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the wicked are taken

Matthew 24:39&40
"39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

In this first week of Advent, we prepare for Christ’s threefold coming: His incarnate birth in Bethlehem, His coming now in Word and Sacrament, and His final return as Judge and King. To prepare is to welcome Jesus into our hearts.

No one knows the day or hour of His return. In Noah’s day, people ate, drank, and married right up to the moment the flood came and swept them away (v. 39). So it will be when the Son of Man returns—suddenly, unexpectedly, in the midst of ordinary life.

Jesus illustrates this with a vivid picture: two men working in a field—one is taken, the other left; two women grinding grain—one is taken, the other left (vv. 40–41. The Greek verb in v. 39 for “took…away” (αἴρω) is the same verb used for those “taken” in vv. 40–41. Just as the flood took the ungodly away in judgment while Noah was preserved, so at Christ’s return the wicked will be removed in judgment while the righteous remain with Him.

Therefore, watch and be ready—Christ may come at any moment.
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