Luke 17:26-36 “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: (27) They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. (28) Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; (29) but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. (30) Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (31) "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise, the one who is in the field let him not turn back. (32) Remember Lot's wife. (33) Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. (34) I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. (35) Two will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. (36) Two will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left."
In the above passage of scripture our Lord Jesus described the event of the catching away of His church from the earth. As I mentioned in the previous section, although the church is appointed to tribulation she is not appointed to wrath, and so she will not experience the wrath of God that will be poured out on the earth at the end of the age. In the above passage our Lord tells us what the world will be like just before the wrath of God is finally poured out on the earth, for He tells us that the world will be continuing with their daily lives as normal. When our Lord teaches us this He equates it to the times of Noah and Lot, for He tells us that their worlds also continued with life blissfully unaware of their impending judgement. But when Noah and Lot were removed from those worlds then sudden destruction came upon them. In the same manner when the church is removed from the earth, sudden destruction will come upon all who are on the earth and it will take them completely by surprise. The apostle Paul confirms this truth to us by stating “For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labour pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
Michael E.B. Maher
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