Luke 17:31-36

Together we will rise in Christ… either on the earth or in heaven. We must be prepared for either by daily seeking the will of the Father.

rise |rīz|

verb (past rose |rōz| ; past participle risen |ˈrizən| ) [ no obj. ]

move from a lower position to a higher one;

• (rise above) succeed in not being limited or constrained by (a restrictive environment or situation)

On that day, the Son of Man will divide humankind into two groups: those who are taken to judgment and those who are left to live and reign with Christ. Other commentators suggest the opposite: The righteous will be taken into God’s kingdom. Either way, Jesus is clearly saying that a person’s eternal destiny is not determined by being close to those who are righteous. Each person stands before God alone.

Luke 17:36 is missing in the oldest extant manuscripts and is usually not included in modern translations. The passage reads, “Two [men] will be in the field. One [man] will be taken and the other one will be left.” Werner Bible Commentary

There is no encouragement here for dispensational theologies about the rapture of the faithful, and the judgment of those left behind on the earth. To the contrary, the polarity of the saying "two will be in the field, one will be taken one left behind." Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken, one left behind is just the opposite of the dispensational reading of the text. The left behind are those blessed who have escaped the great judgment just as Noah's family escaped the flood. The prudential advice is that the faithful must stay vigilant and awake, knowing that Christ will return, though the timing remains unknown. The phrase "the day or hour," or even just the phrase "the hour," simply means the timing. It is not suggesting that the general time frame of Christ's return can be known in advance, but that the specific day or hour is obscure. Working Preacher  Commentary.

Luke 17:31-36

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 men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. ³⁶ Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”

²⁵ He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 

John 12:25

³⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 

Mark 8:35

¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 

1 Thessalonians 4:17