In Luke 17:26-30, Jesus is talking about the kingdom of God. He is speaking about His return and the coming of the Son of Man, and makes reference to that time being like the “days of Noah” and the “days of Lot”. Here is the reference:

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 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. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

As I was meditating on these verses, I was so encouraged to realize that even in the midst of difficult days, God wants us to know what He is doing, and He wants us to know what we should be doing. Let me explain:

In the days of Noah, God clearly told Noah what He was doing.
Genesis 6:13, “And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

Even though this is a tough word, I love how the Lord reveals His plans to those who have found grace in His sight. In addition to giving revelation to Noah, God also gave Noah a specific strategy on what to build during this challenging time.

In the days of Noah, God clearly told Noah what Noah should be doing.
Genesis 6:14-18, “Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark--you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you”

Even in times of divine judgement, God clearly reveals the purposes of His heart and gives specific instructions to His people on what and how to build in the midst of it. What are we to be building in this hour?

There are massive spiritual shifts underway. There are new wineskins being formed. Recognizing and aligning with these spiritual shifts is the key to engaging in what God is blessing. There are several that I could mention, but here is one of them.

There is shift from prioritizing pulpits and platforms to prioritizing families, homes and tables as places of encounter and edification for the people of God. This is not a time to be overwhelmed or overcome by the spirit of fear. This is a time to clearly discern the strategies of the Lord and prepare our hearts and our homes as places for His glory to dwell. Remember the dwelling places of the children of Israel in the days of God’s judgement upon Egypt? They had light in their dwellings even in the midst of the darkness.

Exodus 10:21-23, “Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”

There is also a very interesting element revealed in the days of Lot.

In the days of Lot, God wanted Abraham to know what He was doing.
Genesis 18:17-18, 20-22, “And the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?’” 20 And the Lord said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know." 22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord."

As Abraham stood still before the Lord, his heart was being stirred to make intercession on behalf of the righteous remnant living in the midst of such corruption. He appealed to the Lord with questions regarding His mercy and justice. For ten verses, Abraham conversed with the Almighty, stood in the gap on behalf of a righteous remnant, and made intercession before the Judge of all the Earth.

He said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 So the Lord said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes." 27 Then Abraham answered and said, "Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?" So He said, "If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it." 29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose there should be forty found there?" So He said, "I will not do it for the sake of forty." 30 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 And he said, "Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty." 32 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten." 33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.”

The beautiful thing here is that even in the midst of pending judgement coming upon Sodom and Gomorrah, God is responding, in real-time, to the courageous intercessions of His friend, Abraham.

I love the interaction between God and Abraham in this scene. Abraham, without intervening with God’s justice, was appealing to God’s mercy as he interceded for the righteous remnant. This is a delicate tension to keep, and I think that Abraham nailed it.

So what can we take away from these verses about the “days of Noah” and the “days of Lot”? Perhaps we can focus less on the corruption and darkness that surrounds us and focus more on what we are to be building and how we ought to be praying in this critical hour in human history.