We live in a Sodomized and compromised society that has lost its way, corrupted its moral character, abandoned Godliness, descended into anarchy, amidst a multiplied apostate Church like in the Days of Noah: a civilization that ignores God completely and has removed Him from the equation altogether. Regardless, the day of reckoning is inevitable because of the Church’s moral failures and abandonment of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Luke 17:22–37
“And He said to the disciples, ‘The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.’”
(Luke 17:22–30, NKJV)
1. Introduction: A Warning for Our Generation
In Luke 17, Jesus vividly portrays the end-time generation—a world engrossed in pleasure, indifferent to holiness, and oblivious to the imminent divine judgment. Evangelist Peter Gee once proclaimed that “the Church today is living in the days just before the Rapture—the season of apostasy, when men no longer endure sound doctrine but heap up teachers who tell them what they want to hear.”
The Apostle Paul prophesied about the time in which we live now in 2 Timothy 4:2-5
He wrote to Timothy and said, “Preach the word!” (2 Timothy 4:2). Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
We must be vigilant and ready—not complacent—as we see Jesus’ prophecy come true.
The Rapture of the Church is not a myth nor a theological footnote—it is a divine event that will shake the earth and separate the true from the false. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Paul writes:
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”
Christ will come for His saints, saving them from the coming wrath; this is their blessed Hope. Yet many in the modern Church no longer look for this blessed Hope. They preach a comfortable gospel, a gospel without repentance, a gospel without holiness. But Jesus did not sugarcoat the truth; He warned us that His return would arrive suddenly, unexpectedly, in a time of moral collapse.
2. The Days of Noah: A Civilization Ignoring God
Jesus compared the last days to the days of Noah. Genesis 6 tells us that “the earth was corrupt before God, and filled with violence.” Humanity had defied God’s moral law, filled the world with bloodshed, and lived without restraint. God saw that “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). That sounds eerily familiar to our modern world.
Noah’s generation was not ignorant of God; they were indifferent to Him. For 120 years, Noah, “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), warned of coming judgment. But the people mocked him. They continued eating, drinking, and marrying—nothing wrong with these acts themselves—but their obsession with pleasure and materialism closed their eyes to eternal truth. They were too busy living for the moment to heed God’s message.
Today, the same spirit reigns. The world laughs at preachers of holiness. The entertainment industry glorifies sin. Governments call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Even many churches have replaced repentance with motivational speeches. Yet the ark of salvation—Christ Jesus—still stands open. Just as the ark was the only refuge from the flood, so Christ is the only refuge from the wrath to come. When the door shuts, it will shut forever.
Jesus said, “Until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” It was sudden. One day, everything seemed normal. Next, the heavens broke loose. When the Rapture occurs, life will seem normal: people at work, weddings, marketplaces, airports, classrooms—and then, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52), millions will vanish, but this will happen in the middle of the tribulation period. The world will become chaotic, a clear sign of the abrupt, unsettling character of this holy occurrence.
3. The Days of Lot: A Culture Given to Immorality
The Lord also compared the end time to the days of Lot. Genesis 19 recounts the story of Sodom and Gomorrah—cities so depraved that God could no longer tolerate their sin. Ezekiel 16:49 explains their sin: pride, fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, and failure to strengthen the hand of the poor. Yet the New Testament adds another layer—sexual perversion. Jude 1:7 says they “gave themselves over to sexual immorality and went after strange flesh.”
In our generation, Sodom has returned. Moral boundaries have collapsed. What once shocked the conscience now parades proudly in the streets. Same-sex marriage has changed the definition of marriage, confusing children instead of teaching the truth. The spirit of Sodom lives again, not only in the world but in churches that bless sin rather than confront it. Lot, a righteous man living among them, was “tormented in his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds” (2 Peter 2:8). Do we still feel tormented by sin, or have we become desensitized?
Jesus said, “On the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.” Notice the pattern: before judgment fell, the righteous were removed. Lot’s departure preceded destruction, just as Noah’s entering the ark preceded the flood. Likewise, the Rapture will precede the outpouring of God’s wrath during the Great Tribulation. It is crucial to understand and distinguish between the Rapture, the Day of the Lord, and the Second Coming. The Rapture is God’s rescue operation for His bride; the Day of the Lord is His judgment upon the ungodly; the Second Coming is His triumphant return with His saints to reign for a thousand years.
4. The Apostate Church: Imaginary Jesus Versus the Biblical Jesus
In Luke 17:22, Jesus said, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.” This speaks prophetically of a time when true faith would be rare and false Christs would multiply. We are there now. The modern Church has replaced the Jesus of the Bible with an imaginary one—one who tolerates sin, who never judges, who exists only to fulfill human desires. Many pulpits worship this false Jesus, but he is not the Christ of the Bible.
Paul warned in 2 Corinthians 11:4, “For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit or a different gospel… You may well put up with it.” Today’s Christianity is saturated with “another Jesus.” It is a gospel of comfort, not conviction; prosperity, not purity; entertainment, not endurance. Yet Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
This is the great apostasy Paul foresaw in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first.” The falling away is happening before our eyes. Churches compromise to attract crowds; preachers fear men more than God. But God is raising a remnant—a people hungry for truth, holiness, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
5. The Suddenness of the Rapture
Jesus emphasized the suddenness of His coming. “In that night there will be two men in one bed: one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will lie together; the one will be taken and the other left” (Luke 17:34-35). It will be instantaneous. No warning sirens. No second chances. The trumpet will sound, and the division will occur—between the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), between wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30).
This sudden separation reveals the personal nature of salvation. You cannot rely on your pastor, your spouse, or your denomination. Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). She looked back, longing for the world she had left behind, and became a pillar of salt. Her heart remained in Sodom, though her feet had gone. Likewise, many professing Christians today are half-hearted, attached to the world, unwilling to forsake sin. They have religion without regeneration. When the trumpet sounds, such hearts will not rise.
The Rapture will be global. Jesus said, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together” (Luke 17:37)—a cryptic yet prophetic phrase implying that the true Church will be gathered to the living Christ. The saints will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, transformed from mortality to immortality. Paul wrote, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). The world will awaken to the greatest disappearance in history. Planes without pilots, cars without drivers, pulpits suddenly empty—the Age of Grace will close.
6. The Day of the Lord and the Second Coming
Evangelist Peter Gee has wisely taught that many confuse the Rapture with the Day of the Lord and the Second Coming, yet Scripture clearly distinguishes them.
The Rapture: Christ comes for His saints (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). It is secret, sudden, and signless.
The Day of the Lord: A period of divine wrath and judgment on the earth, beginning after the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3, Joel 2:31).
The Second Coming: Christ returns with His saints to establish His millennial kingdom (Revelation 19:11–16, 20:4).
During the Day of the Lord, the world will experience unimaginable terror. Revelation 6–19 describes the seven-year Tribulation—trumpets, seals, and bowls of wrath. But the Church, the Bride of Christ, will be with Him in heaven, celebrating the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7–9). That is why Jesus said, “Pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). The word “escape” implies deliverance—Rapture—before wrath falls.
When Jesus returns visibly at the end of the great Tribulation, every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7). He will come not as the Lamb but as the Lion of Judah. The armies of heaven will follow Him, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. The Antichrist and False Prophet will be cast into the lake of fire, and Christ will reign on earth for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1–6). That glorious Second Coming is distinct from the secret catching away of the Church.
7. The Urgency of Readiness
Jesus repeatedly warned, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42). Yet most people live as though time will continue forever. Peter prophesied this in 2 Peter 3:3 4, “Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’” But God is not slack; He is patient, giving sinners one last opportunity to repent.
To be ready, one must be born again (John 3:3). Religious affiliation cannot save you. Moral goodness cannot qualify you. Only the blood of Jesus cleanses from sin (1 John 1:7). The actual evidence of salvation is a transformed life—obedience, holiness, love for truth. Jesus said, “Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).
Let us not be like the foolish virgins who had lamps without oil—a form of fire. When the Bridegroom came, the door was shut. They cried, “Lord, Lord, open to us!” But He answered, “I do not know you” (Matthew 25:11-12). What a tragedy to be religious yet lost! The oil represents the Holy Spirit. Only those filled with His Spirit will rise when the trumpet sounds (Romans 8:11).
8. The Moral State of the World: A Prophetic Mirror
When we look around, every sign Jesus mentioned is visible. Wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6). Lawlessness abounds (Matthew 24:12). The love of many grows cold. False prophets are multiplying. The gospel is preached to all nations through digital networks such as Jesus Christ Only TV and satellite broadcasts. Israel restored as a nation (Ezekiel 37). Knowledge increases (Daniel 12:4). Artificial intelligence, global surveillance, digital currencies—tools that could enable the mark of the beast system (Revelation 13:16, 18). The final preparations for the tribulation stage are being put in place before our eyes.
Society mirrors Noah’s and Lot’s days: moral decay, sexual confusion, mockery of God. Abortion is celebrated, marriage is desecrated, and the fear of God has vanished. But amid this darkness, God still calls His people to shine as lights. Philippians 2:15 urges, “Be blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.” Our task is not to hide but to proclaim the gospel boldly, urging souls to enter the Ark—Christ—before it is too late.
9. The Comfort of the Blessed Hope
Though these prophecies are sobering, they are also comforting. Paul said, “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Why? The Rapture means deliverance, reunion, and glory. We shall see those who died in Christ, our loved ones. We shall be clothed with immortality. We shall behold the King in His beauty (Isaiah 33:17). No more death, pain, or tears (Revelation 21:4).
This blessed Hope purifies us. “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3). Hope produces holiness. Expectation produces endurance. Understanding that Jesus may come for us today through death, but not through the Rapture, which happens after the first three and a half years of the Tribulation period, should motivate us to live righteously. We should focus on forgiving others, winning souls, and being prepared. The purpose of the Rapture is not to scare.
10. Conclusion: The Final Call
Jesus’ words in Luke 17 echo across the centuries like thunder: “Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” The world will not expect it. The religious will not discern it. Only the watchful, the faithful, and the sanctified will hear that trumpet. The rest will be left to face the terrors of the Great Tribulation.
Friend, are you ready? Have you truly surrendered your life to Christ? Have you forsaken sin? Are you sealed with the Holy Spirit? If not, today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Tomorrow may be too late. As in Noah’s day, the door will soon close. As in Lot’s day, fire will quickly fall. But before that moment, a shout will pierce the sky: “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:1). The redeemed will rise to meet their Bridegroom, and the marriage supper will begin.
Let us heed the call of Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” Let every heart prepare, every believer watch, every preacher warn, for the King is at the door.
“Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)