Shalom,
We have been redeemed by the glorious and precious blood of Jesus, therefore we ought to obey His word and take Him as our model. Also, let us set out minds and thoughts to be in accordance with His will.
Are we really ready for the coming of the Son of Man? How do we respond if the Lord comes to take us into Heaven? Are we sure that we will enter Heaven with Him? What will happen to those who refuse to worship Him?
Honestly, being truly ready to welcome Him is often easier said than done. However, in order to get ourselves ready for the Lord’s second coming, we must make efforts purposefully, not arbitrarily. For example: When a family member tells us they are going to stay at our house, how do we react? Do you feel irritated and bothered as you will have to clean the house for them? Or do you happily prepare everything to welcome them knowing that you can soon satisfy your desire to meet them? How do we react in welcoming the Son of Man, are we really ready or instead confused and frightened?
How do we know when the Kingdom of God will come and how to welcome the Son of Man according to the Gospel of 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..."
What does Jesus mean that the Kingdom of God will come without outward signs? He wants to explain that the Kingdom of God cannot be seen with naked eyes but by faith, so we can feel it because it resides in our hearts. This kingdom of God is exceedingly greater than any kingdoms of the world that have limits.
When the Kingdom of God is coming, the Son of Man (Jesus) must also come because it is impossible for His Kingdom to exist without the presence of its King. In other words, we cannot separate the Kingdom of God from the Son of Man. That's why Jesus has warned us not to believe easily, let alone spread the hoax claiming to see the Son of Man here or there (Luke 17:21-24). Many false prophets will come to mislead (Matthew 24:11) the believers, and false teachers will spread destructive false teaching (2 Peter 2:1).
What are the characteristics of the Son of Man whom we will welcome? He had suffered and sacrificed His life to die on the cross. The Israelites were disappointed and their hope dashed when Jesus whom they expected to be the King who would free them from colonialism ended up dying on the cross. They did not understand that the Kingdom of God is not the same as the kingdoms of the world. That is why Jesus asserted that His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36) and that He is from above while they were from below (John 8:23). If we are going to receive the Son of man, we must be willing to accept the order of His Kingdom.
If the Kingdom of God and the Son of Man are not visible, then how can we wait for Him? The Apostle Peter said that in the last days there will be ridiculers who will question the promise of His coming (2 Peter 3:4).
Notice, our journey of following Jesus is demonstrated by faith (Hebrews 11:1-3). That is why Jesus teaches us to pray “Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9).
Illustration: The country of Indonesia which has a large area consisting of 17,000 islands is under the administration of one president who rules from the presidential palace located in Jakarta. When the president visits certain regions, he does not need to bring the presidential palace along because the stipulated law still applies all over Indonesia and must be obeyed by every citizen no matter whether the president is in his office or not.
Likewise, although we do not see the physical Kingdom of God, we believe and have faith that it exists; thus, we are obliged to live in accordance with the rules of His Kingdom which includes to eat in moderation and to forgive. The system of God's kingdom is not superfluous in terms of clothing, food and shelter. Therefore, Jesus did not succumb to Satan's temptation to give the kingdom of the world in all its glory (Luke 4:5-8).
The Kingdom of God—the New Jerusalem is simply described in Revelation 21-22. There is a river of living water flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Also on either side of the river is the tree of life, which bears twelve fruits and its leaves are used to heal the nations.
Are we still willing to welcome the Kingdom of God and the Son of Man? It turns out that the Kingdom of God is full of justice and righteousness. What should we pay attention to in preparing ourselves for His coming?
1. Marriage → The Table of Showbread
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:26-27).
For 120 years God waited for people who had become increasingly evil to repent but the fact was only Noah and his family were saved. Noah had lived righteously and become an example for his children. Noah's family was not reckless in their married life, unlike other people who did not take marriage seriously and of course saddened God immensely (Genesis 6:1-2,6). Noah and his wife had a happy marriage and this is also an example for their children. As a result, Noah's family (four married couples) as well as pairs (male-female) of all animals entered the ark to be saved from the punishment of flood. All of these couples were kept alive (Genesis 6:18-19).
Introspection: What about our marriage? Is it in accordance with the pattern of God's Kingdom or are we still busy with eating and drinking, getting married and divorce, or living promiscuously? God will bless our marriage as long as we live righteously and do not gratify our lusts. Do not let our children live carelessly but remind them to live in holiness because all our actions always have consequences. Example: Ananias and Sapphira had lied to God and tempted the Spirit of the Lord, resulted in their death (Acts 5:4,10).
Why did Jesus mention Noah? Prior to his execution, the Apostle Peter rewrote the story of Noah and also of the false prophets and false teachers who blasphemed the Way of Truth and distorted the Word (2 Peter 2:1-5). It is because what happened in Noah’s time was repeated. Man’s heart was no longer afraid of God. Parents did not take their marriage seriously. Note that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:8); therefore educate our children to fear God as early as possible.
2. Clothing-food-shelter → The Gold Lampstand
"Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they
planted, they built;... Remember Lot’s wife." (Luke 17:28-32).
Homosexuality and lesbianism were very prevalent in Lot's time. Before God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire, two angels told Lot and his family and two sons-in-law to get out of the accursed city but his sons-in-law refused. Indeed Lot's family was not involved in sexual perversion, but it is a shame that Lot's wife who had managed to get out, turned her back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:12-15,26).
It turns out that what happened to Lot’s wife was not caused by her marriage, but by things related to buying and selling (worldly business) and building.
Today people are working hard to meet their insatiable need for excessive food and clothing. They keep on building and even make sophisticated nuclear weapons for fame and power. Therefore, fire condemnation will happen again to consume the heavens and the earth (2 Peter 3:10).
Application: Let us be careful not to get carried away and drown in all worldly luxuries and uncontrollable desires. Instead of conforming to the world’s pattern, may we become a "lamp" to illuminate the darkness of the world.
3. The RAPTURE→ The Altar of Incense
“Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it." (Luke 17:33).
Jesus said that whoever loses his life for Him will find it, for what good is it for a person to gain the whole world and lose his life? (Matthew 16:24-26). Was not Jesus Himself willing to lose His life by giving Himself to die on the cross? For that, He was exalted by His Father to be Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36)?
We can see that life is closely related to the world. If we act carelessly, we will be trapped by the world with all its luxuries and our lives will perish.
As we have been redeemed and saved by Him, then what is the purpose of our lives? Christ died for us so that we might live not for ourselves but for Him (2 Corinthians 5:15). Jesus once rebuked Peter for having worldly thoughts (Matthew 16:23). Indeed we cannot escape from the world because we still need food and drink but God helps us not to be greedy because the world will continue to tempt us to get a lot of money. Who doesn't need money? But is it worth it to sell our lives and give it to the devil? Don't be left behind because God wants to take care of us!
One day there will be a rapture of which one of the two people who are in one bed or grinding in the field, will be taken and the other one will be left behind (vv. 33-35). This will occur when the trumpet sounds. God will descend from Heaven and those who died in Christ will rise first. After that we who are alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). But note, not all who are still alive will be lifted because some will be left behind. Therefore we must carefully make every effort to live in godliness and holiness (2 Peter 3:11).
How are we prepared to welcome the Son of Man? Let us live in holiness (holy marriage) and do not sacrifice our marriage for things that displease God. Live moderately based on what we have and do not satisfy the greed for money by sacrificing our own salvation. Also, do not let ourselves be ensnared by the temptations of the world that is heading for destruction. Rather, we long to fellowship with Him while waiting for Him to come to pick us up to stay with Him in His Kingdom forever. Amen.