"For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took [αἴρω, aírō] them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:38-39
Gr. 142. αἴρω, aírō:
I. To take up, to lift up, to raise up.
II. To take up and place on oneself, to take up and bear, meaning to bear, carry.
III. To take up and carry away, meaning to take away, to remove by carrying, spoken of a bed.
IV. To take away, remove, with the idea of lifting away from, usually with the idea of violence and authority.
"To take away or remove out of the world by death, and so forth (Matt. 24:39)" —AMG The Complete WordStudy Dictionary New Testament
"To take away from among the living, either by a natural death, or by violence (Mt. xxiv. 39)." —Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon
This passage contrasts "they" with "Noah." The "they" who were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage are the same "they" who did not understand and were destroyed by the flood. Grammatically, it would make no sense to change subjects midstream from "they," referring to those who perished, to "them," referring to Noah and his family. Therefore, while it is possible for aírō to be speaking of Noah in the ark, it is not probable.
"For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken [παραλαμβάνω, paralambánō] and one will be left [ἀφίημι, aphíēmi]. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken [παραλαμβάνω, paralambánō] and one will be left [ἀφίημι, aphíēmi]." Matthew 24:38-41
" "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. ... I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken [παραλαμβάνω, paralambánō] and the other will be left [ἀφίημι, aphíēmi]. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken [παραλαμβάνω, paralambánō] and the other will be left [ἀφίημι, aphíēmi]. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken [παραλαμβάνω, paralambánō] and the other will be left [ἀφίημι, aphíēmi]." And answering they said to Him, "Where, Lord?" And He said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered." " Luke 17:26-30, 34-37
Gr. 863. ἀφίημι, aphíēmi:
I. To dismiss
II. To let go from one's power, possession, to let go free, let escape (Matt. 24:40, 41; Luke 17:34-36; Sept.: Prov. 4:13).
III.To let go from one's further notice, care, attendance, occupancy, i.e., to leave or let alone.
IV. To let go, i.e, to let pass, permit, suffer, with the accusative followed by the infinitive expressed or implied.
"Metaphorically, to let go from obligation toward oneself, to remit, e.g., a debt, offense, with a dative of person. Of sins, to remit the penalty of sins, i.e., to pardon, forgive, with the dative of person." —AMG The Complete WordStudy Dictionary New Testament
"to remit, forgive" —Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon
"The Use...in the LXX. ... b. for verbs of "remission"... The object of remission is sin or guilt... The one who forgives is God... The NT Usage. ... 2. There are also the instances in which ἀφιέναι means "to remit" or "to forgive," whether in the profane sense in Mt. 18:27 and 32, or more often in the religious. ... The forgiveness denoted by ἄφεσις (ἀφιέναι) and πάρεσις is almost always that of God. ..." —Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [3/5 of this entry are dedicated to the discussion of forgiveness.]
Gr. 3880. παραλαμβάνω, paralambánō:
I. To take to oneself, seize or take into one's possession.
II. To receive with or to oneself what is given, imparted, delivered over, equal to take from another into one's own hands such as an office, dignity, ministry.
"In Matt 24:40, 41; Luke 17:34, 35, paralambánō in the passive form is used as the opposite of aphíēmi, to let be. In these verses, those who are taken are not to be misconstrued as those whom the Lord favors, as if they were the same saints spoken of in 1 Thess 4:17... The verb paralambánō in most cases indicates a demonstration in favor of the one taken, but not always. ... In John 19:16 it is used of taking Jesus to lead Him to the cross. ... The verb paralambánō is to be contrasted in Matt 24:40, 41 to aírō, to take up and away. It is used to refer to those in the days of Noah who were taken away, not being favored but being punished, while Noah and his family were left intact. ... It refers to those who, as in the days of Noah, are taken to destruction." —AMG The Complete WordStudy Dictionary New Testament
"one to be led off as a prisoner, Jn xix. 16)" —Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon
The context of these passages is addressing the Second Coming of Christ Jesus:
"For the coming of the Son of Man..." (Matt. 24:37)
"...so will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Matt. 24:39)
"...so will the Son of Man be in His day." (Luke 17:24)
"...so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man." (Luke 17:26)
"It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed." (Luke 17:30)
Practically every theologian, past and present (including many of
the Dispensational persuasion), agree that this passage is talking
about the Second Coming of Jesus—and not the imaginary magical "Rapture." It is a fact that the context of these passages, and especially the passage in Luke 17, is quite clearly and unmistakably in reference to judgment:
"...the flood came and destroyed them all." (Luke 17:27)
"...it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all." (Luke 17:29)
Noah and Lot are not even mentioned, except in passing to refer to their time in history. The
"they" and "them" are speaking of those who were destroyed.
Judgment. Since verses 26-27 and 28-29 are quite obviously speaking of judgment, it stands to reason that those taken in verses 34, 35, and 36 are likewise taken in judgment. And Jesus' answer to the disciples' question of "Where?" supports this.
Anyone having never heard of the "Rapture" before, reading these passages first-hand as to those taken and those left, would naturally ask the same question as the disciples: "Where?" Anyone having never heard of the "Rapture" before, carefully paying attention to what the details of these passages reveal, would come to the conclusion that they are speaking of judgment and that those taken have been taken in judgment. Matthew 24:39 clearly expresses a taking in judgment: "...the flood came and took them all away." Luke 17:27 clearly expresses a taking in judgment: "...the flood came and destroyed them all." Luke 17:29 clearly expresses a taking in judgment: "...it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them
all." Ergo, Luke 17:34, 35, and 36 clearly express a taking in judgment, confirmed by Jesus' response to the disciples' question.
The context of Matthew 24:38-41 and Luke 17:26-30, 34-37 clearly has to do with judgment. These facts are irrefutable.