The Coming of the Kingdom

20 And when the Pharisees put questions to him about when the kingdom of God would come, he gave them an answer and said, The kingdom of God will not come through observation: 21 And men will not say, See, it is here! or, There! for the kingdom of God is among you. 22 And he said to his disciples, The time will come when you will have a great desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, but you will not see it. 23 And if they say to you, See, it is there! or, It is here! do not go away, or go after them. 24 For as in a thunderstorm the bright light is seen from one end of the sky to the other, so will the Son of man be when his time comes. 25 But first, he will have to undergo much and be put on one side by this generation. 26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the day of the Son of man. 27 They were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day of the overflowing of the waters, when Noah went into the ark, and they all came to destruction. 28 In the same way, in the days of Lot; they were feasting and trading, they were planting and building; 29 But on the day when Lot went out of Sodom, fire came down from heaven and destruction came on them all. 30 So will it be in the day of the revelation of the Son of man. 31 On that day, if anyone is on the roof of the house, and his goods are in the house, let him not go down to take them away; and let him who is in the field not go back to his house. 32 Keep in mind Lot's wife. 33 If anyone makes an attempt to keep his life, it will be taken from him, but if anyone gives up his life, he will keep it. 34 I say to you, In that night there will be two men sleeping in one bed, and one will be taken away and the other let go. 35 Two women will be crushing grain together; one will be taken away and the other let go. 36 [] 37 And they, answering him, said, Where, Lord? And he said to them, Where the body is, there will the eagles come together.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 17:20-37

Commentary on Luke 17:20-37

(Read Luke 17:20-37)

The kingdom of God was among the Jews, or rather within some of them. It was a spiritual kingdom, set up in the heart by the power of Divine grace. Observe how it had been with sinners formerly, and in what state the judgments of God, which they had been warned of, found them. Here is shown what a dreadful surprise this destruction will be to the secure and sensual. Thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. When Christ came to destroy the Jewish nation by the Roman armies, that nation was found in such a state of false security as is here spoken of. In like manner, when Jesus Christ shall come to judge the world, sinners will be found altogether regardless; for in like manner the sinners of every age go on securely in their evil ways, and remember not their latter end. But wherever the wicked are, who are marked for eternal ruin, they shall be found by the judgments of God.