(Synoptics: Luke 17:28-30)In addition to the description of the days of Noah, Luke records Christ further illustration from the Old Testament. As in 2 Peter, Lot is represented as a man of faith, in spite of his shortcomings.
It is only God’s extreme patience in making time for his elect to be called out of the world, that will let the world continue as long as it does. It is not as if there is some final act of wickedness, that tips the balance. Man provokes God to destroy him every day, and Adam did enough on day one to warrant the destruction of the earth, instead of just the imposition of the curse. The judgment when it came was very precise. It targeted the unrighteous, and just as Abraham had pleaded, God did not destroy the righteous with the wicked. He took his own out of the way before unleashing his anger.