04/08/2026
Do it Now!
Luke 17:20-37
Rabbi Rev. Dr.2 Michael H. Koplitz
Luke 17:20 Now He was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, and He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs that can be observed; 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” 22 And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 “And they will say to you, ‘Look there,’ or, ‘Look here!’ Do not leave, and do not run after them. 24 For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. 25 “But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man: 27 people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, and they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31 “On that day, the one who will be on the housetop, with his goods in the house, must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one in the field must not turn back. 32 “Remember Lot’s wife. 33 “Whoever strives to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 “I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 “There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 [“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] 37 And responding, they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”
Human beings have a fascinating trait: we want to know how things began. We want to trace origins, to understand where everything came from. Enormous amounts of money and resources have been spent trying to discover how the universe was created. We hear about the Big Bang Theory, and now even newer theories that are said to improve upon it. Astronomers tell us there is more matter and energy in the universe than we can observe, inferred by the way gravity pulls galaxies in different directions.
All of this sounds impressive—and it is—but sometimes we have to ask a simple question: What does this have to do with my daily life?
It is human curiosity about beginnings that keeps us on this long journey of discovery. But let me share a secret with you: I know how the universe began. God said, and it was so. God spoke ten utterances, and from them the universe came into being. I didn’t have to spend millions—or billions—of dollars to figure that out. I simply opened my Bible and read the first few chapters of Genesis.
In Luke 17:20–37, we find an intriguing discussion between Jesus and the Pharisees about the coming of the parousia. That’s a Greek term often translated as “the coming” or “the end times.” The question they ask is straightforward: When will it happen?
Why do we want to know when the end will come? And why does it matter?
The Pharisees approached Jesus with this question because there were many ideas and traditions circulating about what the end of time would look like. We should remember that when the Gospels describe “debates” between Jesus and the Pharisees or Sadducees, they are referring to a normal part of Jewish religious life. Scholars debated Scripture and theology regularly. The Pharisees were not always trying to trap Jesus; often they were genuinely trying to understand where he stood. Asking questions was how you discovered someone’s position.
So they asked him: When will the end come?
Jesus’ answer is surprisingly simple—and profoundly challenging. We do not know. The Kingdom of God does not come in ways that can be observed or scheduled. Jesus could return before this message is finished—or long after it is heard. Even Jesus himself said that the exact timing was not known.
By the end of the first century, around 100 CE, early Christians were becoming anxious. Paul had taught that Jesus would return within his lifetime. But Paul died, and the world kept going. Then the Book of Revelation emerged, and many interpreted it to suggest that the end would not occur for at least 2,000 years. That understanding helps explain why, in 1999, so many people confidently declared that the world would end at the turn of the millennium. History shows us how poorly those predictions turned out.
The truth is this: we do not know when the end will come. But we do know something else that should concern us—we may not need to wait for God to end the world. We may do it ourselves.
A global nuclear war would utterly devastate life on Earth. Humanity has poured enormous resources into developing weapons capable of destroying the planet many times over. Whenever a major conflict begins, the most terrifying fear is the possibility of nuclear escalation.
Consider the war between Russia and Ukraine. Russia is a nuclear power. Ukraine once was as well, but in the 1990s it gave up its nuclear arsenal as part of agreements with the West. It is chilling to imagine what might have happened had Ukraine retained nuclear weapons—how quickly escalation could have spiraled out of control. Nuclear fallout would not respect borders; it would affect the entire world.
I’m reminded of the video game Civilization, created by Sid Meier. In one version, I advanced my civilization to the point where nuclear weapons became available. Curious, I launched one at an enemy. Instantly, every other nation declared war on me, and nuclear weapons rained down on my empire. I reloaded the game to a moment before that first launch and chose a different path. This time, nuclear weapons were never used.
That game reflects a sobering reality: nuclear weapons exist as deterrents, and so far, humanity has been wise—or fortunate—enough not to use them. We should pray that it remains so. If World War III becomes a nuclear war, we may not need to wait for Christ’s return; we will have destroyed ourselves.
Astronomers tell us that as our sun ages, it will grow hotter. In about two billion years, it will exhaust its fuel and expand into a red giant star, consuming Mercury, Venus, Earth, and possibly even Mars. Long before that, rising heat will make Earth uninhabitable. The terrifying imagery the Hebrew Scriptures use to describe the “Day of the Lord” will, in some sense, become reality.
Will human civilization last that long? Sometimes I wonder how we have lasted this long already. Too often, we seem more committed to killing one another than loving one another. Imagine a world where no one fought over territory or material gain—where nations worked together for the benefit of all humanity. The money wasted on war could instead be used to heal, build, educate, and restore. What a world that could be.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus warns us about the suddenness of the end. The most important question his message raises is not when the end will come, but are you ready?
If Jesus were to return at this very moment—would you be ready to meet him?
What does readiness look like? It means repentance. It means examining your life honestly, turning away from sin, and making restitution where it is needed.
Jewish and Christian mysticism, particularly the Kabbalah, teaches that God mercifully gives us time between sin and death—not to condemn us instantly, but to allow us the chance to recognize our wrongdoing, repent, and seek forgiveness. God is patient. He wants us restored, not destroyed.
If there is sin in your life that needs repentance—or harm that requires restitution—do not delay. Why the urgency? Because we do not know when the end will come. It could be today. It could be tomorrow. We do not know.
Do not assume you will always have another chance. Examine your life now. Repent now. Make things right now. Be ready to meet Jesus face-to-face—not in fear, but in peace, confident that you will hear the words, “Well done,” and enter into the joy and glory of God.
Because tomorrow is not guaranteed—but grace is available today.
