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In Jesus' teaching about the end of the age, who is taken first: the righteous or the wicked (Matthew 13:30, Matthew 13:40-43, Matthew 24:40-41)?

Direct

A clear verse states this directly, and no higher-or-equal-authority text overturns it.

In Matthew 13, the wicked are taken first, Jesus states this explicitly and then decodes it himself. In Matthew 24:40–41, the text does not specify which group is "taken" and which is "left," but the surrounding Noah analogy and the Luke 17 parallel point toward the "taken" being the ones removed for judgment.

Jesus' own interpretation of the Wheat and Weeds parable (Matthew 13:30, 41–43) explicitly states that the angels first gather the wicked out of the kingdom, then the righteous remain and shine. The word prōton ("first") in 13:30 is unambiguous, and Jesus himself supplies the key in 13:36–43, no inference is required for this part of the question.

Key texts:
Matthew 13:30Tier 2 · Jesus
“Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.…”
Matthew 13:37Tier 2 · Jesus
“He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,”
Matthew 13:40Tier 2 · Jesus
“As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age.”

…and 20 more verses weighed in the full analysis.

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