22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus had just told the Pharisees that the kingdom of God was in their midst (Luke 17:20-21). It was available to them if they would just believe in Him. Knowing they would continue to reject the kingdom, Jesus turned to His disciples and discussed the time after His ascention. There would times when people would long to see Him return but they would not see it. There would be rumours that He was there but they could be safely ignored because when Jesus returns it will obvious to everyone just like lightning lights up the sky from one side to the other. When the kingdom does come, it will be like the days of Noah. People ate and drank and lived as if nothing was going to change but when Noah entered the ark, the floodwaters came and everyone was destroyed. A similar thing happened to Sodom. They were living as if life would continue as they knew it. But Lot was removed and fire and sulfur rained down on the city in judgement and destroyed them all. In both stories, people were not ready for the judgment that came their way. In the same way, people will not be ready when Jesus returns. When that time comes people should not be concerned with their material things like Lot’s wife was beause anyone who delays leaving in order to go and get their material things, to save their life, will lose it. This is time is not talking about the Rapture but the time of judgment before entering the Kingdom. Some will be taken away to judgment and others will be left to enter the kingdom. The disciples seem to ask where they would be taken to. Jesus’ answer about a corpse and vultures gathered is not clear but seems to confirm the idea of them leaving to judgment.
Our time on earth is limited. Your life could end before you’d like. We could be caught up in the Rapture at any time. And after a final time, Jesus will return to usher in the kingdom. We cannot know the time of any of these and so we must live our lives ready to face God at any time. The most important question you need to answer is will God accept you into His kingdom? Have you placed your faith in Jesus alone for your salvation? Then, having believed, are you living every day in light of eternity?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Enjoy Life Despite Death: Ecclesiastes 9-10