Matthew 24:40 - A reference to the Evangelical Protestant rapture doctrine?

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Matthew 24:40 RSV Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left.

Hi everyone. How do Catholics explain this verse? To me, it means that one will be taken to Hell and one will be left to go to Heaven but my interpretation could be wrong. :o What is the proper interpretation of this verse? 🤷:confused:
 
St.Luke 17:36-37…"and they answered and said to Him,"where Lord?“37He said to them,“wherever the body is,there will the eagles be gathered together"also see 1 Thessalonians 2:15”…who survive until the coming of the Lord,SHALL NOT PRECEDE those who have fallen asleep”…usually the verse you quoted is used to support pretribulation rapture…which when put to the scripture is proved incorrect as shown here…your interpitation is some what correct me thinks though…
 
Hello Holly!

First of all, we follow the Catholic rules of Scripture interpretation. Since the literal interpretation is not “untenable”, we should interpret it literally. And we don’t take scriptures out of context from other scriptures - we leave that to Protestants! :sad_yes:

So, the Bible says we will be caught up (“raptured”) in the air with Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:17), and so we will be. Therefore, we’re not the ones left behind on the earth. But that will happen on Judgment Day, as many passages make clear (and as the Church teaches).

If you have more questions, just ask, or you can find some good articles on this subject from Catholic websites.
 
Luke65 said:
Hello Holly!

First of all, we follow the Catholic rules of Scripture interpretation. Since the literal interpretation is not “untenable”, we should interpret it literally. And we don’t take scriptures out of context from other scriptures - we leave that to Protestants! :sad_yes:

So, the Bible says we will be caught up (“raptured”) in the air with Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:17), and so we will be. Therefore, we’re not the ones left behind on the earth. But that will happen on Judgment Day, as many passages make clear (and as the Church teaches).

If you have more questions, just ask, or you can find some good articles on this subject from Catholic websites.
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So at the second coming, the Church will rise to meet Jesus in the air and the unsaved will be left behind to be judged? Is that what I am reading? Sorry, but I don’t know much about eschatology.
 
The Catholic commentaries that I have seen usually have it the other way around. In the context of Christ’s Second Coming, the Haydock Catholic Bible commentary on Matthew 24:40, for instance, says in part: “Then of two men [in the field], … one shall be taken to be placed among the number of the elect, and the other shall be left condemned to eternal fire with the damned, on account of his crimes.” Similarly, on verse 41, it says in part: “Of these [two women grinding at the mill], one shall be carried up to heaven by angels, the other shall be left a prey to devils, on account of her bad life.” source
 
Todd_Easton said:
The Catholic commentaries that I have seen usually have it the other way around. In the context of Christ’s Second Coming, the Haydock Catholic Bible commentary on Matthew 24:40, for instance, says in part: “Then of two men [in the field], … one shall be taken to be placed among the number of the elect, and the other shall be left condemned to eternal fire with the damned, on account of his crimes.” Similarly, on verse 41, it says in part: “Of these [two women grinding at the mill], one shall be carried up to heaven by angels, the other shall be left a prey to devils, on account of her bad life.”
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Hmm ok. That sounds like a pretty good interpretation to me. 👍
 
Holly3278 said:
Matthew 24:40 RSV Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left.

Hi everyone. How do Catholics explain this verse? To me, it means that one will be taken to Hell and one will be left to go to Heaven but my interpretation could be wrong. :o What is the proper interpretation of this verse? 🤷:confused:
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A good point to bring up with the pro-Rapture crowd is to go through these verses very carefully.

It starts out saying it will be like in the time of Noah. Well, back in Noah’s time who was taken and who was left?

The bad were taken by the water, and only Noah and his family, the good were left behind.

If you can get your Rapturist to see this interpretation as possible, you can plant the seed that may just bring them out of their error.
 
The first sentence of the Haydock Bible Commentary explains the verse quite well

Ver. 40. Then of two men, who shall think of nothing less than of going to appear before God, one shall be taken to be placed among the number of the elect, and the other shall be left condemned to eternal fire with the damned, on account of his crimes
 
In reply to Holly’s original question I think the following is the Catholic understanding of Matthew 24:40. It seems to me a straight forward reading of Matthew 24:40 (Luke 17:34-37 and 1Thes 4:16) tells us that the Lord will come “like a thief in the night” and the end will come. The ones taken in Matthew and Luke go to a bad place where the eagles (birds that eat dead meat) will devour them. The saved will be on earth and will rise to meet the Lord in the clouds (1 Thess 4:16). Those who have died previously will rise first, then those still living. I don’t see a rapture in these phrases.
 
Jesus is saying they will be “left out” of His eternal Kingdom when He returns (which will usher in eternity). Read the second parable that follows. The daily lives of loyal Kingdom subjects will remain mingled in with the disloyal. Christ’s subjects will be neighbors and friends with unbelievers until the very end.

Mat 25:1-13
 
ryanoneil said:
Jesus is saying they will be “left out” of His eternal Kingdom when He returns (which will usher in eternity). Read the second parable that follows. The daily lives of loyal Kingdom subjects will remain mingled in with the disloyal. Christ’s subjects will be neighbors and friends with unbelievers until the very end.

Mat 25:1-13
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Oh ok. Well, that makes sense to me. 🙂 Thanks for explaining! 👍
 
Holly3278 said:
Matthew 24:40 RSV Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left.

Hi everyone. How do Catholics explain this verse? To me, it means that one will be taken to Hell and one will be left to go to Heaven but my interpretation could be wrong. :o What is the proper interpretation of this verse? 🤷:confused:
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Please look at the preceding context of Matt 24.40. The verses leading up to v.40 make it clear that this being “taken” is to be “taken away in judgment” - as it was in the days of Noah… they were eating and drinking, marrying etc. (carrying on as if everything was normal despite Noah’s warnings) and did not know until the day that Noah entered into the ark and the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of man be: Two men in the field - one taken, the other left. Two women grinding at the mill - one taken the other left.

Taken here means taken away in judgement, just as it happened in the days of the flood. Holly, there was nothing wrong with your original understanding of this verse.

Don’t confuse this ‘taken’ and ‘left’ with what is commonly known as the rapture. The rapture is not being taught in these verses.
 
P10 said:
Please look at the preceding context of Matt 24.40. The verses leading up to v.40 make it clear that this being “taken” is to be “taken away in judgment” - as it was in the days of Noah… they were eating and drinking, marrying etc. (carrying on as if everything was normal despite Noah’s warnings) and did not know until the day that Noah entered into the ark and the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of man be: Two men in the field - one taken, the other left. Two women grinding at the mill - one taken the other left.

Taken here means taken away in judgement, just as it happened in the days of the flood. Holly, there was nothing wrong with your original understanding of this verse.

Don’t confuse this ‘taken’ and ‘left’ with what is commonly known as the rapture. The rapture is not being taught in these verses.
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Ok thank you FrP. I appreciate your help. 👍
 
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