Sermon Central
-
Bible Prophecy For Dummies Series
Contributed by David Dykes on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: Jesus’ prophetic teachings in Luke 17 are broken down into events that will occur on the Day of the Lord, explanations of God’s present and future Kingdom, the state of world conditions, the ensuing judgment and final warnings from the Savior.
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘there it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within (among) you.” Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife!
Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left. (Two men will be working in the field; one will be taken and the other left).”
“Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
As I attempt to simplify this information, let’s notice five teaching points about the future. So, even if you aren’t a dummy, listen anyway, trust me, there will be a test.
1. GOD’S KINGDOM IS BOTH PRESENT AND FUTURE
The Pharisees assumed the kingdom of God would be constituted by a military king. They expected the Messiah to come and reestablish the kingdom David and Solomon enjoyed a thousand years earlier. But in verse 21 Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” The word translated “within” can also be translated “among.” There is a sense in which God’s Kingdom is established in the hearts of those who follow Christ, but I believe Jesus was telling them the Kingdom of God was “in their midst.” As He spoke those words to the Pharisees, they didn’t recognize the King was standing right in front of them!
Here’s a simple way to understand the Kingdom of God, for us Dummies. When you think “Kingdom of God” think of a King. The only thing you need to have a kingdom is a king. When you have crowned Jesus as King, and submitted to His rule over you, you are in the Kingdom. My life verse says: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) Jesus didn’t say, “Seek the kingdom and ITS righteousness.” He said, “Seek the Kingdom and HIS righteousness.” The kingdom of God is all about King Jesus. Paul writes in Romans 14:17 that the kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
