The Coming of the Kingdom (Luke 17:20-37)
What this passage is about
The discussion in Luke 17:20-37 centers entirely on the structural coming of the kingdom of God. In this pivotal discourse, Jesus responds directly to a highly confrontational question from the Pharisees regarding when the kingdom will arrive, then instantly turns to His disciples to deliver a sobering warning about the exact nature of His return. By doing so, He systematically shatters popular expectations of a highly visible, localized political takeover and warns of the terrifying suddenness and ultimate finality of His second coming.
Verse by Verse Breakdown of Luke 17:20-37 and Commentary
Luke 17:20-21: The Kingdom Is Among You
“Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of god was coming, and he answered, 'The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, "Look, here it is!" or "There it is!" For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.'”
The Pharisees operated under a deeply rooted assumption: they believed the kingdom of God would arrive as a loud, macro-political, militaristic spectacle—most likely an engine of war designed to overthrow Roman rule and restore national sovereignty. Jesus completely dismantles this framework.
The phrase "not coming with things that can be observed" uses the Greek word parateresis, implying hostile, micro-detailed scrutiny. You cannot track the Kingdom like a passing army or a solar eclipse. Instead, the phrase "among you" (often translated from entos hymon as "within you") is the true pivot point. Because Jesus was addressing the unbelieving Pharisees, He didn't mean it was secretly hidden inside their hearts; He meant that He, the King, was standing directly in their midst. Through His immediate miracles and teaching, the dynamic reign of God had already broken into historical reality.
Theologians like Dallas Willard and N.T. Wright heavily emphasize this exact paradox. The kingdom of God isn't a far-off, elusive domain; it is the range of God's effective will taking root in real-time. The Pharisees missed the dawn of the Kingdom because they were completely fixated on geopolitical signs, ignoring the Messiah standing inches from their faces.
Luke 17:22-25: The Day of the Son of Man
“Then he said to the disciples, 'The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, "Look there!" or "Look here!" Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. 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 endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation.'”
Turning away from the Pharisees, Jesus issues a warning and a source of profound comfort to His true followers. He explicitly predicts an era where the disciples will experience deep distress, persecution, and isolation—longing desperately for just one of the days when they could physically sit with the Son of Man.
During these coming seasons of profound spiritual testing, false teachers and speculative prophets will inevitably arise, shouting, "Look there!" or "Look here!" to deceive people into thinking the Messiah has returned in secret. Jesus commands: Do not run after them. His ultimate return will never be a hidden, localized event or a secret initiation. It will mimic a sky-tearing bolt of lightning—instantaneous, blindingly brilliant, globally visible, and entirely undeniable from one horizon to the other. Yet, Jesus places a foundational theological roadblock before this glorious display: “But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation.” True cosmic glory cannot bypass the historical necessity of the cross.
Modern readers often view the phrase "one taken, the other left" through the lens of modern pop-theology fiction. However, in the first-century mind, being "taken" during a catastrophic event was never a rescue—it was an absolute death sentence under divine judgment.
Theological Breakdown: Who is Taken vs. Who is Left?
| Historical Event | The Fate of Those "Taken" | The Status of Those "Left" |
|---|---|---|
|
The Days of Noah (Luke 17:26-27) |
Swept Away by Judgment. The oblivious public was violently "taken" by the catastrophic floodwaters and entirely destroyed. | Preserved on Earth. Noah and his immediate family were safely "left behind" to rebuild and inherit the cleansed world. |
|
The Days of Lot (Luke 17:28-29) |
Consumed by Fire. The inhabitants of Sodom carrying out business as usual were "taken" by fire and sulfur from heaven. | Spared to Survive. Those who physically exited the city walls (Lot and his daughters) were "left" alive on solid ground. |
|
The Sudden Separation (Luke 17:34-37) |
Removed for Devastation. Swept up into catastrophic local historic judgments (such as the brutal Roman sack of Jerusalem in A.D. 70). | The Remnant Spared. The ones remaining on the field or at the grindstone who survive the direct impact of the localized devastation. |
Luke 17:26-30: The Parallel of Normalcy
“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them—it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”
To fully unpack what Jesus teaches about the coming of the kingdom of God, we must look at the exact historical examples He references: Noah and Lot.
Notice that Jesus does not list out extraordinary, grotesque sins as the primary trigger for sudden destruction. Instead, He highlights a jarring theme of everyday normalcy: eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, and building. The tragedy wasn't the activities themselves, but the total spiritual blindness and deep psychological complacency of the culture. Society went about its regular earthly business, completely numb to the reality of an approaching cosmic reset, until the absolute second judgment fell.
Luke 17:31-33: Remember Lot’s Wife
“On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it.”
Jesus warns against a divided heart and a subtle, lingering attachment to material possessions when the hour of crisis arrives. He highlights a terrifying historical case study: Lot's wife.
When fleeing the sudden destruction of Sodom, she couldn't resist looking back at the comfort and security of her old life, turning instantly into a stark monument of salt. When the final hour hits, there will be zero time for hesitation, second thoughts, or trying to pack up valuables. If you spend your days desperately trying to secure your earthly life and material assets, you will lose the only thing that truly matters. True eternal life is only preserved by an ongoing, total surrender to Christ.
Interpreting Luke 17:34-37: Who is Taken, and Who is Left?
“I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.' Then they asked him, 'Where, Lord?' He said to them, 'Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.'”
This specific paragraph has sparked an immense amount of modern speculation regarding a secret rapture scenario, but a rigorous analysis of the text points in a vastly different direction:
A Sudden and Final Division: Jesus shows pairs of people working side-by-side in completely mundane environments (sleeping in a bed, grinding grain), yet an instantaneous separation occurs. In the strict immediate context of Noah and Lot, those who were "taken" were not the righteous flying away to safety; they were the wicked who were swept away by direct devastation.
Judgment, Not an Escape: Scholars like Craig Keener and N.T. Wright point out that this is fundamentally a blueprint of devastating judgment. The disciples explicitly ask Jesus a telling follow-up question: "Where, Lord?"They do not ask where the survivors are left; they want to know where the "taken" ones have gone.
The Meaning of the Vultures: Jesus answers them with a grim, unmistakable apocalyptic proverb: “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” In ancient Jewish scripture, scavenging birds circling a dead body were a primary sign of definitive divine wrath. Furthermore, it serves as a historic foreshadowing of the Roman military standard—the eagle—which would sweep through Jerusalem in A.D. 70, bringing a literal landscape of death where spiritual compromise had corrupted the nation.
Meaning for the Modern Christian Today
Ultimately, Luke 17:20-37 is not designed to satisfy sensationalist curiosity or build complex end-times timelines. It is an urgent, pastoral call to modern spiritual readiness, discernment, and daily vigilance.
The Kingdom of God has already broken into our world through the Lord Jesus Christ, but its final, global culmination will be sudden and total. Our challenge today is to live completely unentangled by the quiet distractions of career, security, and everyday routines. Do not look back at a dying world. Live each day with a vibrant, unshakeable eternal perspective—because when the lightning strikes, the opportunity to shift priorities will have passed forever.
