Now and Then:

Luke 17:22-25 “...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. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 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. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation...”

How long was Jesus, the Son of Man, on the planet?

• Two methods have been used to estimate the year of birth of Jesus, one based on the accounts of his birth in the gospels, the other by working backwards from his stated age when he began preaching: most scholars, on this basis, assume a date of birth between 6 and 4 BC.
• Three details have been used to estimate the year when Jesus began preaching: a mention of his age during a specific year in the reign of Tiberius Caesar, another relating to the date of the building of the Jerusalem Temple, and the death of John the Baptist. Scholars generally estimate that Jesus began preaching, and gathering followers, around 27-29 AD and continued for at least one year, and perhaps as many as three.
• Two main approaches have been used to estimate the date of the crucifixion of Jesus. One uses non-Christian sources such as Josephus and Tacitus. Another works backwards from the historically well established trial of Apostle Paul in Achaea to estimate the date of his conversion. Scholars generally agree that Jesus was crucified between 30-36 AD.
• It would be reasonably accurate to say that Jesus started preaching at 30, and was crucified at 33.

NOW: What did Jesus say about His current situation?

• The days were coming when He would no longer be seen.
• He was going to suffer many things and be rejected.

THEN: What did Jesus say was the coming situation?

• There would be false reports of His presence.
• His coming day would be like the great illumination of lightning in the sky.

Luke 17:26-30 “...Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 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. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot - they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed...”

How were the Noah and Lot situations similar?

• People were not living in harmony with the intentions of God.
• People assumed things would continue in a uniform way.
• Destruction came suddenly, and there was no escaping the judgment.

How will the day of the Son of Man’s return be similar to the Noah and Lot situations?

• People will not be living in harmony with the intentions of God.
• People will assume things will continue in a uniform way.
• Destruction will come suddenly, and there will be no escaping the judgment.

Luke 17:31-35 “...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. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left...”

What advice did Jesus give for the day of the Lord?

• Don’t attempt to salvage anything of the current existence.
• Turning back has negative consequences - loss of life.
• The current existence can’t be preserved.

Do all have the same future?

• Who is taken? The one who is willing to lose his life.
• Who is left? The one who seeks to preserve his current life.

Matthew 24:28 “...Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather...”

Luke 17:37 “...And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather...”

How would you explain this passage?

• Wherever there is a carcass (physical corruption), vultures will go there to eat it.
• Where there is spiritual corruption judgment will follow.

We will discuss Matthew 24 more extensively in the future.