"The Condensed Olivet Discourse" in Luke 17:22-37 Based On A Chiastic Reconfiguration

A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of "The Condensed Olivet Discourse" in Luke 17:22-37

Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 20 November 2024 *

Fig. 1

Introduction

This study treats Luke 17:22-37 as a cryptochiasmus in order to arrive at a coherent reconfiguration of the text. Text that is structured as a cryptochiasmus must be rearranged based on certain principles to be correctly interpreted. A cryptochiasmus is a new concept; see definition in [1]. If you wish to skip the technicalities of a chiastic parse, you may read starting from Section 4 of the Discussion section, which has the reconfigured text.

With this chiastic reconstruction, we will show that this passage is a shortened version of the Olivet Discourse found in other New Testament passages - those in Matthew 24 [6], Mark 13 [13] and Luke 21 [14].

Note:
We will use the term "Judahite" to refer to the Israelites - primarily those of the tribe of Judah and their descendants - that remained after the Assyrian exile of the Northern Tribes; we will try to avoid the term "Jew" to avoid the confusion it introduces.

Discussion

1. Presuppositions

In the Olivet passage in Matthew 24, the disciples ask Jesus three questions (Matt 24:3): when will this happen (the destruction of the temple), what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age? In this passage, Jesus' prophetic reply is regarding the three Periods listed below:

The attack on Jerusalem (70AD) during The First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD).
The Coming of the Messiah before Christ's Millennial Reign (before 2027AD). The Messiah of the Millennial Reign will appear suddenly and reign for Christ. The 2027AD date for the start of the Millennial Reign is from our parse of Isaiah 60-62 [10].
The Start of the End-Times Tribulation (unknown date before 2967AD). Christ returns in glory at the beginning of the End-Times Tribulation to gather up the faithful. The tribulation of this Period comes from God and His angels. The 2967AD date for the End of the Age is from our parse of Daniel 10-12 [8].

2. Parsing the chiasmus

We will use the NIV translation for this parse.

Parsing this chiasmus involves dividing the text into three categories as above. We will call the period of the First Jewish-Roman War Period 1, the Pre-Millennial time Period 2 and the beginning of the "End of the Age" Period 3.

Categorizing vs 22-37

Vs 22-25 belong to Period 2. The Messiah, a human representative of Christ, will rise to international fame as rapidly as lightning. In this subunit, Christ also predicts his death and ascension, though they occurred long before this Period.

Vs 26-30 belong to Period 3. Christ's arrival in the last days will be as unexpected and sudden as the devastation in the days of Noah and the days of Lot.

Vs 31-33 belong to Period 1. We know from our parse of other Olivet passages that these warnings to leave immediately apply to the time of the First Jewish-Roman war.

Vs 34-36 belong to Period 3. Instances of rapture events at Christ's return at the beginning of the End-Times Tribulation.

Vs 37 belong to Period 2. We believe the "vulture" adage applies to the persecution and death of Christ. We place this subunit in Period 2 because Christ's death is also alluded to in the corresponding subunit (vs 22-25).

Original text

We color-code the chiastic units of the original text (NIV) below for easy visual identification using: red for Period 1, blue for Period 2, and green for Period 3. We have retranslated parts of the text.

Luke 17 22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 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.
28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.
34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. [a]
37 “Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

Retranslation notes for Luke 17:22-37
[a] vs 36 This verse is taken from the KJV, as it is omitted in the NIV. It is reintroduced for a balanced regular chiasmus in Period 3.

3. Building the reconfigured text

From this parse, it appears that verses 22-37 form a cryptochiasmus as below:

A1 22-25 Period 2. The Messiah's arrival is like lightning
B1 26-30 Period 3. Christ's sudden return for the rapture
X 31-33 Period 1. Leave immediately on seeing the Romans
B2 34-36 Period 3. Instances of the rapture
A2 37 Period 2. The "vulture" proverb

We now reconstruct the phrases in the right order based on the chiastic structure we arrived at previously and based on the ordering rules of a cryptochiasmus [1].

We lead with central pivot point 'X'. The corresponding subunits (For ex., subunit A1 corresponds to A2) are placed contiguously to form units (For ex., A1,A2 is a unit) so that we get a list of such units.

The sequence selected for rearrangement is:

X [A1,A2] [B1,B2] (1)

Translating (1) into verse numbers, we get:

31-33 [22-25, 37] [26-30, 34-36] (2)

We arrive at the reconfigured passage in the next section by rearranging the verses so they are in sequence (2).

4. Luke 17:22-37 Reconfigured

Period 1. The Destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD during the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (31-33)

31a On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them.

31b Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.32 Remember Lot’s wife!

33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.

Period 2. The Coming of the Messiah before Christ's Millennial Reign (before 2027AD) (vs. 22-25,37)

22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 37 “Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

Period 3 The Start of the End Times Tribulation (unknown date before 2967AD) (vs. 26-30, 34-36)

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 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.

28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

5. A Commentary on the Reconfigured Text

5.1 Period 1. The Destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD during the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (31-33)

This Period is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 31a Christians should value their eternal soul above earthly possessions
X 31b-32 Christians must love their God more than the things of this world
A2 33 Christians should value their eternal soul above earthly possessions

Note that this Period predicts the attack on Jerusalem during the Jewish-Roman War, but we parse this chiasmus based on its spiritual applications.

Subunit A1: Christians should value their eternal soul above earthly possessions (vs 31a)

31a On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them.

Christian Judahites who see the Romans lay siege to Jerusalem from their rooftops must leave Jerusalem immediately. They must not even go into their houses for their belongings, as the entire Christian community is to exit Jerusalem in one day. ( For details on this Period, see our paper on "The 70 weeks of Daniel" [2].)

Pivot X: Christians must love their God more than the things of this world (vs 31b-32)

31b Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife!

Those who are outside Jerusalem when the Romans arrive should not return to the city for any reason, even if they are sorely tempted (see also Luke 21:21). Lot's wife disobediently looked back at Sodom with longing (Gen 19:26), reluctant to let go of the lifestyle she was forced to leave, and lost her life as a result. We propose that fleeing the city represents obedience and love for God, and returning (or even turning to look back, in the case of Lot's wife) represents a love for the things of this world, something that will be punished with death.

Subunit A2: Christians should value their eternal soul above earthly possessions (vs 33)

This passage continues from vs 31a in the corresponding Subunit A1.

33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.

Those who obey Christ's warning to flee immediately will be saved, but those who try to hang on to their earthly possessions will die a cruel death. The spiritual lesson is that we are to value our eternal soul over our earthly possessions (Mark 8:34-38).

5.2 Period 2. The Coming of the Messiah before Christ's Millennial Reign (before 2027AD) (vs. 22-25,37)

This Period is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 22 Christ Predicts His Death (30AD)
X 23-24 The Coming of the Messiah of the Millennial Reign (before 2027AD)
A2 25,37 Christ Predicts His Death (30AD)

This chiasmus combines Christ's death in the 1st century with the coming of his Messiah in the 21st century, presumably to indicate that it was Christ's death on the cross that paved the way to his Millennial Reign through his Messiah (see Rev. 5:8-14). ( There are several other chiasmi with this same combination of topics; for ex., see Period 3 in the parse of Isaiah 52-53 [11]. In Period 2 of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 [6], Chiasmus 2 is regarding similar subjects, but with the topics of the pivot and subunits interchanged.)

Subunit A1: Christ Predicts His Death (30AD) (vs 22)

22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

Christ at his First Coming, the "Son of Man" of this verse, predicts that he will soon leave the disciples permanently by ascending to heaven, and they will have to continue their mission of preaching the Gospel without his guidance and support (cf. John 16:16).

Pivot X: The Coming of the Messiah of the Millennial Reign (before 2027AD) (vs 23-24)

23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.

Regarding the period between 30AD and the opening of the 2nd Seal (Rev. 6:3,4), Christ says that many false messiahs will arise in various places to lead people astray with false doctrines (see also Matthew 24:23).

24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

But the true Messiah of the Millennial Reign, the "Son of Man" of this passage (see also Dan 7:13), can be identified by the speed at which his fame spreads around the world - as fast as lightning (see also Matthew 24:27). The Messiah is called a "Son of Man" because he is the human incarnation of the Archangel Michael.

Subunit A2: Christ Predicts His Death (30AD) (vs 25,37)

This passage continues from vs 22 in the corresponding Subunit A1.

25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Before he ascends out of the world, Christ will be rejected by the wicked among the Judahites (see Luke 23:13-25), and he will be persecuted and killed.

37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.
He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

The disciples ask where this suffering and rejection will take place, and Jesus essentially replies that it will be wherever he is taken as prisoner. The sense of the "vultures" adage in this context is that once God hands over Jesus for his betrayal and imprisonment, he will be a "dead body" (see Matt. 26:1-4). The wicked among the Judahites, the chief priests and teachers of the Law, will gather around him like vultures, seeking to "pick him apart and devour him" through torture and crucifixion (see Matthew 20:17-19, see also similar text in Matt. 24:28).

5.3 Period 3 The Start of the End Times Tribulation (unknown date before 2967AD) (vs. 26-30, 34-36)

This Period is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 26-27 Noah's ark is a type of the rapture
X 28-30 Lot's escape from Sodom is a type of the rapture
A2 34-36 Noah's ark is a type of the rapture

Note that we parse this chiasmus on the rapture based on its typology.

Subunit A1: Noah's ark is a type of the rapture (vs 26-27)

Jesus Christ at his Second Coming, the "Son of Man" of this Period, will rapture out the faithful just before the End-Times Tribulation begins (see Matt 24:30-31). Immediately after the sudden rapture, the tribulation of those who remain on earth will begin (no one knows the day or the hour - Matthew 24:36), while they go about their normal lives, just as the devastation in the days of Noah came without warning (Gen. 7).

Pivot X: Lot's escape from Sodom is a type of the rapture (vs 28-30)

The destruction of Sodom (Gen. 19:1-29) can be considered a type of the time of the rapture (a "type" is a non-verbal, symbolic prophecy). The people of Sodom were living normal lives, like those at the time of the rapture, but after the departure of Sodom's only righteous residents (a type of the rapture), Lot and his family, the city and all the wicked that remained in it were punished with utter destruction (a type of the End-Times Tribulation) (see Gen. 19:1-29, cf. Genesis 18:32).

Subunit A2: Noah's ark is a type of the rapture (vs 34-36)

Only those who are considered righteous are raptured and escape the End-Times Tribulation. They are taken up to heaven immediately to be in the presence of God and Christ (see Rev. 7:9-17). The time of Noah's floods can be considered a type of this Period. Noah and his family, the only righteous of the world (Genesis 6:5-13), were "raptured out" through the ark, and, immediately after that, the wicked that remained were punished.

Conclusion

With this chiastic reconfiguration, we have shown that this passage contains three interwoven prophecies that are shortened versions of the Olivet prophecies in Matthew, Mark and Luke 21. Note that the phrase "Son of Man" is used in three different contexts in this prophecy, it refers to: Christ at his First Coming, Christ at his Second Coming and the Messiah at the start of his Millennial Reign.

References