Unlike the synergism of the zealots, Jesus’s expectation of how and when the messianic kingdom would come was much more apocalyptic. Without the aid of ζηλωταὶ, it would come suddenly like lightning in the sky (cf. Matt 24:27; Luke 17:24), as in the days of Noah and Lot (cf. Matt 24:36–39; Luke 17:26–29). 

Thus, Jesus was not seeking to radically redefine what the kingdom was, but rather he was simply seeking to correct ideas circulating within Jewish circles at the time concerning when and how the kingdom would come, based upon assumptions concerning where it would originate. It would not come out of Israel’s midst by the strength of human zeal, but rather it would come into Israel’s midst apocalyptically by the power of God from the heavens. Understanding the observable signs in Luke 17:20–21 as Jewish insurgencies helps us navigate what Jesus was trying to communicate more broadly concerning the kingdom of God in Luke 17:20–18:8.  - John P. Harrigan, Signs of Jewish Zealotry in Luke 17.20-21