Matthew 24:

In Persian
Copied by Mas'ud ibn Ibrahim
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This, the first Persian manuscript to enter the Vatican Library, may well have been acquired by the Chaldean metropolitan Mar Yosef, who came from Malabar to Rome in 1568 to clear himself of the charge of Nestorianism. Written in the cursive "naskhi" script typical of the Middle East, it is one of the earliest surviving Persian manuscripts of any part of the Scriptures--none are known to be earlier than the fourteenth century. The rarity of the manuscript was quickly appreciated. The Persian scholar Giovanni Battista Vecchietti consulted it when he was in Rome in 1598 and foliated it. It was also read and copied by Tumagen, an Armenian from Aleppo who probably arrived in Rome in the train of Leonardo Abel after his mission to Syria in 1586. The page displayed here includes the opening of the text of the Gospel of Matthew.


“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left” [Mat. 24:40].

The word “then” introduces to us again the time element. It was following immediately the events that come before in this chapter.

It also connects to the previous verse that speaks of Noah and the people who were destroyed in the flood.

The illustration here is the second illustration – Noah being the first – showing the suddenness of the “coming” of the Israelite Messiah in 66 AD to 70 AD to destroy the unbelieving Judahites.

This illustration is of workers in a field. The indication is that one was working correctly and the other one was either not working at all (which is the best probability), or working wrongly.

Yahshua (Jesus) used the illustration of only “two,” whereas in the illustration of Noah, he used the whole world.

One was taken and the other left. Many are desirous of using this verse to prove their rapture theory, but careful study will show that it backfires on them.

In Noah’s day, “he took them all away” to destruction, not to save them.

Likewise, in this illustration, “the one shall be taken” for destruction, not for salvation. Both were in the same field (i.e. both belonged to God). One was removed for destruction and the other was left in the field (kingdom).

The same thing can be seen in the following parable.

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28. He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29. But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn” [Mat. 13:24-30].

Before the “saved” were gathered together, “first” the tares (the disbelievers) were gathered together for the purpose of burning them – destroying them.

This verse in Matthew and some of the parables deal with “taking away” (after they had been gathered together) the unbelievers “being taken away” for destruction, not to rapture the good away first.

It has been my observation over 54 years that if people are going to read the bible, that they should pay much closer attention to what it truly says
Love,
Denis