DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN
Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. 25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. 26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
What can we learn from this passage concerning “The Days of the Son of Man?”
In verses 20 & 21 we find that They Are Days of a Presently Unobserved Kingdom! In the verses preceding our passage our Lord has just healed ten lepers. Nine were caught up in mere physical healing. But one glorified God and in that revelation of glory, he was granted faith to make him entirely whole! He was made clean both physically and spiritually! And the Holy Spirit moves like the invisible wind. (John 3:8). You can’t see His movement. You can only see His effect! And his thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus as God was the sole effect of the Holy Ghost! 1 Cor. 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that… no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 1 Corin. 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
These demanding Pharisees had stood there and actually been witnesses to the coming of the kingdom into the soul of that one thankful leper. For since he was born from above, he could both “see” and “enter” the kingdom! (John 3:3,5). So the kingdom came right in front of there eyes, but they observed nothing! – Proving, of course, that they were, indeed, not born again!
Then in verses 22 through 24 we find that They Are Days without the Visible Sight of Christ As He Works Among Us! It is very important that we understand that the Lord was instructing his disciples that after his resurrection, they would greatly miss him and the days of fellowship they had together during his earthly ministry! But he emphatically states to them, ye shall not see it!
He has told them before of this. Luke 5:34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
He shall even warn Jerusalem’s inhabitants of this! Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. They also shall not “see him” until they see him by faith after the coming of the Holy Spirit and his revelation to them in individual salvation! John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
This was an issue in both the writings of the Apostles Peter and John. 1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Read also read the first four verses of 1 John chapter one to see John telling of their previously wondrous relationship with the visible Humanity of God! Then, in the first three verses of chapter four of this same epistle he writes concerning the absence of belief of Christ’s having come in the flesh! He states that this is the cause of antichrists not having effectual faith to believe in Him whom they could not see!
But by the short time that we come to the writings of the Apostle Paul, revealing his relationship with the Son of God, it has already progressed into a different matter! Listen to his instruction to us concerning Christ’s visible presence.
2 Corin. 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
MY! What a glorious thing this is! Christ is never to be know by anyone in this age “after the flesh!” You don’t come to know him by religious education, or illumination! He can only be known by the Spirit’s revelation! The Holy Spirit is the sole and exclusive revealer of Christ!
But the Apostle Paul goes on to say that it is the same with every true Christian! “No man” can “henceforth” be known “after the flesh!” So every Christian is, like Christ, a resurrected man, and spiritually dwells “in heavenly places in Christ Jesus!” (Ephes. 2:6).
And in verse 24 we come to that which seems to be too vague to understand. But it simply states that These Days Are Days of Gospel Brilliance and Speed!
Christ is the Light of the world! (John 8:12, 9:5). When he began his earthly ministry it was said that The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. (Matt. 4:16). And in Proverbs 4:18 we are told that it was the purpose of God to shine in His revelation on the path of the just, more and more unto the perfect day.
And from the time of the first Adam until the appearing of our Last Adam, four thousand years expired. But now in these, some two thousand years of gospel speed, the witness of the gospel has virtually encircled the earth!
So our Lord is telling us the difference in his gospel age days from those of the Old Economy! The words of verse 22 of our above passage are of Christ’s earthly ministry. And in those he couldn’t be ministering in Jericho if he was in Capernaum, of course. But verse 24 speaks of the Spirit’s ministry upon Christ’s ascension. And He able to be in all places at all times! The Lord Jesus made it a point to instruct of the difference in his ‘limited’ ministry, as compared to that of the Holy Spirit’s!
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
In verse 25 we find that They Are the Days Immediately Following Christ’s Death and Denial. Christ’s words, “But first” reveal to us that these are not far off, “end time” days. That is, they can not be pushed down to just prior to the end of time! But they are days that began as they follow immediately after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Christ! For Hebrews 9:26 (quoted below) reveals that the time of the putting away of sin occurred in the end of the world!
Luke 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Christ tells his disciples that he has been looking forward to this last physical passover supper with them. For after this he will fulfill that event with the True Lamb of God’s blood, granting eternal cleansing of sin and guilt! …but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; (Heb. 9:26,27). Hereafter he shall be among the true church as they partake of His ordinance of the supper that they observe in remembrance of him!
And then in verses 26 through 29 we see that They Are Like Unto Noah’s and Lot’s Days! And what were Noah’s days like? In Hebrews 11:7 we find that they were days when the Lord’s people lived by faith! And God granted faith was essential due to the fact that he was warned of God of things not seen as yet. For faith witnesses things unseen! So faith is essential to every generation of believers who are warned to live righteously and soberly as the day of the world’s elements being melted with fervent heat is hasting towards us. (2 Pet. 3:10,12). These are gospel days!
And we are told that what Noah accomplished saved his house, but condemned the entire world. And so it is with every generation of believers! Their preaching, praying, believing and faithful enduring, establishes both themselves and all who are of the household of faith in that generation, but it brings condemnation unto the world!
Every age is a gospel age of the Son of man and is as the days of Noah! What was it that John the Baptist said to the Pharisees when he began to preach the gospel of the kingdom? O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matt 3:7). The first of the kingdom’s prophets sets forth the message with the warning of “fleeing from the wrath to come!”
And these warnings continued on throughout the preaching of the apostles. Listen at Paul on Mars hill in Athens! Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
In Daniel’s writings when we read of the kingdom of Christ being established in the days of the last Gentile kingdom (Caesar), we read, the judgment was set, and the books were opened. And as the Lord Jesus approached the cross he proclaims, Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. (John 12:31-33). It was at the cross that judgment was begun! It was at the cross that the books were opened.
For it was a lamb as it had been slain who took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne and began to open it’s seals!
(Rev. 5:6,7).
We are not saying that the last few days on earth will not be as the days of noah! They most certainly shall! But we are saying that each succeeding generation of gospel witness shall also bear this likeness as well! This is why it is also necessary to consider that they are days of Lot as well! For the days of Noah were days of universal judgment, whereas the days of Lot were of local judgment. And we must realize that every preaching of the gospel exacts Christ’s crown rights over all creation and over all creatures therein!
This world is scheduled for total destruction! As listed above in the Apostle Paul’s preaching (Acts 17:31), God has already appointed a day for that! A specific, twenty four hour period! Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matt. 24:44.
Pastor Gene Breed
May 20, 2010
