Luke 17:20-37

Easy-to-Read Version

The Coming of God’s Kingdom^(A)

²⁰ Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will God’s kingdom come?”

Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you can see it. ²¹ People will not say, ‘Look, God’s kingdom is here!’ or ‘There it is!’ No, God’s kingdom is here with you.^[a]”

²² Then Jesus said to his followers, “The time will come when you will want very much to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not be able to. ²³ People will say to you, ‘Look, there it is!’ or ‘Look, here it is!’ Stay where you are; don’t go away and search. ²⁴ “When the Son of Man comes again, you will know it. On that day he will shine like lightning flashes across the sky. ²⁵ But first, the Son of Man must suffer many things. The people of today will refuse to accept him.

²⁶ “When the Son of Man comes again, it will be the same as it was when Noah lived. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, and getting married even on the day when Noah entered the boat. Then the flood came and killed them all.

²⁸ “It will be the same as during the time of Lot, when God destroyed Sodom. Those people were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building houses for themselves. ²⁹ They were doing these things even on the day when Lot left town. Then fire and sulfur rained down from the sky and killed them all. ³⁰ This is exactly how it will be when the Son of Man comes again.

³¹ “On that day if a man is on his roof, he will not have time to go inside and get his things. If a man is in the field, he cannot go back home. ³² Remember what happened to Lot’s wife^[b]!

³³ “Whoever tries to keep the life they have will lose it. But whoever gives up their life will save it. ³⁴ That night there may be two people sleeping in one room. One will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁵ There may be two women working together. One will be taken and the other will be left.” ^36 [c]

³⁷ The followers asked Jesus, “Where will this be, Lord?”

Jesus answered, “It’s like looking for a dead body—you will find it where the vultures are gathering above.”