DAYS OF NOAH

 DAYS OF NOAH Description of Daily Life: Eating, drinking, marrying, given in marriage- normal activities Noah preaches in the time period prior to judgment (2 Pet 2:5) Description of Rescue: Noah and family commanded to enter ark- They escape and are rescued from judgment Description of Direct Judgment: Judgment began only after Noah went into ark, but came quickly and interrupted daily normal life. Windows of heaven opened. Rain began on a certain day and lasted forty days. DAYS OF LOT Description of Daily Life: Eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building- normal activities Lot vexed in the time period (“day to day”) prior to judgment (2 Peter 2:6-8) Description of Rescue: Lot and family commanded to leave Sodom- They escape and are rescued from judgment (except Lot’s wife who was left behind). Description of Direct Judgment: Judgment began only after Lot fled the city, but came quickly and interrupted daily normal life. Fire from heaven came on a certain day. DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN Description of Daily Life: The pattern shows us that before the judgment comes, people will be living normally. Two types of people will be living side by side under these normal conditions. The pattern shows one group of people will be preaching and also vexed prior to the judgment arriving. Description of Rescue: The pattern shows us that there should also be a group to be rescued and escape coming judgment. Rapture generation commanded “to be ready at all times”- They will escape and be rescued from the coming judgment. Description of Direct Judgment: The pattern shows us that the judgment will begin only after believers are rescued, but will come quickly and interrupt daily normal life. The heavenly judgment begins on a specific day and will last 7 years, based on other passages. This comparison shows that there is a clear plurality in the pattern, parallelism, and consistency in understanding Jesus’s description of the days of the Son of Man. Thedays of the coming of the Son of Man include the description of people experiencing normal life, the rescue of a specific group, the quick beginning of direct judgment by God from heaven, which interrupts daily normal life and then brings destruction to themany left behind. Jesus continues His mini-sermon about the days of the Son of Man. It is possible to outline this sermon as follows: The Pattern concerning the days of the Son of Man (17:26-30),The Perspective concerning the days of the Son of Man (17:31-33), and The Payoff concerning the days of the Son of Man (17:34-37). We have seen the pattern, but Jesus goes on to explain that those who seek to be rescued need to have the proper perspective (or attitude). Jesus gives an illustration inverse 31 about the need to be single-minded in regard to kingdom readiness. I always take the Bible literally and straightforward unless the context shows me otherwise. Some people could argue that Jesus is being very literal in this situation by giving instructionsconcerning if you are on a housetop or in a field in a future end-time scenario (it is literal advice in Matthew 24:16-20 based on context there). However, the next two verses explain the illustration in that it is not necessarily an exact instruction fora future perilous situation. Jesus tells us to “remember Lot’s wife” (17:32) and then goes on to say, “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it” (17:33).This phrase has already occurred in Luke 9:24 in the context of being a true committed disciple. Our attitude at all times should be so single-minded that we will not be double-minded like Lot’s wife. She actually was led outside of Sodom by the angels withthe rest of her family, but she lingered behind as Lot and the two daughters continued on without her to the city of Zoar (Genesis 19:16, 26). She sought to preserve her own life and lost it. We need to have the proper perspective so that when the days of the Son of Man come, we will follow the pattern and be one of those who are rescued. If we have this perspective,we will always be ready and avoid being caught by surprise when the Son of Man does indeed come at an hour we do not expect. The conclusion to Jesus’s mini-sermon involves the payoff which will happen in the days of the Son of Man. Jesus discusses two types of people in 17:34-35: the one who istaken and the other who is left. Both words are used in a passive sense. Jesus says, “I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” This language appears also in the OD of Matthew 24:40-41. The question is commonly asked, “Is the taken one saved, or is the one left behind saved?” Jesus just encouraged us to remember Lot’s wife (17:30). With that imagery inmind, the answer becomes obvious when comparing Lot and his wife. Clearly, Lot was taken to refuge (salvation), and his wife was left to judgment. This is the classic left-behind scenario and also applies to Noah and his family. Noah was taken in the ark (insalvation) and the others left to the judgment of the flood. Darrel Bock, in his massive commentary on Luke, notes that this understanding of “taken” and “left” is consistent with Luke’s use of the Greek words elsewhere. In Luke 13:35,the leadership of Israel was “left” for judgment because they rejected Jesus (Luke 13:35; cf. Matt 23:38). Also, other disciples who were “taken along” denotes a close relationship or association in a positive sense (Luke 9:10, 28; 18:31). This is not theonly way to interpret these words for sure, but in the context of this passage and the gospel of Luke itself, it makes good sense. Jesus finishes the payoff section by answering a question by the disciples. “And they said to him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultureswill gather'” (Luke 17:37). This phrase also appears in the Matthew OD (Matt 24:27-28). There, the context is referring to the end of the tribulation as Jesus is returning in great glory. Here in Luke, it is in reference to the judgment of 7-year tribulationperiod, which certainly will involve much death. Jesus tells the disciples through His illustrations that the group which is “left” to die in judgment (like Lot’s wife) will be where the birds gather to feast. Context is very important, and when people dieand are left on the ground, we are very aware that vultures or other birds gather around to eat the carrion. Let’s summarize this part of the article. We are ultimately considering whether the rapture is in the OD and also Jesus’ comment, “Therefore you also must be ready, forthe Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44). We learned from the patterns in Luke that the days of the coming of the Son of Man involve the whole scope of the rescue (rapture) of believers before the beginning of the 7-year tribulationjudgment, the entire tribulation itself, and the 2nd coming of Jesus in great, obvious glory (like lightning across the sky). It is interesting that the book of Revelation begins with the words, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soontake place” (1:1). As most are aware, the word revelation comes from the Greek noun apokalupsis. We get the English “apocalypse” from this word, and it generally means to unveil, to make known, or to reveal. The book of Revelation is the revealing of JesusChrist in His full glory. Something to ponder before we go on to the next part of this article. Most futurists believe that the 7-year tribulation occurs between Revelation 6-18 with the openingup of the seals of the scroll, which leads to the trumpets and the bowl judgments. Jesus is the only one worthy to open the scroll (Rev 5:1-5). This process of opening the fullness of the scroll takes 7 years and is part of the revealing of Jesus. This verb form of this same Greek word appears in the passage we discussed above in the patterns of Noah and Lot (Luke 17:30). “It will be the same on the day the Son ofMan is revealed.” This matches well with the process as seen in the book of Revelation, which takes 7 years. The “day of the Son of Man” being revealed involves the rescue, the 7-year tribulation judgment, and His return to earth in Great glory (Rev 19:11-16).This is quite consistent in understanding that the days of the Son of Man involve a period of time lasting at least 7 years. In part 2 of this article, I want to explore what Jesus means by “coming at an hour you do not expect.” VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM