The Watchman’s Call

Guest (Male): Standing at the intersection of the word and the world, there is a clear sound for uncertain times. Welcome to the Watchman's Call. Join us as we stand on the ramparts of scripture to examine the intersection of biblical prophecy and modern culture. The headlines are changing, but the blueprint has already been written. Listen as Pastor Andy Woods uncovers the prophetic significance of the world we live in. The Watchman's Call starts now.

Dr. Andy Woods: We want to welcome you back to the Watchman's Call broadcast. We deal with a lot of prophetic subjects here, and we're involved in a mini series entitled The Days of Lot. And the reason we're looking at the Days of Lot is Jesus, when he was asked about the end, what will be the sign of your coming? He said it, as it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be. So the better we understand the days of Lot, meaning the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, the better we can understand the time period that we're living in today.

Because we believe that the signs that were happening, the trends happening in Sodom and Gomorrah are happening today. And that becomes sort of a tool or a barometer that we can use to determine how close we are to the return of Christ. So what are some parallels between the days of Lot and today? We're dealing with seven trends total. Thus far in this series, we've talked about four trends. Number one, there was and is today an insensitivity towards the things of God. Number two, there was and is today a great material prosperity. Number three, there was and and is a mainstreaming of sexual deviance.

Number four, there was and is a militant sexual perversion. This is where we were last time in our show together. There wasn't just a a mainstreaming of sexual deviance, it was militant. It was aggressive. It was in your face. It was belligerent. It was bellicose. And we said that trend is manifesting in our world and our society today. Now, fortunately, these next two trends are more happy, I might say, put it that way, more optimistic because there were some good things happening in the days of Lot as well that are also happening today. So this takes us to number five.

There was a manifestation of the grace of God. What do we mean by God's grace? It's the Greek word charis, which means unmerited favor. Favor coming our direction that we do not deserve. And yes, as dark and as difficult as it was in Sodom and Gomorrah on the eve of her destruction, there was also the grace of God at work. In fact, this is what the book of Romans says in Romans 5:20, where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. In other words, the greater the evil, the greater the grace of God shows up. And you'll see this in the scripture.

Anytime you're reading about the judgment of God and the depravity of man, you'll also see in any passage, I don't care what passage it is we're talking about, the grace of God in equal, if not greater terms. So the scripture is very much true here as we would expect, where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. And so now the question becomes, was there really grace or unmerited favor happening in the days of Lot, in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah? Yes, there was. Notice Genesis chapter eight and verse 32. It says, then he said, oh, may the Lord not be angry with me, and I shall speak only this once.

Suppose 10 are found there. And he, that's God, said, I will not destroy it, Sodom and Gomorrah, on account of 10 men. As Abraham is praying unto the Lord, he finally gets to the point where he says, Lord, will you spare the city if you can find 10 godly individuals? And Lot And God responded, yes, I will. So there we see a clear manifestation of God's grace. This is God's nature. God's nature is not to bring judgment. God's nature is to bring God's grace. In fact, God's desire is that his creation would repent so that his judgment would be unnecessary.

I mean, this is not just true with the days of Lot, it's also true with the days of Noah. Remember Genesis 6 verse 8, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Remember Genesis 6 in verse three concerning the days of Noah. It says, the Lord said, my spirit shall not strive with man forever because he also is flesh. Nevertheless, his days shall be 120 years. In other words, God postponed judgment in the very wicked days of Noah for 120 years. I mean, 120 years is a long time. We here in the United States just celebrated our 250th year birthday.

And 120 years is just a little under half the duration of the entire United States of America. You might remember in the Days of Noah a character named Methuselah. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum says this of Methuselah. In Hebrew, Methuselah may mean, when he dies, it shall be sent. If this is true, his name was given to him prophetically. It shall be sent was a prophecy of the flood. Indeed, according to the chronology of Genesis, the year Methuselah died was when the flood came. Close quote. It's interesting that Methuselah is the oldest living person in the Bible.

According to Genesis 5:27, he lived to the ripe old age of 969 years. And God attached the coming of the flood to the date of his death. And it's so interesting that God would attach the flood to the death of the oldest living man, longest living man in the Bible. This shows God's mercy, his patience, his reticence to judge, his reluctance to judge, his unwillingness to judge. First Peter chapter three verse 20 mentions this when it says, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah. God was very patient in the days of Noah.

He was very patient in the days of Lot. He said he would spare the whole city if he could find 10 godly men. And God countless times throughout the Bible is saying and doing the exact same thing. In fact, in Genesis chapter 15 and verse 13 it says, God said to Abram, know for certain your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years. And over in Genesis 15 and verse 16 it says, then in the fourth generation they were return here for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.

Now, this is an amazing prophecy in Genesis 15 verse 13 and verse 16 because God is saying, I'm going to wait 400 years for the wicked Canaanites to change their ways before I send in judgment through Joshua in the conquest of the the land. And all you have to do is read Leviticus 18 and Leviticus 20 to see the detestable acts of every imaginable sexual perversion that the Canaanites were involved in. And yet God said they have 400 years of grace before I send judgment. The Days of Noah, they have 120 years of grace before I send judgment.

The Days of Lot, I if I can find 10 godly men in this wicked city, I will not send judgment. This is the nature of God. Second Peter 3 verse 9 says, the Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. First Timothy chapter two and verse four says of God who desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. God does not rejoice when the evil perish. He says in Ezekiel 18 verse 23, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord, rather than that he should turn from his ways and live.

The same chapter, Ezekiel 18 verse 32, he says, I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord. Therefore, repent and live. God's heart is for his creatures that are in rebellion to repent so that judgment would be unnecessary. That was happening in the days of Lot just like it was happening amongst the Canaanites, just like it was happening in the inhabitants of the earth prior to the global flood. And what did Jesus say? As it was in the Days of Lot, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

I would argue that that grace is happening today. We have a manifestation of God's grace that we don't deserve. Remember Lot? Who was Lot? Well, you know, Lot was a believer. He was a rebellious believer. We might call him a carnal believer, a backslidden believer, but he was very clearly a believer. We know that from second Peter two verses seven through nine, which uses the word righteous three times to describe Lot living in Sodom. And then it uses the word godly to describe Lot. Here's what these verses say. And if he rescued righteous Lot oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men, for by what he saw and heard that righteous man while living among them felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.

God looked at Lot as if he was righteous. It says it three times and godly. Positionally, he was righteous. He was a believer in the coming Messiah who would take away his sins. But he at the same time exhibited a lifestyle living amongst the wicked inhabitants of Sodom that didn't match his position. And as long as Lot was in that city, God could not and would not bring judgment. Notice Genesis 19 and verse 22. This is a description of the angel that was dispatched to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Here's what the angel said to Lot, hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.

Now, notice the angel doesn't say I will not do anything, but he says I cannot do anything. In other words, as long as you are in this city, I cannot fulfill my obligation and responsibility to destroy it. And so these are all examples of the grace of God manifesting itself in the days of Lot. And I would say that we're in that time period of grace right now. God is postponing a lot. God is putting up with a lot. God is postponing judgment as long as his church is on the earth. And so that becomes another parallel between our day and Lot's day.

Lot's day was very interesting. There was an insensitivity towards God. There was a material prosperity. There was a mainstreaming of sexual deviance, which was number four, very militant. But at the same time there was a clear manifestation of God's grace. And this takes us to a sixth trend taking place in the days of Lot that we see happening today as well. There was an honoring, number six, of intercessory prayer. What is intercessory prayer? Intercessory prayer is where someone prays to God on behalf of another. And that's exactly what Abraham was doing here relative to this wicked city of Sodom and Gomorrah that was about to be judged.

This is what we read in Genesis 18 in verses 17 and 18. It says, the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Since Abraham surely will become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations or all the families of the earth will be blessed. And then over in Genesis 18 and verse 25 we read these words. Far be it from you, Abraham speaking to God, to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from you.

Shall not the judge of the earth, judge of all of the earth deal justly? In other words, shall not the judge of all of the earth do what is right? Abraham learns that it's God's plan to destroy this wicked city. And Abraham now at this point begins to intercede. Intercessory prayer, he begins to petition God on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. And he's probably petitioning God not just on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, but on behalf of his, I believe it was his nephew Lot that was living amongst this wicked city and wicked civilization. And so Abraham begins to pray.

And you know the account. It's given in Genesis 18 verses 24 through 32. Abraham says, God, will you spare the city if there's 50 godly men? God says, yes. Well, how about 45? God says, yes. How about 40? God says, yes. How about 30? God says, yes. How about 20? God says, yes. How about 10? God says, yes. Now, I'm sort of the opinion that if Abraham had kept going lower than 10, God would have kept saying yes because this shows us the grace of God and it shows us the power of intercessory prayer. And if the Days of Lot are similar to our days, then our days should also be days where intercessory prayer is highlighted and featured.

Do you believe in intercessory prayer? I do. Here's what the book of James says. The effective prayer of a righteous man can availeth much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit. And so you'll notice that intercessory prayer is something that is very real. It's very powerful. It has a lot of components and dimensions to it. And if we are living in the Days of Lot, then maybe one of the things that we can give ourselves to is intercessory prayer.

We're very good as Christians about complaining. We're not as good about praying. And we should be in intercessory prayer for those who rule over us. This is what we read in first Timothy two one and two. Paul writes, first of all then I urge that entreaties and prayers and petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men for kings and all who are in authority so that we may live a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. If we see unjust acts in our society, in our various arms of government, one of the things that we can do is pray.

And intercessory prayer works. Here's what we read in the book of Proverbs chapter 21 and verse one. It says, the king's heart is like channels of water in the hands of the Lord. He turns it wherever he wishes. God is able to take the heart of wicked and godless people and channel it the way he wants, the way a watercourse directs water. And he can do that as God's people intercede in prayer. A lot of times we think, well, so and so that happens to be in power is ungodly. Therefore, God can't change his heart.

God can't use him or her to promote godliness. But look no further than the example of Cyrus. Cyrus was a man that God raised up to free the nation of Israel from her 70 year captivity. In fact, the prophet Isaiah calls out Cyrus's name 200 years in advance. His name is given before he was even born. Isaiah 44 verse 28 it says, it is I who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd. He will perform all I desire. And he declares of Jerusalem, she will be rebuilt. And of the temple your foundation will be laid.

Isaiah 45 and verse one says, thus says the Lord to Cyrus, his anointed whom I have taken by the hand to subdue nations before him and to loose the loins of kings, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut. So God took this man Cyrus. He actually gave him called out his name 200 years before he was born. Liberals are so upset with this prophecy, they don't really think Isaiah wrote this back in the eighth and the seventh century. But I have no problem believing Isaiah wrote this because God knows the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end.

His omniscience revealed this man Cyrus, and he was going to use Cyrus in a very strategic way to take the nation of Israel out of the Babylonian captivity as the Persians conquered the Babylonians and lead Israel back into the promised land. Now, the interesting thing about Cyrus is the best we can tell, he was not a believer in Yahweh. Yet God used him. This is what we read in Isaiah 45 verse four concerning these prophecies about Cyrus. For the sake of Jacob my servant and Israel my chosen one, I have also called you by name.

I have given you a title of honor. Listen to this very carefully, though you have not known me. So even though Cyrus did not know God, the best we can tell is Cyrus the Persian was a polytheist. He worshiped many gods. He did not know God, and yet at the same time God used this unbeliever in a strategic way to bring his people out of the 70 year Babylonian captivity. And he announced 200 years before he was even born that he would be used in this regard. So this shows us that God can even use an atheist, an ungodly person to accomplish God's will.

And that 's why we as God's people should be in a constant state of intercession for those that rule over us, even those that don't know Jesus, even those that don't know Christianity or seem to have much of respect for Christianity or the Bible. Remember that God can change the heart as a watercourse directs water. And so what was happening in the Days of Lot was something that I think was very exciting. There was a great emphasis, if you will, on intercessory prayer. And if we are living in the Days of Lot, then that same emphasis on intercessory prayer should be part of our daily lives as Christians as well.

Maybe if we spent less time complaining and more time praying, our culture and our society would be different. Well, what have we been doing in this series? We've been tracking the trends of Sodom and Gomorrah. Why? Because we're interested in the return of Christ. And Jesus says, as it was in the Days of Lot, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Do we see parallels between the Days of Lot and today? I believe we do. Seven trends total. There was an insensitivity towards the things of God. There was a great material prosperity.

There was a mainstreaming of sexual deviance. And that mainstreaming of sexual deviance was becoming militant. Yet number five, there was a tremendous manifestation of God's grace. And there was also an honoring of intercessory prayer. Well, that only leaves one trend to cover. So, Lord willing, we are going to cover that trend in our next show and episode together as we wrap up our series on the Days of Lot. We are living in the Days of Lot. And this shows us that the return of our Lord Jesus Christ is very near. It can't be far away.

We're so grateful to the Holy Spirit that has opted to reveal these trends to us. And we want to be people that monitor the time period that we're living in with an open Bible so that we can hear those wonderful words from the Savior. Well done, thy good and faithful servant. Thank you for listening. God bless you.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to The Watchman's Call, exploring the intersection of prophecy and culture. This program is a ministry of Sugar Land Bible Church, a place where the Bible is taught and the times are discerned. Visit this Sunday in person or connect with them anytime at slbc.org. That's slbc.org. Until next time, may the Lord give you a spirit of discernment in the week ahead.