What kind of kingdom was Jesus describing, and when would it arrive? As explored in our three-part Daniel series, both the spiritual kingdom and Christ’s coming “on the clouds” would be fulfilled during the Roman Empire, when He would destroy one temple and “anoint” or consecrate / fill another “Most Holy Place” (Dan. 2; 7:13-27; 9:24-27). Letâs allow Jesus to further interpret Daniel, clarifying the nature, timing, and manner of His coming and Kingdomâs arrival.
These were the burning questions posed by the Pharisees in Luke 17:20, and they remain central to any serious discussion of eschatology today. Even as we see modern day Khazarian “Jews” like Benjamin Netanyahu try and usher in the messiah through waging war with Iran which is in sharp contrast to what Daniel and Jesus describe as the Kingdom and how it comes.  In this often-overlooked passage, Jesus delivers a striking and subversive answer: âThe kingdom of God does not come with observation⌠for behold, the kingdom of God is within you [or within a person].â With this statement, Jesus shattered the expectations of a visible, political, and territorial messianic kingdom. He redirected attention inwardâto the heart, to the spirit, to the transformative presence of the King Himself.
This chapter explores Luke 17:20â37 not merely as a preview of judgment, but as a revelation of the nature and timing of Christâs kingdom and Parousia. Far from being a vague, futuristic promise or an indefinite reign waiting for physical realization, Jesus teaches that His coming would be as clear and all-encompassing as the rising sunâfrom east to westâand yet, paradoxically, not externally observable. It would be a judgment that would fall on unbelieving Israel like the flood in Noahâs day or fire in Lotâs dayâsudden, decisive, and covenantalâyet a deliverance that would dawn like the morning light in the heart for the faithful.
Through a chiastic literary structure, Jesus distinguishes between false, external hopes for the kingdom and its actual, spiritual unveiling within the hearts of His people when He would be revealed from heaven like the light of day. This chapter will demonstrate that Luke 17 is not describing some distant, physical return of Christ, but the imminent and climactic transition from the old covenant to the newâa coming that would bring judgment on apostate Israel and resurrection life to those who recognized the kingdom already in their midst.
Luke 17:20â37
Now when the Pharisees demanded of Him when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, âThe kingdom of God does not come with observation; Neither shall they say, âBehold, it is here!â Or, âBehold, it is there!â For behold, the kingdom of God is standing in the midst of you.â Then He said to the disciples, âThe days will come when you shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and shall not see it. And they shall say to you, âLook here,â or, âLook there.â Do not go, neither follow them. For as the light of day, whose light shines from one end under heaven to the other end under heaven, so also shall the Son of man be in His day. But first it is necessary for Him to suffer many things and to be rejected by this generation. Now as it was in the days of Noah, so also shall it be in the days of the Son of man.They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah went into the ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all. And it was the same way in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; But on  the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed them all. This is how it shall be in the day that the Son of man is revealed. In that day, let not the one who is on the housetop, and his goods in the house, come down to take them away; and likewise, let not the one who is in the field return to the things behind. Remember Lotâs wife. Whoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed; one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two men shall be in the field; one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.â And they answered, saying to Him, âWhere, Lord?â And He said to them, âWhere the body is, there will the eagles be gathered togetherâ (Luke 17:20-37 AFV).
Just as Matthew 23â25 is structured with a chiastic pattern, Luke 17:20â37 also follows a chiasm. Some may be asking, âWhat in the world is a chiasm?â Simply put, itâs a literary structure in which ideas are presented and then mirrored in reverse order, often highlighting a central point. Here is a classic example.
(A)Â No one can serve two masters,
(B)Â for either he will hate the one
(C) and love the other,
(C) or he will be devoted to the one
(B) and despise the other.
(A) You cannot serve God and money.
In a chiasm, the beginning and end usually mirror each other, while the center often contains the main messageâthe âmeat in the middle.â In ancient Hebrew and Biblical times, this form of teaching was popular because the parallel structure made it easy to memorize the teaching.
Now notice how Luke 17:20â37 forms its own chiasm, framed by two questions. The central issue is the manifestation of Christâs kingdom, specifically at His second coming:
(A) The question by the Pharisees â When will the kingdom come or be realized (17:20â21)? It will come âwithin the heart of a person.â
(B) When the coming of the Son of Man is revealed as the sun (17:22â25)
(C)Â This will be like in the days of Noah (17:26â27)
(C)Â This will be like in the days of Lot (17:28â29)
(B)Â When the Son of Man is revealed (17:30)
(A) The question by the disciples â Where, Lord? âWhere the dead body is.â
This chiasm, centered around two questionsâone from the Pharisees and one from the disciplesâ reveals when, how and where the kingdom would come. Jesus tells the Pharisees it will be unseenâinternally realized within the hearts of believersâat the time when the Son of Man is revealed, in a judgment like that of Noahâs or Lotâs day.
To the disciples, Jesus answers that the location of this coming kingdom would be marked by judgment: their enemies would be gathered like a corpse, devoured by vulturesâan image of divine retribution. This too happens when the Son of Man is revealed.
Elsewhere, Jesus says the kingdom would be taken from the Pharisees and given to a new ânationâ (the Church) producing its fruit (Matt. 21:43â45). Our text here in Luke 17 describes, how, when, and where that transfer would be accomplished in the events of AD 67 â AD 70.
âWithin Youâ
Some modern translators translate the Greek word entos as âamong youâ or âin your midstâ without sufficient linguistic justification. They appear to do this for two reasons. First, they want to avoid associating Jesusâ spiritual and internal kingdom with the future, eschatological ânot yetâ of Christâs parousia, thus comfortably situating the kingdom in the here and now of the âalready.â And, secondly, they fear translating the passage as âwithin youâ might imply that the unbelieving Pharisees had the kingdom within them.
However, linguistic evidence strongly supports the translation âwithin youâ or, better yet, âwithin the heart of a person.â Strongâs Concordance clearly defines entos as âwithin youâ: â1787. áźÎ˝ĎĎĎ entĂłs; adv. from en (1722), in. Within. Used also as a prep. with the gen. (Luke 17:21, âthe kingdom of God is within you,â meaning it is located in your heart and affections, not external). With the neut. def. art., tĂł entĂłs, the inside (Matt. 23:26; Sept.: Ps. 39:4; 109:22). Zodhiates, S. (2000).â
Consider the following arguments which prove with 100% certainty that entos should be translated as âwithin youâ or, even better, âwithin the heart of a personâ:
Contextual contrast: Luke 17:21 contrasts external, visible signs (âlook here or thereâ) with something internal, spiritual, and unseen (âwithin youâ).
Consistent NT usage: The only other NT occurrence of entos is Matthew 23:26, where Jesus contrasts outward appearances with inner spiritual reality, again clearly meaning âinside.â
Septuagint usage: The Greek Old Testament (LXX) consistently uses entos to denote something internalâeither within a building (like the temple) or within a personâs spiritual or inward being (cf. Ps. 103:1; 109:22; Isa. 16:11).
External Greek usage: Outside the NT, entos never means âamong.â
Alternative Greek for âamongâ: Luke, who frequently uses the Greek mesos (âamong,â âin the midstâ), certainly would have chosen it if he intended âamong you.â
Lexical authority: Liddell-Scottâs Greek lexicon translates entos in Luke 17:21 as âin your hearts.â[1]
Early Church Fathers: Those closer to Koine Greek consistently interpreted entos as âwithin you.â
Pronoun flexibility: Concerns that âwithin youâ implies kingdom presence within unbelieving Pharisees ignore the flexible Greek pronoun usage. William Hendriksen clarifies that âyouâ can simply mean âa personâ or âone,â not specifically Pharisees.[2] Thus, Jesusâ teaching is that when the kingdom fully arrives at His second coming, it would not be physically observable, but experienced spiritually within the hearts of people.
Luke often follows theological teaching with a parable: Luke often concludes Jesusâ teachings with a parable emphasizing His main point (e.g., 6:20â49; 10:1â37; 11:14â36; 17:20â18:8).[3] Thus the âday(s) of the Son of Manâ include the spiritual inheritance of the kingdom and Christâs parousia, but also severe persecution requiring vindication.While the disciples may be tempted to want the same visible, political vindication desired by the Pharisees, Jesus assured them that vindication and deliverance from persecution would indeed come âquicklyâ (Luke 18:8) at His second coming, not thousands of years later.
Partial Preterist Admissions:Â In discussing Luke 18:7-8 Keith Mathison gives exegetical reasons why he believes this âspeedilyâ coming of Christ and judgment is his impending coming in AD 70 [the first being that Luke 17:20-37 is referring to AD 70]:
âa. In the preceding chapter (Luke 17:20-37), he speaks of the coming destruction of  Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
- In 18:7, Christ assures His listeners that God will not delay long in bringing about justice for his elect. It could reasonably be argued that two thousand years is a long delay.
- In verse 8, Christ assures us that God will bring about justice speedily. Again, this would seem to indicate a fulfillment within a short amount of time.â[4]
Once again it becomes obvious that Jesus has been teaching a first century second coming event in Matthew 10:17-23, 16:27-28, and now here in Luke 17-18 which will form his more detailed teaching on the subject in the Olivet Discourse:
Matthew 10:17â23 / 16:27â28 /
Luke 17:20-37 |
Olivet Discourse
Matthew 24 / Luke 21 / Mark 13 |
(1) Delivered up to councils and synagogues (Matt. 10:17) | (1) Delivered up to local councilsand synagogues (Mark 13:9) |
(2) Brought before governors and kings to be witnesses to the Gentiles(Matt. 10:18) | (2) Brought before governors and kings to be witnesses to the Gentiles(Mark 13:9) |
(3) Holy Spirit would speak through them (Matt. 10:19â20) | (3) Holy Spirit would speak through them (Mark 13:11) |
(4) Betrayal and persecution; stand firm to the end (Matt. 10:22) | (4) Betrayal and persecution; stand firm to the end (Mark 13:12â13) |
(5) Disciples would not exhaust cities of refuge before the Son of Manâs coming (Matt. 10:23) | (5) Disciples (and later Paul) would preach the gospel to the then known world before âthe endâ (of the OC age) and the coming of the Son of Man(Matt. 24:14; Mark 13:10) |
(6) Christ comes in glory (Luke 9:26) | (6) Christ comes in glory (Matt. 24:30) |
(7) Christ comes with angels
(Matt. 16:27) |
(7) Christ comes with angels
(Matt. 24:31) |
(8) Christ comes in judgmentÂ
(Matt. 16:27) |
(8) Christ comes in judgment
(Matt. 24:28â31; 25:31â34) |
(9) Christ and the kingdom come in power (Mark 8:38) | (9) Christ and the kingdom come in power (Luke 21:27â32) |
(10) Some in the crowd would live to witness the second comingÂ
(Matt. 16:28) |
(10) Some in the crowd would livetowitness the second coming
(Luke 21:16â18) |
(11) Some in the crowd would diebefore the second coming (Matt. 16:28) | (11) Some in the crowd would diebefore the second coming (Luke 21:16) |
(12)Â Christ would come soon and be ashamed of His generation
(Matt. 16:27, YLT; Mark 8:38) |
(12)Â All fulfilled in His âthis generationâ
(Matt. 24:33â34; Luke 21:27â32) |
Luke 17:20â37 | Matthew 24:1â41 |
(13) Fleeing from housetops & fields (17:31-33) | (13) Fleeing from housetops & fields (24:17ff.) |
(14) Son of Man comes as Light of Day shining from East to West (17:24) | (14) Son of Man comes as Light of Day shining from East to West (24:27) |
(15) Vultures gathered at corpse (17:37) | (15) Vultures gathered at corpse (24:28) |
(16) Days of Son of Man as Days of Noah (17:26-30) | (16) Days of Son of Man as Days of Noah (24:37ff.) |
(17) One taken / one left (17:34-36) | (17) One taken / one left (24:41ff.) |
Once we get into Matthew 24-25 it will become clear that there is no exegetical evidence to support the idea that Matthew 24â25 is addressing two comings of Christ, as some dispensational Zionists have taught (e.g. Darby) and as some partial preterists (e.g. Gentry) teach.
When we compare Jesusâ teaching of His coming in Matthew 24 and Luke 17, it becomes even more obvious that He was not addressing two different comings. Nor does Matthew present âtwo sectionsâ referring to two comings. Both chapters speak of one eschatological event.
Partial preterist Gary DeMar (rightly) rejects the view held by dispensationalists and some partial preterists who split Matthew 24. We disagree with Kenneth Gentry, who argues that verses 27â30 refer to Christâs coming in AD 70, while verses 36â51 refer to a future second coming. Dispensationalists flip this; they see vv. 27â30 as a future second coming and vv. 36â42 as a pre-trib rapture.
Gary addresses this directly:
Many futurists claim that the phrase âtook them all awayâ (Matt. 24:39) refers to a rapture that is still in our future. On the contrary. âIn the context of 24:37â39, âtakenâ presumably means âtaken to judgmentâ (cf. Jer. 6:11 NASB, NRSV)â (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 115.) The phrase ties the judgment of the world in Noahâs day with the judgment of the Jewsâ world in Israelâs day that took place with the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple.[5]
The comparison with Noahâs day is critical: those âtakenâ were not the righteous, but the wicked. As John Gill affirms, those left behindâlike Noah and his familyâwere spared, while the others were taken in judgment. Gill connects this directly to Luke 17:27â29, where âtakenâ also implies destruction, not rapture.
Gary also addresses another major issue for futurists: the order of events in Luke 17 compared to Matthew 24. Some commentators (e.g., J Marcellus Kik, Kenneth Gentry) argue that Matthew 24:35 marks a transition to a future coming. But this fails to explain why Luke 17 rearranges five key Olivet Discourse elements found in Matthew 24âsuggesting both accounts refer to the same AD 70 fulfillment. As Ray Summers notes: âThis is a most difficult passage⌠Some small parts of it, however, are repeated in Luke 21 in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70)⌠The entire complex cautions one against dogmatism in interpreting.â[6]
DeMar concludes that the âtwo comingsâ theory collapses when Matthew 24 and Luke 17 are compared. Both accounts cover identical prophetic events, just in different orders. As he illustrates, if the five major events of Matthew 24 are numbered 1â2â3â4â5, Luke presents them as 2â4â1â5â3âa clear sign of recapitulation, not a separate timeline:
Matthew 24:1â41 | Luke 17:20â37 |
#1Â Fleeing from housetops & fields | #2Â Son of Man comes as sunshine |
#2Â Son of Man comes as sunshine | #4Â Days of Son of Man as Days of Noah |
#3Â Vultures gathered at corpse | #1Â Fleeing from housetops & fields |
#4Â Days of Son of Man as Days of NoahâGentry claims different judgment in Future | #5Â One taken / one left |
#5Â One taken / one leftâGentryclaims different judgment in Future | #3Â Vultures gathered at corpse |
Was Luke so confused and forgetful, that when Christ taught on His second coming in Luke 17 and Luke 21, Luke only addressed ONE coming while Matthew pointed out that there are really TWO comings? If Luke understood Christ teaching two comings in the Olivet Discourse, then why does he mix up the order of those events in Luke 17 to be one and the same event?
When we compare Jesusâ teaching on His second coming and the arrival of His kingdom in Luke 17:20â37 with Luke 21:27â32, we realize that both His kingdom and second coming would be fulfilled within Jesusâ contemporary âthis generationâ and His kingdom and Parousia presence would not be physically seen, because it would be revealed âwithin the heartsâ of His people. He would come as âThe Sun of RighteousnessâŚshining from the east to the west,â âhealingâ and bringing resurrection life âwithin the heartsâ of His people, while the old covenant kingdom would be desolated and never remembered.
Christ comes as the Light of Day not âLightningâ
Having dealt with the fact that at Christâs coming He would establish His kingdom âwithinâ the heart of His followers, we need to unpack the OT source of Jesus coming like the âlight of dayâ in both Matthew 24:27 and Luke 17:24 and that being Malachi 3-4:2.
For as the light of day, whose light shines from one end under heaven to the other end under heaven, so also shall the Son of man be in His day (Luke 17:24 A Faithful Version).
âFor as the sunshine comes out from the east and is seen even in the west, thus will be the coming of the Son of manâ (Matt. 24:27, Aramaic English New Testament).
Many futurists, partial preterists, and even some full preterists interpret this verse as describing lightningâsudden, powerful, and destructive. Some connect this to Christâs coming through the Roman armies in AD 70, which has merit.[7]However, others, including myself, believe Jesus is describing His second coming (Greek parousia) as the rising sun, whose light spreads from east to west.
For this reason, I prefer the Aramaic English New Testament rendering of astrape as âsunshineâ rather than âlightning.â Partial preterist Steve Gregg raises the same concern:
The word âlightningâ is the Greek astrape. This word is in fact, the correct term for lightning, but this is not always its meaning. When defined in the lexicons, astrape is said to mean either âlightningâ or, more generally, âbright shining.â It is in this latter sense that the word is used in Luke 11:36⌠Interestingly, the same translators who rendered astrape as âlightning,â in Matthew 24:27, quite reasonably chose to translate the same word as âbright shining,â in Luke 11:36⌠Would it not present a very different image if Jesus were to have said, âFor as the bright shining comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man beâ? Instead of a lightning bolt, this would clearly be comparing His coming to a glorious sunrise!
Greg continues:
If one should arise before the dawn and watch the eastern horizon, the sky will be observed to change from nearly black to a lighter blue⌠a ribbon of red-orange will gradually appear, and the whole sky will become progressively lighter⌠Within seconds, the sun will fully present itself, and the dawning of the day is complete ⌠the Kingdomâs glory will increase more and more until the moment Jesus appears.[8]
This sunrise imagery better matches the nature of the parousia as the progressive, internal unveiling of Christâs kingdom âwithinâ His people (cf. Luke 17:20â21; Col. 1:27).
It also contrasts sharply with the âsecret inner roomsâ in the previous verse (Matt. 24:26), where false prophets claim hidden revelation. Christ, by contrast, is revealed like the sunâopenly, unmistakably, from east to west.
The events of AD 67â70 confirmed this: Christ judged the old covenant world and revealed Himself as the true MessiahâHis presence shining forth like the dawning of a new day.
This interpretation also harmonizes with biblical themes that describe both Christâs first and second coming as manifestations of light, sunrise, or daybreak:
- Malachi 4:2 â âBut for you who fear my name, the Sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.â
- Luke 1:78â79 â âAnd you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; or you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peaceâ
- Romans 13:11â12 â âBesides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand.â
- 2 Peter 1:19 â ââŚas a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.â
- Revelation 2:28 â ââŚI will give Him the morning star.â
- Revelation 22:16 â âI am the bright and morning star.â
Taken together, these passages suggest Christâs parousia was not merely an act of judgment but also a revelation of lightâthe dawn of a new covenant day and the end of the old covenant night.
âBehold, I send my messenger [John the Baptist as Elijah], and he will prepare the way before me [Christ]. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple [in judgment â at His second coming]; and the messenger of the [New] covenant [Christ] in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refinerâs fireâŚâ (Mal. 3:1â2).
âFor behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the SUN of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall âŚÂ Behold, I will send you Elijah [John the Baptist] the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destructionâ (Mal. 4:1â2, 5â6).
Malachi 3â4 predicts two messengers:
- John the Baptistâthe eschatological Elijah who prepares the way, and
- Christâ who comes suddenly to His temple in judgment, fulfilling and bringing to maturity the new covenant promises.
âThe dayâ that is âcomingâ is the second coming, portrayed as both a fiery judgment for the wicked and a sunrise of healing for the righteous. This dual imagery captures the essence of the Day of the Lord: retribution for the unrepentant, restoration for the faithful.
Ellicottâs Commentary offers this helpful insight: âThe fathers and early commentators have understood Christ by the Sun of Righteousness⌠As the rising sun diffuses light and heat⌠the advent of the reign of righteousness, which will reward the good and the wicked, each according to his desertsâŚâ[9]
John Gill similarly affirms a messianic reading of Malachi 4:2, citing ancient Jewish sources: âThey say⌠until the Messiah comes, as it is said, âunto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise.ââ Philo also connects the âSunâ to the divine Logos, who brings ârefuge and salvation.â Though some interpreted it literallyâas the sun burning and the wicked healing the righteousâGill notes this symbolic dual outcome at the end of the age.[10]
John Lightfoot connects John the Baptistâs ministry and the âwrath to comeâ (Matt. 3:7) to Malachi 4âs prophecy, seeing it in the AD 70 judgment:
âThese words respect the very last words of the Old Testament⌠and denote the most miserable destruction of the nation, and now almost ready to fall upon them.â[11]
Adam Clarke offers one of the clearest preterist interpretations of Malachi 4:1â2, seeing Christâs coming as spiritual and fulfilled in AD 67â70:
Verse 1 â The burning day is the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, leaving âneither root nor branch,â a phrase denoting total judgment.
Verse 2 â The âSun of Righteousnessâ is Christ, whose gospel and Spirit bring healing and life to all who believe. Clarke emphasizes that Jesusâ influence is âuniversally diffusedâ like the sun. âYe shall go forthâŚâ refers to Christians who, recognizing the sign of Jerusalem surrounded by armies, obeyed Christâs command to flee and escaped to Pellaâpreserving every Christian life.[12]
Ancient Jewish and Christian commentators alike have seen Malachi 4:2 as:
- A messianic prophecy referring to Christ;
- A reference to His second coming, not His first.
- A spiritual and covenantal coming in AD 70âbringing salvation to believers (spiritually through imputed righteousness and physically through the flight to Pella) and judgment to the wicked.
These three themes align with the central thesis of this work. Likewise, New Testament references to Christ as the Morning Star (Rev. 2:28; 22:16) support a spiritual fulfillment at His second coming. While many debate whether these refer to AD 70 or a future event, full preterism resolves the tensionânot as either/or, but as a fulfilled already/not-yet paradigm.
In Malachi 4:2, the âSun of Righteousnessâ arises to inaugurate the new covenant world of righteousness, bringing salvation to the soul (cf. 1 Pet. 1:4â12; 4:5â7; 2 Pet. 1:19; 3:13). Paul echoes this in Romans 13:11â12, the âdayâ is at hand, bringing salvation to believers and marking the end of the ânightâ of the old covenant ageânot physical transformation at the end of world history, but spiritual renewal in AD 70 (cf. Rom. 11:26â27).
In Matthew 24:27, Jesusâ coming is likened to light shining from east to west. The Greek word astrapÄ can mean âlightningâ or also âbright shining.â[13] This suggests Christâs parousia is not a brief event but a sustained and illuminating presence. The related verb phainĹ (used for âshineâ) can even describe vegetation emerging, reinforcing the image of a sunriseânot a lightning strikeâas the symbol of His coming.Â
Jesus would not appear in some dark inner chamber, like the false Messiahs of His day. His presence would be as open and unmistakable as the dawn itself:
â…from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORDâŚâ (Isa. 45:6; 19â25; cf. Mal.1:1, 4:1â2, 5â6).
Perhaps Joshua 10:12â14 foreshadows eternal life in the new covenant age, when God caused the sun to stand still as a sign that He was fighting for Israel. In the new creation, every day is likewise a day without darkness or reproach (Isa. 60:19â20; Rev. 21:23â26). Then, the sun stood still in the heavens; now, the âSun of Righteousnessâ never sets.
Christâs enduring presenceâHis eternal Day within the Churchâis proof that nothing can prevail against her. Just as the miracle in Joshuaâs day testified to divine victory, so too does the radiance of Christâs light in the lives of His people testify to His reign. Those still outside, walking in darkness, are often stirred to longing when they witness the warmth and joy of Godâs presence in His people. Yet this same light also hardens the reprobateâjust as the sun melts wax but hardens clay.
As plants receive life from the sun through photosynthesis, the Church draws eternal life from Christ alone. In union with Him, the Church becomes the leaves on the Tree of Life, and the Light of the new Jerusalem brings healing to the nations (Rev. 22:2). The gospelâGodâs living water and lightâgoes forth as special revelation to awaken the thirsty soul. No physical luminary can declare the righteousness of God! Only Christ and His Church, as the true heavenly kingdom, can bring the light that saves.
Without the âSun of Righteousness,â without the glory of Godâs imputed righteousness shining into the heart and mind of man, all is lost. The world truly does revolve around the âSun [Son] of Righteousness.â
Conclusion
Luke 17:20â37 is not a riddle to be unpacked by modern prophecy speculationâit is a divine proclamation of how Christâs kingdom would arrive and be revealed. Jesusâ coming was not to be observed in the skies like a comet or hidden in secret rooms like a conspiracyâit would be a dawning presence, shining from east to west, exposing and ending the darkness of the old covenant world while bringing healing, righteousness, and resurrection life and light to those who feared His name.
This crucial passage offers one of the clearest teachings on the nature and timing of Christâs kingdom and Parousia. Contrary to both futurist speculation and overly materialistic expectationsâeven among some partial preteristsâJesus declares that His kingdom would not be externally visible or politically manifest, but rather internal, spiritual, and already present within His faithful ones.
In this passage, Jesus unites several key prophetic themes:
- the spiritual nature of the kingdom (v. 21),
- the imminent character of His coming (v. 24; 18:7-8),
- the judgment upon unbelieving Israel like that in Noah and Lotâs day (vv. 26â30),
- the urgent command to flee when the signs appear (v. 31â33), and
- the decisive separation between the righteous and the wicked (vv. 34â37).
Moreover, the striking parallels between Luke 17 and Matthew 24 expose the untenable division many modern interpreters attempt to impose on the Olivet Discourse. The very same languageâabout the days of Noah, the lightning-like Parousia, the one taken and the one left, and the vultures over the corpseâis found in both accounts. To argue that Luke 17 refers to AD 70 while Matthew 24 refers to a future second coming ignores these textual and thematic overlaps. Luke 17 is not only contextually prior to Matthew 24, but also foundational to itâdemonstrating that Jesusâ eschatology remained consistent throughout His ministry.
This demands a consistent interpretation: If Luke 17âwhere all of these apocalyptic elements are presentârefers to Christâs coming in AD 70, then Matthew 24â25, which uses the exact same language, refers to the same event. Jesus did not teach two different comings of the Son of Man separated by thousands of years coming as the light of day; He taught one Parousia, one judgment, one consummation, one kingdom transitionâfulfilled in the lifetime of His hearers.
Major Premise: If the coming of Christ in Luke 17:20â37 refers to the same coming of the Son of Man described in Matthew 24â25 [as most futurists correctly see it]
Minor Premise: and yet the coming of Christ in Luke 17:20-37 was fulfilled in the judgment of Jerusalem in AD 70 [as many partial preterists see it]
Conclusion: âthen the coming in Matthew 24â25 must also have been fulfilled in AD 70.
If “A=B” and yet “A” was fulfilled in AD 70, then so was “B.” Pretty basic stuff – A = Luke 17 and B = Mathew 24-25
The coming of the Son of Man is not future to us but was imminent to His first-century audience. It was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, when the corrupt religious system was judged and the kingdom was revealed to be fully âwithinâ those united to Christ. Just as in the days of Noah and Lot, the judgment was swift and unexpectedâbringing deliverance to the righteous and wrath to the wicked. The vultures gathering over Jerusalemâs corpse signal not a future end of the world, but the end of a covenantal worldâthe world of Torah, temple, and tribal exclusivity.
The internal kingdom Jesus proclaimed has been inaugurated and established. His light continues to shine, not from a rebuilt temple or geopolitical Israel, but from the hearts of those who live in the power of the new covenant. The Church, indwelt by the King and empowered by His Spirit, is the true Israel of Godâvindicated in history and called to walk in the light of His already-fulfilled Parousia. The kingdom is here. The King has come. The light of day is shining, and it will never go out.
Todayâs Application:Â
We have explored Malachi 3â4 in connection with Christâs coming in judgment and salvation in Luke 17:20â37, depicted as the “Sun of Righteousness” or “Light of Day.” In AD 70, Christ fulfilled these prophecies, dismantling the Zealotsâ vision of a militaristic Messianic kingdom and establishing the spiritual, eternal kingdom prophesied by Daniel and Jesusâa kingdom that exists âwithinâ believers.
In contrast, modern Khazarian “Zionist zealots” hold misguided beliefs about Benjamin Netanyahu, viewing him as a potential forerunner to the Messiah, or even the Messiah himself. Their vision of the kingdom is rooted in warfare and territorial conquest. According to certain Orthodox Jewish circles:
âIt would seem that these proposals as well as other âsignsâ have led some in the Orthodox community to believe that Bibi Netanyahu is Masiach ben Yosef (Messiah, son of Joseph) the military leader that will precede the coming of the Messiah. [He will die in battle, but will make the way for the Messiah to come.] They claim that Netanyahu will be the last leader of Israel until the Messiah comes. Because Netanyahu has a military background and the fact that [they believe] he has taken on the spiritual mantle of Mordechai as is demonstrated in his speech to the U.S. Congress noted above, they are calling him Mashiach ben Yosef. Their website enumerates the many ways Bibi fulfills the requirements of this forerunner.â[14]
These modern zealots seek to establish a âJewishâ Messianic kingdom through war, with propagandaâfunded by figures like the Rothschilds [who own MSM]âportraying Israel as merely âdefending itself.â However, those familiar with the Talmud and the extreme political views of Benjamin Netanyahu recognize its violent undertones and flawed attempts to usher in a kingdom through war. Evangelical Zionists support the violence and carnal earthly kingdom expectations of Talmudic Zionism.  Both Daniel and Jesus prophesied the definitive end of Old Covenant national Israel in AD 70 and the establishment of the true, spiritual, and eternal kingdom within those who follow the real Messiah in the New Covenant age.  Both Talmudic Zionism and Evangelical Zionism embrace a view and hope of the Messianic Kingdom that Christ Himself rejected and judged in AD 70.  This is not a trivial matter. Â
Study Questions:
- What does Jesus mean when He says the kingdom of God does not come with observation but is âwithin youâ (Luke 17:21)? Is Jesus exegeting both the time and nature of fulfillment of Danielâs kingdom in Daniel? What are the connections between Dan. 2; 7:13-27 and Luke 17:20-37? Is it when Christ would be revealed as the light of day that the kingdom would be âwithinâ?
- How does the chiastic structure of Luke 17:20â37 help clarify its meaning?
- In what ways does Jesus contrast external, visible expectations of the kingdom with its true spiritual reality here in Luke 17 and Matthew 23?
- How do the âdays of Noahâ and âdays of Lotâ illustrate the nature and timing of Christâs coming?
- What parallels can be drawn between Luke 17 and Matthew 24 that support a unified, single fulfillment in AD 70?
- Why is it significant that Jesus said His coming would be âas the light of day shining from one part of the sky to the otherâ?What OT passage depicts Messiah as coming as the sun and within that context is the destruction of the Second Temple mentioned?
- What is the significance of the imagery of vultures gathering around the corpse in both Luke 17 and Matthew 24?
- How does Jesusâ answer to âWhere, Lord?â in Luke 17:37 point to the destruction of Jerusalem?
- Why do some translators avoid rendering entos as âwithin you,â and what are the implications of this choice?
- How does this passage challenge the common modern assumption that Jesusâ second coming is still in our future?
- When read alongside Luke 21:27â32, and in light of the chiastic structure of Luke 17:20â37, is it clear to you that the promise of Christ establishing His kingdom âwithinâ the hearts of His people was to be fulfilled at His coming in AD 70? While many argue that this inward and spiritual aspect of the kingdom was realized in his first coming, does the context of Luke 17 support that conclusionâor does it instead point to the judgment and kingdom consummation associated with his coming in AD 70?
- In Luke 17:34â36, Jesus speaks of one person being âtakenâ and another âleft.â According to the article, who is taken and who is left, and how does this differ from popular rapture interpretations?
- How does the articleâs interpretation of Luke 17:20â37 challenge futurist views that expect a physical, visible return of Christ in the future?
- How does the Talmud and many Kazarian âJewsâ like Banjamin Netanyahu think the messianic kingdom is going to come and are they trying to accomplish that now?Is this Zealotism 2.0? Â Has Evangelical Zionsim also embraced the carnal kingdom expectations of first century apostate Judaism? Â How is Christâs kingdom different?
[1] Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, rev. Henry Stuart Jones, 9th ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), 577. Liddell-Scott specifically translates entos in Luke 17:21 as âin your hearts.â
[2] William Hendriksen, Gospel of Luke, (Grand Rapids, MI: 1978), 805.
[3] A.J. Mattill, Jr., Luke and the Last Things: A Perspective for the Understanding of Lukan Thought (Dillsboro, NC: Western North Carolina Press, 1979), 89.
[4] Keith A. Mathison, Postmillennialism Aan Eschatology of Hope (Phillipsburg, PA: P&R Publishing, 1999), 213
[5] Gary DeMar, âIs the Rapture Found in Matthew 24?â, Christian Family Study Centre, December 7, 2020, accessed Mar 31, 2025, https://christianfamilystudycentre.home.blog/2020/12/07/is-the-rapture-found-in-matthew-24/.
[6] Ray Summers, Commentary on Luke: Jesus, the Universal Savior (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1972), 202.
[7] Bray, Matthew 24 Fulfilled, 120â128.
[8] Steve Gregg, Empire of the Risen Son: A Treatise on the Kingdom of GodâWhat It Is and Why It Matters, Book One: There Is Another King (Maitland, FL: Steve Gregg, 2020), 388â389.
[9] Ellicottâs Commentary for English Readers, Malachi 4, StudyLight.org, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/malachi-4.html
[10] John Gillâs Exposition of the Bible, Malachi 4, BibleHub, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/malachi/4.htm.
[11] Lightfoot, J. (2010). A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, Matthew-1 Corinthians, Matthew-Mark(Vol. 2, p. 78). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[12] Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: Carlton & Porter, 1831; repr., Bible Hub, accessed April 18, 2025),https://biblehub.com/commentaries/clarke/.
[13] James Strong, Enhanced Strongâs Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001), s.v. âastrapÄ.â
[14] Victoria Radin, Who is Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu?
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