In Luke chapter 17 Jesus spoke:
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.”
And He further spoke:
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.
31 “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.
32 Remember Lot’s wife.
33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
Today’s headlines and media are effectively painting a similar picture to Sodom and Gomorrah on the dark side. The values over the last sixty years have plummeted and have promoted confusion among the young, school-aged children. The family structure has been perverted from FATHER’S Divine intent yet Lot’s wife craved this worldly lifestyle. These two cities were about to be destroyed and because of FATHER’S mercy, Lot and his family were to be spared from the fire and brimstone of judgment. In Genesis chapter 19:
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!
13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
Even though the sons-in-law were warned, they failed to take Lot serious. Is it any different today? People rely on their limited history to project and predict into the future which is a serious error in judgment. Their decision to remain in their current lifestyle assured them of destruction along with the rest who lived in these cities. Only FATHER knows the future and thus we should look to HIM for our daily direction even when it appears that there is nothing on the horizon we can see. Over the years HE has had me take various actions that at the time made no sense yet in obedience to HIS Word I complied. After a period of time I looked back to see the wisdom of HIS directives and marveled at HIS Love for me in protecting me from getting involved in various situations and schemes. I choose to live in submission to FATHER’S SPIRIT knowing that HIS Love will sustain me and my loved ones no matter what transpires around us.
Lot and his family were warned:
17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”
It was a simple warning that required full compliance but no details of the consequences were provided. We too must be obedient to FATHER’S Word whether we have the full revelation or not for HIS ways are higher than our ways. We must trust in FATHER’S grace and mercy in our everyday lives for we do not know what lies ahead. Lot’s wife clearly thought differently:
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Lot’s wife was drawn to the perverted lifestyle of the world and her cravings were greater than her willingness to submit and be obedient to the warning given to the family. As Jesus said “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it”. We are living in a world where everything is temporal in nature. Those of us who have been around awhile can see how quick things change. FATHER’S Word is unchanging by its very nature thus we must place our trust in HIS Word, whether spoken or written, in order to preserve our life. We must rid ourselves of the worldliness promoted all around us and guard our hearts from the temptations of the world’s ways. If FATHER tells us not to look back, don’t look back for any reason! Strict obedience to HIS Word will save us when judgment arrives.