As in the Days of Noah, As in the Days of Lot

 

As in the Days of Noah, As in the Days of Lot

 

Luke 17:21–32: “And 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. And they will say to you, “Look here!” or “Look there!” Do not go after them or follow them. For 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. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 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. Remember Lot’s wife.’”

Through the account of the days of Noah, the Bible reveals that all human beings are, by nature, beings destined to perish in the waters. In 2 Peter 2:4–5, it is written: "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly..."

Peter draws a connection between the days of Noah and the angels who sinned in the kingdom of God—specifically, the "sons of God" (the fallen angels) taking the "daughters of men" (beings formed from dust) as their wives. Through this union, they became "soulish" (fleshly/natural) beings. In this soulish state, humans—without exception—desire to become like God, seeking to exalt their own righteousness. Consequently, all must die. Because God confined the spirits of these angels within dust, turning them into human beings, the world serves as a prison; thus, every person is a sinner from the moment of birth.

The "days of the Son of Man" refer to the second coming of Christ. For believers who embrace the reality of a present resurrection, Christ returns—manifesting His *parousia* (presence)—through the Word (*ho logos*) and the Holy Spirit. In contrast, others—who claim to believe in God yet remain entirely preoccupied with worldly affairs, such as "eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage"—are destined for destruction. This is why only Noah and his family—eight people in total—were saved.

As for the days of Lot, it signifies that all people are, by nature, beings destined to be consumed by fire and brimstone (*pyr kai theion*). The mention of fire and brimstone also appears in Revelation 20:10. While the term in the original text is often translated as "brimstone," it is actually *theou*—which, in this context, refers to the Word of God (*ho logos*). In the lake of fire, the "fire" signifies the Holy Spirit.

Lot’s journey represents a transition from a soulish existence to a spiritual one. Although Sodom and Gomorrah were subjected to a judgment by fire, Lot and his family were saved—a process that signifies baptism in the Holy Spirit. This judgment by fire serves to strip away one’s former garments, allowing one to be clothed in a spiritual body (the garment of Christ). Thus, Lot flees from Sodom to the land of Zoar. His wife, however, becomes a pillar of salt—a symbol of those who remain trapped within the Law, those for whom the covenant has not yet been fulfilled, and who are still waiting for the promise. In contrast, those who are in Christ have entered into the covenant. To enter into Christ, the fleshly nature must be destroyed; this destruction occurs through union with Jesus, who died on the cross.

Believers have already undergone both the judgment by water and the judgment by fire: the body of sin died in the water, and the garments of the "old man" were consumed by the fire. In other words, they have been united with the death on the cross and, through baptism in the Holy Spirit, have been clothed in the garments of the "new man." Conversely, those who are not in Christ will enter the realm of the "second death"—a place where they will be judged by the fire of the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Only those who grasp the true meaning of the end times can move forward into a new life. For those who are in Christ, the end—the consummation—means that a temple is built within their spirits, and upon the second coming of Jesus, they become one with Him, establishing the Kingdom of God. For those who are not in Him, however, the second coming of Jesus arrives as judgment. The end is not some point in the distant future; it is unfolding right now. While the Kingdom of Heaven descends upon the true believer in the present, those living under the law exist in a daily hell—trapped in the snare of the law. Even though Jesus offers freedom, false prophets prevent them from breaking free.

Believers must realize that they have strayed from the Kingdom of God and become trapped in the dust of this world. They must discover the greed—the desire to be like God—hidden within their carnal selves, and they must repent and turn back. Repentance begins with the realization that the "old man" (the first man, Adam) is destined to die, for every human being carries the traces of this old self. Today, the most formidable enemies for a believer are false prophets and the carnal self. Above all, most churches have become tainted by humanism, legalism, and Gnosticism, with a pervasive culture of "prosperity-seeking" faith. Even when the Kingdom of God is discussed, it is clear that its true nature is not understood. Concepts such as the resurrection, the second coming of Jesus, and salvation are relegated to the distant future.

The carnal self prefers to focus on the world rather than the Kingdom of God; it draws one’s attention toward the fleshly realm, distracting the soul from the true spiritual pursuit—partaking of the flesh and blood of Jesus and entering into the wedding feast with Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom. This is not an event reserved for the distant future; it is a reality taking place right now. In Luke 17:30–31, it is written: "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside the house, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything." Those on the housetop represent those who are in Christ, while those inside the house represent those trapped within the law. The passage warns those who are in Christ not to return to the law.

Luke 17:32–33 says, "Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life (*psychen*) will lose it, but whoever loses their life will preserve it." Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt because she disobeyed God’s word and looked back. The term *psychen* refers to the soul (translated as "life" in the Revised Korean Version). How foolish it is to turn back from the Gospel to the law—yet this is precisely what is happening in most churches today.