Luke 17:26 “Also, at the time of the Son of Man, it will be just as it was at the time of Noach. 27 People ate and drank, and men and women married, right up until the day Noach entered the ark; then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, as it was in the time of Lot — people ate and drank, bought and sold, planted and built; 29 but the day Lot left S’dom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 That is how it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, if someone is on the roof with his belongings in his house, he must not go down to take them away. Similarly, if someone is in the field, he must not turn back — 32 remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever aims at preserving his own life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will stay alive. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed — one will be taken and the other left behind. 35 There will be two women grinding grain together — one will be taken and the other left behind.” 36 Two men will be in a field — one will be taken and the other left behind.”
Matthew seems to echo this same story in a similar fashion:
Matthew 24:37 For the Son of Man’s coming will be just as it was in the days of Noach. 38 Back then, before the Flood, people went on eating and drinking, taking wives and becoming wives, right up till the day Noach entered the ark; 39 and they didn’t know what was happening until the Flood came and swept them all away. It will be just like that when the Son of Man comes. 40 Then there will be two men in a field — one will be taken and the other left behind. 41 There will be two women grinding flour at the mill — one will be taken and the other left behind.
There is a popular belief that at the End of the Age, the righteous will be taken away and the unrighteous will be left behind. But is this really the case?
Let’s go back to Genesis to see if we can shed a little light on what happened in Noah’s time in order to understand what’s to come in one of the most critical hours in human history.
The earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence during Noah’s time. So much so that God decided it was time to destroy it all. Noah, being righteous and wholehearted, had been tasked with building an ark in order to preserve enough life to repopulate the earth after the flood waters recede.
After many years of obedient labor, the time had finally come. The windows of the sky were opened and the great deep was broken up. For 40 days and 40 nights the rains came.
Genesis 7:17 The flood was forty days on the earth; the water grew higher and floated the ark, so that it was lifted up off the earth. 18 The water overflowed the earth and grew deeper, until the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 The water overpowered the earth mightily; all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered; 20 the water covered the mountains by more than twenty-two-and-a-half feet. 21 All living beings that moved on the earth perished — birds, livestock, other animals, insects, and every human being, 22 everything in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life; whatever was on dry land died. 23 He wiped out every living thing on the surface of the ground — not only human beings, but livestock, creeping animals and birds in the air. They were wiped out from the earth; only Noach was left, along with those who were with him in the ark.
It seems to be that during this event, it was Noah and his family that were left behind. All others were swept away and perished.
The righteous few remained while the unrighteous many were eliminated.
A natural question to ask is: Who exactly are these people that get left behind?
If we want to be part of this community of believers marked for life and not destruction, we must do what we can to understand the expectation put upon us in this hour. Because there is a time coming where the harvesters will come and look you in the face.
Ezekiel gives us a glimpse into this heartbreaking event:
Ezekiel 9:1 Then he cried loudly right in my ears: “Summon the commanders of the city, each holding his weapon of destruction.” 2 At once, six men approached on the path from the upper gate, to the north, each man holding his weapon of destruction. Among them was a man clothed in linen, with a scribe’s writing equipment at his waist. They entered and stood by the bronze altar. 3 Then the glory of the God of Isra’el was made to go up from over the keruv, where it had been, to the threshold of the house. He called to the man clothed in linen, who had the scribe’s writing equipment at his waist. 4 Adonai said to him, “Go throughout the city, through all Yerushalayim, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who are sighing and crying over all the disgusting practices that are being committed in it.” 5 To the others I heard him say, “Go through the city after him and strike! Don’t let your eye spare; have no pity! 6 Kill old men, young men, girls, little children, women — slaughter them all! But don’t go near anyone with the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” They began with the leaders in front of the house. 7 Then he said to them, “Defile the house! Fill the courtyards with corpses! Get going!” So they went out, spreading death in the city.
A mark is made, then destruction comes.
Ezekiel’s vision of the righteous spared is echoed in the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 9:1 The fifth angel sounded his shofar; and I saw a star that had fallen out of heaven onto the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft leading down to the Abyss. 2 He opened the shaft of the Abyss, and there went up smoke from the shaft like the smoke of a huge furnace; the sun was darkened, and the sky too, by the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke onto the earth came locusts, and they were given power like the power scorpions have on earth. 4 They were instructed not to harm the grass on the earth, any green plant or any tree, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 The locusts were not allowed to kill them, only to inflict pain on them for five months; and the pain they caused was like the pain of a scorpion sting. 6 In those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
Ezekiel sees these people getting marked as ones sighing and crying over all the disgusting practices that are being committed in all of Jerusalem. What are these disgusting practices? Ezekiel goes on:
Ezekiel 9:8 While the killing was going on, I was left alone. I fell on my face, cried, and said, “Oh, Adonai Elohim! In pouring out your fury on Yerushalayim, are you going to destroy everyone left in Isra’el?” 9 Then he said to me, “The wickedness of the house of Isra’el and Y’hudah is enormous, the land is full of blood, and the city is full of justice denied; because they say, ‘Adonai has left the land, Adonai doesn’t see.’ 10 But as far as I am concerned, my eye will not spare, and I will have no pity, but I will bring [the consequences of] their ways on their own heads.”
Abba sees what is happening. Wickedness is enormous, the land is full of blood, and the city is full of justice denied.
Wickedness
Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart come forth wicked thoughts, murder, adultery and other kinds of sexual immorality, theft, lies, slanders.
Murder
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not murder,’ and that anyone who commits murder will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment;”
Justice
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah — justice, mercy, trust. These are the things you should have attended to — without neglecting the others! 24 Blind guides! — straining out a gnat, meanwhile swallowing a camel!
It seems we have a group of lying, thieving, adulterous, sexually immoral slanderers that hate others and refuse to serve those that are suffering injustices but make it look like they are doing their part.
Does this sound familiar? Sounds like our world today, right?
But this isn’t to the evil people of the earth. This is to Judah and Israel. These are supposed believers!
In Ezekiel 9:6 Abba says, “Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the leaders in front of the house.
It all starts within His own family that He brings His judgment. Clean up yourself before going after others, Abba says.
Even Yeshua said, “You who are without sin, cast the first stone.”
So who can be saved, right? The disciples asked this very same question following the incident with the so-called Rich Young Ruler. It seems impossible.
But it isn’t as complicated as it seems.
Those that received the mark are the ones “who are sighing and crying over all the disgusting practices that are being committed.”
It is those that see what’s happening (with believers first) and begin to weep over it all. It’s not those that stand up in belligerent judgment, ready to pitch the first stone given the opportunity.
No, it’s those that can say, “forgive them Abba for they know not what they do.”
Grieve as Abba grieves then turn the judgment over to Him.
Notice God doesn’t come and ask the people their opinion on these matters. He sees it all. His judgment is true and right. Leave it to Him. He doesn’t need your help in executing His judgment.
He’s looking for a heart after His own. He wants you to align yourself with Him fully and only then will you have the power and boldness to stand in that state of extreme compassion for those trampling and defiling His sanctuary.
Sigh, cry, weep.
Let your heart burn in desperate anguish as you look upon His House.
The people in the earth will be the people in the earth. Let them be. Why be shocked when they behave in worldly ways. Expect that and move on.
But the House of God is a different story altogether. These are the ones set to be models for His coming Kingdom. Grieve and grieve mightily when they fail to represent Him well.
In fact, grieve and grieve mightily when you fail to represent Him well.
It’s that log in your eye that prevents you from seeing clearly.
You seriously have only one job to do. Walk in His Ways so you can be a light to the world. That’s it.
With this in mind, let’s revisit our initial question:
We saw with Noah that there was a hint that the order is evil is taken then the righteous are left behind, but you could also argue that it was Noah that was “taken” and it was all those outside that were left behind. Fair point. So we need a little more evidence to help shape this out.
Let’s start with the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 14:14 Then I looked, and there before me was a white cloud. Sitting on the cloud was someone like a Son of Man with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Another angel came out of the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Start using your sickle to reap, because the time to reap has come — the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 16 The one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17 Another angel came out of the Temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Then out from the altar went yet another angel, who was in charge of the fire; and he called in a loud voice to the one with the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because they are ripe!” 19 The angel swung his sickle down onto the earth, gathered the earth’s grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s fury. 20 The winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress as high as the horses’ bridles for two hundred miles!
It’s commonly thought that the harvest of grapes here are the righteous only but read verses 19 and 20 again:
19 The angel swung his sickle down onto the earth, gathered the earth’s grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s fury. 20 The winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress as high as the horses’ bridles for two hundred miles!
There are two harvests happening here. One harvest by the One sitting on the cloud and one that throws the grapes in the winepress.
One harvest for the barn, the other for the winepress.
To be fair, the order is not clearly defined here either since it could be argued both ways so we’ve got to keep going.
(note: It could be argued that the harvest separates the believers and unbelievers, but it is equally plausible both of these harvests are describing believers -- the righteous and unrighteous. But that discussion is for another time.)
It looks like we’re going to need to go to the words of the Messiah Himself to really open this up.
Matthew 13:24 Yeshua put before them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, the weeds also appeared. 27 The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time. 30 Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.’”
We all grow together then at the End, the weeds are gathered first.
The wheat does get gathered and taken into the barn much the same way the grapes that are not thrown into the winepress are also gathered. But it is the weeds that go first.
As seedlings, it is nearly indistinguishable which are wheat and which are weeds. Comparing grapes with grapes is even more difficult.
But once the wheat and weeds enter maturity, one who knows the difference can easily see which is meant for bread and which is meant for the fire.
However, an uneducated person cannot tell the difference between the two. This uneducated person is someone lost in the world. To them, both look the same. The so-called believers in the earth that are themselves liars, thieves, adulterers, full of hate and sexual immorality, never seeking justice for the oppressed -- these are what the world ultimately equates with the Kingdom.
And when they eat bread made from weeds they spit it out in disgust accusing the full field of being corrupted. What is supposed to be a Kingdom of Light is painted as a Kingdom of Darkness.
The priesthood is defiled.
And so Abba must begin there. You cannot punish other people’s children and let your own off the hook for the same offense. That’s an abomination.
In fact, it’s just plain wickedness. Holding someone else to a standard you yourself refuse to honor. That’s hypocrisy.
So how do you go about deciphering between wheat and weeds? The disciples wanted to know the very same thing.
Now, the disciples apparently had trouble with this parable because they sought an explanation on this one in particular:
Matthew 13:36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His talmidim approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world. As for the good seed, these are the people who belong to the Kingdom; and the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. 39 The enemy who sows them is the Adversary, the harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah; 42 and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let him hear!
We are seeing a bit more clearly the punchline to all of this.
All of the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah are what is considered weeds.
That is what’s taken first. And it starts in the House of God. It starts with you.
Matthew 5:17 “Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. 18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened. 19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P’rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
It will be devastating on that day as some people come crying, “Lord, Lord!”
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we expel demons in your name? Didn’t we perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’
And you will be swept away to be thrown into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth.
Noah was left behind, and all evil was swept away by the flood.
The night of the Passover in Egypt we see those that applied the blood had their firstborn left behind, and all others were swept away by death.
At the End of this Age, the wheat is left behind, and the weeds are swept away and burned up by fire.
Where will you land on that Last Day?
What will the harvesters find when they come to your doorstep?
What will you say?
Will you be among the lying, thieving, adulterous, sexually immoral slanderers that hate others and refuse to serve those that are suffering injustices?
Or will you be one of the few Ezekiel saw sighing and crying over all the disgusting practices that are being committed in all of Jerusalem?
Hopefully, you will be left behind to answer in the way He longs for you to.