“One shall be taken, and the other left”
A Brief Study of Matthew 24:40-41 & Luke 17:34-36
Taken = paralambano: to take with oneself
Left = aphiemi: to send away, put away, leave, abandon, divorce
In English, both “taken” and “left” can have positive or negative meanings:
*taken into heaven by the Bridegroom vs taken in death
*left with His glorious inheritance vs left with all the debts of your ex-husband
However, in the Greek, “taken” and “left” are given a more specific meaning than in the English.
“one shall be taken” (paralambano: to take with oneself)
“and the other left” (aphiemi: to send away). See Mt 24:40, 41; Lk 17:34, 35, 36
taken: #3880 paralambano: to associate with oneself in a familiar or intimate manner, to receive (near to oneself), to take unto oneself, to take with oneself
This is a wonderful experience when Jesus takes us to Himself!
The same Greek word, paralambano, is used in the following passages:
John 14:3 “ I will come again, and receive you unto Myself”
Matt 1:20 “fear not to take unto thee Mary”
Matt 26:37 “Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John”
Col 2:6 “as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord”
1 Thess 2:13 “when ye received the word of God”
left: #863 aphiemi: to send away, put away (forgive or put away sins), leave, abandon, divorce
This is a horrible experience when Jesus sends the wicked away from Him.
The same Greek word aphiemi is used in the following passages:
Matt 13:36 “Jesus sent the multitude away”
Matt 4:11 “then the devil leaveth Him”
Matt 8:15 “the fever left her”
Matt 26:56 “the disciples forsook Him and fled”
Mark 2:36 “they had sent away the multitude”
This is why the disciples asked Jesus, “Where, Lord?”
In other words, “Where will You leave them?” or “Where will You send them away?” Jesus answered, “Wheresoever the body is,
thither will the eagles be gathered together.” Luke 17:37
“The time of the judgment is a most solemn period, when the Lord gathers His own from among the tares. Those who have been members of the same family are separated. A mark is placed upon the righteous. “They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels: and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him” (Malachi 3:17). Those who have been obedient to God’s commandments will unite with the company of the saints in light; they shall enter in through the gates into the city, and have right to the tree of life. The one shall be taken. His name shall stand in the book of life, while those with whom he associated shall have the mark of eternal separation from God” (9MR 137).
[Note: In Matthew 24:39, Jesus used airo when He said that the Flood “took” them all away: airo: remove, lift up, take away. Airo has a different meaning than paralambano. This is why sometimes it is helpful to look at the original Hebrew or Greek words used in the Bible. I did this whole study using the Strong’s Concordance and The Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the New Testament.]