Luke 17:20-23: 20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 22And 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. 23And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
These verses not only indicate the hidden Kingdom of God as seen with the presence of the Spirit in each true Christian believer but also that we shouldn't go looking for the Messiah in any man made invention. Anything other than Christ in His literal physical return; when He destroys His enemies in Armageddon is a false Christ.
The principal error other than looking for Christ in all the wrong places is the idea that somehow a list of morals or rules; which are only guides for the ungodly and tutors for us to come to Christ ( Gal. 3:24). To find people making righteous laws; following through with correct interpretation certainly is something we should seek out; but expecting somehow to "win over" the whole system that is run by the prince of the power of the air ( Eph. 2:2) is folly. Again; Satan as insanely cunning as he is isn't about to give up the kingdoms of this world to us peons; he offered it to Christ and indeed will give it to the Antichrist Beast in the day and hour God has appointed for such. As individuals; we can certainly be in various careers which are part of the culture and perhaps can affect the outcome to some extent of content of movies; for example. The same issue of expected conformity and "revival" in the outside is also a problem with those included in any movements that aren't promoting the Gospel only. Inevitably we find suitable members from all religions and lifestyles to increase numbers (i.e. money/power).
Tithing is very good, if it helps towards building up the real church, the body of Christ. Tith is only one- tenth; But what about the remaining 9? ( Luke 17:17).
We are created in God's image and we bear Christ's name and seal on us ( Matthew 22:19-21). We are requested to offer ourselves (fully, not one- tenth) as a living sacrifice to God ( Romans 12:1). Then the people in our contacts may get the message of the Good News and turn to God. To live a Christian life (means complete surrender to His will) is the way to win our dear ones for Christ ( 1 Peter 3:1-2) The Cross may be heavy, but the end is glorious beyond imagination ( Psalms 126:5)
1 "Can you tell me how you interpret the events after the tribulation period, on into the Millennium, when Satan is chained and when he is loosed?"
I will do my best to show my understanding of your questions. My study is simple, and I rely on the Bible for interpretation. I use Word Search, a concordance, and my Bible provides other verses that cross-reference a word or phrase throughout Scripture.
The book of Revelation is not in chronological order. We see in Revelation 1:7, that when He comes in the clouds, every eye will see Him. Revelation 6:12-17 shows a vision given to John after the Sixth Seal, revealing the signs of Jesus' coming. Cross-references include Joel 2:10-11, 30-31, Matthew 24, and others.
In Revelation 11:15-19, the seventh trumpet, or the last trumpet, signals the coming of Jesus, ending the tribulation and beginning God's wrath. Revelation 14 combines visions that are not in order; we see Jesus standing on Mount Zion with the 144000, which would occur after Revelation 19:11-16. We know this because, when He returns, His feet will land on the Mount of Olives, as described in Zechariah 14:4.
Revelation 14:6-7 describes the angel preaching the everlasting gospel, which must occur near the end of the tribulation. The announcement of Babylon's fall is seen in chapters 17 and 18. Revelation 14:9-11 states the fate of those who worship the beast, take its mark, and follow the beast and the false prophet. This is carried out in Revelation 19:20-21.
Revelation 14:12-13 declares, "Blessed are those who die in the Lord from henceforth," even as the tribulation continues. My understanding of Revelation 14:14-16, which covers the harvest and the first resurrection, is supported by passages like Revelation 19:11-16, Revelation 20:4-6, and Matthew 24:29-31. Revelation 14:17-20 describes the battle of Armageddon, with related references in Revelation 19:17-21, Ezekiel 39:17-21, and Luke 17:37.
d) Luke 17:26-30. This passage is a clear warning to unbelievers not to be like those in Noah's day or those of Sodom and Gomorrah before it was destroyed. It also tells us that the righteous (Noah & Lot & those with them) were spared the wrathful judgments of God by being removed from location. In like manner, believers will also be kept from the Wrath of God during the tribulation, being taken away (removed from the place of God's destruction). If this wasn't God's Wrath on display, I could well believe that we too must brace ourselves for its coming.
Just a note on God's Wrath: as I understand it, His Wrath was justifiably to be poured out upon all sinners, but His Love constrained Him by providing His Son to bear our sin & His Father's Wrath on our behalf ( Romans 5:5-9). Those who have received it and born again of His Spirit no longer have to see that side of God. So when God pours out His Wrath again, it will be without constraint, for His Love shown in His Son has been spurned by all, but His Own must be removed from that outpouring, or else what sense does it make for believers to bear His Wrath when the Sacrifice was paid for them and they have been received as sons? Would God discipline His children for being unsaved sinners fit for destruction? These questions I ask myself. And as the Scripture says, "being now justified by his blood, we SHALL BE SAVED FROM WRATH through him".
e) Revelation 11:1-7. The Church, which should have been very prominent along with these two heavenly witnesses on the Earth during the Great Tribulation, is absent. Even an angel preaching from skies is sent ( Revelation 14:6,7). Once this period starts, the Church's commission to preach the Gospel ceases, for the simple reason: there is no Church on Earth. True, there will still be Church buildings on Earth & gatherings within their walls, but those who have been redeemed by Christ's Blood will be absent. To Page 4.
Luke 17:20-21 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
John 14:12-14
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
I have put a framework here; of several scriptures that no doubt are used by Dominionists and others of that persuasion to promote their agenda. What think ye?
Now a full Preterist may use the logic that Christ has already returned; hence this logic seems; well logical. Of course there would literally be no way when Antichrist appears they wouldn't know the difference. That is the main point if anything is here because everyone not written in the Book of Life worships him ( Rev. 13:8). For the Jews; of course in John 5:43 states
"I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."
And in regard to the wheat and tares: Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. ( Matt. 13:30).
I suspect the spirit of humanism will be revived along with other malevalent influence from the angel Apollyon rising from the pit
( Rev. 9:1-12). The Lord will rule and reign over the nations; and will judge rightly which humanists say they want; but also all the tares are burned.
Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
The following verse describes the suddenness of the unexpected destruction to come. The same can be said in Thessalonians
where they "shall not escape"; we see in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 the concept of a thief and a snare in Luke 21:35.
These passages tend to dissuade many of the so called dreams and visions of a nuclear war about the time of the Rapture; at least immediately before it. What comes as sudden destruction no doubt could be a first phase of what eventually encompasses the earth in Armageddon; but generally the first seal offers a fallacious but convincing bloodless coup and no doubt mirrors the covenant with many in Daniel 9:27 already well underway for the eventual confirming with many. Is it impossible for nuclear war to accompany the Rapture? Somehow I don't see the Resurrection of the dead as being interrupted by such an event; if anything as to make clear that it wasn't bombs being dropped that left the holes in the ground in cemeteries around the world.
Also if we take literally Revelation 5:13 as to its timing it would seem that would be the main focus after the Rapture.
Who is Raptured? Clearly the easy answer is all the saints; at least of the Church Age who were God's children.
Ephesians 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Let's look carefully into this concept. Those who have passed on have; in their souls already been at the Bema Seat of Christ; or they couldn't be present with the Lord. Many were through persecution on earth unlike those particularly in the Western world in the last couple generations. Considering the works that God has for us since before the creation of the world ( Eph. 2:10) it seems likely that God uses the Tribulation to purify many.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. ( Luke 17:32-33).
To keep this verse in context; we need to see that it wasn't preservation of life that was the whole issue here; it was dying to self gratification and the world as temptations to hold us back from His deliverance when it comes. One may ask "ok what does this have to do with persecution?" In this case; the enemy had a stranglehold on Lot and his family that began when he chose to move to the fertile area of the plain and Abraham decided to hang out in the backside of the desert. Nothing wrong with that a man in the flesh would argue. It is unclear how much Lot knew about the area when he arrived; but no doubt he saw opportunity to prosper economically in that location; and it is certain that at some point the sin became so clear that it caused his "righteous soul to be vexed" ( 2 Peter 2:8 reveals that fact to us). So I am "perplexed" (get it it rhymes with vexed; ok give me some latitude it's late)...
The enemy in a sense was persecuting him; and in this case it was mostly his own fault. No one was forcing him to stay there; no doubt and based on how the story ended it is clear they had little respect for him; but until he had to speak up they probably tolerated him. That was the men's response in Genesis 19:9 when to appease the sodomites Lot offered his daughters to them instead of what they thought were men but were angels of God. God delivered Lot but it reminds us of Revelation where we are told not to be naked ( Revelation 16:15 at the onset of the bowl judgments). This is reminiscent of those who make it to heaven; but as through the fire suffering loss ( 1 Corinthians 3:15). All of scripture fits together and is useful ( 2 Timothy 3:16).
The point is; just like Jonah we can't run and hide from being salt and light and proclaiming the truth and we can't be content compromising with evil.
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. ( Luke 17:10).
Well; that pretty well sums things up.
If we look at this carefully; we should realize that along with this attitude self flagellation and such once again put us into a religious fervor that can cause us to compete with others and even our own past performance and it becomes a pride issue that we are so humbled and doing so much to rid ourselves of something that still affects us due to our actions!
I am sure some further study can be given here. Surrounding verses show how a servant in an earthly context make sure food is prepared and served; and once consumed by the master of the house then the servant can tend to their own needs wherever they go after their duties are done. There are other verses directed to the Pharisees which clue us in to the warnings about pride and being seated in the bestplaces only to be humbled; so that we should be exalted in taking the lowest places in public gatherings involving a feast as His example.
I can't see how we should treat other believers as second class citizens or unprofitable; as there are too few actually out there fulfilling the Great Commission on any regular basis. Jesus indeed called us "friends" in John 15:14-15. What we see here as I can tell is a warning or rebuke to those who are true servants so that pride doesn't creep in and realizing all we have that is good comes from the Spirit. Thus; the concept of avoiding a "religious" spirit that is not of God. Of course that can relate to service in and outside of church in any capacity. Our whole life is part of ministry and of course if kids see hypocrisy they are the first to bring it up. Saying; "shut up and do as I say because I say so" ain't gonna be too productive; actions speak louder than words but we need both.
"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:"
Luke 17:21
"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
It is interesting that today in the study of Matthew we happen to get to the Palm Sunday account in Matthew 21. This wasn't planned but interesting nonetheless. As I looked briefly at the passage I suddenly discovered something from verses 9 and 10
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
Wait a minute...many of us are familiar with what happened between this victorious acclamation and celebration and less than one week later when the crowds were shouting "crucify Him". What I never noticed before is that they had His identity only as they could perceive in the flesh; as verse 11 states the prophet; not the Prophet who was also the Son of God. So that's why it became so easy to betray Him. Why do I say this?
First of all; as we know from the expectations of the Apostles themselves they expected Him to bring the Kingdom to an earthly rule sooner rather than later. The Pharisees asked this starting in Luke 17:20; and the Apostles in Acts 1:7 Jesus' presence should have been something the Pharisees would look forward to. John 11:48 shows that they were worried the Romans would somehow take over and ruin their establishment if Jesus continued as He did; after Lazarus was raised from the dead around the same time period weeks before His crucifixion.
Secondly; when they realized that Jesus wasn't going to fight back or use supernatural power to come down from the cross no doubt many mocked Him or were disillusioned after His demonstrations of mass healings and deliverances for several years.
Third; tied in with the second point is that their need to have Jesus as sin bearer was something they were and still are as a nation to this day. Despite the destruction of their old temple for most of the last 2000 years there is still an attempt to build it anew. Rejecting Christ they hae had no means of even covering sin since then.
Hello Nstew. I believe you're referring to one or both instances recorded in Matthew 16:27,28 and Luke 9:26,27. I have to admit that this is a very difficult portion to properly understand, since nothing more is recorded about it or referencing back to these Words of Jesus to His disciples.
My own understanding: is that Jesus was instructing His disciples of what would be a foretaste of the coming Kingdom of God. Soon after (within a week or so), three of Jesus' disciples saw Jesus transfigured (or, transformed) revealing His Glory ( Matthew 17:1,2; Luke 9:28,29); that Glory which He would receive back after laying it aside for humanity's sake ( Philippians 2:5-9). That would have been the first taste given to His disciples of the coming Kingdom of God.
Then of course, through His Death, Resurrection & Ascension into Heaven, the disciples had further confirmation of both the Truth of Jesus' Words (while He taught them) and the institution of God's Kingdom. It is true, that what we would normally understand and expect of the Kingdom of God (i.e. when Jesus returns to the World in His second Coming) didn't happen then as it hasn't happened till now, we can still see that His disciples were given a foretaste of that coming Kingdom which would never end until Christ comes - and beyond.
They saw His Glory at the mount, they were witnesses of His resurrection ( Luke 24:24-40), and they were witnesses of His Ascension ( Luke 24:50-53). And the disciples (and also to all those who love the Lord Jesus & would serve Him), would receive power to live the Christ-centered, Christ-crucified life, declaring to all that truly God had now visited sinful man & offered him so great salvation through His Son. Yes, the Kingdom of God is potentially within all mankind ( Luke 17:20,21), where, even if those unbelieving Pharisees would only put their faith in Jesus, the reality of the God's Kingdom could also be theirs when God would do a new work in them ( Ezekiel 11:19,20). GBU.
Matthew 17:21: "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."
Matthew 18:11: "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
Matthew 23:14: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."
Mark 7:16: "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."
Mark 9:44: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Mark 9:46: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Mark 11:26: "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Mark 15:28: "And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors."
Luke 17:36: "Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
John 5:4: "For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had."
Acts 8:37: "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Acts 15:34: "Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still."
Acts 24:7: "But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,"
Acts 28:29: "And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves."
Romans 16:24: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
I John 5:7: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
We lose a lot in this wicked world we live in, material things and also love ones!
I lost my younger brother a few years ago who I took care of the last 3 years of his life.
I would have given everything I have to keep my little brother here with me but the Lord didn't take him from me, he took what belongs to him.
In the book of Job Job and his friends believed in what we call the doctrine of "retribution theology"-every act receives just punishment or reward in this present life, so we should be able to tell who is righteous or wicked by whether they are visibly blessed or cursed on earth. That's the doctrine of "retribution.
Our love and fear for the Lord shouldn't depend on whether we have or have not and it is not always evidence or testimony of God's fairness and love for us, therefore we shouldn't charge the Lord when things go wrong in this evil world.
We dont understand how God runs his universe as we see in Job when God put him on trial when Job pleaded his case.
Tdianne, the things we lose in this world cant be compared to that which God has prepared for us!
As God's servants the things we do is for the Lord and there may be no reward and if there is, the determination of the reward is all on the Lord.
We're given Sustainability but we are unprofitable servants while here on earth as you see demonstrated in Luke 17:7-10.
Our rewards is in heaven!
Nothing you have done whether good or bad will go unrewarded.
Q: "God's requirement of what must be believed is based on the amount of revelation He has given mankind up to that time. Salvation is by faith in the crucifixion of Christ./ The knowledge we have is what already happened and we believe and have faith in that. It's hindsight! Od Testament saints did not have that knowledge. Does God reveals complete or in piecemeal?"
A:
In the beginning God created heaven and the earth. Ge.1:1. God a Spirit formed these worlds by the word of God. (He.11:3) This Word is God and was with God. So Jesus was with the Word which is the Law in the beginning, ( John 1:1)."All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." and we have this verse: Jesus Christ the same yesterday and forever' was in the divine Will and it was made to appear in the fulness of time. So crucifixion of Jesus or when is not the issue. It is faith with which God made the worlds to appear.
God formed all hearts alike and breathing into the nostrils of man makes every one equal before the Law of the Spirit. This Spiritual understanding requires no other revelation outside faith and the Bible. We have been foreknown and blessed before the worlds began. So it complete if faith makes you believe in his Son.
Everlasting covenant between God and Man also gives access to man before Law of the Spirit time and space is of no consequence, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:/Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."( Luke 17:20-21). Faith gives you place in the kingdom and it is 'Abide in me' life and your works meet the requirement of the Law. It takes you all the way to the beginning and is a life from everlasting to everlasting. There is nothing in between. Salvation is complete revelation to be spiritually discerned.
"Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!"
"But woe unto him" Jesus referred to anyone who causes 'the little one to stumble. In the Gospel of St Mathew the same key verse is set in a context differently, But the point we are concerned is of two parallel worlds which operate under the Law of the Spirit which the little one represents, "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me."(Matt.18:1-7) The little one in the land of the living is same as the Law of the Spirit considers each as blessed with potential to be conformed in the image of the Son.so one represent the whole. "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." (Ro.8:10) On the other hand those who are in the flesh are under the law of sin. It is thus we speaks of two parallel worlds. "Woe unto him referred to the rich man in the Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. "For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment." While had time to do good he spent it all living like a lord in wanton complacency. His riches blinded him so he forgot his obligations to other. If his brothers did not improve from the Law of Moses even Lazarus resurrected for the purpose shall fail. For the simple reason riches had corrupted the seed in his heart. His wealth was to his own hurt by serving the devil. He belonged to the nation of 'goats' placed on the left hand. In the Parable(Matt.25:31-46), the children of disobedience create injustice ,violence and iniquity and have abandoned 'the little ones' to suffer, Prison nakedness hunger are all that they inflicted on the righteous ones because their world was wicked."Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."(Matt.25:44)
While we examined the first seals we were shown four riders going forth, to whom power was given, obviously an higher authority. Law of the Spirit obviously established the kingdom as belonging to God so we read in 6:2 "and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." Conquering over law of sin is implied here. The symbols of offices that riders, each colour coded carry significance for man. so we shall consider the war in our members are after a similitude of war in heaven.
"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:/But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." There is a kingdom that heart of man carries to which Jesus referred "for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."( Luke 17:21) God has fashioned all hearts alike and he also tries their hearts.
Law which is the Word is equally accessible to man. So whosoever is led by the Spirit is assured of life and peace. It is thus two laws contrary to one other wars within us. The man in white who rides forth to conquer and conquering is never shown in earth but we see the heavens opening,"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."(Re.19:11-14). God has not called us to join in the battle which is waged according to divine Will. What has Jesus Christ instead taught us?
"So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do." ( Luke 17:7-10)Our faithfulness is considered as exemplary and as though Christ in us did because our works were made manifest from our love of Christ. There is no other standard but the fulness of God in him. He showed as how."Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."(Matt.20:28)
Saul's heart was like a dry place as against the fruitful garden, enclosed garden. "A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed"( Song. 4:12). An evil spirit came over him riding the wings of his hatred. It is not from God but heart of whosoever departs from God is open to it. "And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul." We have another passage, "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none./Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished./Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation."(Matt.12:43-45). King Saul became an enemy of God while King David went from strength to strength. Because he well attended to his heart. When we see the present times it is a stark warning what the Spirit is leading the wicked and adulterous generation to. We ought to possess our souls in patience. Jesus said how our understanding buds forth. "And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;/And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how./For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."(Mark.4:26-28)
Jesus knew the son of perdition among the twelve but as theWord become flesh, he would not judge him. It would be his humanity getting the better of his deity, a sin. So helet Judas the benefit of the word sown in his own heart. He was responsible for producing the tree. Either figs or thistles? "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."(Matt.7:20)
Luke 17:20 - And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
This Greek word is used in two different senses. One is observation as an astronomer would observe the stars and the planets in outer space. Secondly, it is a medical term. If someone has been admitted into the hospital for observation, and that is what this word means. It means we are going to watch you, watch your vital signs, and take tests. So, He says the Kingdom of God does not come with observation: Again the outward appearance.
Luke 17:34 - 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.
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed;
The word "men" is not in any manuscripts. It is just two people, because there are people that use this for justification for homosexuality. In that night there shall be two men (two people) in one bed; one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Luke 18:1 - And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
The premise of this parable is in Verse 1, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. The word "ought" is the word necessary. It comes from the word DEO that means to bind. It is necessary for men always to pray and to not faint.
The word faint in the Greek text means to give in, to give up, or to give in to your circumstances. And as the Lord is explaining the difficulties that God's people will experience, He is now focusing on the main activity that the believer has with his or her Lord, and that is prayer, that when difficulties happen through circumstances, it's necessary for the believer to always pray and never to give in, never to give up.
Luke 17:2 - It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and notice this literal translation: and that he had been cast into the sea, "had been." In other words, before he even offended anybody, it would have been better had he been cast into the sea before he even got there to offend people.
Where it says "these little ones," He is not talking about children here. He is talking about people who just recently turned to Christ as Messiah.
Luke 17:10 - So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
He says we are unprofitable servants. The Greek word for unprofitable is useless. Useless! At our best, in our human we are useless. But when God gives us the faith, He does great things. But it's not to our credit. It is what God does through us, and if God works through us all day and all night, that is all to His credit. If we did it, we'd just be unprofitable servants only doing the minimum.
Luke 17:19 - And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Interesting, the word whole is the word SOUDZO for salvation. But isn't that interesting that Jesus said go and be cleansed and they left. Only one of them got saved. The one that turned, realized the working of God in his life, and came back and fell at Jesus' feet and gave thanks.
He says your faith has saved you. So not only are you cleansed from your leprosy, but you are saved. That should also give us a warning. Many seek the Lord for healing because they only want for themselves. If God should ever grant that request, and with some people, that is all they do is look for the physical things in life to be fixed, never falling at Jesus' feet and giving Him thanks and giving Him glory.
Luke 16:23 - And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
The word hell here is the word, Hades. There is actually only one place in the Bible that is actually Hell, and that's the lake of fire in the book of Revelation, the final destination. In fact, Hades will be emptied out into the lake of fire. Hades, the word Hades means the place of unseen spirits. No physical body, just spirits.
Luke 17:1 - Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
Literally in the Greek, He's saying that it's impossible not to offend people. But woe unto him, through whom they come!
Even though it's impossible not to offend people, we are still responsible. Now the word offense is the word SCANDALON, where we get our word scandal from.
And it is the name of the trap string that holds up a box. If an animal comes in, you pull the trap string, and the box falls down on the animal and catches the animal. And it's called an offense.
That is to say when we do things to trap people or cause them to go down the wrong road, at least from a spiritual Christian standpoint, that's what He is talking about. It doesn't mean if you hurt my feelings or if you do something to rattle my nerves. That has nothing to do with offenses.
It has to do with allowing people to go down a trail where they will be trapped in, and it will be a road of destruction. For a Christian, it means that you guide people down the wrong road and into a trap, and it is not the road to Christ. It is not the truth.
Well, it is as GOD's people have warned countless times,and I repeat, that the door would be shut, and it is already closed, in time and space, for all nations, for all mankind, since now and henceforward, instead of moving forward, they will stagnant as dammed as waters, or piled up, and they will not be able to go ahead. For example, like the waters of sea--> Job 38:
8Or who shut up the sea with doors,and set bars and doors,when it brake forth,as if it had issued out of the womb?--> (Sea=waters=are peoples,and NATIONS,and multitudes of all tongues-Revelation/ Apocalypse 17:15)
11And GOD said,Hitherto shalt thou come,but no further: and here shall thy proud waves(GENERATIONS)be stayed?
All NATIONS,all unbeliver mankind,and its generations,everyone will pile up as if a DIKE were in front of everyone.
Isaiah prophesied: 24:22
22And they shall be gathered together,as prisoners are gathered in the pit,and shall be shut up in the prison,and after many days shall they be visited. -->after the millennial kingdom ends.
This is the Word that matters and will prevail from now on,after all,
the ENDS of the times arrived,and the righteous Judgment of GOD and its consequences,the punishments,will be applied. Romans 2, take a look.
In this new time,this new Day,the seventh and last Day,the reality is that the mankind WILL NOT GO FORWARD with their political systems, and ideas, religions,economic systems,also theories of modus-vivend,projects,plans,dreams,in short,they will not go ahead with their usual activities,with their status quo of activities adopted until this current time,the door is already closed for this generations IN TIME and IN SPACE.And this is the Word that will prevail, the peoples, and NATIONS, and multitudes of all tongues will not go forward with their systems at all.
Luke 17:28-29
In the days of Lot;they did eat,they drank,they bought,they sold, they planted, they builded; but it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of GOD should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of GOD cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of GOD is within you.
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.
23 And they(WHO ARE THEM?) shall say to you, See here; or, see there(SEE WHOM? JOHN 5:43-47, A FALSE MESSIAH? AN ESOTERIC AND KABBALISTIC AND SPIRITIST FALSE MESSIAH-son of perdition?2Thes.2:2-12): GO NOT after them,NOR FOLLOW THEM.
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.->WHAT DAY? Now, now, the seventh and last Day, or seventh and last millennium, the millennium of Christ.
25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. --> Terrible, very terrible.
GOD BLESS,
And our Lord JESUS warned us, saying: Luke 17:26-27
26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat,
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.
Revelation 11:15 & 18
15...The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD are become the Kingdoms of our Lord,and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
18 And the NATIONS (ALL NATIONS) were (will be) ANGRY, and GOD's WRATH comes, similar to the WRATH as was in the flood, but now, in the ends of the times, it's by FIRE--> Isaiah 33:10-14 and Isaiah 34:1-4.
Opinion is good for nothing,what matters and prevails is the Word of GOD,the Word is GOD,self-executing,understand? According to the prophetic Word of our Lord JESUS,at midnight,at the turn from the sixth to the seventh Day(seventh and last millennium), while the bridegroom tarried,all SLUMBERED and slept.Sleeping deeply and is not discerning the current time,time of the righteous Judgment of GOD,the Judgment Seat of Christ.As JESUS warned propheticaly, saying--> Luke 17:28-30:
28And as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat,they drank,they bought,they sold,they planted,they builded(now, now, this LITERALLY is fulfilling,and the punishments shall also be applied in whole world of the Devil in fulilment of what was prophesied by the Lord,as is written):
29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30Even thus shall it be in this Day(the seventh)when the Son of man is revealed.
In this current time,seventh and last millennium,it is JESUS who is in control of History,nothing random happens.Mat.28:18&20: ->18 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
->20 And I am with you always,even unto the END of the world. Amen.
THE END OF THE WORLD- 1Corinthians 15:24-27
24 The END cometh when He shall have delivered up the KINGDOM to GOD, even the Father; when He shall have PUT DOWN ALL RULE AND ALL AUTHORITY and POWER.
25 For he must reign,till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
LITERAL FULFILLMENT OF ABOVE- Revelation 11:15-18
15...The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD are become the kingdoms of our Lord,and of his Christ;and He shall reign for ever and ever.
...
18-And the nations were(WILL BE)angry, and GOD'S WRATH is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be Judged, and that GOD should give reward unto His servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear His name, small and great; and should DESTROY them which destroy the earth.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is REVEALED. (Which of son of man is revealed? Since Moses there were several sons of man sent by our GOD as His messenger, and JESUS as GOD was the last sent around 2000 years ago)
JESUS my Lord made reference to the days of Lot and the city of Sodom to highlight and emphasize the destruction planned by GOD of the city of Sodom and neighboring cities. JESUS wanted to warn this current generation of believers in Him, how the Devil's current world will be punished and destroyed by GOD now, in this current time, even now, from now on( Revelation 11:15-18, mainly verse 18, combined with Isaiah 26:20-21.Take a look). By the Word of GOD(the Word is GOD, is the Power)Sodom and region as a whole was destroyed. By the way, GOD sent only two men to destroy Sodom and neighboring cities- Genesis 19:12-17, as GOD had spoken to Abraham, who interceded for the righteous of Sodom before GOD, unfortunately there were not found 10 righteous.
And now? The Word of GOD, the Power, is the same, so how many men will GOD send to destroy the World of Devil by the same Word, by the same Power, as He made in Sodom and neighboring cities, as was said by my Lord JESUS as example of destruction made by GOD? Yes, how many? Two or one? The Word is GOD, GOD Himself, self-executing, understand? By the way, the dismantling or destruction of all the structures of the Devil's world has already begun in this pre-tribulational period of sorows- Matthew 24:3-8- , the worst comes imediately after the end of the period of sorrows.
28Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot;they did eat,they drank,they bought,they sold,they planted,they builded;
29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven,and destroyed them all.
30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
What was there or what happened in Sodoma,and Gomorra,and in the neighboring cities? Well,GOD sent two men there.And they said unto Lot,Hast thou here any besides?son in law,and thy sons,and thy daughters,and whatsoever thou hast in the city,bring them out of this place:For we will DESTROY THIS PLACE,because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord;and the Lord hath SENT US to DESTROY IT-Gen.19:12-13.
And Lot went out,and spake unto his sons in law,which married his daughters,and said, Up, get you out of this place;for the Lord will destroy this city.But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law-Gen.19:14.
Again:Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.Yes, even thus shall it be now,even now,from now on,the difference is that now is sent only one,not two men,and now the order/the command is to DESTROY THE WHOLE WORLD OF THE DEVIL,the process of destruction of the Devil's world is already running,understand?
Do you believe or you are like the sons in law of Lot thinking that I'm moking you?No surprise,if so.JESUS said:even thus will be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.Who is he?Michael- Daniel 12:1-3, Matthew 24:15-25 and 1Thessalonians 4:16.
Get ready
Satan will be cast down into the bottomless pit,and his followers- 1Corinthians 6:9-10 and Revelation 21:8-,will be cast into the lake of fire.
Re.20:1-3->1And I saw an angel come down from heaven,having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.And he laid hold on the dragon,that old serpent,which is the Devil,and Satan,and bound him a thousand years...and set a seal upon him,that he should deceive the nations no more
43When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there; and the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation."
This passage would seem to infer that a person could have an evil spirit removed somehow; but without the Holy Spirit taking up residence post salvation. ( John 14:23). We are reminded of the sons of Sceva who had demons come out of someone they were trying to exorcize and rend them. ( Acts 19:14-16). We also could conceivably be reminded of those Jesus cast demons from; since some may not have been truly saved after that. We see evidence of that with the case of 1 leper that came back to praise Him while the others went away. ( Luke 17:17-18). We see warnings also of Christ saying sin no more lest something worse happen to you ( John 5:14). In that case it would probably be death as he had been paralyzed for decades apparently due to some sin.
We can think of the condition in the Synagogue where Jesus cast out a demon early on ( John 4:33 and following verses); and consider how the religious and self righteous piety of the Pharisees caused them to have this condemnation in particular.
A more sobering thought is many "ministries" today who are seemingly obsessed with casting out demons (in some cases it is proven the same person is involved over and over as a likely paid participant for crowd appeal). I personally have a big problem with one particular teacher who often baptizes people (and says is necessary for salvation) and demons come out.
We can hardly call someone in that condition in a sound mind ready to make such a commitment to the Body of Christ as Baptism signifies.
As it was in days of Noah,so it will be in the days of the Son of man.They ate,drank,married,gave in marriage,until the day Noah entered the ark,the flood came and destroyed them all.So"This was the"modus vivendi" in Noahs'days.
We would say it was the same 'modus vivendi' of society in recent times,say around 1950-1985,it was similar to society in the days of Noah.It was common to eat and drink with development of large malls around the world at that time,it was common the celebration of weddings,existence of strong family ties,but as time went by,it began to deteriorate morally as in the time of Noah,when the sons of GOD mixed their seed with seed of the evil ones,giving rise to a corrupt and evil society- Genesis 6:2-3, due to the proliferation of adulterers and adulteresses.And the punishment came,yes,the flood came and only 8 people were saved by the Ark.
Comparing the society of Noah's days with a posterior society of Sodom and Gomorrah,at the time of Lot,let's see the differences,according Scriptures:
Luke 17:28-30 reveal:
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day (in the current time) when the Son of man is revealed.
society of Noah's day..........................society of Sodom/Gomorrah
they ate and drank ..............................they ate and drank
they married and gave in marriage ....they bought and sold,they planted and built
Men of Sodom were wicked,immoral exceedingly,and sinners before the Lord- Genesis 13:13.There was no marriage,society was polluted of prostitutes,sodomites/ effeminate(gays),society was infested of prostitution and great sinners. The same occurs today. Lot was vexed with filthy conversations seeing and hearing their unlawful deeds- 2Peter 2:7-8 & Jude 1:6-7.
Luke 17:20-23: 20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 22And 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. 23And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
These verses not only indicate the hidden Kingdom of God as seen with the presence of the Spirit in each true Christian believer but also that we shouldn't go looking for the Messiah in any man made invention. Anything other than Christ in His literal physical return; when He destroys His enemies in Armageddon is a false Christ.
The principal error other than looking for Christ in all the wrong places is the idea that somehow a list of morals or rules; which are only guides for the ungodly and tutors for us to come to Christ ( Gal. 3:24). To find people making righteous laws; following through with correct interpretation certainly is something we should seek out; but expecting somehow to "win over" the whole system that is run by the prince of the power of the air ( Eph. 2:2) is folly. Again; Satan as insanely cunning as he is isn't about to give up the kingdoms of this world to us peons; he offered it to Christ and indeed will give it to the Antichrist Beast in the day and hour God has appointed for such. As individuals; we can certainly be in various careers which are part of the culture and perhaps can affect the outcome to some extent of content of movies; for example. The same issue of expected conformity and "revival" in the outside is also a problem with those included in any movements that aren't promoting the Gospel only. Inevitably we find suitable members from all religions and lifestyles to increase numbers (i.e. money/power).
Tithing is very good, if it helps towards building up the real church, the body of Christ. Tith is only one- tenth; But what about the remaining 9? ( Luke 17:17).
We are created in God's image and we bear Christ's name and seal on us ( Matthew 22:19-21). We are requested to offer ourselves (fully, not one- tenth) as a living sacrifice to God ( Romans 12:1). Then the people in our contacts may get the message of the Good News and turn to God. To live a Christian life (means complete surrender to His will) is the way to win our dear ones for Christ ( 1 Peter 3:1-2) The Cross may be heavy, but the end is glorious beyond imagination ( Psalms 126:5)
1 "Can you tell me how you interpret the events after the tribulation period, on into the Millennium, when Satan is chained and when he is loosed?"
I will do my best to show my understanding of your questions. My study is simple, and I rely on the Bible for interpretation. I use Word Search, a concordance, and my Bible provides other verses that cross-reference a word or phrase throughout Scripture.
The book of Revelation is not in chronological order. We see in Revelation 1:7, that when He comes in the clouds, every eye will see Him. Revelation 6:12-17 shows a vision given to John after the Sixth Seal, revealing the signs of Jesus' coming. Cross-references include Joel 2:10-11, 30-31, Matthew 24, and others.
In Revelation 11:15-19, the seventh trumpet, or the last trumpet, signals the coming of Jesus, ending the tribulation and beginning God's wrath. Revelation 14 combines visions that are not in order; we see Jesus standing on Mount Zion with the 144000, which would occur after Revelation 19:11-16. We know this because, when He returns, His feet will land on the Mount of Olives, as described in Zechariah 14:4.
Revelation 14:6-7 describes the angel preaching the everlasting gospel, which must occur near the end of the tribulation. The announcement of Babylon's fall is seen in chapters 17 and 18. Revelation 14:9-11 states the fate of those who worship the beast, take its mark, and follow the beast and the false prophet. This is carried out in Revelation 19:20-21.
Revelation 14:12-13 declares, "Blessed are those who die in the Lord from henceforth," even as the tribulation continues. My understanding of Revelation 14:14-16, which covers the harvest and the first resurrection, is supported by passages like Revelation 19:11-16, Revelation 20:4-6, and Matthew 24:29-31. Revelation 14:17-20 describes the battle of Armageddon, with related references in Revelation 19:17-21, Ezekiel 39:17-21, and Luke 17:37.
See Part 2
d) Luke 17:26-30. This passage is a clear warning to unbelievers not to be like those in Noah's day or those of Sodom and Gomorrah before it was destroyed. It also tells us that the righteous (Noah & Lot & those with them) were spared the wrathful judgments of God by being removed from location. In like manner, believers will also be kept from the Wrath of God during the tribulation, being taken away (removed from the place of God's destruction). If this wasn't God's Wrath on display, I could well believe that we too must brace ourselves for its coming.
Just a note on God's Wrath: as I understand it, His Wrath was justifiably to be poured out upon all sinners, but His Love constrained Him by providing His Son to bear our sin & His Father's Wrath on our behalf ( Romans 5:5-9). Those who have received it and born again of His Spirit no longer have to see that side of God. So when God pours out His Wrath again, it will be without constraint, for His Love shown in His Son has been spurned by all, but His Own must be removed from that outpouring, or else what sense does it make for believers to bear His Wrath when the Sacrifice was paid for them and they have been received as sons? Would God discipline His children for being unsaved sinners fit for destruction? These questions I ask myself. And as the Scripture says, "being now justified by his blood, we SHALL BE SAVED FROM WRATH through him".
e) Revelation 11:1-7. The Church, which should have been very prominent along with these two heavenly witnesses on the Earth during the Great Tribulation, is absent. Even an angel preaching from skies is sent ( Revelation 14:6,7). Once this period starts, the Church's commission to preach the Gospel ceases, for the simple reason: there is no Church on Earth. True, there will still be Church buildings on Earth & gatherings within their walls, but those who have been redeemed by Christ's Blood will be absent. To Page 4.
Luke 17:20-21 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
John 14:12-14
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
I have put a framework here; of several scriptures that no doubt are used by Dominionists and others of that persuasion to promote their agenda. What think ye?
Now a full Preterist may use the logic that Christ has already returned; hence this logic seems; well logical. Of course there would literally be no way when Antichrist appears they wouldn't know the difference. That is the main point if anything is here because everyone not written in the Book of Life worships him ( Rev. 13:8). For the Jews; of course in John 5:43 states
"I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."
And in regard to the wheat and tares: Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. ( Matt. 13:30).
I suspect the spirit of humanism will be revived along with other malevalent influence from the angel Apollyon rising from the pit
( Rev. 9:1-12). The Lord will rule and reign over the nations; and will judge rightly which humanists say they want; but also all the tares are burned.
Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
The following verse describes the suddenness of the unexpected destruction to come. The same can be said in Thessalonians
where they "shall not escape"; we see in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 the concept of a thief and a snare in Luke 21:35.
These passages tend to dissuade many of the so called dreams and visions of a nuclear war about the time of the Rapture; at least immediately before it. What comes as sudden destruction no doubt could be a first phase of what eventually encompasses the earth in Armageddon; but generally the first seal offers a fallacious but convincing bloodless coup and no doubt mirrors the covenant with many in Daniel 9:27 already well underway for the eventual confirming with many. Is it impossible for nuclear war to accompany the Rapture? Somehow I don't see the Resurrection of the dead as being interrupted by such an event; if anything as to make clear that it wasn't bombs being dropped that left the holes in the ground in cemeteries around the world.
Also if we take literally Revelation 5:13 as to its timing it would seem that would be the main focus after the Rapture.
Who is Raptured? Clearly the easy answer is all the saints; at least of the Church Age who were God's children.
Ephesians 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Let's look carefully into this concept. Those who have passed on have; in their souls already been at the Bema Seat of Christ; or they couldn't be present with the Lord. Many were through persecution on earth unlike those particularly in the Western world in the last couple generations. Considering the works that God has for us since before the creation of the world ( Eph. 2:10) it seems likely that God uses the Tribulation to purify many.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. ( Luke 17:32-33).
To keep this verse in context; we need to see that it wasn't preservation of life that was the whole issue here; it was dying to self gratification and the world as temptations to hold us back from His deliverance when it comes. One may ask "ok what does this have to do with persecution?" In this case; the enemy had a stranglehold on Lot and his family that began when he chose to move to the fertile area of the plain and Abraham decided to hang out in the backside of the desert. Nothing wrong with that a man in the flesh would argue. It is unclear how much Lot knew about the area when he arrived; but no doubt he saw opportunity to prosper economically in that location; and it is certain that at some point the sin became so clear that it caused his "righteous soul to be vexed" ( 2 Peter 2:8 reveals that fact to us). So I am "perplexed" (get it it rhymes with vexed; ok give me some latitude it's late)...
The enemy in a sense was persecuting him; and in this case it was mostly his own fault. No one was forcing him to stay there; no doubt and based on how the story ended it is clear they had little respect for him; but until he had to speak up they probably tolerated him. That was the men's response in Genesis 19:9 when to appease the sodomites Lot offered his daughters to them instead of what they thought were men but were angels of God. God delivered Lot but it reminds us of Revelation where we are told not to be naked ( Revelation 16:15 at the onset of the bowl judgments). This is reminiscent of those who make it to heaven; but as through the fire suffering loss ( 1 Corinthians 3:15). All of scripture fits together and is useful ( 2 Timothy 3:16).
The point is; just like Jonah we can't run and hide from being salt and light and proclaiming the truth and we can't be content compromising with evil.
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. ( Luke 17:10).
Well; that pretty well sums things up.
If we look at this carefully; we should realize that along with this attitude self flagellation and such once again put us into a religious fervor that can cause us to compete with others and even our own past performance and it becomes a pride issue that we are so humbled and doing so much to rid ourselves of something that still affects us due to our actions!
I am sure some further study can be given here. Surrounding verses show how a servant in an earthly context make sure food is prepared and served; and once consumed by the master of the house then the servant can tend to their own needs wherever they go after their duties are done. There are other verses directed to the Pharisees which clue us in to the warnings about pride and being seated in the bestplaces only to be humbled; so that we should be exalted in taking the lowest places in public gatherings involving a feast as His example.
I can't see how we should treat other believers as second class citizens or unprofitable; as there are too few actually out there fulfilling the Great Commission on any regular basis. Jesus indeed called us "friends" in John 15:14-15. What we see here as I can tell is a warning or rebuke to those who are true servants so that pride doesn't creep in and realizing all we have that is good comes from the Spirit. Thus; the concept of avoiding a "religious" spirit that is not of God. Of course that can relate to service in and outside of church in any capacity. Our whole life is part of ministry and of course if kids see hypocrisy they are the first to bring it up. Saying; "shut up and do as I say because I say so" ain't gonna be too productive; actions speak louder than words but we need both.
"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:"
Luke 17:21
"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
Blessings
Respectfully Psalm 77:6 KJVAE
[6] I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
With all due respect I would suggest silencing yourself before bed and commune with the God within you Luke 17:21 KJVAE
[21] neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
free your mind from anything unpure and will answer
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
Wait a minute...many of us are familiar with what happened between this victorious acclamation and celebration and less than one week later when the crowds were shouting "crucify Him". What I never noticed before is that they had His identity only as they could perceive in the flesh; as verse 11 states the prophet; not the Prophet who was also the Son of God. So that's why it became so easy to betray Him. Why do I say this?
First of all; as we know from the expectations of the Apostles themselves they expected Him to bring the Kingdom to an earthly rule sooner rather than later. The Pharisees asked this starting in Luke 17:20; and the Apostles in Acts 1:7 Jesus' presence should have been something the Pharisees would look forward to. John 11:48 shows that they were worried the Romans would somehow take over and ruin their establishment if Jesus continued as He did; after Lazarus was raised from the dead around the same time period weeks before His crucifixion.
Secondly; when they realized that Jesus wasn't going to fight back or use supernatural power to come down from the cross no doubt many mocked Him or were disillusioned after His demonstrations of mass healings and deliverances for several years.
Third; tied in with the second point is that their need to have Jesus as sin bearer was something they were and still are as a nation to this day. Despite the destruction of their old temple for most of the last 2000 years there is still an attempt to build it anew. Rejecting Christ they hae had no means of even covering sin since then.
My own understanding: is that Jesus was instructing His disciples of what would be a foretaste of the coming Kingdom of God. Soon after (within a week or so), three of Jesus' disciples saw Jesus transfigured (or, transformed) revealing His Glory ( Matthew 17:1,2; Luke 9:28,29); that Glory which He would receive back after laying it aside for humanity's sake ( Philippians 2:5-9). That would have been the first taste given to His disciples of the coming Kingdom of God.
Then of course, through His Death, Resurrection & Ascension into Heaven, the disciples had further confirmation of both the Truth of Jesus' Words (while He taught them) and the institution of God's Kingdom. It is true, that what we would normally understand and expect of the Kingdom of God (i.e. when Jesus returns to the World in His second Coming) didn't happen then as it hasn't happened till now, we can still see that His disciples were given a foretaste of that coming Kingdom which would never end until Christ comes - and beyond.
They saw His Glory at the mount, they were witnesses of His resurrection ( Luke 24:24-40), and they were witnesses of His Ascension ( Luke 24:50-53). And the disciples (and also to all those who love the Lord Jesus & would serve Him), would receive power to live the Christ-centered, Christ-crucified life, declaring to all that truly God had now visited sinful man & offered him so great salvation through His Son. Yes, the Kingdom of God is potentially within all mankind ( Luke 17:20,21), where, even if those unbelieving Pharisees would only put their faith in Jesus, the reality of the God's Kingdom could also be theirs when God would do a new work in them ( Ezekiel 11:19,20). GBU.
John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
John 20:22"And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:"
Luke 17:21"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
Matthew 17:21: "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."
Matthew 18:11: "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
Matthew 23:14: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."
Mark 7:16: "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."
Mark 9:44: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Mark 9:46: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Mark 11:26: "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Mark 15:28: "And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors."
Luke 17:36: "Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
John 5:4: "For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had."
Acts 8:37: "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Acts 15:34: "Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still."
Acts 24:7: "But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,"
Acts 28:29: "And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves."
Romans 16:24: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
I John 5:7: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
We lose a lot in this wicked world we live in, material things and also love ones!
I lost my younger brother a few years ago who I took care of the last 3 years of his life.
I would have given everything I have to keep my little brother here with me but the Lord didn't take him from me, he took what belongs to him.
In the book of Job Job and his friends believed in what we call the doctrine of "retribution theology"-every act receives just punishment or reward in this present life, so we should be able to tell who is righteous or wicked by whether they are visibly blessed or cursed on earth. That's the doctrine of "retribution.
Our love and fear for the Lord shouldn't depend on whether we have or have not and it is not always evidence or testimony of God's fairness and love for us, therefore we shouldn't charge the Lord when things go wrong in this evil world.
We dont understand how God runs his universe as we see in Job when God put him on trial when Job pleaded his case.
Tdianne, the things we lose in this world cant be compared to that which God has prepared for us!
As God's servants the things we do is for the Lord and there may be no reward and if there is, the determination of the reward is all on the Lord.
We're given Sustainability but we are unprofitable servants while here on earth as you see demonstrated in Luke 17:7-10.
Our rewards is in heaven!
Nothing you have done whether good or bad will go unrewarded.
God bless you Tdianne.
Q: "God's requirement of what must be believed is based on the amount of revelation He has given mankind up to that time. Salvation is by faith in the crucifixion of Christ./ The knowledge we have is what already happened and we believe and have faith in that. It's hindsight! Od Testament saints did not have that knowledge. Does God reveals complete or in piecemeal?"
A:
In the beginning God created heaven and the earth. Ge.1:1. God a Spirit formed these worlds by the word of God. (He.11:3) This Word is God and was with God. So Jesus was with the Word which is the Law in the beginning, ( John 1:1)."All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." and we have this verse: Jesus Christ the same yesterday and forever' was in the divine Will and it was made to appear in the fulness of time. So crucifixion of Jesus or when is not the issue. It is faith with which God made the worlds to appear.
God formed all hearts alike and breathing into the nostrils of man makes every one equal before the Law of the Spirit. This Spiritual understanding requires no other revelation outside faith and the Bible. We have been foreknown and blessed before the worlds began. So it complete if faith makes you believe in his Son.
Everlasting covenant between God and Man also gives access to man before Law of the Spirit time and space is of no consequence, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:/Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."( Luke 17:20-21). Faith gives you place in the kingdom and it is 'Abide in me' life and your works meet the requirement of the Law. It takes you all the way to the beginning and is a life from everlasting to everlasting. There is nothing in between. Salvation is complete revelation to be spiritually discerned.
"Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!"
"But woe unto him" Jesus referred to anyone who causes 'the little one to stumble. In the Gospel of St Mathew the same key verse is set in a context differently, But the point we are concerned is of two parallel worlds which operate under the Law of the Spirit which the little one represents, "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me."(Matt.18:1-7) The little one in the land of the living is same as the Law of the Spirit considers each as blessed with potential to be conformed in the image of the Son.so one represent the whole. "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." (Ro.8:10) On the other hand those who are in the flesh are under the law of sin. It is thus we speaks of two parallel worlds. "Woe unto him referred to the rich man in the Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. "For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment." While had time to do good he spent it all living like a lord in wanton complacency. His riches blinded him so he forgot his obligations to other. If his brothers did not improve from the Law of Moses even Lazarus resurrected for the purpose shall fail. For the simple reason riches had corrupted the seed in his heart. His wealth was to his own hurt by serving the devil. He belonged to the nation of 'goats' placed on the left hand. In the Parable(Matt.25:31-46), the children of disobedience create injustice ,violence and iniquity and have abandoned 'the little ones' to suffer, Prison nakedness hunger are all that they inflicted on the righteous ones because their world was wicked."Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."(Matt.25:44)
While we examined the first seals we were shown four riders going forth, to whom power was given, obviously an higher authority. Law of the Spirit obviously established the kingdom as belonging to God so we read in 6:2 "and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." Conquering over law of sin is implied here. The symbols of offices that riders, each colour coded carry significance for man. so we shall consider the war in our members are after a similitude of war in heaven.
"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:/But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." There is a kingdom that heart of man carries to which Jesus referred "for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."( Luke 17:21) God has fashioned all hearts alike and he also tries their hearts.
Law which is the Word is equally accessible to man. So whosoever is led by the Spirit is assured of life and peace. It is thus two laws contrary to one other wars within us. The man in white who rides forth to conquer and conquering is never shown in earth but we see the heavens opening,"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."(Re.19:11-14). God has not called us to join in the battle which is waged according to divine Will. What has Jesus Christ instead taught us?
"So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do." ( Luke 17:7-10)Our faithfulness is considered as exemplary and as though Christ in us did because our works were made manifest from our love of Christ. There is no other standard but the fulness of God in him. He showed as how."Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."(Matt.20:28)
Saul's heart was like a dry place as against the fruitful garden, enclosed garden. "A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed"( Song. 4:12). An evil spirit came over him riding the wings of his hatred. It is not from God but heart of whosoever departs from God is open to it. "And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul." We have another passage, "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none./Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished./Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation."(Matt.12:43-45). King Saul became an enemy of God while King David went from strength to strength. Because he well attended to his heart. When we see the present times it is a stark warning what the Spirit is leading the wicked and adulterous generation to. We ought to possess our souls in patience. Jesus said how our understanding buds forth. "And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;/And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how./For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."(Mark.4:26-28)
Jesus knew the son of perdition among the twelve but as theWord become flesh, he would not judge him. It would be his humanity getting the better of his deity, a sin. So helet Judas the benefit of the word sown in his own heart. He was responsible for producing the tree. Either figs or thistles? "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."(Matt.7:20)
Luke 17:20 - And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
This Greek word is used in two different senses. One is observation as an astronomer would observe the stars and the planets in outer space. Secondly, it is a medical term. If someone has been admitted into the hospital for observation, and that is what this word means. It means we are going to watch you, watch your vital signs, and take tests. So, He says the Kingdom of God does not come with observation: Again the outward appearance.
Luke 17:34 - 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.
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed;
The word "men" is not in any manuscripts. It is just two people, because there are people that use this for justification for homosexuality. In that night there shall be two men (two people) in one bed; one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Luke 18:1 - And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
The premise of this parable is in Verse 1, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. The word "ought" is the word necessary. It comes from the word DEO that means to bind. It is necessary for men always to pray and to not faint.
The word faint in the Greek text means to give in, to give up, or to give in to your circumstances. And as the Lord is explaining the difficulties that God's people will experience, He is now focusing on the main activity that the believer has with his or her Lord, and that is prayer, that when difficulties happen through circumstances, it's necessary for the believer to always pray and never to give in, never to give up.
Luke 17:2 - It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and notice this literal translation: and that he had been cast into the sea, "had been." In other words, before he even offended anybody, it would have been better had he been cast into the sea before he even got there to offend people.
Where it says "these little ones," He is not talking about children here. He is talking about people who just recently turned to Christ as Messiah.
Luke 17:10 - So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
He says we are unprofitable servants. The Greek word for unprofitable is useless. Useless! At our best, in our human we are useless. But when God gives us the faith, He does great things. But it's not to our credit. It is what God does through us, and if God works through us all day and all night, that is all to His credit. If we did it, we'd just be unprofitable servants only doing the minimum.
Luke 17:19 - And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Interesting, the word whole is the word SOUDZO for salvation. But isn't that interesting that Jesus said go and be cleansed and they left. Only one of them got saved. The one that turned, realized the working of God in his life, and came back and fell at Jesus' feet and gave thanks.
He says your faith has saved you. So not only are you cleansed from your leprosy, but you are saved. That should also give us a warning. Many seek the Lord for healing because they only want for themselves. If God should ever grant that request, and with some people, that is all they do is look for the physical things in life to be fixed, never falling at Jesus' feet and giving Him thanks and giving Him glory.
Luke 16:23 - And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
The word hell here is the word, Hades. There is actually only one place in the Bible that is actually Hell, and that's the lake of fire in the book of Revelation, the final destination. In fact, Hades will be emptied out into the lake of fire. Hades, the word Hades means the place of unseen spirits. No physical body, just spirits.
Luke 17:1 - Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
Literally in the Greek, He's saying that it's impossible not to offend people. But woe unto him, through whom they come!
Even though it's impossible not to offend people, we are still responsible. Now the word offense is the word SCANDALON, where we get our word scandal from.
And it is the name of the trap string that holds up a box. If an animal comes in, you pull the trap string, and the box falls down on the animal and catches the animal. And it's called an offense.
That is to say when we do things to trap people or cause them to go down the wrong road, at least from a spiritual Christian standpoint, that's what He is talking about. It doesn't mean if you hurt my feelings or if you do something to rattle my nerves. That has nothing to do with offenses.
It has to do with allowing people to go down a trail where they will be trapped in, and it will be a road of destruction. For a Christian, it means that you guide people down the wrong road and into a trap, and it is not the road to Christ. It is not the truth.
8Or who shut up the sea with doors,and set bars and doors,when it brake forth,as if it had issued out of the womb?--> (Sea=waters=are peoples,and NATIONS,and multitudes of all tongues-Revelation/ Apocalypse 17:15)
11And GOD said,Hitherto shalt thou come,but no further: and here shall thy proud waves(GENERATIONS)be stayed?
All NATIONS,all unbeliver mankind,and its generations,everyone will pile up as if a DIKE were in front of everyone.
Isaiah prophesied: 24:22
22And they shall be gathered together,as prisoners are gathered in the pit,and shall be shut up in the prison,and after many days shall they be visited. -->after the millennial kingdom ends.
This is the Word that matters and will prevail from now on,after all,
the ENDS of the times arrived,and the righteous Judgment of GOD and its consequences,the punishments,will be applied. Romans 2, take a look.
In this new time,this new Day,the seventh and last Day,the reality is that the mankind WILL NOT GO FORWARD with their political systems, and ideas, religions,economic systems,also theories of modus-vivend,projects,plans,dreams,in short,they will not go ahead with their usual activities,with their status quo of activities adopted until this current time,the door is already closed for this generations IN TIME and IN SPACE.And this is the Word that will prevail, the peoples, and NATIONS, and multitudes of all tongues will not go forward with their systems at all.
Luke 17:28-29
In the days of Lot;they did eat,they drank,they bought,they sold, they planted, they builded; but it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Get ready
Luke 17:20-25
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of GOD should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of GOD cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of GOD is within you.
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.
23 And they(WHO ARE THEM?) shall say to you, See here; or, see there(SEE WHOM? JOHN 5:43-47, A FALSE MESSIAH? AN ESOTERIC AND KABBALISTIC AND SPIRITIST FALSE MESSIAH-son of perdition?2Thes.2:2-12): GO NOT after them,NOR FOLLOW THEM.
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.->WHAT DAY? Now, now, the seventh and last Day, or seventh and last millennium, the millennium of Christ.
25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. --> Terrible, very terrible.
GOD BLESS,
And our Lord JESUS warned us, saying: Luke 17:26-27
26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat,
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.
Revelation 11:15 & 18
15...The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD are become the Kingdoms of our Lord,and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
18 And the NATIONS (ALL NATIONS) were (will be) ANGRY, and GOD's WRATH comes, similar to the WRATH as was in the flood, but now, in the ends of the times, it's by FIRE--> Isaiah 33:10-14 and Isaiah 34:1-4.
GET READY
28And as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat,they drank,they bought,they sold,they planted,they builded(now, now, this LITERALLY is fulfilling,and the punishments shall also be applied in whole world of the Devil in fulilment of what was prophesied by the Lord,as is written):
29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30Even thus shall it be in this Day(the seventh)when the Son of man is revealed.
In this current time,seventh and last millennium,it is JESUS who is in control of History,nothing random happens.Mat.28:18&20: ->18 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
->20 And I am with you always,even unto the END of the world. Amen.
THE END OF THE WORLD- 1Corinthians 15:24-27
24 The END cometh when He shall have delivered up the KINGDOM to GOD, even the Father; when He shall have PUT DOWN ALL RULE AND ALL AUTHORITY and POWER.
25 For he must reign,till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
LITERAL FULFILLMENT OF ABOVE- Revelation 11:15-18
15...The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD are become the kingdoms of our Lord,and of his Christ;and He shall reign for ever and ever.
...
18-And the nations were(WILL BE)angry, and GOD'S WRATH is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be Judged, and that GOD should give reward unto His servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear His name, small and great; and should DESTROY them which destroy the earth.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is REVEALED. (Which of son of man is revealed? Since Moses there were several sons of man sent by our GOD as His messenger, and JESUS as GOD was the last sent around 2000 years ago)
JESUS my Lord made reference to the days of Lot and the city of Sodom to highlight and emphasize the destruction planned by GOD of the city of Sodom and neighboring cities. JESUS wanted to warn this current generation of believers in Him, how the Devil's current world will be punished and destroyed by GOD now, in this current time, even now, from now on( Revelation 11:15-18, mainly verse 18, combined with Isaiah 26:20-21.Take a look). By the Word of GOD(the Word is GOD, is the Power)Sodom and region as a whole was destroyed. By the way, GOD sent only two men to destroy Sodom and neighboring cities- Genesis 19:12-17, as GOD had spoken to Abraham, who interceded for the righteous of Sodom before GOD, unfortunately there were not found 10 righteous.
And now? The Word of GOD, the Power, is the same, so how many men will GOD send to destroy the World of Devil by the same Word, by the same Power, as He made in Sodom and neighboring cities, as was said by my Lord JESUS as example of destruction made by GOD? Yes, how many? Two or one? The Word is GOD, GOD Himself, self-executing, understand? By the way, the dismantling or destruction of all the structures of the Devil's world has already begun in this pre-tribulational period of sorows- Matthew 24:3-8- , the worst comes imediately after the end of the period of sorrows.
Get ready
28Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot;they did eat,they drank,they bought,they sold,they planted,they builded;
29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven,and destroyed them all.
30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
What was there or what happened in Sodoma,and Gomorra,and in the neighboring cities? Well,GOD sent two men there.And they said unto Lot,Hast thou here any besides?son in law,and thy sons,and thy daughters,and whatsoever thou hast in the city,bring them out of this place:For we will DESTROY THIS PLACE,because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord;and the Lord hath SENT US to DESTROY IT-Gen.19:12-13.
And Lot went out,and spake unto his sons in law,which married his daughters,and said, Up, get you out of this place;for the Lord will destroy this city.But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law-Gen.19:14.
Again:Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.Yes, even thus shall it be now,even now,from now on,the difference is that now is sent only one,not two men,and now the order/the command is to DESTROY THE WHOLE WORLD OF THE DEVIL,the process of destruction of the Devil's world is already running,understand?
Do you believe or you are like the sons in law of Lot thinking that I'm moking you?No surprise,if so.JESUS said:even thus will be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.Who is he?Michael- Daniel 12:1-3, Matthew 24:15-25 and 1Thessalonians 4:16.
Get ready
Satan will be cast down into the bottomless pit,and his followers- 1Corinthians 6:9-10 and Revelation 21:8-,will be cast into the lake of fire.
Re.20:1-3->1And I saw an angel come down from heaven,having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.And he laid hold on the dragon,that old serpent,which is the Devil,and Satan,and bound him a thousand years...and set a seal upon him,that he should deceive the nations no more
43When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there; and the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation."
This passage would seem to infer that a person could have an evil spirit removed somehow; but without the Holy Spirit taking up residence post salvation. ( John 14:23). We are reminded of the sons of Sceva who had demons come out of someone they were trying to exorcize and rend them. ( Acts 19:14-16). We also could conceivably be reminded of those Jesus cast demons from; since some may not have been truly saved after that. We see evidence of that with the case of 1 leper that came back to praise Him while the others went away. ( Luke 17:17-18). We see warnings also of Christ saying sin no more lest something worse happen to you ( John 5:14). In that case it would probably be death as he had been paralyzed for decades apparently due to some sin.
We can think of the condition in the Synagogue where Jesus cast out a demon early on ( John 4:33 and following verses); and consider how the religious and self righteous piety of the Pharisees caused them to have this condemnation in particular.
A more sobering thought is many "ministries" today who are seemingly obsessed with casting out demons (in some cases it is proven the same person is involved over and over as a likely paid participant for crowd appeal). I personally have a big problem with one particular teacher who often baptizes people (and says is necessary for salvation) and demons come out.
We can hardly call someone in that condition in a sound mind ready to make such a commitment to the Body of Christ as Baptism signifies.
Luke 17:26-27
As it was in days of Noah,so it will be in the days of the Son of man.They ate,drank,married,gave in marriage,until the day Noah entered the ark,the flood came and destroyed them all.So"This was the"modus vivendi" in Noahs'days.
We would say it was the same 'modus vivendi' of society in recent times,say around 1950-1985,it was similar to society in the days of Noah.It was common to eat and drink with development of large malls around the world at that time,it was common the celebration of weddings,existence of strong family ties,but as time went by,it began to deteriorate morally as in the time of Noah,when the sons of GOD mixed their seed with seed of the evil ones,giving rise to a corrupt and evil society- Genesis 6:2-3, due to the proliferation of adulterers and adulteresses.And the punishment came,yes,the flood came and only 8 people were saved by the Ark.
Comparing the society of Noah's days with a posterior society of Sodom and Gomorrah,at the time of Lot,let's see the differences,according Scriptures:
Luke 17:28-30 reveal:
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day (in the current time) when the Son of man is revealed.
society of Noah's day..........................society of Sodom/Gomorrah
they ate and drank ..............................they ate and drank
they married and gave in marriage ....they bought and sold,they planted and built
Men of Sodom were wicked,immoral exceedingly,and sinners before the Lord- Genesis 13:13.There was no marriage,society was polluted of prostitutes,sodomites/ effeminate(gays),society was infested of prostitution and great sinners. The same occurs today. Lot was vexed with filthy conversations seeing and hearing their unlawful deeds- 2Peter 2:7-8 & Jude 1:6-7.