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Remember Lot's Wife

January 13, 2008

Luke 17:20-37 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. " 22 And He said to the disciples, "The days shall come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 "And they will say to you, 'Look there! Look here!' Do not go away, and do not run after them. 24 "For just as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. 25 "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall 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. 31 "On that day, let not the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away; and likewise let not the one who is in the field turn back. 32 "Remember Lot's wife. 33 "Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it [perish], and whoever loses his life shall preserve it.

A solemn warning from Jesus Christ

Luke 17:32 Remember [present active imperative] Lot’s wife.

He was addressing His disciples

Luke 17:22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

Fear the warnings of God

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

The context is the kingdom and return of Christ

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, …24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

The world will end in judgment as the days of Noah

Luke 17:26-27 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it also shall be 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 into the ark; and the flood came and destroyed them all.

And also as it was in the days of Lot

Luke 17:28-30 So also as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but the day Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Remember Lot’s wife

Luke 17:31-32 In that day he who shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise, he who is in the field, let him not return to the things behind. 32 Remember Lot's wife.

The saving and losing of the soul life

Luke 17:33 Whoever shall seek to save his life [soul] shall lose it [perish], and whoever shall lose his life [soul] shall preserve it.

the Soul salvation is at the end of your faith

1 Peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Praise - honour - and glory at Christ's appearing

1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Lot was a righteous man

2 Peter 2:7-8 And delivered just Lot, vexed [oppressed, distressed] with the filthy conversation [or behavior] of the wicked: 8 For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;

The command: Escape for your life!

Do not look behind you!

Genesis 19:15-17 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city." 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountain, lest you be destroyed."

Lot’s wife looked back

Genesis 19:24-26 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Not fit for the kingdom of God

Luke 9:59-62 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for [prepared for; made ready for] the kingdom of God.

The covenant people can look back

Exodus 14:10-12 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. 11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

Acts 7:39 "whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,

God commands us to go forward!

Exodus 14:15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

Many of Christ’s disciples went back

John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

It had been better for them not to have known

2 Peter 2:20-22 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Sodom burned with age-lasting fire

Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance [punishment] or of ~~eternal~~ age-lasting fire.

The future punishment of age-lasting fire

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into ~~everlasting~~ age-lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

At Christ’s return

Matthew 25:31,34 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

The righteous escape age-lasting punishment

Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into ~~everlasting~~ age-lasting punishment: but the righteous into life ~~eternal~~ age-lasting.

Age-lasting salvation to them that obey

Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of ~~eternal~~ age-lasting salvation unto all them that obey him;

Stretch forward to those things which are ahead

Philippians 3:8,13-14 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.