“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day” (Luke 17:26 NLT)

Jesus pointed to Old Testament scenes of God’s judgment to answer end times questions. His use of the “Son of Man” title seems a clear reference to the exalted Messianic figure of Daniel 7. The fact that Jesus speaks of his future suffering and return further points to his self-awareness as the Messiah. Then, he compares the timing of his return to the days of Noah and later, to the time of Lot. In both cases, God’s judgment came without anyone being prepared, except the few warned by God (Noah’s family and Lot’s). Their was no worldwide awareness of God’s pending judgment, no readiness to face the Righteous One. It was a day like any other, it was “business as usual” when the end came suddenly. This is sobering news. Yet, nested within these stories is the fact that God saved Noah and Lot. They escaped God’s wrath through divine means. Perhaps the better question is not “when will the end come?” But “how can we escape God’s judgment?” How can we be ready for Christ’s return? The answer is to be found “in” Christ just as Noah was found in the boat when the floods came. As Paul said in Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”