The Coming of the Son of God
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
You can’t read the article that appeared in the Atlanta Journal, June 5, 1997 without some remorse and sympathy for Clarence Jackson.
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Here’s what it says:
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“The clock struck midnight, and Clarence Jackson didn’t turn into a millionaire.”
Jackson, who is 24, works in a small cleaning business in Hartford, Connecticut to help support his elderly parents.
He won the Connecticut Lotto jackpot in October 1995.
It was worth $5.8 million dollars.
He submitted the ticket three days after the one year deadline.
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He had given the ticket to his ailing father and didn’t realize it was a winner until fifteen minutes before the deadline.
He didn’t know he could verify the ticket at his local lotto dealer. Instead, he waited until Monday to redeem the ticket at lotto headquarters.
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It was too late.
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The Connecticut House of Representatives voted 82-63 to award Jackson the money.
Senator Alvin Penn refused to allow the bill to come to the floor of the Senate, and thus the bill died.
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Representative Michael Lawlor said,
“Give the guy the money...
You say we can’t change the rules.
That’s all we do here is change the rules!
We’re the Legislature.”
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Jackson left the Connecticut State Capitol a dejected man.
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What’s it like to be too late and lose $5.8 million dollars?
I don’t know...
But I can assume many would say it is devastating.
However, it wouldn’t be nearly as devastating as being too late for the return of Jesus.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 17 and focus on verses 31 through 37.
Our message this morning is titled “The Coming of the Son of God.”
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As you are turning to our passage today, please keep in mind this fact:
Many prophecies in Scripture have already come to realized...
But the return of Jesus Christ is one of the few still left to be fulfilled...
The Scripture have a perfect track record of seeing prophecies fulfilled precisely as God has proscribed...
So, it is only a matter of time for these final prophecies to come to realization...
So, we must take them very seriously.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Day
2) The Ones Taken and Left
And...
3) The Question
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are the supreme ruler of all creation...
You are sovereign over every molecule in all of existence...
You are the author of every action that has every taken place...
And You Lord over all thing seen and unseen.
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Help us to understand the difficult truths in your Word...
Help us to not be mislead by false teachings...
Help us to not follow false teachers...
And help us to know Your Word so well that we become walking Bibles.
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Be with us when the world attacks us do to our faith in You...
Be with us when we are denied justice and rights while living in this corrupt world...
Be with us when we speak with others so that we can have the wisdom and boldness as we share Your truth...
And be with us in both our times of joy and our times of mourning.
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And it is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.
32 Remember Lot’s wife.
33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.
34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left.
35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”
37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Day
1) The Day
Verses 31-33: On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.
Beloved, before we jump into the text and break this down...
We need to recap what we covered over the last two weeks...
If you recall, we covered the coming of the Kingdom of God...
And we covered that topic in two parts.
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The first part, we covered how the Kingdom of God was already here as it is found in the person of Jesus Christ...
And we centered our study on Luke 17:20-21, which says:
20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,
21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
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Next, we held our study on the fact that although the Kingdom of God was already here...
It’s consummation would not happen until the future...
And we centered our study on Luke 17:22-30, which says:
22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them.
24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.
27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,
29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—
30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
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Today we continue our study and focus some more on the return of Jesus...
And we will focus first on Jesus’ words when He says, “On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.”
Can you sense the urgency in Christ’s words, Beloved?
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Well, “that day” is the second coming of Christ...
The day that will be the final day of this earth...
The day when every knee will bow...
The day when it will be too late if you have not repented and believed...
The day it all ends...
And the day we all, who are in Christ, start our eternity with Him!
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To convey to us all the urgency of being ready on that day...
Jesus paints a picture of a typical house in Israel...
This house had a flat roof with an external stairway leading up to the roof...
The danger of that day of His return is described in the manner of someone being on the roof of one of those homes in Israel...
And then an urgent danger comes about so quickly and so all consuming that the individual must flee immediately...
They must run without going into the house to retrieve anything...
It is too late...
There is no more time to prepare...
The danger is at the front door...
The person has no other choice than they must run with all their might!
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The same is true for those in the field...
Those in the field, when that urgent danger comes about so quickly and so all consuming...
They have to run...
No time to go back in the house...
No time to put their tools away...
It is too late...
There is no more time to prepare...
The danger is right at their face...
The person has no other choice than they must run with all their might!
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Beloved, picture a young couple...
They are expecting their first child...
The soon to be mother is right at here due date...
The couple already have their hospital bag packed and ready to go...
And when that soon to be mother’s water breaks...
The couple grab their bag an go!
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Well, what Jesus is describing is a whole other kind of urgency...
The danger is coming so fast and so complete...
That the couple wouldn’t even have time to go and pick up the hospital bag before they ran out the door...
The soon to be father would have to not just a hospital bag but a hospital backpack...
And it is not good enough to have the bag packed...
He needs to have the backpack packed and already attached to him...
For he will have no time to even pick it up...
His car keys can’t be on the dresser...
That is not good enough...
He doesn’t have that luxury...
He needs to have those car keys in his pocket at all times!
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That is the kind of urgency Jesus is talking out here!
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Beloved, do not assume you have until tomorrow...
Do not assume you can take care of it in the morning...
No!
Are you ready right now!
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Don’t tell me you will surrender to Jesus next week!
Don’t tell me you will get right with God tomorrow!
Don’t tell me you “really need to get to that” concerning the things of God!
You cannot assume to have that luxury!!
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If Jesus comes as I am preaching this message, are you going to make it to Heaven?
If Jesus comes as I am preaching this message, are you 100% positive you will be spending an eternity with Him?
If Jesus comes as I am preaching this message, are you going to shout for joy or scream in dread?
Are you ready to meet your maker?
Have you surrendered your life to Christ?
Is He really your number one priority?
Or is He just a “Get out of Hell” card?
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If all Jesus is to you is a “Get out of Hell” card then you a losing the game!
If all Jesus is to you is a “Get out of Hell” card then you are spiritually bankrupt!
Jesus has to mean more to you than being a glorified “Hall pass!”
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As the New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“In these figurative terms the Savior warns against sinful, selfish attachment to worldly things.
For those who seek their highest happiness in material things and fix their thoughts thereon above all else, the coming of the Son of Man will be fraught with fatal consequences.
Therefore everyone should take care to be free at heart from earthly things and should give to the kingdom of God the first place in his heart and life.”
If you are a genuine born-again believer...
Then you will desire and love the things of the Lord above all the worthless garbage this world has to offer!
Let me put it this way...
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I love me a good superhero movie or tv show...
But it is worthless in comparison to Christ!
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I love me a good Star Wars trilogy...
But it is worthless in comparison to Christ!
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I love me a good old classic Ford truck...
But it is worthless in comparison to Christ!
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I love me a good time at a gun range...
But it is worthless in comparison to Christ!
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Now, you all can do that too...
What are the things you love to spend you time doing...
The activity or object may not be bad at all...
But what is it in comparison to Christ?
And don’t just simply answer it in your head...
Lot to your actions...
What do you use your free time doing?
The answer to that is the answer to what you worship!
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Beloved, do not turn a good thing into an idol!
Enjoy the good thing from time to time...
But the things of God should have a monopoly on our time!
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Next, Jesus says, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
Now, last week we covered a large section in Genesis that covers the story of Lot...
I will just bring up two verses from the Genesis account to remind us of what Jesus is talking about in regard to Lot’s wife.
In Genesis 19:17, the Word of God says:
17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”
Here one of the angels sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah instructs Lot and his family to escape and not to turn back...
The time of God’s wrath is at hand...
They must run and not look back.
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However, this is what happens in Genesis 19:26, which says:
26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Lot’s wife, although she had tried to flee from Sodom, nevertheless remained attached in heart to the doomed city and consequently came to a fatal end.
Beloved, Lot’s wife was destroyed on the very threshold of deliverance.
She was so close on the outside...
However, in her heart, she was so far away...
Her love, loyalty and attachment was not for the Lord...
Her true love, loyalty, and attachment was to Sodom...
That is why her love for worldly things was so powerful that she delayed and looked back, breaking God’s clear commands...
Her love for the material offerings of this world overwhelmed her despite the oncoming judgment...
She traded away the place of safety for the worthless promises of the world.
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The reason Jesus brings up her death is that it acted as an example of divine judgment that comes quickly on those who do not wholeheartedly obey the Lord’s commands.
She illustrates the severe consequences of holding on to life’s possessions and staying in a state of unrepentant unbelief.
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Lot’s wife, escaped the destruction of Sodom but looks back with longing on what “might have been.”
That longing she had revealed that her heart belongs to something other than God.
We are to long for the Lord’s return...
Not the things of this world!
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Having the outside appearance of following God will not help you...
For when the time comes...
The ones who are not sold out for Christ will always look back to the hollow promises of the world...
As Luke 9:62 says:
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
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Finally, Jesus says, “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”
Let me be clear...
Following the Lord is not a safe endeavor...
Cowards who value their own life above all have no place in the Kingdom of God...
Those who seek the protection of their physical life over their spiritual life have no place in the Kingdom of God...
In order to be one with Christ...
You must be willing to give up everything for Him!
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If there is just one thing...
Just one thing that you place above Jesus...
Then you are lost!
Doesn’t matter if the thing you love the most is good...
If it is not God then you can’t even have a relationship with Him!
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Beloved, following Jesus is very serious business...
As Matthew 10:37–39 records our Lord saying:
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Beloved, I want each and everyone of you to be honest...
Look deep inside...
And ask yourself...
Would you give up your relationship with your earthly father for your relationship with your Heavenly father?
Would you give up your relationship with your mother for your relationship with Christ?
Would you give up your relationship with your son or daughter for your relationship with Christ?
Would you give up your relationship with your brother or sister for your relationship with Christ?
Would you give up your relationship with your spouse for your relationship with Christ?
Would you give up your own life for your relationship with Christ?
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If even one relationship is placed above the relationship you have with the Lord...
Then you don’t really have a relationship with the Lord!
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You see, Beloved, Jesus wants you whole heart!
Jesus wants your whole commitment!
As He said in Luke 14:26–27:
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Beloved, Jesus is saying that the love you have for Him must be so great and so wide and so high...
That the very next person you love...
That love you have for them appears as hate in comparison to the love you have for Christ!
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It pains me to see people claim to follow the Lord and not really mean it!
I see some people claim to follow Jesus...
And I ask them...
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Do you ready your Bible?
No.
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Do you like going to church?
No.
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Do you like to fellowship with other believers?
No.
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So, let me get this straight...
You don’t love God’s Word...
You don’t love God’s church...
You don’t love God’s people...
But you love Jesus?
Yes.
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No!
A thousand times, no!
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It does not work that way!!
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If you are truly born again...
They the Holy Spirit that is in you changes your past desires...
You will love to read God’s Word and have a hard time putting it down....
You will look forward to Sunday to worship with God’s people...
And you will love the fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ more than the fellowship with those who hate and mock our God!
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Beloved, do you put the Gospel message above you very life?
Are you willing to sacrifice you life for the advancement of the Good News?
Or as Mark 8:35 says:
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
How important is Jesus and the Gospel message to you?
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Those willing to sacrifice their physical life for Christ will be the ones that experience eternal life.
Those unwilling to sacrifice their life for Christ will be the ones that experience eternal Hellfire.
This is the truth every person must deal with...
As the ESV Study Bible says:
“Jesus’ paradoxical statement demands two different senses of the word ‘life’:
Whoever lives a self-centered life focused on this present world will not find eternal life with God;
Whoever gives up his self-centered life of rebellion against God for the sake of Christ and the gospel will find everlasting communion with God.”
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Beloved, a great model for what the love of Christ should look like in your life is shown by Paul in Philippians 3:7–10, which says:
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
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A genuine love of Christ has a price in this world...
You will be made to look like a fool...
You will be made to look weak...
And you will be a spectacle to the world.
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They will call a “Jesus Freak!”
They will slander you...
And they will treat you like the scum of the world.
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But do not lose heart, Beloved...
This is all a part of God’s plan...
We must follow the footsteps of our Master...
And not be shocked we we are treated the way in which we are treated...
As 1 Corinthians 4:9–13 says:
9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless,
12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
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So, although the world may have a very low view of you...
When that day comes...
When the end is finally upon us...
Those with Christ will be taken away from the danger...
And those without Christ will be left to experience the full wrath of God...
And that takes us to our next point.
2) The Ones Taken and Left
2) The Ones Taken and Left
Verses 34-35: I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”
Beloved, we need to clarify what is being said here...
You see, this verse is often taken out of context...
Some, who see the rapture and second coming as two events, make the claim that this is about the rapture...
That in a moment, one person will be raptured and someone else will be left behind...
Then it goes that there will be the tribulation or that rapture happened during the tribulation and then Jesus will come and then it will be the end.
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Now, there are many ways people can interpret the rapture...
Especially in regard to the timing...
Is it before the tribulation?
Is it during the tribulation?
Is it after the tribulation?
In fact, some views see the rapture and the second coming as a single event...
And as we discussed some see it as two events.
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The subject of the rapture can be a whole other message itself...
In fact, you could have a full sermon series on it...
And it the future, Lord willing, we will discuss it in greater detail.
But today, I want to stay focused on what this particular passage says.
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The term “taken” does not mean to disappear as some like to interpret it but it means to escape judgment.
That is the true meaning and makes sense given our context.
The picture is of the separation that will take place at the Son of Man’s return and not to anything preceding that return.
So, the event that is referred to as “that day” is the very last day when Jesus comes at the Second Coming and when judgement will come on all unbelievers.
There is no time for repentance after “that day.”
So, if one holds to a view of the rapture coming about before or during the tribulation...
Then there is conflict with this passage...
For if the rapture coming before or during the tribulation, repentance will still be possible until the Second Coming of Christ.
However, this passage as we can see in the context is the Second Coming of Christ.
In fact, the whole tribulation period has already passed at this point regarding these verses.
So, this passage is not actually about the rapture at all if you see the rapture and Second Coming as two events...
If you see the rapture and Second Coming as a single event then this verse fits...
The point is regardless of when you place the timing of the rapture...
This verse is definitely about the Second Coming.
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So, Beloved, remember...
Because we are dealing with future prophecy...
It is not always clear which view of the end times is the most accurate...
You have Amillennialism, Postmillennialism, Historic Premillennialism, and Dispensational Premillennialism...
And you have your Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation, Post-tribulation, Prewrath, and those who believe that the tribulation is a present reality...
And I have even heard of hybrid views...
But every view of the ends times that is biblical always acknowledges that Jesus is coming back again at the very end...
And that is what we are discussing here.
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So, this passage refers to individuals taken to safety and taken away from God’s judgment while others are left to God’s judgment just as in Noah and Lot’s day.
So, some will be taken out of judgement as we see with Noah and his family in the ark...
And some will be taken out of judgement as we see with Lot when he and his family where taken our of Sodom to safety...
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However, those who refuse to repent and believe will be left and abandoned to God’s judgment.
So, some will experience God’s wrath like those in the flood waters in Noah’s time...
And some will experience God’s wrath like those that caught in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot’s time.
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The point of Jesus mentioning two people in bed and two people grinding is to show that close proximity to some saved person will not help in the day of Christ’s coming.
Being married to a believer will not save you...
Being raised by believing parents will not save you...
Having friends or co workers who are believers will not save you.
Instead, one must get right with God themselves...
They need to have a personal relationship with God.
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However, we can’t wait to make that decision later...
The time is now to be ready...
You see, the reference to the night, in our passage, is not an indication that the Lord’s return will be at night.
The evening imagery is a metaphor for the end...
But then the Son of Man’s coming, which comes after the night, represents a new day’s dawning...
The end of this world will also signal the new area when the new earth and the new Jerusalem come...
As Matthew 25:31–32 says:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
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When Christ comes back...
At His Second Coming...
All will be separated...
The sheep will go to be with Him for eternity...
The goats will be left for judgement to an eternity of suffering.
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So, the key is to be ready at all times...
There is no way for me to properly explain the horror and dread one will experience if they stand before our Lord while not being in right standing with God.
The profound regret would be mind numbing and will live with the unrepentant forever.
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The Lord was really teaching a hard lesson...
So, the disciples had a question...
Where is this going to take place?
Let’s go to our third and final point for the answer that Jesus gives.
3) The Question
3) The Question
Verse 37: And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
Now, before we get to our text in verse 37...
Those with a keen eye may have notices we are going from verse 35 to verse 37...
So, what happened to verse 36?
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First, let me remind everyone...
The chapter breaks and the verse breaks in our Bibles are not inspired...
They are added in to help us easily get to specific passages.
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What is inspired, inerrant, and infallible are the original autographs of each of the books of the Bible...
An autograph is the original copy of the first time the writer of a book of Scripture wrote a particular work.
Now, we do not have any of the autographs...
However, the originals were copied tons of times...
Those copies are called the manuscripts...
So, sometimes, when a copy was made, an unintentional mistake would be make...
Usually a skipped word or line or misspelling or grammar mistake...
And at other times an addition was made very intentionally...
With the good intention to help...
But we are never to add to God’s Word or think we can help God out.
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Now before anyone panics...
We have thousands of manuscripts that are very early...
So, although we do not have any of the autographs...
With all the manuscripts we have...
We know what the autographs exactly say...
We are 99.9% sure based on the sheer mount of manuscripts we have...
So, the Bible is the most reliable ancient text in history...
No other ancient book has anywhere near the accuracy between the autographs and the manuscripts as the Bible has.
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However, some of the older and more reliable manuscripts were discovered later...
Like the Dead Sea Scrolls...
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls occurring between 1949 and 1956...
Over 900 manuscripts across 11 caves where found.
While the main discovery period ended in 1956, there have been more recent finds, with new fragments discovered as recently as 2021.
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So, what does all that mean?
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Well, the discover of older more reliable scrolls reveals when a scribe took liberties and added to Scripture.
So, verse 36 is not in the oldest and most reliable Greek manuscripts we have.
The verse is not wrong on its own...
It was actually copied by a scribe from Matthew 24:40.
We can tell that his intention was to harmonize both accounts...
Although, his intentions seem noble...
We should not be adding anything to Scripture...
Therefore, this verse should not be included here in our Bibles.
Some translation like NASB and KJV include it...
That’s because ion 1611 when the KJV was translated we didn’t have those manuscripts that were discover later but where actually older.
But most modern translation like ESV, CSB, LEB, NIV, and NLT do not include this verse for the very reason that God never put it there.
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So, verse 36 is not missing from our Bibles...
Verse 36 was never supposed to be in our Bibles in the first place.
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This does not happen a lot in our Bibles...
And no major doctrine is effected by it...
However, the largest section that was added but should not have been added is found at the end of the Gospel of Mark.
Mark’s Gospel in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts we have ends very abruptly...
That was just Mark’s style...
However a scribe at some point wanted to again “help God out” and wrote a whole ending for Mark based on how Matthew ended...
So, Mark’s Gospel actually ends at Mark 16:8...
However in 1611, we didn’t know that and Mark’s Gospel ended at Mark 16:20.
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So, check this out...
Regardless of which Bible you are using right now, just put it down and pick up our ESV pew Bible...
Now, turn to the ending of Mark in chapter 16...
In our pew Bibles that is page 853.
Anyone watching at home can use any ESV Bible.
Now look at that not right before Mark 16:9-20...
What does it says?
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That whole section is in brackets and says:
“Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9-20.”
So, that is what that all means...
If anyone has any questions about autographs, manuscripts, the reliability of Scripture, really anything...
See me after church and we can talk.
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Now, after that slight detour, let’s get back to our text...
In fact, let’s look at how the NLT renders verse 37 which I find to be very helpful for our understanding:
“‘Where will this happen, Lord?’ the disciples asked.
Jesus replied, ‘Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.’”
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Now, just as the Pharisees had inquired, “When?” so now the disciples inquire, “Where?”
This in spite of Jesus’ instructions in in Luke 17:22–24, which says:
22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them.
24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
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So, Jesus finishes His teaching in this section by saying, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
Here, Christ uses a popular proverb to teach His disciples that just as dead bodies attract vultures...
Likewise, the spiritually dead invite judgment.
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Jesus had informed them that the question of location would be a moot point since the revelation of the Son of Man at the end will be a public affair, seen everywhere and by everyone.
Likewise, the location of a carcass is visible from great distances because of the circling vultures overhead.
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Furthermore, the vulture and dead body imagery here also speaks of the judgment that will accompany His return as it says in Revelation 19:21:
21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
So, the image of the vultures suggest the widespread death that will accompany the return of Christ to judge those who have rejected His Kingdom.
Beloved, it will be impossible for people not to see and recognize the return of Christ...
And for the unprepared, the day of the Son of Man will be a day of judgment and horror
In effect, Jesus is saying, do not worry about where the judgment will occur...
For once it comes...
It will be too late and all will see it.
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The graphic image of vultures is a warning that the return of Christ will be a grim affair for the unrepentant scoffers.
The return of the Son of Man saves some but permanently condemns others.
The return will be what we as believers long for...
But when it comes...
It will mean ultimate judgment for those who are not prepared.
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The New American Commentary on Luke says this:
“The one who will exercise judgment in the final day is the Son of Man.
The day of final judgment is ‘the day of the Son of Man.’
The glorious appearing of the Son of Man, like his coming through the virgin Mary, brings both blessing for the believer and woe for the unbeliever.
He brings both the Spirit and fire, and as in his earthly ministry the Son of Man also brought division already in this life, so in his appearing in glory will he bring by his judgment the final and ultimate division.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
Years ago, when 20th Century Fox advertised in the New York papers to fill a vacancy in its sales force, one applicant replied:
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“I am at present selling furniture at the address below.
You may judge my ability as a salesman if you will stop in to see me at anytime, pretending that you are interested in buying furniture.
When you come in, you can identify me by my red hair.
And I will have no way of identifying you.
Such salesmanship as I exhibit during your visit, therefore, will be no more than my usual workday approach and not a special effort to impress a prospective employer.”
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From among more than 1,500 applicants, this guy got the job.
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Jesus wants us ready like that.
We don’t know when He’s coming back, so be prepared all the time.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way:
Then please, don’t leave them where they are at...
Please, open their eyes to see You like they have never seen You before...
And may they ready themselves by trusting in You.
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You:
Please, give us the opportunity to share the Good News with the lost...
Guide our words and actions...
And give us the proper balance of truth and compassion when we speak to those in spiritual need.
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
