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 taken and
the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you
do not know what hour[f] your Lord is coming.
- Matthew 24:40-42
The rapture
theory teaches the 2nd coming of Jesus to take away the church from
the earth at the end of the church age. What follows that is the great
tribulation and the revelation of the Anti-christ. We have seen movies and
books produced in the last 200 years postulate this doctrine and at the same
time numerous failed predictions about the soon coming of the Lord.
The idea of being
left behind is one that has rather thrust fear than faith the heart of the
audience wherever and whenever. Many are not assured of their salvation and
hope the Lord would consider them worthy to escape the expected global
tribulation and not be left behind.
In 1995, the first of the
mega-bestselling book series, Left Behind, was released. Due
to the fear and uncertainty regarding Y2K, Christians were tooth-prepared for
rapture fever. After the year 2000 came and left , Y2K was discovered to be all
hype, and 60 million copies of Left Behind had been sold including
three terrible feature length films that were similar in nature and theology to
the Thief in the Night movie series of the 1970s). Recently another
sequel was just some months back at the time of the writing.
Now it is
important to note that when Jesus mentioned this in Matthew 24 he prophesized
about the demise of the Jewish world and the Mosaic age. It was not about the
end of the world. He gave specific landmark events that would point the
Apostles towards the day of vengeance upon a nation that crucified its covenant
partner and rejected his mercy.
It is also vital
note to see and interprete the scriptures in Hebraic terms. We communicate with
certain idioms that relevant in our time and age. One of such idioms we use now
is “It Costs an arm and
a leg”. It doesn’t mean that you would literally pay with arm or leg. It
simply means that something is very
expensive.
The concept of
being “taken away” or “left behind” is a very common theme in the ancient
world. It was an idiom that connoted warfare and the invasion of an army upon
an enemy kingdom.
When Jesus gave this
prophecy, the Roman Empire was experiencing a general peace within its borders.
Jesus explained to his disciples that they would be hearing of wars, rumors of
wars, and commotions. Within a short time the Empire was filled with strife,
insurrection, and wars.
Among the Jews,
the times became turbulent. In Seleucia, 50,000 Jews were killed. There was an
uprising against them in Alexandria. In a battle between the Jews and Syrians
in Caesarea, 20,000 were killed. During these times, Caligula ordered his
statue placed in the temple at Jerusalem. The Jews refused to do this and lived
in constant fear that the Emperor's armies would be sent into Palestine. This
fear became so real that some of them did not even bother to till their fields.
At Alexandria, the Jews,
aggrieved by the oppressions of the Romans, rose against them. But the Romans,
gaining the ascendancy, slew of that nation fifty thousand persons, sparing
neither infants nor the aged. And after this, at the siege of Jopata, not less
than forty thousand Jews perished.
This all the led
to the Jewish revolt that eventually caused the total destruction of Jerusalem.
But though there
would be wars, rumours of wars, and commotions, Jesus told his disciples:
"See that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but
the END is not yet." The word "end" that is used here is not the
same Greek word as in the expression "end of the world” but end of an age.
In ancient times
when an army invades a kingdom in conquest they would take away with them the
brightest, smartest, prettiest, strongest and most skilled people in that land.
They will be made to be part of their economic, social and political structure
to contribute to their growth, influence and development. We have such as example
in Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego during the Babylonian invasion of
Israel in the Old testament.
Lets look at 2
Chronicles 36:36 to support this:
20 And
those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became
servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the
word of the Lord by the mouth of
Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate
she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
Look at what
Jesus said in context in 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.
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.”[f]
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.”
The idea of being
taken away was a strong negative theme. It was not of good significance that
they would be captives who lost their freedom. The only thing they had was that
were alive in a strange land.
The flow of
events was to be like in the days of Noah when they ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given
in marriage. They lived a normal peaceful life and never expected a sudden
judgment until it too late.
By comparing Matthew 24:15-16
with Luke 21:20, we will understand that the abomination that caused the
desolation of Jerusalem was the 20,000 Roman soldiers that lay siege to the
city. Fortunately, Jesus told His followers that when they saw this, they
should flee for the mountains.
George Peter Holford, The
Destruction of Jerusalem stated the following "...history does
not record that even one Christian perished in the siege of Jerusalem."
This is confirmed by other
well-known commentaries like Albert Barnes:
It is said that there is
reason to believe that not one Christian perished in the destruction of that
city, God having in various ways secured their escape, so that
they fled to Pella, where they dwelt when the city was destroyed.
What about those
left behind? Those left behind in the destruction of 70AD where left dead. The
disciples asked Jesus where will they be? His answer:
So
He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles
will be gathered together.” Off course the birds fed on their
corpses.
The words in this verse are
proverbial. Vultures and eagles easily ascertain where dead bodies are, and
hasten to devour them. So with the Roman army. Jerusalem is like a dead and
putrid corpse. Its life is gone, and it is ready to be devoured.
According to records of the war
given by Tacitus and Josephus. The following transpired that fulfilled the
prophecy of Jesus.
During the time that these things
were transacted, 11,000 Jews, guarded by one of the generals, named Fronto,
were literally starved to death. This melancholy occurrence happened partly
through the scarcity of provisions and partly through their own obstinacy and
the negligence of the Romans.
Of the Jews destroyed during the
siege, Josephus reckons not less than one million and one hundred thousand, to
which must be added above 237,000 who perished in other places and innumerable
multitudes who were swept away by famine and pestilence and of which no
calculation could be made. Not less than 2,000 laid violent hands upon
themselves. Of the captives, the whole was about 97,000.
After the destruction of
Jerusalem, 1,700 Jews who surrendered at Macherus were slain, and of fugitives,
not less than 3,000 were killed in the wood of Jardes. Titus, having marched
his army to Caesarea, there with great splendor celebrated the birthday of his
brother, Domitian. And according to the barbarous manner of those times, he
punished many Jews in honor of it. The number who were burned and who fell by
fighting with wild beasts and in mutual combats exceeded 2,500.
At the siege of Massada, Eleazer,
the Jewish commander, instigated the garrison to burn their stores and to
destroy first the women and children and then themselves. Dreadful as it is to
relate, this horrid design was executed. They were in number 960. Ten were
chosen to perform the bloody work: The rest sat on the ground and, embracing
their wives and children, stretched out their necks to the sword.
One was
afterward appointed to destroy the remaining nine and then himself. The
survivor, when he had looked round to see that all were slain, set fire to the
place and plugged his sword into his own bosom. Nevertheless, two women and
five children successfully concealed themselves and witnessed the whole
transaction. When the Romans advanced to the attack in the morning, one of the
women gave them a distinct account of this melancholy affair and struck them
with amazement at the contempt of death that had been displayed by the Jews.
We don’t have fear to be left
behind any more because the judgement has been carried out. We are to look
forward to the expansion of God kingdom through the agency of His grace at work
in our lives by Jesus Christ. Grace to you.
