The Kingdom Not Yet Come (Luke 17:22-37)
Jesus turns from the pharisee questions of the coming kingdom, to what His disciples need to know. This discourse is not about the already present aspect of the kingdom of God, but more about the Day of the Lord, when the Messiah will come to judge and bring the full kingdom to fruition. Here, we do have the obvious aspect similar to the fishing story from before. You will not need anyone to tell you that the end has come. It will be apparent to all. If you find yourself asking, “Could this be the end?” you know that it is not. There will be no question.
At the time of Jesus’s teaching, there was still the need for the cross, death, and resurrection. Jesus knew that His mission was not done, and that there would be a time between this first coming of the kingdom, and His return. Now, living in the post-resurrection time, the return of Jesus could be any time, but it will be obvious. (And unpredicted, as His other teachings on the subject indicate.)
Jesus does clarify what the world will be like at the time of His return, however. It will be like the days of Noah, when the world was so concerned with entertaining themselves to death that no one was ready for the judgement of God. It will be like the days of Lot, when the city of Sodom was occupied with normal life, albeit a terribly evil normal. The common denominator in both cases, is that judgement was delivered from God in those days. The coming of the Messiah this time around will be with such judgement.
If the disciples are not to know when it will come, how should they instead respond when it does? With readiness and without an attachment to the old way of life. The old world is to be judged and dead. The way to life is with the coming Messiah.
At the time of Jesus’s teaching, there was still the need for the cross, death, and resurrection. Jesus knew that His mission was not done, and that there would be a time between this first coming of the kingdom, and His return. Now, living in the post-resurrection time, the return of Jesus could be any time, but it will be obvious. (And unpredicted, as His other teachings on the subject indicate.)
Jesus does clarify what the world will be like at the time of His return, however. It will be like the days of Noah, when the world was so concerned with entertaining themselves to death that no one was ready for the judgement of God. It will be like the days of Lot, when the city of Sodom was occupied with normal life, albeit a terribly evil normal. The common denominator in both cases, is that judgement was delivered from God in those days. The coming of the Messiah this time around will be with such judgement.
If the disciples are not to know when it will come, how should they instead respond when it does? With readiness and without an attachment to the old way of life. The old world is to be judged and dead. The way to life is with the coming Messiah.
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