The Battle For The Future

Luke 17:31-36 KJV In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. [32] Remember Lot's wife. [33] Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. [34] I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. [35] Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. [36] Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

I. INTRODUCTION -- THE PROPHETICAL ASPECT OF LUKE 17

-This passage of Scripture is one that is dealing with the ramifications of getting ready for the Rapture. The context actually begins in verse 20. The Lord is answering a question of the Pharisees who were inquiring when the Kingdom of God would actually come to pass.

-So the Lord embarks on an explanation to them of what would take place when His Kingdom would come to pass. As you may notice there are some brief similarities of this passage with Matthew 24-25, the Olivet Discourse. Luke 17:20-37 is more of a capsule form of it.

-The Lord would bring to pass the thought that they had in reality missed what the current Kingdom of God looked like.

Romans 14:17 KJV For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

-His instructions for this Kingdom were different from any other than they had ever heard. When you are called to this Kingdom there are some requirements:

• If you are on the housetop, don’t go into the house to get your things.

• If you are in the field, don’t go back to get your possessions.

• You will lose your life if you try to preserve and hoard it!

• You will only find your life by losing it!

• There is a fine line of separation that comes with God’s Kingdom. . . Two in the bed, two grinding corn, and two in the field. . . One will be taken and the other left. . .

-There is an urgency about this text that tells us that we will not be riding in on someone else’s coattails or their relationship with God.

-Seemingly out of place in the passage is one of the shortest verses in the Bible.

Luke 17:32 KJV Remember Lot's wife.

-There are other passages in which the Lord or one of the writers of the epistles would mention an Old Testament character and then they would explain why they had mentioned them.

• Esau—Who threw away his birthright for a morsel of bread and bowl of stew.

• Sodom and Gomorrah—Who will rise up in judgment because others had more to work with and did less.

• Jonah—Who laid in the belly of the whale for three days.

II. LOT’S WIFE

A. Who Is She?

-But in this particular passage. . . Remember Lot’s wife. . . and that is all. No explanation, just a three word sermon and then Jesus walks away from it. It stands out as a warning but there is a something behind this veiled reference.

-Lot’s wife is a nameless woman. We have no idea where she came from. There is no background or pedigree or genealogy given to her.

• She is not a prophetess like Anna.

• She is not a judge like Deborah.

• She is not a queen like Esther who saved her people from a maniac named Haman.

• She is not like Ruth who was an intruder that birthed a king.

• She is not like a Rachel who gives birth to a great Egyptian prince.

• She is not like Hannah who is a great prayer warrior who falls on the altar and cries out bears a child on the tenacity of her prayers.

• She is not like Abigail who demonstrated great nobility in a time of difficulty.

• She is not like Sarah who moved out from her country and left her kindred with her husband seeking for a city whose builder and maker was God.

• She is not like Mary of Bethany who changed the atmosphere with a broken alabaster box of perfume.

-She is not like any of these great women of Scripture. Nothing is known of her and yet the command of the Lord was to remember Lot’s wife. So if we are going to know her, we are probably going to have to look at her husband to get any sort of idea as to who she might be.