Why would Jesus compare His coming to the Days of Lot? What happened in the Days of Lot that we can learn about the coming of Jesus?
Jesus always explained the mysteries of the Kingdom of God through the old stories written in the scriptures! Today we can read them and understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
This teaching is not focused on end times theories, as it's commonly known by majority. Instead it is focused on Christ and the Coming of His kingdom
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Days of The Coming of the Kingdom
In Luke chapter 17 Jesus answers a question that the Pharisees asked. They asked Him when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus explains to them that the Kingdom of God would not come with observation because the kingdom of God is withing us:
20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 "nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." [Luke 17:20-21 NKJV]
Then He starts talking about the days of the Coming of the Son of Man by saying to His disciples:
22 Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see [it]. [Luke 17:22 NKJV]
Then He goes on to explain how the days of the Son of Man are going to look like:
- As the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. [Luke 17:24]
- As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man. [Luke 17:26]
- As it was also in the days of Lot, even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. [Luke 17:28-30]
Jesus brings three examples to explain how the days that the Son of Man will look like. He was still answering the questions that the Pharisees had asked about the coming of the kingdom of God. Jesus answered by revealing to us that the Coming of the Kingdom of God is the Coming of the Son of man.
Therefore, every example Jesus used (Lightening, Noah and Lot), must be related to the coming of the kingdom of God.
Therefore, the Coming of the Son of man is to bring the kingdom of God. It is the coming of the Kingdom of God!
In this post I am going to talk about one of these three, which is the story of Lot:
- We will see what the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah represent symbolically.
- We will talk about what there fire is and how it will apply to us today who are eagerly waiting for the Coming of the Son of Man.
In my previous blog posts in the end time series, I used many scriptures to show what Jesus meant by the destruction of temple. That Matthew 24 is not about a physical temple in Jerusalem. Instead it is about the temple that the false teachers, false Christ and false prophets build by their false doctrines! If you haven't seen the previous posts in this series you may read them to help you understand this post better.
Let let's understand what Jesus meant by 'like the days of Lot'.
The Days of Lot, They Days of the Revelation
Now let's look at what Jesus said concerning the story of Lot:
28 "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all. 30 "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. [Luke 17:28-30 NKJV]
In verse 30, instead of saying:
“Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man comes”.
Jesus says:
“Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed”.
He uses another phrase that can significantly improve our understanding of the Coming of the Son of Man. He uses the word revealed instead of coming!
The Meaning of Revealed (Apokalypto)
Let’s take a look at the word 'revealed' to understand this deeper.
The word 'revealed' in the Greek language is apokalyptō. This word means:
- to uncover, to lay open what has been veiled or covered up, to make known.
It’s the same word used by Jesus when Peter had the revelation that the Son of Man is the Christ:
17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed [this] to you, but My Father who is in heaven. [Mat 16:17 NKJV]
This word simply means to know something you did not know before. An uncovering of something that was covered and hidden before. It doesn't refer to any manifestation in physical realm necessarily. But it does refer to knowing what we did not know before. It’s something that flesh and blood can see but the Spirit shows to us. The Son of Man must be revealed, and this not by flesh and blood, but by the Spirit.
Therefore, Jesus is saying when you have the revelation of who the Son of Man is, through the Spirit of God, you're experiencing His Coming.
Because the revelation of who He is causes the lies that you have believed to be destroyed. The revelation of who He is provides His truth, which is His kingdom, established and built within you.
Having the revelation of the Son of Man is one of the types of His coming. He comes in different types, in different times for different purposes. All His comings are to help you overcome and inherit different things and eventually inheriting all things (Revelation 21:7).
This YouTube video will take you deeper on what revelation is and how having the revelation of the Son of Man is essential to live an overcoming life-style.
Days of Lot, The Days of Outcry against Sodom
In the story of Lot in Genesis chapter 19, two angels are mentioned. In fact, first three angels came to Abraham and two of them continued their journey to Sodom.
Lot who was sitting at the gate of the city sees them and implores with them to come to his house. This he does because he knew the wickedness of Sodomites and he did not want any harm to be done to those two men.
Later that night, the angels reveal their identity to Lot. They explain to him how the Lord has sent them to destroy the city because the outcry against them has grown great before the Lord. And that is why the Lord has sent those angels to destroy the city (Gen 19:13).
But it is obvious that the people of Sodom weren’t crying out to God at all. Someone else must have been crying out against them. This person must have been Lot. Because the New Testament shows that Lot was righteous and His righteous soul was under torment and oppression by seeing and hearing what the people of Sodom did.
Therefore, the reason the Lord came to visit Sodom was Lot's outcry to the Lord to deliver him out of that wickedness. That is why he was sitting at the gate of the city when the angels arrived. It looks like he was waiting for the Lord to come!
Then the angels ask Lot to take everyone he has in the city and leave the city immediately for they could not destroy the city unless Lot and his household would leave.
Now in Luke 17 Jesus says that the day the Son of Man is revealed shall be like the days of Lot. Therefore, at the coming of the son of Man (or better to say, at the revelation of the Son of Man), two things happen:
- Lot goes out of Sodom
- Fire and brimstone come to destroy Sodom
Let’s see what each of these two events mean and how does it looks like for us today:
The Day Lot Goes Out of Sodom
According to the story of Lot in Genesis, the fire came on Sodom after Lot was out of the city. The angels tell Lot that they can not destroy the city as long as Lot is in the city:
22 "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore, the name of the city was called Zoar. [Gen 19:22 NKJV]
A few verses before that when they were still in the city, the angels tell Lot to leave. While they lingered, the angels took hold of his hand and his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, and brought them outside the city.
Let’s understand this story from the perspective of the coming of the Son of Man:
When you have the revelation of the Son of Man, then it’s like you have a visitation of the angels (even the Son of Man Himself). Because angel simply means messenger! The true messengers of the Lord are those who deliver a message in Spirit and Truth! You can never have the revelation of who He is unless it is revealed to you through the Spirit, and by the Angels. Basically when you have a revelation, you've received an angle into your house.
When that visitation of the Son of Man happen, then he grabs you by the hand and brings you out of the place where your soul is being tormented day and night. A place where you, as the righteousness of God, are not supposed to live! This is what Peter tells us in his second epistle. Lot tormented his soul day to day because of seeing and hearing the lawless deeds of the unrighteous.
7 and delivered righteous Lot, [who was] oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented [his] righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing [their] lawless deeds) -- [2Pe 2:7-8 NKJV]
Therefore, at the coming of the Son of Man (or better to say when He is unveiled in our understanding) there will be a deliverance for our soul!
Days of Lot, the Days of Deliverance from Temptation
Peter takes us even further to understand the coming of the Son of Man. He says that the same way God delivered righteous Lot from Sodom, He delivers the godly and righteous people out of temptations and destroy those things that are tempting you:
9 [then] the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, [2Pe 2:9 NKJV]
The deliverance of Lot from Sodom symbolically represent our deliverance from temptations. Therefore, Sodom must be related to things, or those who cause temptation. Things in which our soul is surrounded by. A a place where your righteous soul is under oppression and torment because of what you see and hear.
Peter explains earlier in the chapter that the source of these temptations are the words of the false teachers and false prophets:
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, [and] bring on themselves swift destruction. [2Pe 2:1 NKJV]
The false doctrines are always a thorn in flesh for those who want to believe God's Living Word.
These teachings are the temptations that oppress the soul of the righteous ones. They try to push them against their limit to bow down to their wills. That is why those who remain in the midst of temptations cry out day to day to the Lord and ask for vengeance on their enemies. They ask for deliverance of their soul from the oppression, from tribulation and hardship. And James shows that the final outcome is a crown of life waiting for us who endure temptation:
12 Blessed [is] the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. [Jas 1:12 NKJV]
Days of Lot, Days of Fire & Brimstone
We have been talking about how Jesus explains that the coming of the Son of Man will be like the days of Lot. That after Lot was out of Sodom, fire and brimstone fell from heaven and destroyed all.
Throughout both the Old and New Testament we see numerous scriptures of fire and burning in fire. For many years this fire is referred to Hell. It's taught as a place of burning for those who don’t believe in one true God. This twisted definition of fire has robbed us from understanding and embracing the Loving heart of God. We have forgotten that our God is a Consuming Fire (Heb 13:1). We have missed that this consuming fire of God is because He is a jealous God who hears the outcry of people and comes with vengeance to deliver them out of the hands of their enemies. And mistakenly our enemies are related to people and not what the New Testament reveals: DEATH.
Understanding the fire of God is one of the most important revelations that you can ever have. It will take you to the passionate love of the heart of God which is burning for us.
Masoud, in this YouTube video, looks at many scriptures and unpacks what Hell Fire is. I highly recommend watching this video and follow along with him as he goes from one scripture to another.
Days of Lot, Days of the Burning of Your Enemies
One of the major places where we see the fire and brimstone is the Book of Revelation. In chapters 19 & 20 John shows us that it's a place that the False-Prophet, Beast, Devil, Babylon, Death and Hades are burnt. But we also read in chapter 14:
9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives [his] mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 "he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. [Rev 14:9-10 NKJV]
We are called to follow the Christ, the Lamb of God, the true Prophet and Teacher, and receive the image of the Son of God! This shows us that we have made an identity, an image of who we think we are, in of our inner being, that is contrary to the truth.
Over many years of learning from experiences in the flesh by eating from the Knowledge of God and Evil, there is a man (or an idol) that has been formed inside of us. But we now need to follow the Lamb, to the Cross, and have him crucified, so that the New Man can rise inside of us. This old man which is of the earth is called 'Adam’.
Therefore ‘those’ who worship the beast and receive his image are not people, our friends, family, or even our neighbors in flesh. It's the ‘Adam’ inside everyone of us that has always been rebellious to God, worshiping the beast through the lies he has believed. This began when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil.
The end of the Book of Revelation makes this clear that all the enemies, being death, false doctrines, unbelief, idolatry, adultery and everything else that is in contrary to the truth of God will be burnt with fire and brimstone.
These visions are not external events in future but happen inside of you! If death, as the last enemy, works in everyone, then all the other enemies work in every individual toward death.
Therefore, going back to our verse in Luke 17, Jesus explains that the revelation of the Son of Man, the Truth, what happened in the days of Lot will happen to us. It’s like when He comes to bring you out of every temptation, every false teaching, false knowledge, false experiences and also burn everything that was tormenting your soul with the fire of Love that proceeds out of His heart!
The Unquenchable Fire
Let’s see briefly where this unquenchable fire is. And again, watch this YouTube video about this for deeper understanding and more back up scriptures.
This fire that is going to burn Sodom and all the enemies, is a kind of fire that will never be quenched because those beasts and all the other enemies are being burnt there forever and ever:
11 "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." [Rev 14:11 NKJV]
In Mark 9 Jesus mentions this unquenchable fire when He talks about the hand, feet and eye that may cause us to stumble, not entering into the kingdom of God. He instructed that these members must be cast into the unquenchable fire:
44 "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.' [Mar 9:44 NKJV]
This is a direct quote from Isaiah 66:24, and I'll be back to this verse shortly.
Psalm 22 is a psalm that talks about the crucifixion of Jesus. Several verses are quoted by Jesus on the cross, and also by the writers of the gospels. In verse 6 the word ‘worm’ is used to symbolize and even picture the Christ on the on the cross:
6 But I [am] a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. [Psa 22:6 NKJV]
So, when Isaiah 66 talks about the worm that never dies, and the fire that will never be quenched, that worm is the Crucified Christ. A Crucifixion that will never die, never end, never go obsolete!
Because the crucifixion is where all the enemies of man are destroyed. It's where the life flows to man because of the death of Jesus. It's where the one who had the power of the death is destroyed (Heb 2:14). Therefore, crucifixion never comes to an end. Or with other wording: Never dies!
If the worm that never dies is crucified Christ, then the unquenchable fire also comes on the cross where the sacrifice was offered, and is being consumed!
Sodom where Our Lord is Crucified
Therefore, Sodom symbolically is a city that the old man, Adam, lives. This city, spiritually, is where our Lord is crucified (Rev 11:8). Our Lord was crucified in Sodom, to bring a fire and destroy that city that was not made of the truth of God. His crucifixion in Sodom put an end to Sodom. He was Crucified in Sodom but raised in Heavenly Jerusalem at the resurrection.
Revelation chapter 11 says:
8 And their dead bodies [will lie] in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. [Rev 11:8 NKJV]
Going back to our story of Lot, fire and brimstone:
When the Son of Man is revealed, to us, this revelation is Him coming. This coming is like fire and brimstone that destroys all of our enemies in the land that we live in, our bodies. But all of these burning are effective only on the cross. Because cross is the only place where all enemies are destroyed. It’s were the everlasting fire of God is burning every flesh, every false teaching, every unbelief, so you, like the righteous Lot, would no longer be tormented because of such lawless deeds.
So, like the days of Lot is the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ!
