QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (98)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   If a person is studying journalism, he will learn about “The 5 Ws of Journalism.”

1.    Who?

2.    What?

3.    When?

4.    Where?

5.    Why?

6.    NOTE:  Most of the time the outcast “H” will be added, that is, “How?”

 

B.   We see these questions in the Bible many, many times.

1.    Where art thou? (Gen. 3:9)

2.    Who told thee thou wast naked? (Gen. 3:11)

3.    Why art thou wroth?  and why is thy countenance fallen? (Gen. 4:6).

4.    Where is Abel thy brother? (Gen. 4:9)

5.    What hast thou done? (Gen. 4:10)

 

C.   In our Q&A lessons, these types of questions often come up as well.  The reason they are so popular is because they are investigative in nature.

 

D.   In our “Questions & Answers” lesson today, we will consider two questions.

 

I.             QUESTION #1:  Luke 17:34-36 and the Rapture

 

A.   Stated:  Does Luke 17:34-36 refer to the rapture as taught by premillennialism?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    Luke 17:34-36

 

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.  Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

 

2.    There are many religious groups who hold to the doctrine of premillennialism that teach that this text is an illustration of what will happen at the rapture.

a.    Premil teaches that prior to the establishment of the kingdom, there will be a 7-year period of tribulation.

b.    Right before this time, the righteous will be resurrected to be with Christ so they will not have to suffer the horrors of that period.

1)    The righteous will ascend from the earth.

2)    The wicked will remain on the earth.

c.    Luke 17:34-36 sounds like it corresponds to this time.

1)    Two men in bed:  one taken and one left

2)    Two women grinding:  one taken and one left

3)    Two men in the field:  one taken and one left

3.    The context of a passage is extremely important.

a.    A discussion begins in verse 20a between Jesus and the Pharisees.  The Pharisees demanded of the Christ when the kingdom should come.

b.    Jesus informed these leaders that this kingdom is not like the kind of kingdom they were expecting (Luke 17:20b-21).  Verse 21 ends with these words:  “…behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

c.    Jesus knew the Jews were not going to accept the spiritual kingdom.  Thus, His mind is immediately drawn to the fall of the city of Jerusalem (Luke 17:22-24).

d.    However, before this event, Jesus had to “suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” (Luke 17:25).

e.    After this, the Son of man would be revealed.  That day would be like unto…

1)    The days of Noah (Luke 17:26-27).

2)    The days of lot (Luke 17:28-29).

3)    “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:30).

f.     Jesus reveals two things about the time when the armies of Roman approached the city of Jerusalem.

1)    First, the key was to escape the city as quickly as possible (Luke 17:31-33).

a)    Do not go back into your house to get something (v. 31).

b)    Remember Lot’s wife who turned back (v. 32).

c)    If you seek to save your life, you will lose it (v. 33).

2)    Second, as is the case in any military conflict, some would be taken and some would be left.

a)    Some would be killed

b)    Some would be taken captive.

c)    Some would be left to maintain and assist the Roman armies while they were there.

g.    The very last verse confirms that Jesus is taking about the destruction of the city of Jerusalem (Luke 17:37).

 

And they answered and said, unto him, Where, Lord?  And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

 

1)    The eagle was the symbol of Roman.

2)    As a bird of prey gathers around its victim, so would the Roman armies be gathered around the city of Jerusalem.

 

II.           QUESTION #2:  Sin and Punishment of Sin

 

A.   Stated:  Are some sins worse than others?  Do different sins have different punishments?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    Every time this question is asked and answered, individuals argue for one side or another, or, they wind up a little confused.

2.    Initially:

a.    Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4).

 

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law:  for sin in the transgression of the law.

 

b.    If a person commits just one sin, he is a law-breaker (James 2:10-11)

 

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.  Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

 

c.    Every sinner who has not been cleansed by the blood of Jesus will be punished in the last day (Rom. 6:23a).

For the wages of sin is death…

 

3.    Practically:

a.    Although every sin is a transgression of God’s will, not every sin carries the same weight.

1)    A man gets angry with his wife and will not speak for a day or two.

2)    A man gets angry with his wife and yells, curses, and walks out.

3)    A man gets angry with his wife and divorces her.

4)    A man gets angry with his wife and beats her up.

5)    A man gets angry with his wife and kills her.

b.    Because the weight of the sin is different, the punishments given to sin are different.  (NOTE:  We even see this in the Law of Moses).

1)    One article that I came across listed 16 different sins that required the death penalty (What crimes required the death penalty in the Old Testament? - BibleAsk).

2)    Lying, theft, cursing, eating unclean food, and failing to pray are not on that list, even though all of these things are sinful.

3)    Justice has always demanded that the punishment should be commensurate to the crime.

a)    A child yells at his teacher.

b)    A child steals from his teacher.

c)    A child hits his teacher.

4.    Eternally:

a.    This discussion is difficult because of the lack of information that we have that details the distinctions regarding punishment.

b.    The Bible indicates that all sinners will suffer in the lake of fire and brimstone.

1)    Those who did not take care of the needs of the downtrodden, sick and outcast (Matt. 25:41).

2)    The eight sins included in Revelation 21:8 which includes the fearful, unbelieving, abominable, and liars.

c.    However, there also appears to be distinctions in the punishment as well.  The passages that teach this base the punishment on a person’s knowledge of the truth.

1)    Luke 12:47-48a

 

And that servant which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of strips, shall be beaten with few stripes…

 

a)    Many stripes versus few stripes

b)    Knew his lord’s will versus knew not

2)    2 Peter 2:20-21

 

For if after they had escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.   For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 

a)    The latter end is worse than the beginning.

b)    It had been better for them not to have known than to know and turn from.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   We have examined two questions in this lesson.

1.    The first dealt with the Rapture.

2.    The second dealt with sin and punishment.

 

B.   Two thoughts.

1.    When our Lord comes the second time, the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then, the righteous dead will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17).  Thus, there will be a period of time, how long we are not told, that one will be on the earth and one will be caught up from the earth.

2.    Rather than worrying about punishment in the last day, we would be wise to allow Jesus to suffer the punishment for our sins.

1.    Hebrews 9:28a

 

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many…

 

2.    1 Peter 3:18a

 

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to glory…