Luke Part 3 Week 3

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:28-30 

²⁸ “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— ²⁹ until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” 

What did Jesus mean by the world being like the days of Lot before He returned? The people were acting like there was no reason to be concerned for the future; they were living only for the pleasures of the day. Just as the judgment on Sodom was sudden and unexpected so also will be the return of Jesus to the earth. 

REFLECT 

“Business as usual” is the way the world is living now. Could Jesus be at the door of heaven waiting to return? 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about meeting Jesus face to face. One will either meet Him as Savior or as Judge. John 5:22 indicates all judgment has been given by the Father to the Son. As you share your faith with others, ask if they are ready to meet Jesus face to face. 

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:31-33 

³¹ “On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. ³² Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! ³³ If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.” 

On the day Jesus returns to earth He will come like a thief in the night; that is, suddenly and unexpectedly. Lot’s wife was leaving Sodom but apparently her heart was still there and God brought judgment on her. If one thinks all that matters is his personal wellbeing, he will lose his life. If the focus is on eternal life he will save his life. 

REFLECT 

Are you living as if you expect Jesus could come at any time? The writers of Scripture thought He could. 

RESPOND 

Believers in Jesus should be busy with the work God has given them to do. They need to realize, however, that God could interrupt that work at any time. Some have a sign on their desk saying, “Perhaps today” as a reminder. 

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:34-35 

³⁴ “That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.” 

Because of the word “taken” in Luke 17:35 some think this refers to the rapture of the church mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. A parallel passage to what is said in Luke 17 is Matthew 24:37 that refers to the conditions being like the days of Noah when Jesus returns. (Some manuscripts add verse 36 to correspond the Luke passage to match Matthew 24:40.) The ones “taken” were taken in the judgment of the flood in Noah’s time. In the future this will occur at the end of the seven-year Tribulation. The ones left will be left to enter the millennial kingdom. 

REFLECT 

If you are a believer in Jesus you will not be here during the seven-year Tribulation. Believers in Jesus are part of the body of Christ known as “the Church” (Colossians 1:18) and will be caught up before the Tribulation begins. 

RESPOND  

Some think the believers during the Church age will go through part or all of the Tribulation. That is not what Revelation 3:10 promises. Believers will be kept from the time of it as well as from the persecution at that time.  

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:37 

³⁷ “Where will this happen, Lord?” the disciples asked. Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.” 

There is a distinction about signs for the rapture of the Church and the end of the Tribulation. No signs or prophecies need to be fulfilled before the rapture of the Church occurs. There will be many signs or prophecies that will be evident during the Tribulation before Jesus returns to earth. A significant one is the nation of Israel again having national status. Luke 17 and Matthew 24 tell of some of those signs. 

REFLECT 

What do you think the world will be like when Jesus returns? 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about the effect the study of prophecy should have on our lives. Some say people are not interested in prophecy any more. Read 2 Peter 3:8-14 to see that a knowledge of future events should spur followers of Jesus on to holy and godly lives. 

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 18:1-3 

¹ One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. ² “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. ³ A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’” 

As was customary with Him, Jesus taught significant truths through stories He told.  This one had to do with prayer. At the beginning Jesus said what the point of the story would be. It was to “always pray and never give up.” In the story there was a judge who was the opposite of the loving God of the Bible. The evil judge did not fear God nor care about people. 

REFLECT 

Do you need encouragement in your prayer life? Jesus’ friends did so He told this story. 

RESPOND 

God knew believers would need to be encouraged in their prayer lives. This is why He inspired the Bible to include this story from Jesus. Meet with a friend to talk about your prayer times and then be prepared to read this story.