If two women are grinding at a mill, one will be taken, and the other will be left.
In this saying Jesus repeats the same message, but with another image, showing that at the moment of the Lord’s coming the separation will pass even through the most ordinary tasks of daily life. The two women grinding at the mill together symbolize people who outwardly appear similar, yet inwardly are different: one lives by faith and is ready for the Lord’s call, while the other lives a worldly life and ignores, or is indifferent to, the Lord’s call. This saying emphasizes that salvation is not determined by outward togetherness or by one’s occupation, but by the faithfulness of the heart. Jesus’ word also reminds us that the Lord’s coming will be at a time when everything seems ordinary—amid work, peace, or everyday activity. Therefore the believer must be continually ready, so as not to be left behind at the hour when the Lord calls his own.