Taken or Left?

Though it might be a bit ambitious for a short blog post, I recently had a conversation about a passage of scripture that illustrates the importance of reading and interpreting the Bible in context.  It is vital we do not vainly attempt to make the Bible support our theology but for the Bible to establish, develop and correct our theology.  While there can be several valid observations, interpretations and applications from a single text, we ought to ensure there is consistency throughout the scripture.  When we are slack to do this, it results in confusion, poor interpretations and even bad application.

If I had to pick a passage I believe is largely misunderstood and confusing to people, a common one is nestled in the response of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 24 & 25--specifically the section that speaks of people "taken" and others left.  The questions posed by the disciples help us to understand what Jesus is talking about in His response:  when Jerusalem would be destroyed, the sign of His coming, and the end of the world (final judgment).  The response of Jesus is an answer to these questions, and all these three things involve God's judgment.  Because Jesus is speaking to Jewish believers before the church was established, the church is not primarily in view in His answers.  Note the rapture of the Church and the second coming of Christ in judgment theologically are viewed as separate events.

After Jesus spoke of the great tribulation, He said no one knows the day or hour of His return.  He said in Matthew 24:37-42:  "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."  Jesus pointed to the days of Noah before God judged the earth with a flood of water, and how life went on with eating, drinking and marrying.  Though Noah had warned them, some saw the parade of animals entering the ark and the door closing, they had no idea the flood would take them all away.  Jesus said in a similar way to Noah's day, people will be going about life and suddenly their lives will be taken in divine judgment.

Some believe this passage alludes to the rapture of the church, perhaps popularised by "Thief in the Night" or "Left Behind" type movies, that show everyone going about their business and suddenly driverless cars are driving off the roads and millions of people are missing.  That may be a true depiction concerning the rapture, but there are reasons why this description of Jesus does not fit with the rapture at all.  Noah and his family were saved from the flood in the ark and and were the only ones left on the earth.  The ones Jesus said were "taken" are whose lives were taken in judgment and died, so this cannot refer to the rapture, the seizing of the church to meet the LORD alive in the air.  Also, one cannot square an interpretation of an imminent rapture (pre-tribulation) with this section of Christ coming for His Church.  If this passage somehow does speak of the rapture, it suggests a post-tribulation rapture--which is inconsistent with other Scriptures that teach the rapture of the church is an imminent event.  The rapture will undoubtedly happen, but when is not as important as being included in it.

Clearly the point Jesus is making has absolutely nothing to do with the rapture, for He repeats Himself again and again:  "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."  Readiness for Christ's coming is emphasised again in Matthew 24:44:  "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  He warned against being like an evil servant who noticed his master delayed in returning and began to beat his fellow servants and drink to excess.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:50-51 "...the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, ⁵¹ and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  The kingdom of heaven parables that follow in chapter 25 affirm Christ's warnings of His finality of judgment, that His faithful servants ought to be watching and ready.  After the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins, Jesus said in Matthew 25:13:  "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

Jesus makes the point again and again that His followers ought to be looking unto Jesus because we do not know when He is coming.  At a time when we are not expecting it, our days will be spent and our lives over.  Since we do not know when Jesus is coming, this prompts us to be prepared by faithful service to our LORD and readiness to depart when our hour comes for Jesus to call us home.  The wise do not want to be found on the day of judgment to be foolish hypocrites, people who claimed to be servants of God when in truth their lives are marred by selfishness, pride, laziness and drunkenness without repentance.  Interpreting the "taken" passage as the rapture can lead to a poor application that being raptured is more important than living for Jesus and looking to Him in faith and obedience today.  When God's judgment comes, we can be sure it will be final and no one will escape it.  Will we be joyfully received into the presence of God forever because He knows us, or will we be condemned forever because we rejected Him?

Do You Have Peace?

When Jehu was anointed king by the word of the LORD, he was tasked with avenging the blood of God's servants killed by the murderous house of Ahab.  As Jehu rode furiously towards Jezreel where King Joram was recovering from wounds received in battle, he sent two messengers to meet Jehu with a single message:  "Is it peace?"  At his command each messenger fell into formation behind Jehu who continued to drive towards Jezreel.  Finally, Joram himself had a chariot made ready and he approached with the same question in 2 Kings 9:22-23:  "Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?" So he answered, "What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?" ²³ Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, "Treachery, Ahaziah!"  Before the day was over, both Joram and Ahaziah were executed by the hand of Jehu, God's chosen instrument of vengeance.

It is fitting Joram was quite concerned to keep the peace when his father Ahab, mother Jezebel and he himself had been most treacherous to turn from the living God, kill the LORD's prophets, and promote the worship of idols.  The treacherous will resort even to murder to obtain the "peace" they seek, for this sort of peace is not peace that comes from God at all.  Queen Jezebel's final words recorded in the Bible also referenced peace in 2 Kings 9:30-31:  "And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. ³¹ And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?"  Jezebel was stubborn and wicked to the last, spitting barbs at Jehu who did the will of God to throw the proud queen down.

The implications of Jezebel's comment ought not be lost on us, for we can read of Zimri's rebellion in 1 Kings 16:8-10:  "In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years. ⁹ And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. ¹⁰ And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead."  The reign of Zimri was short-lived--a mere week--for when he was beseiged by Omri in Tirza he burned down the palace upon himself, choosing suicide over fighting a battle he could not win.  The situations of Jehu and Zimri could not have been different:  Jehu was anointed by God and Zimri was not; Jehu administered judgment by the command of God while Zimri conspired against drunk Baasha when he was vulnerable.  The results were very different as well:  Zimri reigned for 7 days and died without an heir for his wickedness, and Jehu reigned in Samaria for 28 years and his sons reigned after him for 4 generations because Jehu did well.  Jezebel employed Satan's tactic of using lies to sow doubt and accused as evil the one who trusted God and did good when she was guilty of wickedness.

The Bible has much to say about peace, what it is and how God is the sole source of it.  See the absolute objectivity in God's word in Isaiah 57:19-21:  "I create the fruit of the lips: peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near," says the LORD, "and I will heal him." ²⁰ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. ²¹ "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."  There is no middle ground on this:  you either believe God and His word or you do not.  Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and a person who has peace with God--spiritually in the inner man--can speak forth words of peace, grace and mercy from our divine supply.  This does not mean perpetually soft or smooth words, for they may feel rough and confronting for our flesh.  The illustration of the churning sea that stirs and clouds the water with sand and silt is fitting, for this state of turmoil is indicative of hearts void of peace and rest.  There is no peace for the wicked, but for those who repent of their wickedness and turn to Jesus in faith He is our peace (Ephesians 2:11-19).

Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:27-28, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ²⁸ You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  He concluded His remarks to them in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  The disciples were assured by Jesus they were known and loved by God, Jesus would come to them, they would be comforted, and Jesus has overcome.  This is as true as ever for followers of Jesus today, for Jesus is our peace.  By the Gospel there is peace offered to us sinners made saints by His grace.  We wicked and undeserving souls have peace because Jesus has us, having purchased us with His shed blood.

Water Carriers and Wood Hewers

Often God puts people  in places of leadership or in the spotlight who would rather avoid it.  Dr. Robert E. Speer was one of those people, who for 46 years served as secretary on the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions.  Based on the testimony of his biography, his faithfulness was an inspiration to many who sought to honour him upon his retirement, as the Presbyterian board had an age limit of 70.  As his retirement drew new, he wrote to the editor of a missionary magazine who planned to write an article about him, "In whatever you write, will you not make it just as impersonal as possible?  Let the cause fill the whole picture, and let us water-carriers and wood hewers who have sought to serve it be in our proper place out of sight." (Wheeler, W. Reginald. A Man Sent from God: A Biography of Robert E. Speer. Fleming H. Revell Co, 1956. page 253)

This reticence to public honour is evidence Dr. Speer continued to be small in his own eyes even when others considered him a spiritual giant.  The reference to the work of the ministry being as "water-carriers and wood hewers" takes me back to the Gibeonites, people of Canaan who deceived Joshua to make a league or covenant with them.  Having heard of the greatness of the God of Israel and knowing they were helpless before Him, they sent messengers wearing tattered clothes, with rations of mouldy bread and torn wineskins--as evidence they had been on a long journey--when they were neighbours.  When their ruse became apparent, Joshua and the elders confronted them for their deceit yet were bound by their oath before God to spare their lives.

Joshua gave his sentence upon the Gibeonites in Joshua 9:23-27:  "Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves--woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God." ²⁴ So they answered Joshua and said, "Because your servants were clearly told that the LORD your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. ²⁵ And now, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us." ²⁶ So he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them. ²⁷ And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, in the place which He would choose, even to this day."

What Joshua framed as a curse turned out to be an incredible blessing, for the lives of the Gibeonites were spared and were given a position of service for the congregation and the altar of the LORD wherever God led His people.  The Gibeonites were given a role to support the Levites and priesthood who served in the tabernacle, providing wood for sacrifices and water for ceremonial cleansing.  People who were once under the sentence of death were given life and the privilege of serving the great God of Israel they feared all their days.  Their lives were not their own but to be poured out as living sacrifices unto the LORD who accepted them by grace.  Doesn't this closely resemble our standing as Christians by faith in Jesus Christ, having been purchased by His shed blood to serve and glorify Him forever?

The woodcutters and water carriers worked to provide the supplies required for the service of God's tabernacle, and unlike the high priest who wore special vestments they wore the clothing of common men.  Rather than standing above and blessing the people, their blessed God and His people with every swing of the axe, pull of the saw and the endless repetition of drawing and lugging water.  Their toil may have been unnoticed and unappreciated by man, but God knew their sacrifices and pains well.  He saw the splinters and blisters; God valued those who continued to toil even when priests their age had long since retired from public service.  The Gibeonites who were once outsiders and foreigners God brought near by His grace, and He allowed them to serve Him as His chosen inheritance.  Let us be as the Gibeonites in our service to Jesus Christ our great High Priest regardless of our role in ministry, content to faithfully serve the LORD out of sight so Christ may have the preeminence.

The Speer Prayer

After the murder of his son Elliot, Robert Speer and his wife wrote letters in response to condolences offered by friends and family that are recorded in his biography.  I was especially blessed by a prayer in a letter that was a combination of the Collect for All Saint's Day and from the hearts of Robert and Mrs. Speer.  The prayer is as follows:

"O Almighty God, who has knit together Thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of Thy Son Christ our Lord; grant us grace so to follow Thy blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which Thou has prepared for those who unfeignedly love Thee; through the same Thy son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen." (Collect for all Saints Day)

We seem to give him back to Thee, dear God, who gavest him to us.  Yet as Thou didst not lose him in giving, so we have not lost him by his return.  Not as the world gives, givest Thou, O Lover of Souls!  What Thou givest, Thou takest not away, for what is Thine is ours always, if we are Thine.  And life is eternal and Love is immortal; and Death is only an horizon; and an horizon is nothing save the limit of one's sight.

Lift us up, strong Son of God, that we may see farther.  Cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly; draw us closer to thyself, that so we may know ourselves nearer to our beloved who are with Thee, and while Thou dost prepare a place for us, prepare us for that happy place, that where they are and Thou art we too may be.  Amen." (Wheeler, W. Reginald. A Man Sent from God: A Biography of Robert E. Speer. Fleming H. Revell Co, 1956. page 239)

God, who is able to give sight to the blind and raises the dead to life, is the source of life and love we can steadfastly look towards in all seasons of life--even with eyes blurred with tears.  I had never thought of death as "only a horizon" which is nothing but evidence of limitation of sight.  There is a limit to our vision and perspective, but God suffers no such limitations.  Mr. and Mrs. Speer prayed to be lifted up to see farther, for God to cleanse their vision so they could see more clearly.  With eyes of faith on Jesus they believed mourning was part of their preparation for heavenly joy in the presence of God and their beloved son.  While God was preparing a place for them in His presence, they too were being prepared.  Is this not the victory of faith in Jesus who overcomes the world and death as well?  Even in grief we are made more than conquerors by God's grace--weak and troubled though we may be.