Did Paul mean “taken away” in the Priestly sense or in the Kingly sense?
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5:1,2, Matthew 24:37-39
Here it comes again, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and
such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s
wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed
might be taken away from among you.” Sexual immorality has to be judged. Again we see
the arrogance of those in verse 2 being “…puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he
who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.” I wonder if “taken away”
means being moved nearby or means being taken away permanently. Did Paul mean “taken
away” in the Priestly sense or in the Kingly sense? What would we expect “taken away” to
look like? The best dictionary for the Bible is always the Bible. If we go to another place
where this Greek word is used it can give us some context and a point of reference so we can
see what it means. It appears in Matthew 24:37-39 which says, “But as the days of Noah
were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered
the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the
coming of the Son of Man be.” The question is, when they were all taken away in the flood,
were they moved next door?