is NOT a very pretty word. 

But ask yourself a question was man in a physical form in Genesis 1:26-28?

The answer is NO. 

If this was the point at which Adam received the directive to rule over the earth, why wasn't Eve in compliance later on in the garden, where the talking serpent was?

Adam had dominion over the earth, was the groundskeeper, and had the right to touch any tree in any manner he deemed necessary. Specifically, his instructions were, DO NOT EAT FROM IT, which for an indeterminate amount of time was not a problem.

A wee bit of a side trip, so let's get back to assumptions related to Noah.

If you do the math, you will find that Adam was well beyond 600 years when Enoch was born.

Since the scriptures do not tell us, I will ask. Where did Enoch learn what it was like to walk with God?

A logical assumption would be Grandpa Adam.

Interesting, why did no one else ask Adam what it was like?

Good question. Maybe they did, but it did not strike them the way it struck Enoch.

Enoch, we are told, walked with God.

Here is a logical assumption. Enoch did this for many years, but if the others did the same thing, Enoch took it one step further; he believed and trusted in God as no one had since Adam. Finally, we are told Enoch walked with God and was no more.

What does “was no more” mean?

I do not know. The narrative about Enoch continues in the New Testament; there, Enoch is referred to as a prophet and implies that he never died. 

This plays into Enoch being one of the prophets returning to earth in the last days. 

The logic behind that is that it is appointed unto man to die once, and then the end comes for them. This previous statement bothers many people because they fear death, but consider the fact that the human body comes with a “sin” damaged genetic strain. We all have it. The only way to get past it, or bypass it, is to kill the body. 

Doesn’t the scripture teach us that we will all be tried with fire? 

It does; therefore, I am convinced that this body, as we know it, will be burned at the Bema seat of Christ. Our soul, which lives on forever, will be placed in a shell that looks a whole lot like the one we are currently in, only better, say around 35 – 40 years old, when it worked well.

Enoch produced Methuselah. Now stop here a moment.

What do we know about Methuselah?

He was the oldest man on earth. A feat, no doubt, but in the world in which we live, I see no purpose for it. So, for God to point this out means that Methuselah was a sign to this evil and violent world. 

If you read the post just before this one, then you would immediately have made a connection with Hamas (violence) and Allah (corruption.) Methuselah stood in the faces of those who were taken by the fallen angels and corrupted.

Many have said that Methuselah means—when he passes, it will come. The only “it” we should make and associate with would be the all-encompassing flood.

All of the men named in that lineage, except for Noah, had other sons and daughters, but we have NO information on any of them, and we have no indication that any of them followed after God. 

This forces us to make huge assumptions about the women folk, and that is that they were taken, at will, by the fallen angels, forced to have some form of sexual relation, and Nephilim or, if it suits you, giants were produced through this interaction.

So much for my introduction.

Almost abruptly, Jesus moved on with this.

“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.  42  "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” Matthew 24:40-42 NAS95 

Some will read a passage like this and decide that it is nothing less than an example of an unjust God, as He snatches some to eternal life while others are left to burn up with the earth. 

If you think this way, you are merely displaying your foolishness and refusing to search the scriptures for yourself.

The context is wrapped up in Jesus talking to His Jewish disciples about a specific time frame covering the last three and one-half years; after which, He returns as the warring Messiah. 

We Gentiles foolishly assume that He is talking to us, the church because it says one will be taken and the other will be left. This has nothing to do with the church, as we will have been taken up in the catching away of the church. You can call it the Rapture if you must.

The commentator, Albert Barnes, wrote concerning the phrase “One shall be taken” - “The word “taken” may mean either to be taken away from the danger - that is, rescued, as Lot was Luke_17:28-29,or to be taken away “by death.” Probably the latter is the meaning.”

In his Midwest style, Dr. J Vernon McGee tells us, “He still is not talking about the Rapture. After all, what is our Lord talking about here? "As the days of Noe were." Who was taken away in the days of Noah?" They knew not until the flood came and took them all away." They perished in the Flood.”

If I were to answer Dr. McGee's question, it would read like this: The unrighteous were swept away in the flood narrative.

Applying this to Jesus's conversation with His disciples, I can assume that the unrighteous are captured or killed when He says, “one shall be taken.” That idea is alarming and confusing when you think about it, but it is only so because, once again we incorrectly apply the scenario to the church. Keep in mind that being religious does not make you righteous.

The people in the account that Jesus speaks of are similar to the people that we witnessed assaulting Israel on October 7th of 2023, and, as you well know, they slaughtered without regard. That day, there were more than 1,200 deaths, not counting the wounded, and more than 240 people, including infants, that were taken captive. Since then, many of those captives have been murdered while in captivity in Gaza.

Why bring this up?

Because savage brutality, as we have already witnessed, is precisely what those who are left after the catching away of the church can expect to experience, and I think that this attack will happen shortly after Israel goes to war with Hezbollah in the North.

Several Bible commentators referred to what life was like pertaining to Noah and the flood, and life was merely routine. The populace, both then and now, did not care about the zeal I felt or the need to heed my calls to study; they did not believe what “the Watchmen” were pointing out coming destruction, and therefore, as we see, one is killed, and the other manages to escape with little more than their life.  

The time of the end is finally upon us.

“Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will return.” Matthew 24:42 GW

Many years ago, singer/songwriter James Taylor sang, “Keep-in my eyes on the Holy Land.” Something tells me that at some point in his life, he knew that Israel would play a central role in end-time events.

Matthew 24:42 is another passage that people will throw in our faces when we talk confidently about Jesus Christ’s soon return. The problem with their logic is that they apply this to the church when it is talking to the Jews; I am talking about context. 

The Apostle Paul clearly stated that we are not in the darkness.

“For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.  3  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.  4  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;  5  for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;”
1 Thessalonians 5:2-5 NAS95 

Number 1. Paul told them he did not have to teach this message to them once again. Why not? Because he had already done a thorough job of teaching them. If you feel like you are lacking, then invest some quality time in the Books of Daniel and Revelation. Oh, there is more, but those two books are related to each other and will answer many of your questions. A little wisdom: ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you into the truth about what is to come.

Number 2. Sure, Jesus is coming as a thief in the night, but only for those who are not prepared and awaiting His return. Paul even explains that these are some of the people who will be saying peace and safety. I used to think that it was Israel alone that was saying peace and safety, but several groups, like the UN and the World Economic Forum, have also cried out for these things. Truth be known, these words do NOT mean what you think they mean when they say them.

Number 3. Consider those words that Paul is saying. If necessary, allow them to be spoken deep into your heart. You are NOT in darkness; you are not a part of the night if you belong to Christ, and the world will not overtake you. This is not a secret society. Jesus wants you to understand and then share this truth with others.

“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.  44  “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”
Matthew 24:43-44NAS95

If the context is exclusively about the Jewish community, then who would be the head of the house?

The rabbis, Pharisees, Jewish ruling council, and whoever else decides what chapters and verses the attendees can and cannot read in the Old Testament. Did you know that they tell the attendees to stay away from the Book of Daniel and NOT to read Isaiah 53, why is that? Because they do not want those who follow their teachings to find Jesus, the Gentile Messiah. How foolish.

Are you alert and ready? This has nothing to do with stockpiling food and water but has everything to do with putting your hope and faith in the one who gave Himself to redeem you back to Himself.