The taken and the left

[Matthias]

“Then Yahweh said to Noah, ‘Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this generation. … Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water multiplied and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. And the water prevailed and multiplied greatly upon the earth, and the ark went on the surface of the water. And the water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered. The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. And all flesh that moved on the earth breathed its last, that is birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, as well as all mankind. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life - of all that was on the dry land died. Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah remained, and those that were with him in the ark.”

(Genesis 7:1,17-23. LSB)

 

[Matthias]

Who did God leave and who did God take?

God left righteous Noah and his family on the earth and took away the wicked from the earth.

This is another scene in the Hebrew Bible pointing forward to Jesus and the gospel of the kingdom he preached.

The wicked are eventually removed from the land. The righteous eventually inherit the land.

 

[Matthias]

“Land is a central, if not the central theme of biblical faith.”

(Walter Brueggeman, The Land, p. 3)

This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. It was deeply impressed upon me during my days as a college student. I can’t even imagine reading the Bible now without having this fundamental understanding always firmly in mind.

Old Testament professors don’t, in my opinion, get the credit they deserve.

 

[Matthias]

“How blessed are the meek! for they will inherit the Land!”

(Matthew 5:5, CJB)

The Complete Jewish Bible picks up on this “central theme of biblical faith” expressed by Jesus in the sermon on the mount and bolds it to draw the readers attention to it. Don’t miss this!

 

[Matthias]

“For evildoers will be cut off, but those hoping in ADONAI will inherit the land. Soon the wicked will be no more; you will look for his place, and he won’t be there. But the meek will inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.”

(Psalm 37:9-11, CJB)

If you closed your eyes and someone read this passage of scripture to you, would your mind instantly flash to the Messiah upon hearing it? Do you find yourself listening to the sermon on the mount?

Taken away -> the wicked.

Left -> the righteous.

The inheritance -> the land.

A central theme of biblical faith -> the land.

I suggest to the reader that now we are thinking like Jesus.

Luke 6:40.

 

[Matthias]

“I have one thing in mind in particular, namely, the hypothesis that from start to finish, the Old Testament is a Messianic document, written from a Messianic perspective, to sustain a Messianic hope.” - James Hamilton

Excellent.

The “Old Testament” is the Hebrew Bible. The only way I can think of it is the way that Dr. Hamilton describes it.

What about the New Testament? If we take out the reference to “Old Testament” in Dr. Hamilton’s comment and substitute “New Testament” in its place then we have a revised statement that I unequivocally embrace.

If we leave “Old Testament” (but preferably “Hebrew Bible”) in the statement and add “New Testament” to it, the combination is a faith statement I teach, preach, and affirm.

 

[Matthias]

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For just as the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 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, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding grain at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”

(Matthew 24:38-41, LSB)

The wicked will be taken; the righteous will be left.

 

[William Barton]

IMO:
"Taken and left" (Matthew 24:49-41, Luke 17:34-36) refers to the return of Jesus to remove believers from the judgments that will befall the land. This is called the "rapture," i.e. "snatching" believers from the land into the sky to spare them from the catastrophic judgments about to befall the land. Believers are "taken," unbelievers are "left."

"No one knows the day or the hour" is indicated in Revelation 14:14-16, where Jesus has descended to a cloud, and Is awaiting the command of God the Father. An angel delivers the command, whereupon Jesus "reaps" believers to heaven, to spare them from the judgments to follow.

 

[rebuilder 454]

“For evildoers will be cut off, but those hoping in ADONAI will inherit the land. Soon the wicked will be no more; you will look for his place, and he won’t be there. But the meek will inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.”

(Psalm 37:9-11, CJB)

If you closed your eyes and someone read this passage of scripture to you, would your mind instantly flash to the Messiah upon hearing it? Do you find yourself listening to the sermon on the mount?

Taken away -> the wicked.

Left -> the righteous.

The inheritance -> the land.

A central theme of biblical faith -> the land.

I suggest to the reader that now we are thinking like Jesus.

Luke 6:40.

I have addressed this postribber incorrect "wicked person removal", "pretrib wicked rapture" earlier.

Reread it.
In literal Noah story, the entire planet population is destroyed.
NOWHERE in the rapture is the entire population destroyed.
( and that incorrect connection of the dots is the FOUNDATION of their interpretation.)
That would in NO WAY FIT the rapture .
In the analogy by Jesus, half are taken, half are left behind.
So there again, the Noah comparison by postrib doctrine is way way off.
They want us to believe half the world is born again, half wicked.
Another problem for postrib doctrine would be that postribbers say "see, see, we go through the trib like Noah".

So postribbers are claiming only born again believers are present to "go through" the trib??????
( remember they are using the Noah analogy way way outside of its components.)

Now, since we KNOW and see, these left out facts, and bible modifications, an honest interpretation is possible

Note the MAIN OMISSION. GLARING OMISSION of;
"BEFORE THE FLOOD" ( pretrib);
..NORMAL LIFE, EVERYDAY LIFE, COMMERCE, PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE.
HUH??
That Only fits a pretrib rapture setting
Yep.
In no way can it POSSIBLY be a postrib rapture setting. Literally impossible.

The "ones taken" in the Greek is translated "taken to a good place"
So before the flood, (before the trib), half of a group are taken to a good place.
Half of a group.
(Pretrib rapture)

IOW, An honest look at it, is that it can be nothing else but a pretrib rapture.

 

[rebuilder 454]

IMO:
"Taken and left" (Matthew 24:49-41, Luke 17:34-36) refers to the return of Jesus to remove believers from the judgments that will befall the land. This is called the "rapture," i.e. "snatching" believers from the land into the sky to spare them from the catastrophic judgments about to befall the land. Believers are "taken," unbelievers are "left."

"No one knows the day or the hour" is indicated in Revelation 14:14-16, where Jesus has descended to a cloud, and Is awaiting the command of God the Father. An angel delivers the command, whereupon Jesus "reaps" believers to heaven, to spare them from the judgments to follow.

Bingo.
Yes
Somebody is actually reading what it says.

 

[rebuilder 454]

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For just as the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 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, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding grain at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”

(Matthew 24:38-41, LSB)

The wicked will be taken; the righteous will be left.

No.
There is no rapture of wicked people pretrib. (before the flood)

 

[rebuilder 454]

Who did God leave and who did God take?

God left righteous Noah and his family on the earth and took away the wicked from the earth.

This is another scene in the Hebrew Bible pointing forward to Jesus and the gospel of the kingdom he preached.

The wicked are eventually removed from the land. The righteous eventually inherit the land.

Actually If you reread it, Noah is gathered pretrib ( preflood) into the ark.
( the ark is used by Jesus as a type of heaven.)
Then God's people spend the entire trib period ( FLOOD),in the ark,( heaven), Miles above the earth, then RETURN POSTRIB, FROM THE HEAVENS.
Vivid vivid picture of the pretrib rapture!!!!
Now what is missing?
Ahem....a postflood removal!!!!!!! (Postrib rapture)

The one "taken/ left " is one of the most revealing failures of the postrib rapture doctrine.
They get 90 % of it wrong.
Almost every component is modified or omitted.

Wicked people raptured pretrib????
Whew.
Not even remotely plausible.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

Matthew 24:39 , 39 and did not know until the flood came and TOOK them all away,
Luke 17:27 .. until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and DESTROYED them all.


Luke 17: 26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and DESTROYED them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

31 “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”

Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 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, 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. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be TAKEN and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be TOOK and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Luke 17:36-3736 Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”

37 And they answered and said to Him, “Where, Lord?”

So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

cc: @rebuilder 454 @William Barton