Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 18:1-3
18:1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
18:2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
18:3 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."
[Verse 1] Ones who follow the light of glory or obey the will of God in the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ will live eternally forever.
[Verse 2-3] Ones who do not obey the will of God will aim at the great Babylon that becomes the dwelling place of evil and unclean spirits.
Revelation 18:4-5
18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
18:5 "For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
God wants to sanctify and purify our life from the sins of evil and uncleanness or the great Babylon and from disobedience to the will of God.
Isaiah 13:19
13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
The condition of the great Babylon is the same as Sodom and Gomorrah, namely being punished by God.
Genesis 18:16-21
18:16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
18:17 And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18:18 "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
18:19 "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."
18:20 And the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
18:21 "I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know."
Amos 3:7-8
3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
3:8 A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?
Before punishing Sodom and Gomorrah, God had told Abraham or His servant through the prophecy. It means preaching something that has not happened yet, but will happen for sure or the revelation of the Word.
Genesis 18:22-26,28-33
18:22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.
18:23 And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
18:24 "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
18:25 "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
18:26 So the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes."
18:28 "Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?" So He said, "If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it."
18:29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose there should be forty found there?" So He said, "I will not do it for the sake of forty."
18:30 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."
18:31 And he said, "Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty."
18:32 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten."
18:33 So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Abraham received the prophetic Word. It refers to the attitude of the servant of God who has faith and loves God, namely receiving the prophetic Word seriously until being encouraged to lift up the intercession prayer.
Abraham prayed for Lot so that the punishment of God would not come to him. It means that the servant of God still remembered that there was still a righteous man, so he struggled seriously like driving a bargain with God for the salvation of Sodom and Gomorrah as follows:
The number six refers to the man of flesh and blood who was created on the sixth day with their many weaknesses.
The number ten refers to the love.
In Genesis 19, we can find that there were no ten people or men of flesh and blood who lived in righteousness or had faith and love to God, so Sodom and Gomorrah had to be destroyed.
Nevertheless, Lot and his family or four people were dragged to go out by God for being saved from the punishment to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Revelation 18:4-5
18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
18:5 "For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
On the last days, God saves us through the light of the gospel of the glory, the teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword, or Bride Tidings through separating, sanctifying, or purifying us from the sins of Babylon so that we are not punished like Babylon and Sodom and Gomorrah. We only need to hear the voice of the Shepherd and run away from the strange voice. It is the same as running away from Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 19:12-15
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!
19:13 "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."
19:14 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.
19:15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city."
God still wanted to save Lot and his family until the last seconds. He still stretched out His merciful hands to the people around Lot's family to be saved.
Nevertheless, his two sons in law mocked his saying when the morning dawned. It means mocking the light of glory or the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ that has already started to fill up the dark world.
The false teachings work through the closest family.
Genesis 19:16
19:16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
Genesis 19:26
19:26 But his wife looked backbehind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
The family of Lot was only four people who were saved to go out of Sodom and Gomorrah. Nevertheless, his wife looked back on the way, so there were only three people who were saved.
The conclusion is as follows:
Luke 17:32-36
17:32 "Remember Lot's wife.
17:33 "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
17:34 "I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left.
17:35 "Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left.
17:36 "Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left."
The tight selection starts from the family. The members canhear the Word and minister to God together, but not all of them are lifted up when Jesus comes a second time. Only those who use the mercy and grace of God cannot look back, so they are lifted up to the glorious clouds.
God corrects our surrendering to Him.
The private surrendering is represented by the wife of Lot who had not fully surrendered to God. It means that she had not loved God more than anything, so she looked back on the way.
It continues to the surrendering in the marriage and the service and ministry to God. God does not want that we are influenced by the world, Sodom and Gomorrah, or Babylon, namely the sins up to the peak that causes unfaithfulness and looking back until being left when Jesus comes a second time.
God wants to sanctify and purify us, so we can enter and keep on being in the ministry for the edification of Christ's body up to the perfection and we are lifted up to the glorious clouds when Jesus comes a second time.
2 Peter 3:9
3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsufferingtoward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God is still longsuffering, namely He has not come a second time yet and we are still given the long age. The purpose is that we use His mercy for doing the following things:
God blesses you.
Revelation 18:1-3
18:1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
18:2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
18:3 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."
[Verse 1] Ones who follow the light of glory or obey the will of God in the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ will live eternally forever.
[Verse 2-3] Ones who do not obey the will of God will aim at the great Babylon that becomes the dwelling place of evil and unclean spirits.
Revelation 18:4-5
18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
18:5 "For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
God wants to sanctify and purify our life from the sins of evil and uncleanness or the great Babylon and from disobedience to the will of God.
Isaiah 13:19
13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
The condition of the great Babylon is the same as Sodom and Gomorrah, namely being punished by God.
Genesis 18:16-21
18:16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
18:17 And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18:18 "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
18:19 "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."
18:20 And the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
18:21 "I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know."
Amos 3:7-8
3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
3:8 A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?
Before punishing Sodom and Gomorrah, God had told Abraham or His servant through the prophecy. It means preaching something that has not happened yet, but will happen for sure or the revelation of the Word.
Genesis 18:22-26,28-33
18:22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.
18:23 And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
18:24 "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
18:25 "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
18:26 So the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes."
18:28 "Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?" So He said, "If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it."
18:29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose there should be forty found there?" So He said, "I will not do it for the sake of forty."
18:30 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."
18:31 And he said, "Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty."
18:32 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten."
18:33 So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Abraham received the prophetic Word. It refers to the attitude of the servant of God who has faith and loves God, namely receiving the prophetic Word seriously until being encouraged to lift up the intercession prayer.
Abraham prayed for Lot so that the punishment of God would not come to him. It means that the servant of God still remembered that there was still a righteous man, so he struggled seriously like driving a bargain with God for the salvation of Sodom and Gomorrah as follows:
- If there were fifty righteous people, God would not punish.
- If there were forty five righteous people, God would not punish.
- If there were forty righteous people, God would not punish.
- If there were thirty righteous people, God would not punish.
- If there were twenty righteous people, God would not punish.
- If there were ten righteous people, God would not punish.
The number six refers to the man of flesh and blood who was created on the sixth day with their many weaknesses.
The number ten refers to the love.
In Genesis 19, we can find that there were no ten people or men of flesh and blood who lived in righteousness or had faith and love to God, so Sodom and Gomorrah had to be destroyed.
Nevertheless, Lot and his family or four people were dragged to go out by God for being saved from the punishment to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Revelation 18:4-5
18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
18:5 "For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
On the last days, God saves us through the light of the gospel of the glory, the teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword, or Bride Tidings through separating, sanctifying, or purifying us from the sins of Babylon so that we are not punished like Babylon and Sodom and Gomorrah. We only need to hear the voice of the Shepherd and run away from the strange voice. It is the same as running away from Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 19:12-15
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!
19:13 "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."
19:14 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.
19:15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city."
God still wanted to save Lot and his family until the last seconds. He still stretched out His merciful hands to the people around Lot's family to be saved.
Nevertheless, his two sons in law mocked his saying when the morning dawned. It means mocking the light of glory or the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ that has already started to fill up the dark world.
The false teachings work through the closest family.
Genesis 19:16
19:16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
Genesis 19:26
19:26 But his wife looked backbehind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
The family of Lot was only four people who were saved to go out of Sodom and Gomorrah. Nevertheless, his wife looked back on the way, so there were only three people who were saved.
The conclusion is as follows:
- Sodom and Gomorrah or Babylon was punished not only because of the sins up to the peak, but because of rejecting the light of glory or the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.
If a pastor teaches the false teachings, all members of the congregation may perish also. - The sons in law of Lot refer to many Christians who have been near the salvation and perfection, but perish because of the attitude of not appreciating the Word, namely criticizing or mocking the true teaching Word.
- The wife of Lot refers to many Christians who have been saved from Sodom and Gomorrah and blessed, but become unfaithful in following the development of the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ or the true teaching Word, so they look back and become the tasteless salt, namely being useless and rotten until perishing.
Unfaithfulness until leaving the ministry is the same as leaving the place in the body of Christ.
Luke 17:32-36
17:32 "Remember Lot's wife.
17:33 "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
17:34 "I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left.
17:35 "Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left.
17:36 "Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left."
The tight selection starts from the family. The members canhear the Word and minister to God together, but not all of them are lifted up when Jesus comes a second time. Only those who use the mercy and grace of God cannot look back, so they are lifted up to the glorious clouds.
God corrects our surrendering to Him.
The private surrendering is represented by the wife of Lot who had not fully surrendered to God. It means that she had not loved God more than anything, so she looked back on the way.
It continues to the surrendering in the marriage and the service and ministry to God. God does not want that we are influenced by the world, Sodom and Gomorrah, or Babylon, namely the sins up to the peak that causes unfaithfulness and looking back until being left when Jesus comes a second time.
God wants to sanctify and purify us, so we can enter and keep on being in the ministry for the edification of Christ's body up to the perfection and we are lifted up to the glorious clouds when Jesus comes a second time.
2 Peter 3:9
3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsufferingtoward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God is still longsuffering, namely He has not come a second time yet and we are still given the long age. The purpose is that we use His mercy for doing the following things:
- Repenting.
Romans 2:4
2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
We stop sinning and return to God to live in righteousness. - Being strong and of good courage in the service and ministry to God.
2 Corinthians 4:1
4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.
We must fulfill the service and ministry according to God's trust until the end line, namely we pass away or Jesus' comes a second time.
We must also be strong and of good courage in facing temptations and impossible problems. We do not get disappointed and hopeless or leave God, but keep on believing and hoping Him.
Psalm 27:14
27:14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
We are also strong and of good courage for welcoming Jesus' second coming. We keep faithful and fervent in spirit in the service and ministry to God. We also keep on living in righteousness, believing, and entrusting our life to God. We only stretch our hands to Him to rely on His mercy. As a result, He will stretch His merciful hands for performing the miracle.
Daniel 6:10
6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
He protects and preserves us miraculously in the midst of the difficulties in the world. We have the guarantee of the beautiful successful future life. God opens the doors and solves all impossible problems.
He uses our life to be the witness who radiates the light.
1 Thessalonians 3:13
3:13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
We are sanctified and perfected to be worthy for welcoming Jesus' second coming.
God blesses you.