Losing the Promise of Eternal Life

In Luke 17 Jesus speaks about His return to the Disciples.  In the story Jesus speaks of Lot’s wife and tells us a riddle about eternal life that continues to perplex many Christian’s today.

Luke 17:30-33 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. ³²Remember Lot’s wife! ³³Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 

REMEMBER LOT’s WIFE!

The bolded verse in the above passage is rather innocous looking.  Yet when Jesus said ”Remember Lot’s wife” I believe He had special significance He did not want us to ever forget.  The true meaning of these words from God have  all but been forgotten in the end times modern day church.  As God’s disciples we need to bring the knowledge of God to the non believer yet we must also teach sound doctrine so the seeds that get planted do not get choked off and killed by the trials and tribulations of life.

Let’s build some background and recall the story of Lot and his wife.

Genesis 19:15-17,23-26 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.” ¹⁶ When he hesitated, the men (angels) grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. ¹⁷ As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” …….  ²³ By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. ²⁴ Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. ²⁵Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. ²⁶ But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot’s wife, who was never named in Scriptures was destroyed.  She did not heed God’s warning not to look back.  While escaping Sodom, which was a precuser to the modern day Babylon, she lost her eternal life.  She was destroyed because in her heart she wanted to preserve her earthly life, she was not willing to give it all up to God.  I think there are many modern day “wives of Lot” metaphorically speaking and that was the reason for the Lord’s calling us to remembrance in the Gospel of Luke. 

Right before Jesus told us to “remember Lot’s wife”, He tells us His return will be just like in the days of Noah and the days of Lot. 

Luke 17:26-29 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.  ²⁸“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

What were people doing in these two time periods?  The same thing, that is going on today!  People are going about their business FOCUSED on worldly things and worldly pursuits and not on heavenly pursuits.  Very many, in fact the majority of professsing believers are worshipping with their lips only, not in their hearts.  Their true hearts are somewhere else and God is not their absolute #1 priority.  People distracted in worldly pursuits will be overtaken like a thief, we are told they will be totally surprised when Jesus comes.   Those that believe but are surprised are the foolish virgins spoken about in Matthew 25 and they too are destroyed.

It seems that man never learns from history and is therefore doomed to repeat it.   It is indeed just like in Noah and Lot’s time right now.

Time Grows Short

This passage in Luke 17 has been heavy on my heart.  My spirit senses the coming judgment of God and the unpreparedness of the professing “church”.   Jesus specifically called our attention to what happened to Lot’s wife in the context of His coming and our salvation.  I believe we need to pay special heed to this specific and strong warning, one that has all but been forgotten by the “peace and safety” preachers of today.  What did Lot’s wife do that caused her to perish?  How could this happen if she was part of the family that was personally led by an angel of God to flee Sodom?  Jesus tells us in the very next verse. 

Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

This passage is like a riddle to most professing Christians.  It is clear what Jesus meant, we must love Him with our whole heart otherwise we will lose our eternal life.  We must give up our idols and stop trying to cling to a worldly life.  In her heart, Lot’s wife wanted to preserve her life in Sodom.  God did not have her whole heart.  That really is the lesson and warning here.  The essence of God’s commandments and how we walk in the Spirit comes down to this.  Love the Lord thy God with ALL your heart, ALL your mind and ALL your soul.  While Scripture does not give us details on the life of Lot’s wife,  her looking back is used as an analogy of lusting after things in the world.  Be it money, possessions, relationships, whatever, anything we place in front of God is an idol and puts us at enmity with the Lord.   If we do not give God our whole heart, we are just pretenders to the kingdom of God and will be destroyed just as Lot’s wife was.

Earlier in the gospel of Luke, Jesus gives us the same message when He speaks to what it truly means to follow Him.  I detailed this in a post long ago you can read by clicking “Don’t Look Back”.

Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” 

This is a sobering message but we must get it right.  It is indeed a cross we need to carry.  There is a cost of discipleship that we must be willing to pay.  Jesus did not mince words.  Our judge is near, standing at the door. Don’t you see it?  Don’t you sense it? Tough times are going to get tougher.  We must be ready and be willing to lose our comforts, our idols, our money, our jobs, everything that is not of heaven to prove our true hearts.  God said He will shake all that can be shaken when He comes.  We are told to expect tribulation and our need to overcome and persevere great trials. 

How many of us are looking back, holding on to worldly things and not putting our full trust in God?  Just so you know,  I am personally going through great trial right now.  I feel in some ways like JOB, although I am not worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as a man who lived righteously his whole life for the Lord.  From a carnal perspective I have lots of reasons to complain, be bitter, be stressed, be angry and worry about losing “earthly” things.  It seems everything is going wrong all at the same time.  Satan is indeed is trying to swing me into looking back and forsaking the truth and put my earthly interests ahead of God.   The Lord rebuke you Satan.  You are a defeated foe and I claim Christ’s victory of the cross.

I have decided in advance that nothing will keep me from loving God and that none of my possessions, friends or reputation is worth losing my life over.  The joy of the Lord is indeed my strength.  While nobody ever wants to be tested, we are told we all will be tested before He comes.  James told us to consider these trials pure joy.  This is how God is preparing us for an eternity with Him.

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

As I look around, I see “many” Christians, looking back.  They have no peace, the current trials they are enduring are getting to them.  They are getting stressed, worrying about money,  becoming fearful about losing their fleshly comforts and focusing on protecting material things instead of doubling down on heavenly things.  It is easy to do this and I am not judging but am encouraging others not to be overtaken by these trials.

I have been praying as Jesus advised us to regarding the events of the end times.  

Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Lot’s wife looking back at Sodom is an analogy of one trying to preserve their “fleshly” or “worldly” life and thereby ensuring they will lose out on eternal life.  Are you looking back?  Are you at peace with God despite your circumstances?  It is time to repent of our idols and put God first in our lives, above our jobs, comforts, kids, friends, physical fitness, businesses, retirement accounts, cars, toys, vacations,  entertainment and everything else.

I see a stressed out world, one not ready, one not prepared.  They have never learned the lesson of Lot’s wife or they have forgotten it.  Jesus said it and I will post it again:

Remember Lot’s Wife!

Be encouraged my friends as we enter some very rough times.  Jesus is with us, He has not left us as orphans.  Eternity with God awaits us if we persevere.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him

 May God Bless You Richly!