Remember Lot’s Wife
Introduction: Surely one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible is the story of Lot and his wife, as recorded in Genesis 13-19. Lot was a nephew of Abraham, living about 21 centuries before Christ. He and Abraham grew very wealthy in livestock, and their herdsmen began to quarrel over grazing rights in the Negev. Abraham wisely suggested they split up before the conflict escalated, and he even gave Lot first choice of where to live.
Lot rather selfishly chose the valley of the Jordan, where there was plenty of water and which Genesis 13:10 describes as “like the garden of the Lord,” i.e., “like the garden of Eden.” The two men parted company, and then we read in verse 12: “Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.”
The sins of Sodom were many, including the fact that they were “arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49), but the sin for which the city was chiefly known and the sin which actually bears its name—sodomy—was the sin of homosexual behavior. So open and flagrant were these people in their sexual perversions that eventually God decided to destroy the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham didn’t feel that was fair, because the righteous (like his nephew Lot) would die along with the wicked, and he argued with God about His decision to destroy the cities. In a dramatic bargaining session God agreed to withhold judgment if Abraham could find 50 righteous people in the city, then 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, and finally 10. But Abraham could not find even ten.
Following the Sodomites’ attempted gang rape of two angelic visitors to Lot’s house, the Lord sent this message to Lot: “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished” (Genesis 19:14). Even then Lot hesitated, and the angelic visitors had to actually lead them out of the city, saying, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere in the plain!” (Genesis 19:17). In Genesis 19:24 we read the conclusion to the story:
“Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
In our Scripture text today, which is the latter half of Luke 17, Jesus engages in a major discourse on the second coming. Right in the middle of that discourse He exhorts His disciples to “Remember Lot’s wife!” What in the world does Lot’s wife have to do with the second coming? Dick suggested to me that as we wait for the second coming, we are to be the salt of the earth, but I doubt if that is the connection, and I know he wasn’t serious. Hang on to the question as we read from Luke 17:20 to the end of the chapter:
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
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. Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 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 first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 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.
“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”
“Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
We are dealing here with an area of theology known as eschatology, which is a big fancy term for the doctrine of last things. Historically there have been three common approaches to the prophecies in the Bible. Most liberal scholars categorically deny that the future can be predicted at all, and therefore they conclude that all the allegedly prophetic passages were either written after the fact or are simply guesswork on the part of some religious author.
Others, and this would include many evangelical pastors, acknowledge the truly prophetic nature of Scripture but have a kind of phobia about it. Since prophecy is difficult to interpret and can be divisive, they stay away from books like Daniel, Isaiah, Revelation, and the Olivet Discourse, so their congregations are rarely treated to sermons on prophecy.
Still others ride the eschatological hobby horse nearly to death. They are known for books, charts, and prophecy conferences, wherein it is not uncommon for them to speculate on the identity of the Anti-Christ, the mark of the beast, or the effect of the Rapture on the airline industry.
I believe all three of these common approaches are wrong: We can’t deny prophecy; we shouldn’t fear it (sometimes referred to as eschatophobia); and yet we shouldn’t let it become a hobby horse (sometimes referred to as eschatomania).
Now in our text today, the subject of the coming Kingdom is raised by the Pharisees. They want to know when the kingdom of God is going to come. Undoubtedly, they have in mind a physical, political kingdom wherein Rome would be overthrown, the wicked Gentiles would be annihilated, and the righteous (read “the Pharisees”) would be granted the kingdom they so richly deserved for their careful keeping of God’s laws. Jesus has a surprise answer for them:
Jesus tells the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God is spiritual, and it is now.
They expect the kingdom to be hidden from the average person. Only the initiated, the scholars should be able to figure it out through careful observation. But, Jesus says to them, you are missing the forest because of the trees. The kingdom of God is within you. Now this seems like a very odd thing for Jesus to say to anyone, considering the large number of Old Testament prophetic passages that seem to promise a literal, earthly kingdom, but especially does it seem odd that He would say it to a group of religious leaders known for their opposition to Him and therefore to God. In what sense could it be said that the Kingdom of God was within the Pharisees?
Well, there are several possible answers to this quite legitimate question. First, the phrase “within you” can mean “among you,” as the marginal reading in my Bible notes. Jesus may be saying, “The King is here among you, for wherever the king is, there is the kingdom.” On the other hand, He may simply be saying, “The kingdom of God must be within you before you can enjoy its outer manifestations.” In other words, don’t expect to enter the visible Kingdom until you become a member of the King’s family spiritually.
Either of these interpretations makes sense, especially considering a very important shift that is noted in verse 22: “Then he said to his disciples ….” Starting in verse 22 Jesus is no longer speaking to the unbelieving Pharisees; now he is addressing the believing disciples. And to them he delivers a very different message. The Pharisees were in no shape to hear about the coming Kingdom, because they wouldn’t even acknowledge the presence of the King, but the disciples of Jesus did indeed acknowledge His kingship and His Lordship, so Jesus is willing to reveal to them some fascinating truths about the coming, literal Kingdom He will someday set up for His own.
Jesus tells His disciples that the Kingdom of God is physical, and it is future.
This does not really contradict what He said earlier to the Pharisees, but it does go beyond it. Yes, the Kingdom is spiritual and it is now, but there will also be a glorious visible manifestation of it in the future. One day Jesus is going to set up an actual Kingdom here on earth—a kingdom over which He will personally reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That is when the wolf will lie down with the lamb; that is when weapons will be beaten into plowshares. Some Bible students consider such prophecies as merely symbolic of God’s reign in the hearts of believers or of His reign over departed believers in heaven, but when all the evidence is taken into account, I think there is much to be said in favor of a literal millennial kingdom here on earth.
Such a kingdom, of course, is future to Jesus’ disciples. There is no way the Kingdom could be inaugurated before the Cross. In verse 25 He says, “But first he (i.e., the Son of Man, Jesus’ favorite name for Himself) must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” Salvation must be purchased before it can be delivered. But even after the Cross the disciples themselves would not see the literal Kingdom. Here’s what Jesus says to the Twelve in verse 22: “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.” Trials and tribulation would cause them to long for the Kingdom, but it would not come during their lifetimes. Of course, they had no idea that almost two millennia would pass before God’s Kingdom would be inaugurated, and perhaps even longer, for it is still future for us today.
Now as Jesus describes the coming Kingdom, we notice first that …
It will be unannounced. “Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or “Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.” There will be those who claim to be the Messiah and those who proclaim others to be the Messiah. There will be the likes of Joseph Smith, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Reverend Moon, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, Clare Prophet, or Deepak Chopra, but, says Jesus, don’t follow them.
John the Baptist was the only forerunner of the coming Messiah, and the people refused to listen to him. There will be no other forerunners whose job it is to point out the Messiah. On the contrary, …
It will be visible and public, like lightning. When the lightning flashes it lights up the sky from one end to the other. There’s nothing private or secret about lightning. So also with the Coming of Messiah Jesus. Luke 21:27 says, “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” When He sets His foot upon the Mount of Olives the whole world will see it. Television will make that possible if God doesn’t have a better way. Then Jesus further describes the time of the second coming by telling us …
It will be like it was in the days of Noah. What was it like in the days of Noah? People were so wicked that God regretted He had even created mankind. He decided to wipe the human race off the map except for one family and start over. But it’s interesting to me that Jesus does not dwell on the people’s wickedness here. Instead he says, “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.” What is wrong with such activities as eating, drinking, and marrying? Nothing; but when one’s soul becomes entirely wrapped up in these things, when they become ends in themselves, when spiritual responsibilities are neglected, these things are no longer blessings but curses. The people of Noah’s day are condemned, not because they were sinners above all sinners, but because they were self-centered – totally involved with the ordinary affairs of human life.
While this strange man Noah was preaching judgment for a period of 120 years by sawing logs and nailing them together to make the biggest boat anyone had ever seen, the people around him ignored him. He didn’t have one single convert. And that’s what it will be like when Jesus comes again. There will be an incredible amount of spiritual apathy.
Then Jesus uses still another analogy:
It will be like it was in the days of Lot. I have already told the story of Lot. Here’s how Jesus summarizes it: “People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” Again the picture is of a city where everyone is too busy to notice that tragedy is nearly upon them. By the way, neither Noah nor Lot were what we would call “paragons of virtue.” But both realized that catastrophe was imminent, and both cast themselves upon the mercy of God. That is what the truth of the second coming should cause all of us to do.
Now why is it that the Kingdom of God is going to catch people unawares? Is it because there are no signs of His coming? No, it is because the signs are ignored. In fact, there are a number of signs offered right here in the book of Luke.
The signs of the second coming
Turn with me to the 21st chapter and the 5th verse:
“Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”
“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
“But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.”
Consider just the following six signs of the second coming that are listed for us in this text:
False messiahs. We noted the same thing back in chapter 17. These religious leaders may be charismatic in their manner. They may be successful. They may gain huge followings. But they are not the Messiah.
Wars and revolutions. “When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” Of course, there have been wars and revolutions throughout human history, so this sign is not sufficient in and of itself to indicate that the time is near, but I would suggest that there will be an unusual degree of violence between nations at the time of the Christ’s return. We’re not seeing that right at this moment, but we have seen it in our lifetime, and it can develop very quickly. So long as there are leaders like Sadam Hussein, there is no sense in which we should consider peace on earth achieved.
Earthquakes, famines, and pestilence in various places. Again, these signs have always been present; therefore, every generation needs to be alert. Earlier in our generation it was thought that pestilence could be wiped out for good. Medical science seemed to have no limits until AIDS came along. Now we are faced with the prospect of biological warfare, and these words from the mouth of Jesus seem to take on new seriousness.
Fearful events and great signs from heaven. I am not sure what Jesus is talking about here, but I have been reading a lot lately about the probability that a huge meteor may collide with the earth, causing tidal waves and untold catastrophes. It has happened in the distant past; it could happen again in the future. There is also the potential of a major hole in the ozone layer changing the climate of earth significantly. Even El Nino could be part of the picture described here. Now I don’t lay awake at night worrying about these events, but if a number of these things were to happen at the same time, I think it would be wise to sit up and take notice.
Persecution and betrayal of believers. Experts tell us that there have been more martyrs for the Christian faith in the 20th century than all the preceding 19 centuries put together. The opposition to truth and to the values of the Judeo-Christian tradition which we are seeing in our day and time is stunning. Just this past week a renowned yet eccentric scientist expressed his intention of cloning a human being. Dr. Kevorkian is running around killing people regularly with no legal sanctions against him. Elected officials and judges are striking down any and every law that restricts abortion, even legislation against the unbelievably barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion, which virtually every expert admits is never necessary to save the life of a mother. And when Christians speak out against such atrocities, they are treated as the lunatic fringe and are accused of intolerance.
Now I want us to read a little further in Luke 21, because there is one more sign reiterated for us here, namely …
The sprouting of the fig tree following the destruction of Jerusalem. Let’s begin reading in verse 21 of chapter 21:
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
The mention of Jerusalem in this passage is problematic. Every student of history knows that the city of Jerusalem was destroyed just about 35 years after Jesus spoke these words. It was a devastating destruction, with the Romans leveling all the buildings and exterminating the vast majority of the population. Josephus claimed that 1,100,000 people lost their lives. Clearly this seems to qualify as the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy.
Yet at the same time, the context just before and after this passage seems to refer to the end of the age and the time of the second coming. I think the solution is to see the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 as a partial fulfillment of the prophecy and to expect another destruction of the rebuilt city of Jerusalem at the end of the age.
This is where the parable of the fig tree comes in to play. The fig tree is symbolic of the nation of Israel. Despite Rome’s attempt to exterminate the Jewish people, they survived, and in the lifetime of many of us here this morning the fig tree has sprouted leaves. In 1948 Israel emerged as a nation after nearly 1900 years of non-existence, and this year they are celebrating their 50th anniversary.
Look again at Jesus’ words: “When you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” Then He adds, “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” There are two explanations of the promise in verse 32. The generation to which Jesus was speaking was still living when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, so that part of Jesus’ prediction happened as promised—before that generation passed.
But there is another meaning of the Greek word “generation,” which is probably noted for you in the margin of your Bible. It can mean “nation” or “race,” and Jesus may be saying that the Jewish race will never pass from the earth, despite the efforts of Rome or Hitler or Stalin or anyone else—until the entire prediction, including the second coming itself, comes to pass. You can count on it, because even though heaven and earth pass away, the words of Jesus are sure and certain.
Now there is a final issue that is addressed by Jesus, and that is …
The duty of Jesus’ disciples in light of the second coming
And here we return to Luke 17. In verse 32 we are exhorted to …
Remember Lot’s wife. At the beginning of our time together this morning. I asked you, “What does Lot’s wife have to do with the second coming?” Do you see it now? She was so attached to the city of Sodom that she turned back longingly, and as a result she was judged by God and died. I doubt seriously if she was longing for the sin of Sodom. I suspect rather she longed for her house, her garden, her favorite shopping places.
But the most curious thing to me about this exhortation for us to remember Lot’s wife is that God uses Lot’s wife as the example of judgment. After all, she certainly was not as guilty as the people in the city who were destroyed. Why didn’t He say, “Remember the Sodomites! If you don’t repent, you will be destroyed, as they were”? After all, our society is becoming more and more like that of ancient Sodom. Everywhere we turn today on TV or the cinema or literature we are being bombarded with the message that homosexuality is fine and that the only people who are sinning in regard to sexual behavior are those who are intolerant of different lifestyles.
I think the reason Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife!” may be this: there are far more of us who are guilty of her sin than of theirs. Her sin included selfishness, compromise, and longing for the things of earth rather than the things of God, and such things are the scourge of the modern church more than is homosexuality or abortion. A second exhortation is found in verse 34:
Don’t rely on a proxy relationship with God. “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” I think the point is that on the day of the second coming a great winnowing will take place. The sheep will be separated from the goats, the wheat from the tares. The divisions between people will be such that a husband will be taken to be with the Son of Man while the wife is left behind to experience the terrible judgment of that day. A workman will be taken while the one who labored side-by-side with him will be left behind.
Friends, there is something very solemn about this. You will not get into heaven on the basis of someone else’s relationship with God, even someone very close to you. The fact that your spouse is a believer or your parents are believers or even that you belong to an evangelical church will be irrelevant. The only issue of importance will be, “Have you put your personal faith in Jesus Christ?”
Watch and pray. Turn over again to the 21st chapter, verse 34: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Watch and pray is the exhortation. When that day comes there will be no time to retrace one’s steps or make a different decision. And finally, …
Live holy and godly lives. I want us to look at one more passage this morning – one from the second epistle of Peter, chapter 3. I’m doing a lot of Scripture reading this morning, but I hope you realize that the reading of God’s Word is more important than anything I might say about it. 2 Peter 3:9-14:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming … So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”
Is there anything to add to that? What kind of people ought we to be in light of the second coming and the great judgment that will accompany it? Holy and godly, spotless, blameless, and at peace with God.
Conclusion: You know, there’s only one way to be at peace with God, and that’s to hoist the flag of surrender. Negotiation won’t help. You need to simply acknowledge your sin and receive His free gift of salvation, purchased by His Son on the Cross of Calvary.
In the 1987 NCAA Regional Finals, LSU was leading Indiana by eight points with only a few minutes left in the game. As is often the case with a team in the lead, LSU began playing a different ball game. The television announcer pointed out that the LSU players were beginning to watch the clock rather than wholeheartedly play the game. As a result of this shift in focus, Indiana closed the gap, won the game by one point, and eventually went on to become NCAA champions.
While Jesus called us to be aware of “the signs of the times,” he clearly called us to expend our energies in faithful, active service. As we await Jesus’ promised return, we are not so much to watch the clock as to be diligent servants during the time we have available.[i]
Tags:
Kingdom
Signs
Persecution
[i]Craig Brian Larson, Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching, 209.