The sudden return of Jesus!
Scripture reading for July 20th: Luke 17, Psalm 144, Proverbs 20
Luke 17: 22-27 “And He said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 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 suffer many thigs and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”
Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus told them that the kingdom of God was coming in ways that normal observation could not reveal. It was an inside job, known only to those humble enough to repent and turn to Jesus, the Son of Man. Jesus pointed out to His disciples that there would be those trying to say that the kingdom was ‘here’ or ‘there’, but not to believe them. The return of Jesus Christ would bring the fullness of God’s kingdom to earth. This would happen suddenly, like a lightning bolt that lit up the sky from east to west! It would happen like the days of Noah, when normal life was proceeding and suddenly the flood came and destroyed all not on the Ark!
Psalm 144:5-7 “Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down! Touch the mountains so that they smoke! Flash forth the lightning and scatter them; send out Your arrows and rout them! Stretch out Your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, for the hand of foreigners, . .”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for this instruction on the coming of Jesus Christ! I desire to see the fullness of the kingdom in the return of my Lord! I would pray with the psalmist, ‘O Lord, Bow Your heavens and come down!’ I long to see justice done on earth, as in heaven. I know that You desire to show mercy. Use me today to share the message of mercy You sent in Jesus Christ. Come, Lord Jesus!
Proverbs 20:22 “Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and He will deliver you.”
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