T D¹ 1,2. Stumbling-blocks introduced. D² 3,4. Introducers to be rebuked.
(Verses 1&2 contain matter which had been spoken by the Lord on a former occasion [Matt. 18:6,7. Mark 9:42] and repeated here with a variation of certain words; vv.3,4 also had been spoken before, and recorded in Matt. 18:21,22 [but not in Mark]. The passage here here is therefore not "out of context", but is repeated with special reference to 16:14-30)
28 A.D.
Luke 17)
1 Then said He to the His disciples (to be noted in contrast with 16:15]), "It is inevitable but that stumbling-blocks will come: but woe to him, through whom they come! (See Jer.)
2 It were well for him if a millstone (Takes 2 ox to pull it. See Matt. 18:6) were hanged round his neck, and he buried (with violence) into the sea, than that he should be a cause of stumbling to one of these little ones. (With reference to the traditions of the Pharisees in 16:15-30. See Rev. 9:4, humble ones, God's elect.)
3 Take heed to yourselves: If you brother (brother of the same womb and Christian brothers) sin against you (as the Pharisees did), rebuke him (as the Lord had done, or he will not grow); and if he repent, forgive him.
4 And if he sin against you seven times in a day (in the former "seventy" [Matt. 18:21,22]. No discrepancy), and seven times in a day turn again unto you, saying, 'I repent;' (Change of heart, doesn't mean play games, insincere) you shall forgive him." (See Matt. 18)
F E¹ 5. Request. Faith. E² 6-10. Answer. Faith and Duty.
5 And the apostles said to the Lord (Gr. Kurios means owner), "Give us more faith." (Cannot happen. It must come from within ones self)
E² m 6-. Hypothesis.
u -6. Result.
m 7-9. Fact.
n 10. Application.
6 And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed,
you might say (purely hypothetical) to this mulberry tree (on a former occasion [Matt. 17:20] the Lord said "this mountain" [of the Transfiguration]; and also on a later occasion [Mark 11:23], referring to Olivet. But here, "this tree", because of the locality was different. No discrepancy therefore. Mulberry tree used medicinally), 'Be you plucked up by the root, and be you planted in the sea; and it should obey you. (Analogy - its going to move if its in His plan)
7 But which from among you, having a bondman plowing or shepherding (you have a big spread, responsibility), will say to him, when he is come out of the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'
8 But will he not say to him, 'Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird yourself, and serve me, while I eat and drink; and after these things you shall eat and drink?' (You been out there having a good time)
9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. (Faith will demand no special thanks, its a common thing.)
10 Thus you also, when you may have done all those things which are commanded you, say that, 'We are not needed servants (this may be for various reasons. See Matt. 25:30, where the reason may be for having done wickedly. Not the same word as in Rom. 3:12. Tit. 3:9. Philem. 11. Heb. 13:17): we have done that which was our duty to do.' " (That's what you were paid to do. That's what he chose you for. See Matt. 21:21. Rom. 10:17.)
E F¹ 11-13. The 10 Lepers. F² 14-19. Their healing.
11 And it came to pass, as He was on His way to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst (i.e. between them) of Samaria and Galilee. (That's were the 10 northern tribes were.)
12 And as He was about to enter into a certain village, there met Him ten men (cp. 2 Kings 7:3, and note Ex. 4:6) that were lepers (The 10 tribes were sick. Sure death), which stood afar off: (As required by Lev. 13:45,46. The Talmudical law prescribed 100 paces)
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, "Jesus (Gr. Iesous is the same as Heb. Yehoshua, or the abbreviated form Yeshua, and means Salvation of Yehovah, or Yehovah the Savior, Master, have compassion on us." (Shows faith)
F² G 14- Command. "Go."
H o -14. Cleansing.
p 15,16. Return of one.
H o 17. Cleansing.
p 18. Return of the one.
G 19. Command. "Arise, Go."
14 And when He saw them, He said to them, "Go shew yourselves unto the priests."
And it came to pass, that, in their going, they were cleansed. (See Lev. 14:4. Here, example of how He wood do away with the blood ordinances, NOT the Law.)
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed (accomplished by the Father through the Son), turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, (Don't forget to do this. When you ask for praises from others, its a waste, it must come from within, caused by faith)
16 And fell down on his face beside His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. (See 2 Kings 17:29-35. Cp. 10:33. Was not from Israel, "whomsoever will".)
17 And Jesus answering said, "Were not the ten ten cleansed? but the nine, were are they? (You cannot con God. Either you believe or you don't. No half way)
18 Were there are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this alien." (Gr. allogenes = of another race. Used by the Romans. It was put on the marble barriers of the inner courts of the Temple to warn off Gentiles. Cp. Acts 21:28)
19 And He said unto him, "Arise, go your way: your faith has made you whole."
20 And having been asked by the Pharisees (who were watching Him with hostile intent [6:7; 14:1; 20:20. Mark 3:2]), when the kingdom of God is coming,
C J q -20. It comes not by hostile watching. [Neg.]
r 21-. Nor by saying, "Lo here!", &c. [Neg.]
s -21. Reason. It is here among you. [Pos.]
J q 22. It shall not be seen by hostile desiring. [Neg.]
r 23. Nor by saying, "See here",&c.
s 24. Reason. It will come suddenly. [Pos.]
He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God comes not with hostile watching: (Gr. paratērēsis. What that means is that you are not going to be able to see it. What I want you to do is I want you to be a watchman and I want you to be able to see it because they are not going to be able to. It comes in gradually and it can slip up on you if you’re not careful so therefore that’s what He is telling them. How are you fixed today? Are you a watchman? Do you see what’s happening in this world? Do you fit that with prophesy? Of course you do. But let’s nail it a little better today if we may.)
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there!
for, behold, the kingdom of God is in among (i.e. already there in the Person of the King. [Whose presence marks the kingdom]. We know there is a lot that must take place. Christ will return without a lot of outward show. Especially, for those that don't know enough about the Bible to understand the signs. A kingdom is the king and his dominion. The kingdom of God is sealed in your mind, within you. The same meaning as in Matt. 12:28. John 1:26. See Mark 13:21-23) you yourselves. (His bitter enemies. Therefore not in their hearts; but the very opposite. They are asking Him when the King will come to rule His dominion. We know that will be on the Lord's Day.)
22 And He said to the disciples (note the change), "The days will come, when you shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you shall not see it. (such as they were then seeing, i.e. have another opportunity. Christ is preparing the disciples for the day He would no longer be with Him. Jesus knew there were some things that must come to pass before His return at the 2nd advent. He has forewarned us, and He has forewarned us with the Holy Spirit and the Word. If you haven't studied enough to be forewarned, you aren't forearmed. Many will be deceived. In other words it’s going to be a little parse. You're going to have some times when you've got to be a watchman. You've got to observe.)
23 And they shall say to you, 'See here; or, see there:' go not forth after them, nor follow them. (Now that’s the key. When you're still in the flesh body and somebody tells you Christ is in the desert or Jerusalem or something, it’s a bunch of malarkey. It’s not going to happen. Don't go! They will lead you to worship Satan, who is playing his role as antichrist before the return of Jesus. When they say Jesus is here, or Jesus is there, don't believe them. If you are still in the flesh, Jesus hasn't returned [1 Cor. 15:52].)
24 For as the lightning, that flashes out of the one part under heaven, shines unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man also be in His day. (Don't be deceived by antichrist. Just as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, it will get here - the Lord's day - the millennium. You can count on it. Everyone will know when the true Christ returns. But the point is will you recognize it? Will you recognize what’s happening in the world at that time? To pinpoint it, be on guard! Be careful to note that happens "in His day". There are some things that must come to pass before the Lord's Day.)
25 But first must He suffer many things (Crucifixion), and be rejected (this was the subject of the 3rd period of the Lord's ministry. Jesus did suffer, and he was rejected) on the part of this [present] generation. (See Matt. 11:16.)
O K 17:26-37. The coming of the King. Sudden.
L 18:1-14. Disciples. Character. 2 Parables.
L 18:15-27. Discipleship. Character. 2 Examples.
K 18:28-30. The rewards of the King. Manifold.
K M 26-29. Suddenness. Illustration.
N 30. That day.
M 31-33. Suddenness. Direction.
N 34. That night.
26 And as it came to pass in the days of Noah (See Gen. 6:4-7, 11-13), so shall it be in the days also of the Son of man. (1 Cor. 10:11. Rev. 12:6,7)
27 They did eat, they were drinking, 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. (It's going to be just like it was when Satan was trying to destroy the woman through which Christ would come with the nephilim, or fallen angels, as recorded in Genesis 6. The fallen angels will be kicked out of heaven and back onto earth [Rev. 12:6-7]. This is one of your signs that the Lord's Day is very near. Many of you have work to do then. Desire the Word now.)
28 Likewise even as it was in the days of Lot (see Gen. 19:15-25. Isa. 13:19. Ezek. 16:46-56. Amos 4:11. Jude 7); they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; (This planted means they planted false doctrine. And boy, there's a lot of that goes on today. Chapter-by-chapter and verse-by-verse, keep yourself informed and then you will not be deceived.)
29 But the same day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. (False doctrine, saying sodomy is o.k. NOT! The people of Sodom were desiring things of the world, and they were destroyed. Desire the Word. Desire that which is eternal, not temporary. There is another fire coming at the end of the millennium. Don't be in it. In other words GOD gets around to business. There was a lot of perverted things taking place in Sodom and Gomorrah and It’s going to be just like that again. Well you know to pay attention. Look around you and don't think that GOD doesn't take care of business. He does.)
30 According to these things shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (When the world is in this condition. that's how its going to be in the end. It is interesting to note that Lot in Hebrew means a veil, or covering. When Christ returns, He will be revealed.)
31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop (watchmen, that's how close it will be), and his goods in the house, let him not come down (by the staircase outside) to take it away (this was later repeated on the Mount of Olives [Matt. 24:17-20. Mark 13:14-16]): and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. (What is He saying? On the Lord's Day you aren't going to need physical belongings. You will be in your spiritual bodies. We have a lot of "stuff" waiting on us. When this day arrives, don't look back. Your not going to need them.)
32 Remember Lot's wife. (See Gen. 19:26. Lot's wife looked back. Rather than desiring God's Word and promises, she was desiring to life of Sodom. If we desire this temporary world, we risk losing the eternity.)
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose it shall preserve it alive. (See Matt. 10:39. Mark 8:35. Satan will be here claiming He's Christ. That means if you try to go along with the flow instead of remaining with Christ, you're going to lose your soul! You can't go with the crowd, you have to stay with Christ.)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two persons upon one bed; the one shall be taken (through deception), and the other shall be left. (There's not a person that has not heard some preacher say “I want to be the first taken”. Taken by Anti-Christ? What did Christ say back in a verse 23? If they tell you... don't go! Listen to Him, don't go! Why? Because it’s the false Christ its false doctrine. You don't need that, don't be deceived. Do you want to lose your soul in the first resurrection? Well, that’s a good way to do it! Many say, "I don't really want to stick around for the second, I'll take part in that first one." God's Word teaches us to stay in the world, the field, working. The ones taken are deceived by antichrist.)
35 Two women shall be grinding to the same ][end] (referring to the morning. Cp. Matt. 24:34. Acts 14:1); the one shall be taken, and the other left. (See v.23)
36 Two men shall be in the field (the world); the one shall be taken (by deception as in v.34), and the other left." (Continuing work in the field. Lot of people are going to be deceived. Why? False doctrine! “You don't have to study God's Word," the preacher says, "because you’re going to be gone”. Isn't it wonderful? It’s a wonderful lie alright. False doctrine soothsayers will get you in much trouble. You want to listen to Almighty God and what He has to say. 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? See Gen. 19:1)
37 And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" (the question repeated in Matt. 24:28, as well as the answer, and in Mark 13) And He said to them, "Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the vultures be gathered together." (See Job 39:30. Cp. Hab. 1:8. Hos. 8:1. Rev. 11:8, 19:17-21. Where was Christ crucified? Jerusalem. That is where Satan will sit as the false Christ. Where ever there are spiritually dead bodies, the vultures will be there to take them. Don't be deceived by false doctrine. Be a spiritual virgin when Christ returns. Desire the Word!)