Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Follow Me - Lesson 40 - Passage

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The Kingdom of God is in Your Midst

(Luke 17:20-21)

Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."

A. The Kingdom of God is in your midst. The Kingdom of God is always present when its representative the King, Jesus Himself, is in a particular place. This statement made by Jesus can be perceived on at least three levels. Level 1 - Literally or bodily as Jesus was standing in the midst of the group of Pharisees, Level 2 - Ideally or soulishly as Jesus is standing in the midst of Israel, the people and land, Level 3 - Mysteriously or spiritually as Jesus stands in the midst of the heart of His people, where He rules and reigns.

The Coming of the Son of Man

(Luke 17:22-25)

And He said to the disciples, "The days shall come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, 'Look there! Look here!' Do not go away, and do not run after them. For just as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”

A. The Son of Man be in His day. The time at which Jesus the Messiah will be revealed as He returns to the earth again.

Like the Days of Noah and Lot

(Luke 17:26-33)

"And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let not the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away; and likewise let not the one who is in the field turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it.”

One Will Be Taken

(Luke 17:34-37)

"I tell you, on that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken, and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken, and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left." And answering they said to Him, "Where, Lord?" And He said to them, "Where the body is, there also will the vultures be gathered. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

A. "Remember Lot’s Wife". Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back towards Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 19:26)

B. Body. “Dead body” or “corpse”.

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