The second coming of Jesus
Today on Choosing Peace, you’ll read about cake vs. pie, the invisible kingdom and texting a friend.
Let’s start with a quick summary of these Before and After posts. What have we covered?
Before and After
Group 1
Part 1:
The writing on the wall—the Before Event
Part 2:
Daniel and the lions’ den—The Main Event
Daniel’s prayer—the After Event
Group 2
Part 3:
The Lord fights for Judah—The Main Event
Part 4:
War with Syria—the Before Event
Part 5:
King Jehoshaphat’s final report card—the After Event
Group 3
Part 6:
Jesus heals the ten lepers—The Main Event
Part 7:
Unworthy servants—the Before Event
Part 8:
The second coming—the After Event
Today’s subject
Some of the events covered so far were observable show-stoppers like Daniel and the lions’ den. Others were different. Daniel’s prayer was a spiritual event involving Daniel, God and the angel Gabriel. King Jehoshaphat’s final report card gave us a summary of his kingship—many events boiled down to the basic takeaways. And the last post covered a Master Class taught by Jesus, titled Unworthy Servants. Today’s subject is another Master Class—The Second Coming of Jesus.
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The kingdom of God
Peaceful Readers, I’m excited about what the Holy Spirit has in store for us as we explore the kingdom of God and the second coming from Luke 17:20-37. This passage of scripture comes right after Jesus healed the ten lepers—The Main Event covered in part 6.
Whether you’re a cake person or a pie person, let’s dig into this passage—today’s treat—one bite, chunk or piece at a time. As for me, I’m definitely a cake person, even though I’m a big fan of pecan pie.
The first piece
Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, [Jesus] answered them, “God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation; neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.”
Luke 17:20-21, World English Bible
Unmet expectations
The first piece of this Bible passage spoken by Jesus shocked his audience. Understandably, they viewed the word “kingdom” in earthly terms. “Our king topples their king. The Messiah comes and Rome gets crushed—or, at the very least, leaves Israel for good.”
The people of Israel anticipated this geopolitical victory for centuries. And Jesus said: “No. You won’t see the kingdom because ‘God’s Kingdom is within you’” (v. 21b, WEB). I can imagine the Pharisees scrunching up their foreheads, thinking: This guy is crazy. How can a kingdom be inside a person? That is absurd.
The Pharisees
Jesus’ miracles couldn’t be denied, but the Pharisees claimed that he was satanic. From part 6:
Some, like the Pharisees, rejected God altogether, even though they knew all the “right” answers and sat in positions of great authority and power. They had their pedigree papers—I mean their stellar lineage, their education, their status as the religious leaders—plus being God’s chosen ones. They had it going on, as the saying goes. Or so they thought. They didn’t see themselves rightly.
The Pharisees obviously didn’t see Jesus rightly, either. Or his followers. Or his kingdom, for that matter. The religious leaders held power and control over the people, and they were intent—dare I say, obsessed—on keeping it.
Does that remind you of someone you know? Or someone you used to know? See Control, Narcissists and Sociopaths in the index.
The invisible kingdom
Because Jesus was physically present and people believed he was the Son of God, the kingdom of God had already arrived! Jesus was already ruling in people’s hearts and minds. Jesus’ followers already belonged to him.
For more on the first piece of our Bible passage, see this excellent article from GotQuestions.org.
The second coming of Jesus
Jesus taught the rest of this Master Class to his twelve disciples.
The second piece
He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away or follow after them, for as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part under the sky, shines to another part under the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
Luke 17:22-25, World English Bible
The future and the warning
With all wisdom and foreknowledge, Jesus told his disciples what was to come.
1. The second coming, called “the days of the Son of Man”
2. The disciples’ desire to see these days
3. People falsely claiming to see it: “Look, here! Look, there!” (v. 23a)
4. The sudden flash of Jesus’ return—like unmistakable lightning
5. “But first,” his rejection and suffering (the Pharisees’ scheme to kill Jesus, his betrayal, and execution by Roman crucifixion)
And Jesus warned his disciples: “Don’t go away or follow after them” (v. 23b)—the people claiming that his second coming had already taken place. Jesus gave a strong, pointed warning. Do. Not. Follow. Them. As the Master teaching his Master Class, Jesus told his disciples why: “Don’t listen to other people who claim to have seen my second coming because my return will be obvious to you.”
What a comfort to us today. We won’t need to wonder, guess or rely on so-called experts. Jesus’ return will be as clear, sudden and powerful as lightning flashing in the sky.
The third piece
The third section of this Master Class compares Jesus’ second coming to the destruction of the unbelievers during the flood and in the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah.
As it was in the days of Noah, even so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky and destroyed them all. It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he who will be on the housetop and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it.
Luke 17:26-33, World English Bible
Called out
In both examples given by Jesus—the flood in the days of Noah, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah—the unbelievers were living their lives as usual and had no idea that everything was about to change. In both examples, the faithful of the Lord were called out of their everyday lives. Noah and his family had to get inside the ark before everything was flooded and all the other people drowned. Lot’s family had to leave town before God incinerated it.
When it was time for God’s judgment,
the faithful people of the Lord
had to leave their old lives behind.
Prepping
The final warnings, shown above in verses 31 to 33, must be earnestly heeded by God’s people today. When Jesus returns, believers must not seek refuge in earthly things—packing our suitcases and filling our coolers with food and ice. Any “prepping” for the second coming of Christ must be done before he returns—preparing our hearts. When Jesus comes again, we must be ready to receive him. We can’t turn away from our King to grab our wallet, purse, favorite item(s), mobile phone or car keys.
Our focus must be on Jesus—our Savior, Lord and Redeemer!
We must walk toward him, not away from him.
Jesus told The Parable of the Ten Virgins to illustrate this very concept—being ready for him. Or not.
In the last verse of this segment, Jesus said: “Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it” ~ Luke 17:33 (WEB). Jesus taught his disciples this important truth more than once.
Wrong focus
In addition to being ready for Jesus’ return, we can’t turn away from him, staring at the destruction of our earthly things. When Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife!” (v. 32)—he gave his disciples the most earnest warning. Her focus was on what she was losing, not on the Lord’s gracious preservation of her life, so she died. Read this excellent article: “Why was Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt?”
For more on God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, see the section called A Time for Justice in this post. If you enjoy biblical archaeology, you’ll totally dig “Sulfur Balls of Sodom and Gomorrah” (excuse the pun)—brought to us by Expedition Bible, the makers of “Jesus, The Soul Shepherd,” highly recommended on the Documentaries page.
Readiness
Peaceful Readers, we must be spiritually ready to receive Jesus when he comes again. Kneeling and bowing before him. Leaving our old lives behind. Rejoicing at his coming.
Our readiness is clearly Jesus’ central message of this Master Class.
The rapture—or not
Did you know that the word “rapture” isn’t in the Bible? I checked the ESV, NIV, RSV, King James, WEB and several other translations on BibleGateway.com. Rapture isn’t there. That really surprised me.
Final destinations
Before we read our final piece of this Bible passage, we need to briefly contrast heaven and hell. (It’ll make sense in a minute.)
Heaven is filled with love, worship, feasting—eternal safety, abundance and beauty with the family of God. Hell is filled with horror, pain, weeping—eternal destruction, thirst and fire in the absence of everything good. No light. No food or water. No help. No refreshing breeze. No love. No peace. No hope.
Is God calling you to pray for someone’s salvation?
(I highly recommend the book Imagine Heaven by John Burke. See this Resources page for more.)
The fourth and final piece
Jesus continues the subject he’s been teaching about—his second coming.
I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other will be left.”
They, answering, asked him, “Where, Lord?”
He said to them, “Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.”
Luke 17:34-37, World English Bible
For my entire life, when I read the first short paragraph above (verses 34 and 35), I thought it was referencing the rapture. One is taken and the other is left…. People saved by faith in Jesus are whisked away to heaven, right? Actually, that isn’t what this passage is talking about. What else could it be referencing?
Review
In this Master Class, Jesus is clearly talking about his second coming, described in Matthew 24:15-30 and in our passage in Luke. Let’s review what we’ve learned so far.
♦ The first piece: The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom.
♦ The second piece: When Jesus returns, we’ll know it—like lightning flashing in the sky.
♦ The third piece: Focus on Jesus, not this world. God’s judgment will be swift and permanent, like the flood in Noah’s day and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Future events
Will the rapture and the second coming of Jesus happen at the same time? No. Biblical scholars explain that the rapture will take place before the tribulation; and the tribulation ends with Jesus’ second coming. Scholars find biblical evidence for this chain of three distinct events: First, the rapture; then, the tribulation; and finally, Jesus’ second coming. Explore these two articles:
♦ “What does it mean that one will be taken and the other left?”
♦ “What is the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming?”
Here are the primary takeaways:
1. The rapture = the rescue of true believers in Jesus.
2. The tribulation = a time of great suffering on the earth.
3. The second coming = judgment and destruction of unbelievers.
Who is taken
If the event described in the final piece of our scripture passage isn’t the rapture of believers, what is it? One is taken and the other is left….
What happens at Jesus’ second coming? Jesus tells us the answer himself in our scripture: Luke 17 (shown above and below). Unbelievers are taken to judgment and destruction. The believers stay with Jesus, who has come again.
With this new understanding in mind, let’s read the fourth piece of today’s Master Class manual again.
I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other will be left.”
They, answering, asked him, “Where, Lord?”
He said to them, “Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.”
Luke 17:34-37, World English Bible
Q&A
When the disciples asked Jesus, “Where, Lord?” they were asking where the people who were taken went. Where did they go? Where were they taken? Obviously, the people who weren’t taken were still where they’d been—sleeping, grinding grain, doing laundry, eating dinner, sitting in their favorite chair and texting a friend, and so on.
Jesus answered with a pointed, visual picture: Vultures gather at a dead body. (The ESV translation uses the word “corpse” instead of “body.”) Vultures devour the flesh and bones of the dead. We know that, right? Jesus didn’t suddenly switch to a zoology lesson. He stayed on point. This is a Master Class on his second coming.
We use the word rapture to describe the instant when true believers are whisked from earth to heaven—described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. If Jesus was talking about the rapture of believers at the beginning of this short Master Class segment, the vulture comment wouldn’t make any sense whatsoever. And Jesus wasn’t confused or mentally ill. What he said about vultures made perfect sense. It was the icing on the cake, so to speak.
Destruction
Jesus is clearly saying that those who will be taken—at his second coming—will die and go to hell, the place of eternal torment and destruction where they’ll literally be devoured and torn limb from limb.
From the last post: “Needless to say, Jesus never said too many words or too few words. Each and every word was absolute, God Almighty perfection.” His comment about a corpse and vultures was essential to this teaching so we wouldn’t misunderstand it. Jesus spoke quite clearly. We just didn’t get it.
This passage clearly indicates that the people who are taken at Jesus’ second coming are the unbelievers. To say the least, that surprised me—epically. My entire life, I read those verses wrong—who was taken and who was left. I read them wrong because I read them out of context.
Final review
Let’s do a final review of the four pieces of the Master Class about the kingdom of God and Jesus’ second coming, taught by none other than Jesus himself.
♦ The first piece: The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom.
♦ The second piece: When Jesus returns, we’ll know it—like lightning flashing in the sky.
♦ The third piece: Focus on Jesus, not this world. God’s judgment will be swift and permanent, like the flood in Noah’s day and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
♦ The fourth piece: Unbelievers will be taken to their destruction. God’s people will be left.
Class summary?
The only kingdom that matters is the kingdom of God.
Be ready for Jesus’ return.
The heart of the matter
What do we learn from our Before Event—the Master Class on humility, our Main Event—Jesus healing the ten lepers, and today’s After Event—the Master Class on the second coming of Jesus Christ? What’s the relationship or big picture reality of these events, when considered together?
Heart posture
Unworthy servants—the Before Event
In part 7 about the Before Event, we learned to view ourselves as unworthy servants. As for me, I learned a deeper level of humility. Since pride is the granddaddy of The Seven Deadly Sins, cultivating humility is vital for our hearts. The deeper we grow in humility, the softer our hearts become. And that is a very good thing.
The contrast—The Main Event
It’s easy to view The Main Event—when Jesus healed the ten lepers—strictly as a healing. To me, it’s more than that. This event is a study in the obvious contrast between people’s hearts. The Samaritan returned to see Jesus after he realized that he was healed. He glorified God with a loud voice and fell down at Jesus’ feet, thanking him with his whole heart. And Jesus commended his faith.
The other nine men who were healed went on their merry way. Other people or the men themselves were more important than Jesus. Hey! Look at me!!! Best day ever!! In our modern society, social media ratchets up our tendency to showboat and show off. It’s so easy to become a slave of Likes, Views, Friends and other superficial online validation. Peaceful Readers, beware.
We can’t focus on ourselves and Jesus at the same time.
Keeping our eyes on Jesus—the After Event
In today’s Master Class about the second coming of Christ, the takeaway about being ready for his return means keeping our eyes on Jesus instead of earthly things. When he returns, we must walk away from everything of this world and walk straight toward him. Nothing is more important than Jesus!
Your turn
How are you doing on receiving the heart-level messages of these three events? Can you honestly say:
1. “I am an unworthy servant of my Lord, Master and King—Jesus, the Son of God.”
2. “My focus is on him—not myself, other people or the things of this world.”
3. “I am ready for his return.”
Do you need to work on one or more of these heart postures? Do you need help in seeing yourself and Jesus rightly? Do you need to reduce the distractions in your life, do battle with a persistent sin, or spend more time quietly communing with the Holy Spirit? Pray and ask God to help you and reveal your next step.
The order
Since Jesus always spoke the perfect words at the perfect time, what can we find in the order of these events?
Unworthy Servants—a study of Humility
When we view ourselves rightly—as unworthy servants of King Jesus—we can serve him and others wholeheartedly, without resistance, regret or refusal, without fear or anger. We can be free to trust our Savior and Lord, who chose us and saved us. This is the power of the Before Event.
The Samaritan’s Heart—a study of Focus
When our eyes are on Jesus instead of ourselves, other people or things of this world, we aren’t slaves to sin—hungering for popularity, possessions, power, or other lesser things. We can be free from the bondage of sin. This is the power of The Main Event.
The Second Coming—a study of Readiness
When our eyes are on Jesus, we’re truly ready for his return. We walk toward him. We can be free from fear of the future. This is the power of the After Event.
Humility + Focus = Readiness
Big picture current events
We don’t always like current events, but we know this: We can trust God.
Context
The Jewish people didn’t like the Roman occupation at all; but Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection took place in that violent, disturbing context. Roman occupation wasn’t what the people wanted; but it was most-definitely what God ordained.
What is God doing in our midst? In the midst of unpopular, sometimes-violent, disturbing current events? What is God doing?
Podcast 1
For my whole life, I totally misunderstood the Bible verse we explored today: One is taken and the other is left…. I misunderstood not only who was taken, but where they were taken. My thinking was completely upside-down.
In a similar way, we can totally misunderstand current events—where things are going.
For a big picture understanding of current events, watch this excellent 14-minute podcast segment from Liz Wheeler and Glenn Beck.
“How Trump is Changing the World Order Right in Front of Our Eyes!”
Podcast 2
Also, check out this surprising 11-minute podcast from “Dr. Steve—your patriot professor.” It will warm your heart.
“Top 5 European Countries with Fastest MUSLIM CONVERSIONS to Christianity!!!”
Expanding God’s kingdom
Earlier today, I asked if God was calling you to pray for someone’s salvation. This week, he called me to pray in this way for one of my neighbors. I invited her to our church and she replied with a prompt, “No, thank you.” That’s okay. I’ll keep praying.
Eternity is forever….
Coming next
We’ll continue in these Before and After posts, but I have no idea what Bible event is coming next. I’m excited to find out.
Thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Closing word and song
“Where the Soul of Man Never Dies” by The Petersens
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