The Rapture (Part 2): One Taken, One Left Behind

Preface

In part 1 of this study We documented in God’s Word that the Antichrist comes first, before Jesus returns at the second advent. Today we’re going to examine verses that describe how, in the last days, some people will be taken while others are left behind. Sounds just like the rapture doctrine, right?
What we need to find out is this: does the rapture theory correctly identify who is taken and where they’re taken to?

Satan: The Great Deceiver and Father of Lies

Before we get into that, let’s look at one of the ways Satan is able manipulate people so easily.

It’s important to remember that Satan is called the father of lies
for a reason (John 8:44). We know that he is very cunning and a master of deception. In fact, deception is his greatest weapon, so we should never underestimate his ability to deceive us. One of the ways he is able to do this so effectively is by twisting scripture or mixing lies with just enough truth to make them seem believable.

A perfect example of this can be found in the Book of Genesis. When Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, he quoted scripture, but he distorted what God actually said. Let’s look back at Genesis real quick because it’s important to understand how satan operates. He tried to manipulate Eve by misquoting God:

The thing is, God never said that “you shall not eat of every tree of the garden.” Let’s look at what God actually said in Gen 2:16-17:

Do you see what Satan did there? He twisted God’s Words to create doubt, but it was actually more than that. If you continue reading you will see that he enticed Eve with the promise of secret knowledge, implying that God was keeping something from her, something that would make her like God Himself. Why? Because Satan had (and still has) a plan. He wanted Eve to question God’s intentions (Why would He keep such important information from you?), His trustworthiness (God lied to you!), and even His love (If He really loved you why would He lie to you? Why is He being so strict? Why doesn’t He want what’s best for you? ).

Satan did the same thing when trying to tempt Jesus in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10-11. He twisted Psalm 91:11-12 by adding to it, in an effort to deceive Christ. Of course, it didn’t work, but this shows us that Satan knows Scripture and uses it deceptively. After all, what better way to make a lie believable than to sprinkle in a little truth with it?

Parable of the Wheat and Tares

Keeping all of this in mind, let’s begin today’s study. The rapture doctrine teaches that there are two groups of people: “good Christians,” who will be taken from earth before the tribulation of the Antichrist, and “everyone else,” who will be left behind to face the tribulation. So, the question is: do you want to be the one taken or the one left behind? According to the rapture doctrine you want to be taken because it’s Jesus taking you to Heaven. But let’s allow God’s Word to answer that question.

We’ll begin with a very important parable that Jesus shared when He was teaching a large group of people. While this parable has a deeper meaning concerning when and where the planting of the tares occurred, that goes beyond the scope of this lesson. For a more detailed explanation, feel free to check out my other study: An Apple and a Talking Snake.

It’s interesting to note that God uses familiar concepts, symbolism, and analogies that are often connected to nature so that it’s easier for us to understand what He’s teaching. Think about how Christ compares Himself to being a shepherd and us His sheep (psalm 23, John 10:11-14). We understand that Shepherds provide for, protect, lead, and care for their sheep–just as Christ does for us. These kinds of comparisons are found throughout God’s Word.

It’s also important to know this parable is a continuation of another one called Parable of the Sower. Jesus said that if we don’t understand this parable, then we won’t be able to understand any of the others. So we need to study carefully to ensure we get it right. Thankfully, Jesus Himself explains the symbolism and its meaning. Let’s read the entire parable first, and I’ll include the definitions he gave us in parentheses.

After teaching this parable to the multitude, the disciples asked Jesus privately what it meant. Since Christ explained the meaning to them, there’s no need for us to interpret anything. The answer comes directly from Jesus Himself:

So, what does this parable have to do with the rapture doctrine?

Everything!

It tells us about the end of the world, and exactly who is gathered first. Christ explained that at the harvest the wicked are gathered first. Then after that God’s Children are gathered and taken to the barn. Barns offer shelter, protection, and safety. God will protect His children during the tribulation.

But, how do I know if I’m a child of God: who exactly are God’s children? John 3:16 tells us “…whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 1:12 explains the same thing, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

This means anyone who believes in Jesus, and chooses to love, obey, and follow Him is a child of God.

The parable of the wheat and tares isn’t the only time Christ told us what to expect. He also compared the end times to the days of Noah, a time filled with corruption and widespread deception:

Days of Noah

If we want to know what’s coming, we need to understand what was happening in Noah’s time. Let’s turn to Genesis 6 and find out:

This verse is not discussing all mankind in general. In the manuscripts it specifically refers to “The Adam,” the man from the Garden of Eden and his descendants.

The ‘Sons of God’ (H1121 and H430) are angels who live in Heaven. Before we were born into our flesh bodies, we all existed in our angelic (spiritual) bodies. We lived in Heaven and were happy there with our Father. You can read about the ‘sons of God’ in job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7; 2 Peter 2:4, and other places throughout the Bible.

We usually think of Angels as being good, but not all of them are. In Jude 1:6 we learn about the fallen angels, those who disobeyed God by refusing to be born of woman. Instead, they came to earth directly and took wives from among the daughters of Adam.

Why would angels leave their place of habitation and refuse to be born of woman? Because they were rebellious, evil, and vile. Their goal was to destroy God’s plan of salvation by corrupting the bloodline through which Christ would eventually be born. So they came down and intermixed with the daughters of Adam.

By doing so, they produced unnatural hybrid offspring– giants who were evil and an abomination to our Heavenly Father. These fallen angels did far more than just break the rules. They launched a direct assault against God’s plan for our redemption. As we saw in Jude 1:6, they left their proper place, and their actions had devastating consequences.

Evil and wickedness already existed in the world, but the influence of the fallen angels and their offspring caused it to multiply across the land.

The word “great” (H7227) in this verse comes from a root, meaning to multiply (H7231). In other words, wickedness didn’t just exist, it spread and grew more intense. The desires, thoughts, and behavior of the people grew more and more corrupt, until evil filled their hearts day and night.

The word repented here means that God felt deep sorrow. This verse shows us that our Heavenly Father has emotions. He was not just angry; He was disappointed and sorrowful over what was happening among His children. I bet He feels the same way now when He sees what’s going on in the world today. Our Heavenly Father loves us more than we can even begin to understand.

Because of the deep corruption and widespread evil, God destroyed them all with a massive flood. The actions of the fallen angels and their offspring had polluted not only the hearts of men, but also the natural order God had established from the beginning. The angels were never meant to cross from Heaven into the human realm (earth) in that way, and the human bloodline was never meant to be mixed with spiritual beings. It was an unnatural and unholy union.

But our Heavenly Father, in His perfect love and righteousness, stepped in to preserve His plan of salvation. God will never allow Satan and his followers to destroy it.

Noah didn’t intermix with the fallen angels or their offspring, the giants. And as we’ll learn in the next verse, neither did his family. This can also be proven by tracing their lineage in the Bible.

Noah found grace because he was ‘just’, meaning he was righteous. That doesn’t mean he never sinned, we all fall short in these flesh bodies.

But he loved our Heavenly Father, and didn’t run away. He stood firm in his faith, obeying God even when the world around him didn’t. Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), so there’s no doubt that as he built the ark, he was also warning others against the filth and evil that surrounded him. Did the people listen? No. They were too busy living life their own way, choosing to follow the lies of the fallen angels and their offspring instead of turning to God.

It’s no different today. Many people would rather believe in comforting lies than face the truth of God’s Word. Instead of preparing to stand through the tribulation, they’re waiting to fly away. But like Noah, we are called to endure, to remain faithful, and to do the work God has given us.

The word “generations” in this verse refers to Noah and his descendants–his pedigree.

Let’s take a closer look at what it means that Noah was perfect in his generations. We need to define the Hebrew word translated as ‘perfect’ in The Strong’s Concordance:

The phrase “without blemish, without spot” is significant. It describes the requirement for animal sacrifices offered to God under the old testament law. Each animal had to be perfect (tâmı̂ym) to be acceptable.

Why does that matter? Because Jesus Christ, our perfect and ultimate sacrifice, had to come through a pure, undefiled lineage. The Bible tells us He was a lamb without blemish and without spot (tâmı̂ym) (1 Peter 1:19). God was protecting that bloodline when He spared Noah and his family. It wasn’t because He loved them more or they were perfect in behavior– It was because they were the only descendants of ‘the man Adam’ who had not intermixed with the fallen angels or their offspring.

The flood was sent to wipe out the giants and those who had corrupted themselves with them. By doing so, God preserved the perfect bloodline through which the Savior would come. From Noah’s son Shem the lineage would continue, eventually leading to Abraham, to David, and ultimately to Jesus Christ–the spotless Lamb of God, just as prophecy foretold.

One Taken, Another Left

Now that we’ve read about Noah’s Day let’s return to Matthew 24 and find out what this means for us today.

Who was it that didn’t know what was going on? It wasn’t Noah and his family. They knew exactly what was happening long before the actual flood came.

What was the ark to those inside? It was the shelter Father provided them from the flood, right? They were safe because they obeyed God and He was with them and He protected them.

What about those outside? It was death and destruction for anyone outside the ark (outside of God’s protection). They were all taken by the flood.

Father could not be more clear about this: you do not want to be the one taken. We are God’s children and will stand for Him, we don’t run away. And God is always right beside us.

Remember the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares that we discussed earlier? It’s the same pattern we see here and throughout God’s Word. The tares (Satan’s children) were taken away and destroyed. The wheat (God’s children) remained and were gathered into His barn where they were protected.

Let’s continue reading a few more verses:

Those who believe in the rapture often point to these verses as proof that Christ is coming first to take them away. But that’s not what God’s Word says. We need to continue reading so we don’t take these verses out of context.

Let’s look at Luke 17, where Jesus gives us the same warning but adds a little more detail:

Now look closely at the next verse, because the disciples ask the very question we’re asking today:

When the disciples asked where the ones who were taken would go, Jesus replied with a vivid metaphor from nature to help us understand. Many biblical scholars believe ‘vultures’ is a more accurate translation for the word ‘eagles’ because they are the birds that normally gather around dead bodies. But either way, the meaning is the same (see Matthew 24:28 where eagles are said to gather around carcasses).

Jesus is telling us that those who are taken are not being taken to Heaven. They are being swept away to their death by deception and lies, just like those outside the ark in Noah’s day.

This is a warning we need to take seriously. You do not want to be the first one taken. You want to be found doing what our Heavenly Father has instructed: faithfully standing, serving, and enduring until the true Christ returns at the seventh trump–after the deception of the Antichrist at the sixth trump.

What does Grinding at the mill mean, anyway? It’s producing food, spiritual food. You want to be feeding God’s children the meat of His Word, not just milk:

It doesn’t say blessed is the one who is raptured away. It says blessed is the one who’s working: serving, standing, and teaching the truth.

Our Heavenly Father expects us to put on the full armor of God and be His spiritual warriors. He wants us to stand strong against Satan—not to run, not to hide, and definitely not to bow down and worship him when he shows up disguised as Christ.

If you’re not sure what the armor of God is, take a few minutes to read Ephesians 6:10–20. It’s how we protect ourselves now and during the tribulation, and it’s so important to know and understand. God has foretold us everything we need to know, but we have to read and study His Word to understand it.

Satan and His Angels Cast to Earth

Noah’s flood was literal, but the end-time flood is symbolic, and it comes from Satan and the fallen angels who return with him.

When Satan is cast to earth by Michael (the archangel) he will be accompanied by his evil angels, 200 million to be exact (Revelation 9:16), but it will not be the same ones we’re talking about in this lesson. We know this because Jude 1:6 tells us that they are “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” When is the great day? It’s either when Christ returns at the Seventh trump or the last day of the millennium at the great white throne Judgment (Revelation 20:10-11).

This is the moment the tribulation begins. Satan is cast out of heaven and thrown down to earth with his fallen angels. He will come disguised as Christ, and the world will believe him because they’re not expecting this kind of deception:

Let’s look up the word transformed in the Strong’s:

So you see, Satan doesn’t appear as a crazy madman destroying everything and everyone. He comes in peacefully and prosperously, looking and acting like our Savior. But, as Jesus says in John 8:12: I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Christ alone is our true Light.

When Satan shows up, his goal is to deceive as many people as he can. That’s what the flood in Revelation is really about:

Unlike Noah’s flood, this one isn’t made of literal water. It’s a flood of lies. Those who do not know the truth of God’s Word will be swept away by deception, believing the false Christ is the real thing. But God’s children who have taken the time to read and study His Word cannot and will not be deceived.

That’s why it’s so important to know the difference between the true Christ and the fake. Satan, as the antichrist, is going to show up first. He may very well claim, “I’m here to rapture you away.” But we’re not looking to run away. We’re called to “endure until the end,” fully armored and ready to face the antichrist and his lies head-on:

As shown, Endure means to stay behind, to remain. That’s what we are instructed to do when Satan and the fallen angels return with their flood of lies. And our Heavenly Father has promised to be with us:

Final Thoughts

Satan is subtle–he doesn’t need an elaborate lie, just a little twist of the truth. The rapture doctrine feels hopeful at first glance, but it doesn’t hold up under the light of Scripture. Jesus never promised to secretly remove “good Christians“ before the tribulation. He promised to protect and be with us through it.

In every example Christ gave us, the ones who were taken were removed in judgment. It was the righteous who were left to stand firm. The tribulation isn’t something we escape, it’s something we overcome. And Jesus Himself said those days would be shortened for the sake of the elect (Matthew 24:22). That means God’s children will still be here.

Our Heavenly Father has warned us over and over about deception in the end-times, and of course false teachers have always been around:

We have to study for ourselves instead of depending on others to do it for us. It’s great to read devotions, Bible studies, sermons, etc. But we had better question everything we’re told and verify whether it’s true or not. How do we do that? We need to be like the Bereans:

God’s Word is the only truth there is. and it will shield us from being deceived, now and during the tribulation.

Coming up

Did you know that our Heavenly Father warned us about the fly-away rapture doctrine?

In the final part (part 3) of this series, we’re going to look at a direct warning from God about the rapture doctrine, and learn exactly what He thinks about it. We’ll use the Strong’s Concordance to closely examine verses in the Bible that have been distorted, or in some cases even flat-out changed, to the point that the original meaning is completely lost in newer translations.