Jesus is Essential
Luke 17:20–25: Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Then 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. And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
One of the greatest delusions of our time is that man is going to improve himself and his world; that he is going to build the Kingdom of God without God. He expects to bring in the Millennium without Christ. In this important section before us, our Lord warns His disciples not to be deceived concerning His return. Now the return of Christ is in two phases.
The first phase is what we call the “Rapture of the church” which is the taking away of true believers. But in this passage He is talking about the second phase of His return, which is returning to the earth to establish His Kingdom. This will take place after the Rapture and after the Great Tribulation. 1
Walking with Jesus
The best way to deal with worldly discouragement is to live with godly expectations.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
As certain as He came the first time, most certainly He is returning soon.
Praying
Lord, thank You for the hope of heaven, and for the hope of Your coming Kingdom.
1. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Luke) (electronic ed., Vol. 37). Nashville.
