Luke 17:20-36

Jesus was once asked by the Jewish religious leaders, “When will God’s kingdom come?” Jesus responded, “God’s kingdom does not come simply by obeying principles or waiting for signs. The kingdom is not discovered in one place or another, for God’s kingdom realm is already expanding within some of you.” Later, Jesus addressed this again with his apostles, saying, “The time is coming when a great passion will be awakened within you to see me again. Yes, you will long to see the beginning of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t be able to find me. You will hear reports from some who will say, ‘Look, he has returned,’ ‘He’s over here,’ or, ‘He’s over there!’ Don’t believe it or run after them, for their claims will be false. The day of the Son of Man will burst forth with the brightness of a lightning strike that shines from one end of the sky to the other, illuminating the earth. “But before this takes place, the Son of Man must pass through great suffering and rejection from this generation. The same things that happened in the days of Noah will take place in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were given in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark and the devastating flood came and swept them all away. “The days of the Son of Man can also be compared to the days of Lot. The people of that time lived their lives as normal. They got married, raised families, built homes and businesses, yet they were totally unaware of what was coming until the day Lot departed from Sodom. The sky opened up and rained fire and burning sulfur upon them, destroying everyone and everything they had built. So it will be on the day of the unveiling of the Son of Man. “On that day, if one is outside, he won’t even have time to go back into the house to gather his belongings. And those toiling in their fields won’t have time to run back home. Don’t forget the example of Lot’s wife and what happened to her when she turned back. All who are obsessed with being secure in life will lose it all—including their lives. But those who let go of their lives and surrender them to me will discover true life. For in that night there will be two lying in their bed; one will be suddenly swept away while the other will be left alive. There will be two women working together at household duties; one will be suddenly swept away while the other will be left alive.”