What does Luke 17:29 mean?

The second coming of Jesus Christ will resemble the judgment against Sodom: sudden, unexpected, and unmistakable. Lot, Abraham's nephew, had wealth in his livestock, but chose to live in the sinful city of Sodom. One night, two angels arrived to warn Lot to take his family and flee before God destroyed the city (Genesis 19).

That day, the people of Sodom "were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building" (Luke 17:28). They didn't know they were going to be destroyed that night. Revelation 18 shows that the economic power of the tribulation-era Babylon will look remarkably similar.

As Lot, his wife, and his daughters ran to the hills, God "rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire" (Genesis 19:24). Jesus promises, "so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed" (Luke 17:30). During the tribulation, when the sixth angel blows his trumpet, a massive angelic army, mounted on horses with heads like lions, will destroy a third of all humanity. One of the weapons they will use is the breath of the horses: "fire and smoke and sulfur" (Revelation 9:13–19).

For centuries, the veracity of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah was doubted. Today, many archaeologists think Sodom has been found in one of two locations, one of which is the ruins of a city that wasn't destroyed by burning sulfur but by a meteor. Further investigation may give more definitive answers. Until then, the discovery gives us a jolt of confidence that God's words about Sodom are true, and so is His prophecy of coming judgment.