Scripture
Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:30
Observation
Jesus patiently explains to His disciples what it will be like when He returns to earth from Heaven after His crucifixion and resurrection. He starts with the Biblical and historical examples of Noah and Lot. “Business as usual” did not mean business as righteous and moral. He chose those examples to describe a time when what what was previously abhorrent would be completely accepted. When we see conditions akin to these we will know Jesus is soon to return. See if this sounds familiar to you. “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:5,13). The earth filled with violence was “business as usual” for everyone except for Noah and his family. What set Noah apart from everyone else was that he daily “walked with God” (Gen. 6:9) and was a “preacher of righteousness. (2 Pet. 2:5).” He was not usual. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Especially when he started building a boat in a land that had no bodies of water and had never seen rain. Jesus is making it clear that His coming will be like a flood no one saw coming in a day when violence is the rule of the day. What was it like in the day of Lot? See if this sounds familiar. “So God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” (Gen. 6:12) This is speaking of sexual corruption which we then see played out in the description of Sodom and Gommorah. “And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.” (Jude 1:7). Business as usual in Sodom was homosexuality, gang rape, and hedonism (Gen. 19:4-5). Jesus points out that His coming will be like the fire and brimstone poured out that only Lot and his family avoided. That is... most of his family. The lesson of Lot’s wife was that materialism had become business as usual even when she was warned to flee the coming judgement and not look back. “31On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. 32Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.” (Luke 17:31-33)
Application
The conditions of Christ’s return according to Jesus himself: Violence is Common Place, Sexual Perversion is Normalized, Materialism and Hedonism are Celebrated. Does anyone wonder if these present days are the ones Jesus was describing? “What was universally condemned is now celebrated. What was universally celebrated is now condemned. Those who refuse to celebrate are condemned.” (Theo Hobson). Like Noah and Lot we have been called to be unusually pure in a land of perversion, peaceful in a land of violence, generous in a land of self-centeredness, and holy in a land of hedonism. If we aren’t letting Jesus interrupt our “business as usual” now then His coming will be an interruption we aren’t ready for. The word translated “revealed” is apokalyptetai—from which we get our modern word apocalypse, but the ancient Greek word has the idea of revealing or unveiling. (Guzik). If we want to be ready for the apocalypse we need to see how Jesus is revealing Himself now where we wake, work, and worship. We can’t mail this in. Everywhere we show up Jesus wants to show Himself. We are to be a people who are not only looking for the day of His second coming, but looking for the way He’s moving every single day. The urgency of all of this for me is the particular timing of today’s reading. I had just finished preaching three services at New Hope Las Vegas this past Sunday when Pastor Ken Miyoshi and his family took me out for sushi. They were thanking me for my message on being ready for Christ’s return and their older son Lucas, an amazing worship leader, shared a dream he’d had recently. It was of Christ’s return looking like a flash of light in the sky “For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. (Lk. 17:24). The people of the earth all looked up and knew it was Jesus. Those that didn’t know Him as Savior looked up in horror. Those that did know Jesus as Savior looked up with expectant joy. Whether they had relationship or not though, everyone recognized it was Jesus coming back for His people. No doubt, they had all woken up that day like any other day, going about business as usual as Jesus describes, and most were caught unaware by this flood, by this fire, by this Savior.
Scripture
Jesus, You are coming quickly. I know there have been eras in the past, such as under Rome or during the Dark Ages, that could fit the description of the days of Noah and Lot. I know that You have delayed Your return so that many would have an opportunity to choose You. I know I have been distracted and lulled to sleep, but I hear Your wake up call. I sense the urgency of Your words as if You are jumping right out of the pages of Scripture to grab my attention. Serving You is never supposed to usual, normal, or comfortable. I pray that You would use me in the time that remains to let as many people know about Your love and Your return before You arrive to take us home.
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