Judg 19:27                           Death of the Church                                  1/12/2020      ßà   

 

 

 

#1.      Three Women in Gen 19 (Gen 19:15-17,24-26)

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2.      Two Women in Judg 19 (Judg 19:22-25, Matt 4:19)

 

 

 

 

 

 

#3.      A Kingdom Divided (Judg 20:7-11, 47-48, Lev 18:22, 20:13, Rom 1:24-27)

 

 

 

 

 

 

·               Is Homosexuality a Disease? (Lev 18:22, 20:13, Rom 1:26-27, 1Cor 6:9-11)

 

 

 

 

 

Please open your Bibles to the Prophecy of Judges, Judg 17:6 (2X). We have come to the third and final installment of this miniseries on Judges 19. What are we going to find? We will find that God is warning us of the death of the church. Therefore this sermon is titled, “The Death of the Church” (2X).

Let us first get an overview of parables in the Bible, and especially the parables in the Prophecy of Judges. The Lord Jesus told us exactly why He spoke in parables. He said in Matt 13:11, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” In other words, the Lord spoke in parables to hide the truth from those who are not supposed to understand the Gospel, but God is going to reveal it to those whom He intend to save. And so, when we wish to understand how a holy and righteous God could tolerate the wickedness of Samson, but on the other hand God numbered Samson in Hebrews 11 among the heroes of faith, we realize that there must be many spiritual interpretations hidden in the life of Samson. Samson’s life ends in Judg 16. Right away, in the next chapter, we read this mysterious statement in Judg 17:6, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” This phrase is partly repeated in Judg 18:1 and in Judg 19:1. And what do we read when we come to the end of Judg 21? We read there:

Jud 21:25, In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

With the words “There was no king in Israel” God plainly stated that the majority in Israel did not acknowledge God as their King. We already know that the people had no earthly king. This was not the time in history that the people elected an earthly king over them, like the heathen nations did. God did not have to repeat this four times, for we already knew this. But we did not know that the majority also rejected God as their King. We can see this clearly in chapter 17 in the story of Micah and the idol he made. We can see this also in chapter 18 where the tribe of Dan stole the idol of Micah and set it up as their image of God for hundreds of years, until their land was destroyed by the king of Assyria in 722 BC. We can see this again in Judg 19 where the tribe of Benjamin engaged in open homosexuality, even though God had expressly forbidden it in Lev 18:22 and Lev 20:13. And so, when God stated again at the end of Judg 21, “In those days there was no king in Israel,” God declared that the tribes who are called by His Name, the tribes whom He delivered out of Egypt, the tribes who represent the OT people of God, the OT congregation, have sunk so low that they do not consider God their King any more. As a result, “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” This attitude towards God is going to be repeated by the NT church near the end of time. And so, throughout this prophecy of the Judges we can see many pictures of end time events. Also here in Judges 19 God is warning us of the apostacy of the NT church, and God explains to us that the sin of homosexuality will be one of the signs whereby we will know that the end is near. With this purpose in mind we should begin to turn to Gen 19, which is a chapter that runs parallel to Judg 19. Please turn in your Bibles to the Prophecy of Genesis, Gen 19:15 (2X). Last week we have read most of this chapter. Today we want to touch on a few important points.

#1.      Three Women in Gen 19 (Gen 19:15-17,24-26)

Who do the women represent in Gen 19? Initially only Lot’s wife is considered, for Gen 19 must be separated into two stories. The first runs from Gen 19:1-29, which deals with the rescue of Lot and his two daughters, which is a picture of the rapture on the last day. We read in Gen 19:15-17,

Ge 19:15-17  And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

In other words, since Lot lingered the two visitors took him and his family by the hand and forcefully removed them out of their house, and deposited them outside the city on the ground, and told them to run to the mountains, and don’t look back. And then we read in Gen 19:24-26,

Ge 19:24-26  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (or better: a statue of salt.)

She did not make it. Who does Lot’s wife represent? She represents scores of people who are faithfully going to church every Sunday, they attend Bible Studies every week, most of their friends are of the same religious persuasion, they are not unequally yoked with unbelievers, and in church service work they are doing the best they can. Why then are they rejected? They are rejected because God the Holy Spirit never applied the words of the Gospel to their soul. They have never been “born again.” They have never been “born from above.” They have never experienced the new birth in their soul. As a result God has never taken away her desire for material things. God has never replaced her desire for material things with the love for Christ and the desire to do those things that are pleasing in His sight because she loves Him. She was still unsaved. And so, when she turned back to have a last look at the things she loved most, God reminded her that she was not saved, and thus she had no right to partake in the rapture that came so beautifully and conveniently for those who have been saved. She did not become unsaved at the moment that she looked back. That is impossible. The Lord Jesus said in John 10:28-30,

Joh 10:28-30  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.

And so, we let the Scriptures speak for themselves. The reason why Lot’s wife was turned to a pillar of salt was not because she looked back, but she looked back because she was not saved. This was the real truth of the matter. God gave us a last warning to examine ourselves if we have been saved.

Let us now turn to the two daughters of Lot in the second part of Gen 19, beginning in verse 30.

Ge 19:30-38 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

This too is a historical parable; but we should not consider this a continuation of the historical parable of the first half of Gen 19, for after the rapture there is no more earthly history. In the earthly story the two daughters came up with a lame excuse to commit fornication. But God is not at all concerned about preserving the seed of their father Lot. These two daughters represent apostate churches near the end of time. What they are doing is not only physically reprehensible, but they are also spiritually committing abomination before God. Please turn in your Bibles to the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 2Cor 6:14, (2X). Let us now distance ourselves from the historical and from the moral implications of the act of incest that they are now committing. What is the spiritual meaning of these two daughters making their father drunk? We must realize that this is one of the aspects of Satan’s spiritual warfare. We are at war with Satan, and it is a war that is actually a battle for the mind. Satan wants us to believe that situational ethics can justify a sin now and then, as if preserving the seed would justify the act of fornication. But the real principle that Satan wants to break is the act of being unequally yoked with unbelievers. God speaks on this subject matter in 2Cor 6:14-16, where we read,

2Co 6:14-1  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

God is very jealous of His people, and God wants us to be separated from those who worship another god. Look at the results of unequal marriages in the days of Noah, where the sons of God married with the daughters of man. It brought down the wrath of God upon all mankind with a flood. Look at the results of the daughters of Lot committing intercourse with the only righteous man around. The result was it produced two nations full of people who hated the nation of Israel, and not one in those two nations of people was there that was righteous, like Lot. And so, the spiritual warfare that Satan waged on the descendants of Lot was very effective. It produced offspring that was 100% unsaved. Please turn in your Bibles to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev 11:7 (2X). Literally, the church that was east of the Jordan died. The OT church of which Lot was the chief officer died, but the OT church west of the Jordan, of which Abraham was the chief officer, remained alive and well. And this is a process that will be repeated again and again throughout the centuries. Many churches would be born and die, because Satan waged a successful spiritual war against them. But when we come to the last days of this earth’s existence there would be no faithful church in existence like that of Abraham to resist the wiles of the Devil. It is God’s plan that the number of people saved shall peter off, until the last of the elect will be saved, and then shall the end come. That is why we read in Rev 11:7,

Re 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

When the two witnesses shall have finished their testimony, which means when the church shall have finished the work that God has reserved for her, then antichrist shall make war against her and shall overcome her. This is what we need to see in these historical parables about the end time. Those who belong to the faithful church hall not be killed, but they shall be silenced, just like the word “killed” in verse 5 does not mean literally killed, but silenced. And that the church shall be silenced shall literally come to pass, for we read this again in Rev 13:7. If you turn there for a moment, we will see in Rev 13:7,

Re 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

In other words, this silencing of the Gospel shall be worldwide. Let us now return to the last two verses in Gen 19. God says there in Gen 19:37, “the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.” What is meant by that statement, “unto this day”? It means that today there are people who fit the mold of the Moabites, haters of Israel, and God says that spiritually they are of the family of the firstborn daughter of Lot, just like in Gal 4:25 the Jews who hold on to a gospel of works really belong to the family of Hagar. Likewise we read in Gen 19:38, “the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day”. It means that today there are people who fit the mold of the Ammonites, also haters of Israel, and God says that they spiritually belong to the family of the younger daughter of Lot. This rounds off our discussion of the three women in Gen 19. Please turn now to the Prophecy of Judg 19, Judg 19:22, (2X) for the story in Judg 19 must in the spiritual sense run parallel to the story in Gen 19. Historically the two stories diverge, but when we interpret it spiritually the two stories must harmonize.

#2.      Two Women in Judg 19 (Judg 19:22-25, Matt 4:19)

The first time we meet both women is when the house of the old man is besieged by homosexuals.

Jud 19:22-25  Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. But the men would not hearken to him: so the man (the Levite) took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

Who does the Levite represent? He represents the Lord Jesus Christ. It is Christ who loosed the concubine on the unsaved people of Gibeah. Who does the concubine represent? The concubine represents the unsaved portion of the church. The Lord asked her to follow Him, and following Jesus is synonymous with being a witness for Christ. The Lord Jesus said in Matt 4:19, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” But since she represents the unsaved portion of the church, the task of being fishers of men proved to be too much for her, and she abandons this task. In other words, she dies, and the Gospel is being silenced. But notice also that the daughter of the old man is not sacrificed. God had mercy on her and she remains a virgin. This tells us that even in the deepest darkest hours of history there is still a remnant that remains saved. God will not abandon His elect. This is all that we find about the daughter of the old man, but it is sufficient to give us hope. Let us return now to the concubine.

Jud 19:25-29  But the men would not hearken to him: so the man (the Levite) took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light. And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.

Let us now explain the strange behavior of the Levite. The Levite, the Lord Jesus Christ saw that the church was dead. To draw attention to this horrific event He decided to let the whole world know the tragedy of the death of the church. In the spiritual sense we must move the scene to include the whole world. Please turn in your Bibles to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev 17:3 (2X). The Lord introduces us here to a woman, representing the apostate church, who has been reigning this earth for most of the NT time, but now near the end of time she is sitting upon a scarlet colored beast which resembles Satan. We read in Rev 17:3-6 (2X).

Re 17:3-6  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

The last five words in this passage should have been translated, “I marvelled with great marvel”. Why did John marvel? He had seen this woman before in Rev 12 when she was still a faithful church, and when she was protected by God and she was brought on eagle’s wings into the wilderness, which refers to the wilderness of this world. And now John sees her in the same wilderness, but now she has changed, for now she has allied herself with Satan. God makes us see that near the end of time the church will become apostate to the extent that Satan will be in the pulpit. The church thinks that this ally with the beast with 7 heads and ten horns will be to her financial advantage. But the opposite is true. Please drop down to Rev 17:16 (2X).

Re 17:16-18  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

In other words, Rev 11:7 tells us that the church as we know it will die, and Rev 11:8 tells us that the empty shells which formerly housed the church will still be standing, and Rev 17:16 tells us that even the empty shells will be done away, for Satan hates even the empty image of the former church of the Lord Jesus Christ and he will burn it with fire. And so, what do we see here? The woman, representing the church, will be destroyed shortly before the end of the world. But did we not see the same image at the end of Judg 19? The concubine was not only killed, but her body was totally destroyed by having it cut in 12 pieces. But you might argue that in Judg 19 it was Christ who cut her into 12 pieces, whereas in Rev 17:16 it was the ten horns which destroyed her body. Let us be fair: There is only one God. Satan is not an independent power. Satan can only do those things that God allows him to do. And thus, even if the ten horns would destroy her body, it is still God who is in charge of all this.

#3.      A Kingdom Divided (Judg 20:7-11, 47-48, Lev 18:22, 20:13, Rom 1:24-27)

Please turn again to the Prophecy of Judges, Judg 20:7 (2X). We see here that all the tribes of the children of Israel, except Benjamin, were gathered in Mizpah. Then the Levite told his story, and how his beloved concubine ended up in twelve pieces all throughout the twelve tribes of Israel. Then we read in:

Jud 20:7-11  Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel. And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house. But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

The tribe of Benjamin refused to bring their brethren from Gibeah to trial. And now an all out war was the result of the crime by the men of Gibeah. They were physically fighting a war, and more than 65 000 men were killed before the war was over. What was going on? It was the church destroying the church. It was a kingdom divided. This was certainly in favor of Satan. But what was this war representing? Spiritually it was a battle for the mind. The question that was to be settled by this war was this: Is homosexuality a crime or is it not a crime? Physically they slugged it out, but the law of the Lord should have given a ready answer. We read in Lev 18:22,

Lev 18:22, Thoou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

God condemns homosexuality as a crime against God. And if we search a little more we find in:

Lev 20:13, If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

It means that the act of homosexuality is so abhorrent to God that He demands that both partners must be condemned to death. With such a penalty would homosexuality ever be a problem in the nation of Israel? And yet, people try to be more merciful than God. Since the penalty was not carried out, the problem of sodomites existed throughout the life of the nation of Israel, and it continued to plague the church even in the NT time, for we read in Rom 1:24-27

Ro 1:24-27  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

    And so, rather than dig into the historical details, we should see the spiritual meaning of this war. It

means that near the end of time the church will fight the church, and there will be no winners, only losers Please drop down to Judg 20:47, (2X).

Jud 20:47-48  But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months. And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

So, here are 600 men of the tribe of Benjamin on the Rock Rimmon. That was all that was left of Benjamin. Now we should see this part in Judg 21 as a separate story, for this is a chapter where the children of Benjamin received grace and mercy. The name Benjamin means “Son of my right hand”. They sought refuge in the Rock Rimmon where the Rock was pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • There Is Hope for Some (Gen 19:27-29)

Please turn again to the Prophecy of Genesis, Gen 19:27 (2X). There was hope for the old man and his daughter in the city of Gibeah, for she represented the few who remain in a faithful church all the way to the end of time. There was hope for the 600 Benjamites who were seeking refuge in the Rock Rimmon. There was hope for Lot, because Abraham interceded for him. We read in Gen 19:27,

Ge 19:27-29  And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

“God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.” In other words, God showed His kindness to Abraham by rescuing Lot. And so, if we receive mercy and grace from the Lord, remember that someone prayed for us  in the past.

·               Is Homosexuality a Disease? (Lev 18:22, 20:13, Rom 1:26-27, 1Cor 6:9-11)

The real question is: Is homosexuality something that we are born with? Please turn in your Bibles to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 1Cor 6:9 (2X). When we consult the Bible, we find condemnations of homosexuality like in Lev 18:22, and in Lev 20:13. And when we read Rom 1:26-27 we see again that God does not like homosexuals. We read in Rom 1:26-27,

Ro 1:26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

Ro 1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

But if we are predisposed to homosexuality, if we are born with this problem, how can God be so hard on us? Today’s medical profession says that homosexuality is something that you are born with.

But listen also to what God says. God says in 1Cor 6:9-11

1Co 6:9-11  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind (= homosexuals), Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

God says in verse 11, “And such were some of you”, past tense. In other words, if you were homosexuals in the past, be assured that when you have been washed from your sins you are no longer homosexuals. You are cured. The same thing applies to alcoholics, or drunkards. The medical profession says, once an alcoholic you stay an alcoholic for the rest of your life. But God says, “And such were some of you”, past tense. In other words the medical profession gives us no hope, and according to the Bible, the prospect of Hell for sure. But the Bible paints us a totally different picture. Homosexuals are not born, they are made by being exposed to the sexual act. Do not believe what MD’s say. Rather believe what God says.

People become homosexuals because they have been exposed to the excitement of it.

People become alcoholics because they have been exposed to the excitement of it.

People become drug addicts because they have been exposed to the excitement of it.

People become addicted to fornication because they have been exposed to the excitement of it.

But God chose the sign of homosexuality to indicate that the end is near. It is also the sign that the church is being attacked by Satan. Men’s wisdom is placed at a higher rank than God’s wisdom. And so, when we hear that the President of the United States is going to elevate the month of June as a month where the gay community is going to be honored, we rejoice. We rejoice, because the Lord is coming soon. We rejoice, because we will be entering into our new glorified bodies.

Amen.                  Let us turn to the Lord in prayer.