When Will The Lord Return?

Luke 17:20-37

“The Lord will return before 1960.”

I was just child when I heard an “evangelist” make that claim. His description of the events to come was terrifying, even though I had already been saved. In the intervening years, there have been hundreds of attempts to set the date for the Lord’s return. As a result, some Christians have decided it is nothing to be concerned about and may not even happen, while others, less jaded with the recurring claims are desperately seeking another date. It’s not a new situation.

For centuries, the Jews had looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. Much of their teaching, while purporting to be scriptural, was designed to feed cravings for sensationalism or knowing something others didn’t know, resulting in distortion of the scriptures. What they had come to expect over the years was far different from what actually happened when Jesus came.

The Jews were looking for the Messiah to come as their fairytale white knight in shining armor, wiping out their enemies and rescuing them. As a result, they ignored what God said they needed to do in their own day, looking forward to the day he came. Many approach the prophecies in Revelation the same way, glossing over God’s warnings and instructions to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 to get into the part where the Lord comes back to destroy our enemies. As a result, the majority of the Jews were completely unprepared when Jesus came as we saw in the first few chapters of Luke. That is what the Pharisees were still looking for when they consulted Jesus.

“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)

As Jesus points out, the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, rather than a physical kingdom. When Pilate asked Jesus whether he were a king or not, Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence,” in John 18:36. It will not be seen with physical eyes, and people will not be able to tell you where it is, because it is in our hearts. Some today refer to it as the Christian life. What the Jews were looking for will not happen until after the tribulation described in Revelation, as Jesus then explains to his disciples.

“And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.” (Luke 17:22-25)

Jesus had already warned his disciples a few times that he would be killed, although they didn’t understand or accept what he had told them. He warns them again of his death, and the nations of Israel’s rejection of him. There will be times when people desperately want the Lord to return, but he won’t. They must not allow themselves to get caught up in these false teachings and running after the teachers. When the Lord comes back, it will be apparent to everyone just like lightening is. There won’t be any special signs. Mark 8:12 is pretty clear. “And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.” The old song that says “signs of the times are everywhere” is exciting, but unscriptural.

“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” (Luke 17:26-30)

Only those who obeyed God’s instructions were delivered when God sent the flood in Noah’s day, even though Noah had warned others that it was to come. There was no small preliminary rain as a warning. If they refused to heed Noah’s preaching, they perished. Most people just went on, convinced that there was nothing to worry about until the flood came and killed them. Lot tried to warn his own daughters and their husbands, but they refused to believe him and died in Sodom. Their first intimation of danger was when the fire and brimstone began to fall. Until then they were busy with their own life. Preoccupation with our worldly life will have the same result on people when the Lord returns.

“In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” (Luke 17:31-33)

We are warned that if a fire starts in a home, we should not waste time trying to save our things. There are no things worth losing your life for. Lot’s wife made that mistake, not being willing to give up what she had. People who make the mistake of putting the worlds things above obeying God will lose everything just as she did. It will be a very selective process. Those who are prepared will go, and those who are not will be left.

“I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Luke 17:34-36)

The disciples wanted to know where they’d be going. Just as a flock of eagles go to where a dead body is to eat, his chosen people will go to where he is.

“And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.” (Luke 17:37)

I Thessalonians 4:16-17 tells us, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”