Jesus’ teaching Luke 17:26-30 is that the world will continue as it has always continued. The normal courses of life will not be unbroken in the future, leading all the way until the Son of Man returns. The examples that Jesus used in Luke 17 are examples from pre-flood and post-flood. They are examples during the times of the greatest judgements that this world has seen and there are commonalities in both.
The passage is:
Luke 17:26–30 (NAS): 26 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, 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, they were building;
29 but on the day that Lot went out from 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.
In this passage notice that the people were busy about their lives until the very day of judgment. Before the flood, Noah was build the ark of Gopher wood and pitch (Genesis 6:14). It was a huge boat that would have been very evident to all around. For 120 years, Noah and his sons built this boat. During that time, Noah preached that God was going to judge the world. He was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). The world then mocked him and derided him. Peter tells us that they said, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:3-4). However, Peter says that it escapes their notice that it was not long after the ark was completed that God boarded the family and sent a flood and destroyed the earth (2 Peter 3:6). Potentially millions died.
In the days of Lot, the people were busy about their lives as well. This included gross sin, the sin of homosexuality. When God sent the angels to rescue Lot, He then rained fire and brimstone upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25). The Lord destroyed those two cities. However, prior to that destruction, it was life as usual.
Jesus said that it will be the same when He returns. People will preoccupy themselves with marrying, being given in marriage, buying, selling, planting, building, and regular affairs of life on the planet. That means that during the Tribulation man will continue to work hard at keeping the equilibrium that they once knew prior to the Rapture. After that, even in the midst of various signs from heaven and miracles of judgment on the earth, man will continue to worship his god, money, possessions, and self.
The beast will promise continued commerce, only a person must have his mark (Revelation 13:16-18). But he will continue to equalize the world while God is judging it. The darkness of lust, greed, power, false religion, and godlessness will continue in the same way that it did with Noah’s day and Lot’s day.
In the end, the world will blaspheme God for what He is doing in crescendo and they will refuse to glorify Him by repenting of their sins which were listed above (Revelation 16:11).
The destruction of worldwide commerce will finalize God’s wrath against the nations. That is what Revelation 18:11-20 says. Apostate Jerusalem, the home of the beast, false prophet, and Satan and his demons, the harlot herself, who becomes the head of the worldwide worship of the beast and the head of all immorality and sins, as well as the head of all commerce, will be destroyed with one final decree from God on the basis of the vindication of the saints who suffered because of her (Revelation 18:20).
Therefore, our Lord warned us. Seek the kingdom and leave the needs of the world to Him (Matthew 6:33). Let Him provide for you and care for you. You, Christian, seek the kingdom that is coming and busy yourself with its’ concerns. Do not concern yourself with the affairs of the world or you, like Lot, might be swept up in its destruction (Genesis 19:15-17).
Sketches of Scripture 