"Live in Anticipation for His Second Coming"(Luke 17:20-36)

Live in Anticipation for His Second Coming 

Luke 17:20-36

In Luke 17:20-36, Jesus is asked when the Kingdom will come, and Jesus tells the Pharisees that the kingdom is not something you can predict from normal ways. Later Jesus tells His disciples that that is kingdom is already here but to be careful not to fall away. We too are to prepare for the day of Kingdom of God coming, although we do not know when it will happen. Yet, many of us are foolish and do not prepare for the coming.

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.  Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 

Luke 17:23‭-‬26 ESV 

Jesus warns us that false teachings will increase and this will confuse people, especially with those who are not grounded in the word.  Jesus told us that there will be many speeches and declarations on the second coming.  The harsh reality is there are pastors who give false teachings. And still other believers will fall away from the faith because of ostracism and persecution. 

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.  And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 

Matthew 24:9‭-‬13 ESV 

The rejection and pain endured by believers will increase, so we need to be resolute in remaining faithful for Jesus. And not just stand against those who would persecute and marginalize us but also against the temptations of this world which tries to seduce the sons and daughters of God. We have seen this before in the Old testament.

  

the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 

Genesis 6:2 ESV 

This is a metaphor for people turning away from God's instructions to the patterns of the world. Today there is a lot of compromises in today's church and we are not faithful. 

We need to remain faithful. In  the last days we will be ostracized for not compromising. For us who have the Lord, we need to be vigilant. How do we do this?

Here are some ways to stay prepared for His coming from Genesis. 

1. 1. Walk with God and be blameless. In Noah's time,  life was normal. Despite the fact evil grew,  Noah was blameless and walked with God. Those who walk with the Lord do not become corrupted by the world.  Much the same with Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah. The people lived without the fear of the Lord, but Lot was rescued with his family. They did not deserve the salvation  but his wife looked back. She desired the old life even though it would be destroyed and as such, she too was destroyed. Another metaphor to warn us against cheap salvation. He has called us to walk with him. Jesus gives us the strength, but we make the decisions. 

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3. 2. Don't give up and do Godly acts. Abraham welcomes the angels and entertains the angels who are going to destroy 

The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." 

Genesis 18:17‭-‬19 ESV 

We know Lot was saved because of Abraham walking with God. Abraham welcomed the angels into his home and did good things. The good deeds we do for God will be remembered. God will extend his good will to us and to our family. How we relate to the father will determine if we are a curse or a blessing to others. 

3. 3. We need to pray and not be quiet on matters that are evil. Even Lot warns the people of Sodom and Gomorrah against the evil the people. Although we may be blameless, we need to speak against the evil. We need to instruct our children about the fear of God.