One of the most asked questions is, "When is Christ going to return"? There are many prophecies, or signs, that must comes to pass before Christ will return. The better understanding you have of these signs, the better you will be prepared for this wonderful event. Let's turn to Luke as we begin our study.
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:
21 Neither shall they say, 'Lo here!' or, 'lo there!' for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
Christ will return without a lot of outward show. Especially, for those that don't know enough about the Bible to understand the signs. The kingdom of God is sealed in your mind, within you.
Luke 17:22 And He said unto the disciples, "The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
Christ is preparing the disciples for the day He would no longer be with Him.
Luke 17:23 And they shall say to you, 'See here;' or, 'see there:' 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.
Don't be deceived by antichrist. As sure as the sun comes up in the morning, the True Christ will return at the appointed time. You can count on it.
Luke 17:25 But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
Jesus did suffer, and he was rejected.
Luke 17:26 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.
Who married wives? You know, it was the nephilim, or fallen angels, as recorded in Genesis 6.
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;
They bought and sold sodomy. They planted deception and fallse religion.
Luke 17:29 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.
It is interesting to note that Lot in Hebrew means a veil, or covering. When Christ returns, He will be revealed.
Luke 17:31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
You should recognize this Scripture from Matthew 24 and Mark 13. The reason I am covering these verses is so that you have the time fixed in your mind. We are talking about Christ's return.
Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Those that try to save the things of this world shall lose.
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.
Be the one left. Don't follow the false messiah.
Luke 17:35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
Let's do a little math. We have 6 persons discussed in the last 3 verses. 3 are deceived and 3 are not. I wonder if that percentage would hold today? As I look around this world, I think that a lot more than fifty percent will be deceived. Christ told us His return be as the days of Lot. What was going on then?
Genesis 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2 And he said, "Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways." And they said, "Nay; but we will abide in the street all night."
Lot knew what would happen to them in the Streets of Sodom at night.
Genesis 19:3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
This is what it was like in the days of Lot.
Genesis 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, "Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them."
So there is no room for doubt, the Sodomites wanted to have homosexual relations with the two visitors. Are you beginning to see the picture? Could some of the diseases of this generation point to the days of Lot?
Genesis 19:6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7 And said, "I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof."
I always had a problem with this last verse. If I were in Lot's place, the war would have been already on. Perhaps, Lot knew the Sodomites wouldn't bother his daughters. They wanted men.
Genesis 19:9 And they said, "Stand back." And they said again, "This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them." And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
The Sodomites are calling Lot a foreigner and questioning his right to set himself up as judge.
Genesis 19:10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
The men in this verse are the two angels. They are about to do something very righteous. I wonder if they will be gentle?
Genesis 19:11And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
Young and old were struck blind by God. In their perversion, they still wore themselves out scratching to find the door. The two angels the led Lot, his wife and his daughters out of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's wife would look back and become a pillar of salt. This is what was happening in the days of Lot. Iwant you to know what the Sodomites were building. Remember, it is a sign.
2 Kings 23:5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
Yes, God placed the heavens for signs. Be careful. There are many false religions based on the heavens. Unfortunately, we have seen recent examples of what these religions are capable of doing. The "he" is Hilkiah the priest.
2 Kings 23:6 And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
What was this grove in the house of the Lord? When I think of a grove, I think of a strand of trees. Not so in this case.
2 Kings 23:7 And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.
The grove that was in the house of God is from the Hebrew word "asherah" (ash-ay-raw'). This word is masculine. It is also from the prime word meaning straight, or erect. Stay with me here, you must know. The Sodomites built a phallic symbol and placed it in the house of God to worship. Instead of worshiping the Creator, they worshiped a symbol of reproduction of life. You see now why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? They were an abomination. That is how it was in the days of Lot. What about in the days of Noah?
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
The fallen angels of Noah's day were also going after strange flesh. Going after strange flesh is the cause of aids today. Father does not like perversion. Am I teaching hate towards certain groups of people? No! What they do behind closed doors is their business; however, they had beter not bring their perversion in front of my family, or worse into the house of God. If they want to die of aids, fine have a good trip. Would I rather see them change their life style and get into God's Word? Yes! But remember, Christ told us it would be as in Lot's days, when He returns. In conclusion, let's go to the two witnesses in Revelation 11.
Revelation 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
When the two witnesses are killed, we know one of the very last signs of Christ's return has been fulfilled.
Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Christ's teachings come to pass just as they are written. As He told us in Luke, it will be just as in the days of Lot. Jerusalem will spiritually called Sodom. What happens 3 1/2 days later? Skip to verse 15.
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Why is it important that we know these things? We have seen several states passing laws honoring same sex marriages as well as in our military. What happens when you honor same sex holy matrimony into God's house? They are bringing perversion right back into God's house just the same as the Sodomites built a phallic symbol to place near the altar. Friends, these days are not much different than the days of Lot. The signs and prophecies of Christ's return are coming to pass.
In His service,
Arnold Murray.