Jesus is Calling His Bride
It has always been time to repent and not look back, now it is URGENT
There is much to be learned from the account of Lot and his family’s escape from Sodom and Gomorrah.
Firstly, Sodom and Gomorrah were so depraved that their perverted sexual habits brought Yah’s wrath upon them and all their inhabitants. It was only the fervent prayers of Abraham that saved a remnant, in this case, Lot and his family. Yah (Psalm 68:4 KJV and NKJV translate this correctly) could not find even 10 people after a negotiation with Abraham (Genesis 18) who had a heart for Yah, so destruction was determined.
Lot was a Nephew of Abraham. He tried to trade the virginity of his daughters as a trade with the depraved mob that wanted to Sodomize the Angels (have anal sex with them). However, Yah successfully intervened and blinded the mob to enable Lot’s family to escape. (Genesis 19)
We then find the main subject of this missive.
As Lot and his family made their escape, Lot’s wife looked back when the fire of Yah rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:26) and was turned into a pillar of salt after clear instructions from the Angels not to look back. (Genesis 19:17)
So why were they not to look back?
Yah was establishing a principle of salvation, and that principle is:
When you are called by Yah and you accept the calling, you have been granted a new life on the condition that you carry no attachments to your old life.
A fresh and clean canvas is granted to you by grace, you have not earned it nor do you deserve it. All Yah asks is that you move forward with Him in anxious anticipation of what He has for you in the future with nothing from your past influencing that new glory.
We are to mentally eliminate all potential idols from our lives. When we choose Yah, we choose to die to everything the world has previously conditioned us to believe was important or impossible. Whatever we have previously believed about the nature of our existence, the how/why/when/where of creation, those in fleshly authority over us, the family, and cultural traditions are all to die with our old carnal self.
Do you think the butterfly looks back to its life as a caterpillar?
In life, we spiritually metamorphose into a new creation of and in Jesus, who takes residence in our spirit to change the way we think. We are implanted with a new mind capable of completely radical new thoughts.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (2) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Oh, how I lament the pathetic attempts of man to prepare spiritual leaders of our nations with man-made head learning without the necessity to repent and believe our Savior. We could cut our seminary professionalism down to 5 minutes with Jesus to bring you to your knees, then let Him do the rest as we lead others in likeness.
We have successfully over the last 2,000 years destroyed the whole concept of spiritual submission.
This life of submission is not for everyone. You must be drawn to it by Yah.
John 6:44 ESV No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
Let us look at some further scriptural examples.
1. Abraham’s Calling
Genesis 12:1-2 ESV Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. (2) And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
2. Elijah calling Elisha
1 Kings 19:19-21 ESV So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. (20) And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” (21) And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.
Elisha’s response to the calling of Elijah was that of most of us. “Let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.” That is NOT the response Yah wants. We see Elijah reject Elisha, saying “Go back again”. Elisha immediately knew he had failed the calling and set about to correct it. V21 is how Yah expects us to react to our calling.
3. Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
Luke 8:19-21 ESV Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. (20) And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” (21) But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
4. There is a Cost to Follow
Luke 9:57-62 ESV As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” (58) And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (59) To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (60) And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (61) Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” (62) Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
5. Jesus Calls James and John
Luke 5:10-11 ESV and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” (11) And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
6. Jesus Calls Matthew
Luke 5:27-28 ESV After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” (28) And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt because she chose to disobey Yah and look back to her old fleshly life. The pillar of salt represents our spiritual death.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to examine ourselves in the light of Yah’s Word.
Are you comfortable with our modern “Churchianity”?
Has Yahweh drawn you to a deeper knowledge?
If so, today is the day!
Repent and Believe!
Your salvation could depend on it.
Your indwelt spiritual slave to Jesus (Gal 2:20 KJV)