One Taken And Another Left

Friday, April 17

Luke 17:34-37 (NIV)

“I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. “Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.””

Devotion

Separating and distinguishing one thing from another is a theme seen throughout Scripture. The wheat is separated from the tares in Matthew 13:30. One person is taken from the same bed as another; one of the women grinding grain is taken while the other is left. James says in James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also,” making a distinction between the physical reality we see with our eyes and the spiritual reality underlying it.

We’re also called to correctly handle God’s Word. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The word divide in the Greek means to make a straight cut.

Making a straight cut, discerning, and separating one thing from another—these are all aspects of the process of judging. The words for judgment translated in the New Testament widely convey the idea of separating and distinguishing justice and injustice, right and wrong. And God has appointed Jesus as the ultimate judge to do that (John 5:22; Acts 17:31).

The subject of God’s judgment can be an uncomfortable one to talk about, but it is important. Just before Jesus speaks these words in Luke 17, He says to His disciples:

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:26–33)

Maybe you’re wondering why Jesus would mention Lot’s wife. In Genesis 19, God is judging Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his family are told to flee and are given clear instructions not to look back. As they’re escaping, Lot’s wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt. The question of why Lot’s wife turned around seems deeper than just a matter of physical curiosity. She may have turned around because, although she was leaving Sodom physically, she was still oriented toward it internally.

Lot’s wife could very well be a representation of the person Jesus is describing in this passage—someone who is in the presence of those escaping judgment, but internally carries the identity of what is being judged. Two people will be in the same city, in the same bed, or in the same working environment, but one is taken and the other is left.

The incredible news is that Christ took the judgment due to us upon Himself during His first coming. Isaiah 53:5 says: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Jesus says in John 3:16–17: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

And Paul says in Romans 10:9 that: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

When Christ comes again, He’s not coming for a second round of what happened the first time. He’s coming as the Judge. He’s coming as the Separator—the One who will carefully and thoroughly make a distinction between the people on the earth. One group will go to a place of death, the other to a place of life.

If you’re alive on earth when this event happens, which group will you belong to?

Today's Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to discern the times I live in and the condition of my own life. I ask for Your help to be ready at the time of Your return. I proclaim Jesus as my Lord and Savior and accept the redemption He paid for me on the cross. I believe You raised Him from the dead, and because of that, cause me to live each day for You. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Apply It Today

Make each day count. It is a gift of His mercy. Live as you believe. “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:17–18

Resources

• Freedom starts with a decision. "I’m Never Going Back" is a declaration of leaving sin behind for good. Watch this short clip and be inspired to move forward in new life.

• Stay connected and grow with us at Free Chapel! There’s a place for you here, through life-giving events, meaningful serving opportunities, and Connect Groups where real relationships are built. Don’t just attend, be a part of what God is doing. Get involved and stay connected! Visit https://freechapel.org