A Year in Luke/ActsSample

The final section is often very misunderstood, but the message is quite clear when set within Luke’s broader framework.

Some Pharisees come and ask Jesus about when the kingdom of God was coming. Note: this is about God’s kingdom coming, not about people being taken or raptured. If we approach the passage within this lens, we will miss the point Jesus is making. In this passage it is not a positive thing to be taken away, but actually the opposite.

Tom Wright takes the last verse about the eagles gathering where the corpse is and says:

“The word that means 'vultures' is the same word as 'eagles' (ancient writers thought vultures were a kind of eagle), and there may be a cryptic reference here to the Roman legions, with the eagles as their imperial badge.

This makes sense of the warnings. When the legions arrive, the best thing to do is to get out and run; don't even think about collecting belongings. Normal life will be going on one moment, the next there will be a panic, and the wisest advice is to not think about the necessities of life itself until you're well out of the way. People who are found either asleep or working indoors at a mill, and thus taken unawares, will find that the invaders will snatch one here and one there. And there won't be any doubt that it's happening. It won't be a 'spiritual' event that would need special discernment. It will be like lightning, suddenly lighting up a dark sky.” (p209, Luke for Everyone)