Luke 17:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

NIV: People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

NASB: 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.

CSB: People went on eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

NLT: In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

KJV: They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

NKJV: 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.

Worldly culture will be shocked and surprised at the second coming of Jesus Christ. In the time of Noah, people practiced horrific evil but still celebrated normal things like marriage. They had no concept of imminent judgment. Before Jesus returns, the conditions of the earth will be horrific thanks to the tribulation; some will still manage to make money and live luxuriously.

All the activities mentioned here are celebratory. What the reference to Noah adds is "that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). Noah was God's "herald of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5) and in his obedience to God, he "condemned the world" (Hebrews 11:7). That is, by obeying God, He showed that having faith in God was possible, even in such an extremely sinful culture (Psalm 23:5).

As in the time of Noah, God will send warning witnesses to the people of the Babylon of the tribulation: the 144,000 (Revelation 7:1–8) and the two witnesses whose deaths the people will celebrate (Revelation 11:1–13). The people will intentionally reject God and devote themselves to licentious living and worldly treasures. Yet their judgment will be far more terrible. They will experience God's wrath in the seven seal judgments, seven trumpet judgments, and seven bowl judgments. Babylon, the economic system they love, will not be destroyed by a flood; it will be burned with fire (Revelation 18).

Matthew 24:38–39 gives the same warning but says they will be unaware of their impending judgment. How can this be? Jesus' prophecy may be referring to people who ignore the warnings of the two prophets. He may be referring to a time right before the judgments begin. Or it may be that even while the world suffers cataclysmic damage, there will be some with the money and resources to think they're untouchable. After the sixth trumpet judgment, Revelation 9:20–21 describes, "the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts." What we've seen throughout history certainly demonstrates mankind's capacity to live in heinous sin while ignoring warning signs.

Luke 17:22–37 may create confusion for two reasons. The first is where to place the events in relation to the end times. Are they before the rapture or at the end of the tribulation? The second complication is the placement of Jesus' teaching. Did He deliver this message while traveling through Galilee and Samaria, or outside of Jerusalem during the final week prior to His crucifixion? Ultimately, neither question is as important as the clear message: Jesus' return will be unmistakable, and those who are not ready will suffer greatly. This passage covers similar material to Matthew 24 and Mark 13.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.