Talk

Kingdom Come

Ben Stuart

November 13, 2022

The amount of time left on the clock should affect how you play the game.

As we read through the New Testament, we can see that numerous verses talk about “the end.” If history is all part of one big story, what do the scriptures say about the end? Ben Stuart examines what Jesus says about the topic in the Gospel of Luke, and explores the implications it has for our lives.

Key Takeaway

It's time to get ready. The Kingdom has been inaugurated and we are living in the days of grace where Jesus is calling all to Himself, but the Kingdom has yet to be consummated. He is patient and slow in his coming because He doesn't desire anyone to perish, but when He comes it will be sudden. Be ready and stay ready.

The Bible is full of passages discussing or referencing eschatology, the study of end times. Some speak of it as desire and some refer to it in dread.

It all depends on how you view Jesus.

Luke 17:20-21

The Kingdom is here because the King is here. Jesus never hides who He is or what is happening. Our deepest-held beliefs come from Jesus. He ushered it all in. In Luke 12:56, he rebukes the Pharisees for not recognizing the time they are living in. They are missing Jesus right in front of their face.

Luke 17:22-23

Jesus told His disciples "Behold the day is coming and you will desire the Son of Man." The Son of Man is Jesus's favorite name for himself. There is some mystery to it. In some passages, it means that you were simply a son of a man, but in others, the Son of Man has God's power. He presented Himself before the Ancient of Days, rode in on the clouds, and nations bowed down, but He looked like a man.

Jesus quoted Daniel 7:13-14 to the authorities which firmly state that He is the Son of Man and therefore God. This is said in the language of desire, a longing for Him.

The Kingdom has started, but its coming is slow.

Luke 17:24

Don't look in other places. He will return and when He does there is no question who He is.

Luke 17:25

Before His Kingdom comes, Jesus must suffer. See Luke 9:22, 44, and 18:32. But the disciples are confused because they were expecting a mighty conquering and Jesus constantly talks about how the Kingdom is here and is coming. See Luke 10:9, 19:11.

So is the Kingdom here now or it is coming? Jesus answer is "yes." It has been inaugurated, but it hasn't been consummated.

Jesus is justice and the Justifier, but He also gives mercy.

This is why he had to come twice. The first time, He came as the Lamb of God, the suffering servant to take sin away, because He judges evil. But He will save everyone who trusts in Him. We are living in the days of grace.

Luke 17:26-29

The Ark was a gift of grace to save. Jesus picks two distinct Old Testament passages that show God will judge. People mistook God's kindness for impotence. He is not weak, He is patient. See 1 Peter 3:20.

His return is slow, but when He comes, it will be sudden. You need to be ready.

Noah means "rest". He was named that by his father in hopes that he would bring rest from toil. Noah wasn't the Savior, but he was a picture. Enoch preceded Noah. He walked with God and was no more, God just took him straight to heaven. He was a prophet telling the people, preceding Noah, that judgment was coming and warned them to get right with God. His son's name is Methuselah, which means "when he dies: judgment". Methuselah was the longest-living human being to ever walk the planet because God is patient.

Luke 17:31-32

Don't wait until the last second to get ready. It's not enough time to prepare your heart.

Lot's wife loved the things of this world more than God. If you seek your life, you will lose it, but if you lose your like, you will find it.

Luke 17:34-35

Judgment is coming for everyone in every location. The only difference is what they did in their hearts with Jesus. There will be separation at the end that requires full surrender now.

Luke 17:37

All of us are going to die. A day of death is coming, so live now according to the King.

“

"The amount of time you have left on the clock should impact how you play."

”

Ben Stuart

Discussion Questions

Would you live your life differently if you knew how much time was left on the clock?
What is eschatology? How is it viewed in the Bible?
According to Luke 17:22, where is the Kingdom right now?
Why does Jesus like to call Himself the Son of Man? See Luke 17:22-23 and Daniel 7:13-14.
Jesus warns us to not look around wondering if He has returned. What does Luke 17: 24 say His return be like?
The disciples were confused. What was Jesus's answer to whether or not the Kingdom has come or is coming? See Luke 17:21, Luke 10:9, Luke 19:11. What days are we living in right now?
How has God displayed His patience?
In what context was Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt? What was the reason for it? Genesis 19:26, Luke 17:32.
Is anyone exempt from judgment?
Luke 17:37 reminds us that death is coming. How can you live according to the King today?

Scripture References

20Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied,

“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed,

nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

22Then he said to his disciples,

“The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.

For the Son of Man in his day

will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

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

People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.

But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.

Remember Lot’s wife!

Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.

I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.

Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

37“Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied,

“Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

20to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,

54He said to the crowd:

“When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.

And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.

Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

13“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.

14He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

22And he said,

“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

“Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”

He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him;

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

2He said to them,

“When you pray, say:

“ ‘Father,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

11While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.

Ben Stuart

Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.