How does Luke 17:35 relate to the concept of the rapture? Full Berean Standard Bible Text Luke 17:35—“Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” Immediate Literary Setting Luke 17:20-37 forms a cohesive unit in which Jesus answers questions about “the coming of the kingdom of God.” After warning that His return will be sudden and unmistakable (vv. 24, 26-30), He illustrates separation at His appearing (vv. 34-35). Verse 35 sits between the bed-time example (v. 34) and the carrion-feast warning (v. 37), emphasizing personal division within normal daily activity. Intercanonical Parallels 1. Matthew 24:40-41—nearly identical wording, clearly located in an eschatological discourse that culminates in the “coming of the Son of Man” (24:30-31). 2. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17—believers “caught up” (harpazō) to meet the Lord. 3. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52—a mystery: “we will all be changed … in the twinkling of an eye.” 4. Genesis 7; 19—historical precedents (Noah, Lot) already cited in Luke 17:26-30, both featuring righteous extraction before catastrophic judgment. Eschatological Options A. Pre-Tribulational Rapture: Luke 17:34-35 previews a literal, global snatching away of believers prior to the Day of the Lord wrath. B. Post-Tribulational Gathering: the text mirrors Matthew 24:31, the elect gathered after tribulation. C. Removal unto Judgment: some argue that those “taken” are carried off for destruction (cp. Matthew 13:41-42). Internal Indicators Favoring a Rapture Connection • Parallel “paralambanō” in John 14:3 (“I will come again and receive you to Myself”) strengthens the positive “taken” nuance. • Typology: Noah entered the ark, Lot left Sodom—both were “taken” to safety before judgment (Luke 17:26-30). • Contextual abruptness: everyday activity instantly interrupted, echoing Paul’s “in a moment” change (1 Corinthians 15:52). Patristic Echoes Irenaeus (Against Heresies 5.29.1) cites Matthew’s parallel to demonstrate a literal, selective gathering. The Didache 16 speaks of believers “lifted up on the clouds,” resonating with 1 Thessalonians 4 and Luke’s imagery of sudden division. Archaeological and Cultural Note First-century rotary hand-mills recovered at Capernaum and Chorazin confirm the scene of two women grinding at dawn—mundane labor underscoring surprise. Such finds (Israel Antiquities Authority Catalogue 62845-49) anchor Luke’s detail in everyday Galilean life. Noah-Lot Typology Revisited In both narratives: • Warning given, scoffers ignore. • Righteous minority removed or secured. • Judgment falls immediately after removal. Luke’s coupling of those precedents with vv. 34-35 signals the same pattern—deliverance preceding wrath (cf. 2 Peter 2:5-9). Responding to Objections Objection: “Taken” equals judgment. Response: In flood and Sodom contexts, the wicked stayed, the righteous departed. Paralambanō in salvific passages (John 14:3) consistently denotes welcome, not catastrophe. Objection: Luke lacks explicit trumpet imagery. Response: Narrative brevity does not preclude Paul’s fuller exposition (1 Thessalonians 4). Scripture integrates complementary, not competing, snapshots. Summary Luke 17:35 depicts ordinary life cleaved by extraordinary divine intervention. The lexical, contextual, and typological evidence coheres with the broader doctrine of the rapture: a real, imminent, and selective gathering of Christ’s own prior to universal judgment, calling every hearer to repentance and watchful fidelity until He comes. |
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