A frequent misinterpretation isolates this verse to support a secretive pre-tribulation rapture of believers to heaven, presuming 'taken' always means salvation, yet the context equates it with those destroyed in the flood or fire who were unaware until too late, suggesting 'taken' implies judgment while 'left' may indicate preservation, further compounded by its absence in earliest manuscripts which cautions against building doctrine solely on it.
Luke 17:36
King James Version (1769)
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke 17:36 conveys the core truth of the sudden, unexpected separation at Christ's return, akin to the judgments in Noah's flood and Lot's escape from Sodom, where people engaged in daily life—one in one place—will be divided by divine action, underscoring the urgency of spiritual vigilance and faithfulness amid normalcy rather than signs or predictions.