The Coming of the Lord

Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Luke 17:20-21 [NASU]

The question asked by the Pharisees was, when is the kingdom of God coming? The answer to them was... the kingdom is in your mist. Christ is the cornerstone of the kingdom of God and those who stood in their mist and heard and believed are the foundation stones that were laid in the kingdom God; thus is the presence of the kingdom of God.

And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.”

Luke 17:22 [NASU]

Christ addresses those who heard and believed; “the days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the son of Man.” While walking the earth in the flesh our Lord performed many signs, and in the beginning of His Church there were many of the same signs performed by His apostles. But there came a time when these miracles became rare because of unbelief. Today His children long to see the days of the Son of Man restored, the days of Christ like miracles, such as the healing of the sick, the blind made to see and the lame walking; but He says, “you will not see it.”

They will say to you, “Look there! Look here!” Do not go away, and do not run after them.

Luke 17:23 [NASU]

“They” are the religious who do not have an ear to hear. They are looking at things that are of the flesh, saying, there are big crowds gathering here and much is happening in the name of Jesus, surly He must be here. Or let us go over there for it seems there are being many miracles performed in His name; Christ warns, “do not run after them.”

For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.

Luke 17:24 [NASU]

Judgment of the wicked will come suddenly, just as the eagle swoops down on his prey and devours it, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Luke 17:25 [NASU]

But first Christ is persecuted, rejected and crucified by His generation. But also afterwards, His body, the Church must suffer many things; persecution, rejection and martyrdom. Many of the true Church are persecuted and slain for His name’s sake.

And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:26-27 [NASU]

In the “days of Noah,” Noah preached the coming judgment but the people ignored Him and continued to fulfill the lust of their sinful flesh. When judgment of the world came in the form of a flood only Noah and His family was spared.

“It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

Luke 17:28-30 [NASU]

And so shall it be in the days of the “body of Christ,” the true Church will preach the coming of judgment of the world but they will not listen and on the “the day of the Lord” He will come swiftly as “lightning comes from the east to west” and as “a thief in the night” to execute righteous judgment.

“On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife.

Luke 17:31-32 [NASU]

Here our Lord issues a stern warning for those who believe; “Remember Lot’s wife” who looked back with lust in her heart and a longing for the cities, she brought upon herself the judgment spoken to them by the Lord and she turned to a pillow of salt.

Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Luke 17:33 [NASU]

Whoever seeks to save his temporal life in the flesh (refuses martyrdom for Christ name sake) will lose his eternal life in the spirit.

I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. [Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left].

Luke 17:34-36 [NASU]

Those who are taken, who are they and where will they go? God’s children are not “destined for wrath.” Noah and his family crossed over from the world of judgment into the new world safely in the ark prepared according to the word of God. Lot and his family were spared as they left the cities of judgment in obedience to the word of God. The children of Israel, God’s chosen people, were spared the judgment of Egypt because they obeyed the word of God. The Hebrew children were spared the king’s wrath of the furnace because they were obedient to the word of God. Daniel was spared from the lions because he was obedient to the word of God. When judgment of Jerusalem came in 70 A.D., those chosen of God were spared because they were obedient to the word of God.

Who are the ones taken? They are the ones who obey the word of God. Where will they go? Christ Jesus is the ark of safety for all who believe; we will be in Christ and wherever He is there we will be also.

And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures (eagles) will be gathered.”

Luke 17:37 [NASU]

In answering His disciples He speaks a mystery that only those who believe may understand. An eagle is a bird that kills and devours its prey. When the Spirit of the Lord is removed from a nation or from an individual, that nation or individual is spiritually dead. At that time God had removed His Spirit from the Nation Israel because of their sins. The Roman army, as an instrument of God, came down on that nation as an eagle and executed God’s judgment upon them. Thus, we have the type of “where the body is, there also the vultures (eagles) will be gathered.” When this world has had its fill of sin, God will remove His Spirit and judgment will come as an eagle killing and devouring its prey.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.

Revelation 2:29 [NASU]

Pastor Jake