Summary
Being "Left Behind" Is the Good News
Christians live in Advent. Between the first coming of Christ at Bethlehem and His second coming in glory, the whole life of the Church is a season of waiting. That is why Advent carries two themes side by side: remembering Israel's longing for the promised Messiah, and anticipating the return of the risen Lord. The blue of the Advent paraments is the color of hope—not a wish, but confidence rooted in the promises of God.
Scripture testifies plainly that Christ will come again. "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him" Revelation 1:7. "Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" Hebrews 9:27-28. "Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord" James 5:7. When He comes, it will be sudden, breaking into the ordinary rhythms of eating, drinking, working, and sleeping.
The "Rapture" and Its Origins
The popular novels and films of the Left Behind series teach what is called the rapture: the idea that God will one day snatch all believers out of the world, leaving unbelievers behind to suffer seven years of tribulation before Christ's return. Though marketed as Christian fiction, the Left Behind books rest on a particular nineteenth-century interpretation of Scripture associated with John Nelson Darby and C. I. Scofield. It is the same school of interpretation that misreads modern political questions about the Middle East as theological prophecy. The rapture scheme has shaped how many Christians instinctively read Jesus' words about His coming—especially Matthew 24:37-41.
Reading Matthew 24 on Its Own Terms
Jesus says, "As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man… Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left" Matthew 24:37-41. The popular assumption is obvious: you want to be the one taken. But the text, examined carefully, says the opposite.
The Greek word translated "taken" carries the sense of being seized or carried off as a prisoner. The word translated "left" is frequently rendered elsewhere in the New Testament as forgiven or pardoned—it is the same verb Jesus uses in the Lord's Prayer: "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Letting Scripture interpret Scripture changes everything about which side of the verse you want to be on.
The context confirms it. In the days of Noah, the people "knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away." Being taken by the flood was judgment, not rescue. A few verses later Jesus compares His coming to a thief breaking into a house: it is bad to have your possessions seized, good to have them left intact Matthew 24:42-44. Throughout the passage, those taken are the unbelievers swept away in judgment; those left are the forgiven, the ones who enter into eternal life. You want to be left behind. That is the very point of the text.
Made Ready by Christ
Jesus concludes, "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" Matthew 24:44. The Christian's confidence is not in having figured out a timeline but in the fact that Christ Himself has made His people ready. In the waters of Holy Baptism, God has washed believers in the victory Christ won at the cross, given them faith and the Holy Spirit, and claimed them as His own. Baptism is the last judgment in miniature: God has already named you His.
So the Church prays without fear, "Come, Lord Jesus." If He returns today, the baptized child of God will be left behind—left in His forgiveness, left to enter eternal life. And that is a very good thing.
Video citations
- Second Coming: "Left Behind" 12-7-25 — Who's your open your Bibles, please, with me, to the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew for our time of study. Today, if you're using a Pew edition, you'll find in the rack in front of you or…