The previous message was on Lot, who was a defeated righteous man. In this message we come to Lot's wife, who became a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26). Genesis 19 might be the only record in human history regarding a pillar of salt, and we need to consider it very carefully. This pillar of salt was not created by God. Lot's wife became a pillar of salt. It is very meaningful that in His heavy word recorded in Luke 17, spoken at a time when people were inquiring about the coming of the kingdom, the Lord Jesus said, "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32). In a sense, the Lord seemed to be saying to His disciples, "Don't talk about the kingdom. Rather, you must recognize what the age will be like when the kingdom comes. It will be like the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Both are prefigures of the days of My coming." Thus, in the Lord's heavy, solemn, and sobering word, three ages are mentioned: the age of Noah, the age of Lot, and the age at the time of the Lord's coming back.
When we covered Noah in some of the foregoing messages in this life-study, we pointed out that he lived in a befuddled age, and that the people of his age were befuddled, drugged, and doped by their lusts and evil pleasures. However, in Luke 17:27, when the Lord spoke of the days of Noah, marriage was mentioned. But when He spoke of the days of Lot, there was no mention of marriage, because in Sodom marriage had been completely degraded, and the people indulged in their sodomitical lust. In Luke 17:28 and 30 the Lord said, "Likewise, even as it happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building...It will be in the same way on the day in which the Son of Man is revealed." After saying this and immediately before telling us to remember Lot's wife, the Lord said, "In that day, he who shall be on the housetop and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take them away; and he who is in the field, likewise, let him not turn back to the things behind" (Luke 17:31). In Palestine the houses had flat roofs. The Lord was saying, "If you are on your housetop at the time of My coming, do not come down into your house to take away your stuff. If you do, you will be left. If you are working in the field, do not return home. You must forget everything except Me." Immediately after this word, the Lord said, "Remember Lot's wife."
Today, like the people in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot, many Christians are doped and befuddled, having lost the proper sense of the things of God. Some even teach that believers may be raptured while they are playing football. But according to the revelation of the Holy Word, when the Lord comes back, He would not take any of His saints who are still participating in worldly entertainments. We Christians are the crop of God growing with Christ as the life seed (Matt. 13:3-8, 18-23). No Christian who is mature in the growth of life still participates in any worldly entertainments. Since the Christians who continue to participate in worldly entertainments are not ripe, but are green and raw, the Lord would not reap them from the field. The befuddled Christians of today need to hear such a sobering word.
The record of Lot's wife becoming a pillar of salt is found in the section on living in fellowship with God. Although this section in Genesis covering chapters eighteen through twenty-four is the record of a life that was in fellowship with God, it includes the black record of a defeated saved man, his wife, and his two daughters. Lot had more than these two daughters, but when the angels came to Sodom, they could not find the others. Genesis 19:15 says, "When the morning arose, the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are found; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city" (Heb.). The angels seemed to be saying, "Lot, we can only find two of your children. We were sent here by God to rescue you and all your family, but only these have been found. Our commission is to destroy the city. Now you, your wife, and your daughters must escape." The next verse says that Lot lingered. According to the original, Lot not only lingered; he hesitated, being unwilling to leave the city. Since he was hesitating, the angels "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." When the angels had brought the four of them outside the city, they said, "Escape for thy soul; look not behind thee" (v. 17, Heb.). But verse 26 says that Lot's wife "looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." Lot's wife was saved, for she was pulled out of the city and saved from its destruction. But although she was saved, she nevertheless became a pillar of salt. It is certain that becoming a pillar of salt is not a good thing; it is a shame.
As I have said many times, the book of Genesis contains the seeds of nearly all the divine truths. The pillar of salt in 19:26 may also be considered as a seed. The growth of this seed is in Luke 17:32, where the Lord tells us to remember Lot's wife, and in 1 John 2:28, where we are told that we might be put to shame at the Lord's appearing. The harvest is in Revelation 16:15, where the Lord says, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, that he may not walk naked and they see his shame." The Lord will come as a thief, not giving any prior notification. If at that time our nakedness is exposed, we shall be put to shame. Thus, the seed of being put to shame was sown in Gen. 19, grows in Luke 17 and 1 John 2, and is reaped in Rev. 16. My burden in this message is to impress you that the book of Genesis not only has the seed of Abraham, but also the seed of Lot and of his wife, who became a pillar of salt, a sign of shame.
The basic concept of this message is that a genuine saved person faces the definite possibility of being put to shame. Do not listen to the befuddling teachings of this age. Many teachings in Christianity today drug people, and those who absorb such teachings are neither sober in their mind nor living in their spirit. In this message we need to hear a sobering word from the Lord, a word that will sober our mind and quicken our spirit.
As we have already pointed out, there is no doubt that Lot's wife was saved from destruction. This is so definitely and clearly revealed that no one can argue with it. But, as we have seen, she looked back from behind her husband and became a pillar of salt. That she walked behind her husband indicates that she was even less willing than her husband to leave Sodom and that she was not happy to follow him out of the city. If she had been happy to flee Sodom, she would have walked side by side with her husband. Even before she looked back and became a pillar of salt, she was already behind her husband. At this point, let me say a word to the wives. In committing sin, it is good for a wife to be reluctant to follow her husband, but concerning the things of God, it is not good for her to be slow in following him. Concerning the things of God, the best thing for a wife to do is to go along with and walk together with her husband. Wives, in the things with God, do not go behind your husbands. If you do, you, like Lot's wife, may suffer and become a pillar of salt. This is a warning to us all.
That Lot's wife became a pillar of salt signifies that she had lost her function and had become a sign of shame. When salt is in the form of powder, it is very useful. The more that salt is ground into fine powder, the better it functions. But no one uses salt in the form of a pillar. The Lord Jesus said that we, the saved and regenerated ones, are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13). Our function is to kill the germs of this corrupted world. However, if we become tasteless (Luke 14:34), it means that we, like Lot's wife, have lost our function. As one of the people of God, Lot's wife should have been filled with the salty taste and been able to kill the germs of corruption around her, but she lost her taste and became functionless. She was a sign of shame.
In writing the book of Genesis, the Spirit of God was unwilling to give the name of Lot's wife. Although the name of Abraham's wife, Sarah, is mentioned many times, there is no mention of the name of Lot's wife. It is unworthy of mention. That poor saint walked behind her husband and looked back toward the city of Sodom. She might have looked back for her children, her house, and her other belongings. All her goods were left there in Sodom. Her interests, heart, desire, and soul were still there, though her body had been pulled out of that city. Hence, at her looking back to that place, the Lord caused her to become a pillar of salt as a warning example to us all.
In Luke 17, the Lord used Lot's wife as a warning example for His disciples. However, not many Christians today live under this warning. Nevertheless, we must heed the warning that a truly saved person faces the possibility of being put to shame at the Lord's appearing. I certainly do not want to become a pillar of salt. Do you? To become a pillar of salt is not a glory; it is a shame. What a shame for a believer to become a lifeless pillar of salt standing in the open air for nothing but suffering!
Luke 14:25-33 speaks of absoluteness in following the Lord. We must follow the Lord in an absolute way. Although the Bible teaches us to love others, here Luke 14:26, a holy word out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus, says, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and moreover, his own soul life also, he cannot be My disciple." It is impossible for anyone to follow the Lord in a proper way without being absolute. Our parents, wives, children, brothers, sisters, and our own soul life should all be secondary. Only the Lord Himself must be the first, and we must follow Him in an absolute way. When the Lord speaks of hating our relatives for His sake, He does not mean a real hatred but a loving hatred.
In this portion of the word out of the mouth of the Lord, we see that we must follow Him in the way of absoluteness. It is not a matter of worshipping God on Sundays nor of having a home Bible study according to our pleasure. Such a home Bible study may be another type of hobby or entertainment. In the eyes of God, your home Bible study may be no different from a basketball game. You play your Bible ball in your Bible study, using your living room as your playground. You are not absolute in following the Lord. I am not joking; I am speaking the truth. I am not only saying this to others but also to myself. The Lord can testify for me that as I was preparing for this message, the Lord asked me, "How about you? I have charged you to give this message, but are you absolute in following Me?" May the Lord have mercy on me that I would not preach to others and myself become a castaway. May He also have mercy on all His dear saints. How we need a sobering word that we would no longer be befuddled! If we believe John 3:16, we must also believe Luke 14:26-35. Many messages have been given and booklets published on John 3:16, but where are the messages and booklets on Luke 14:26-35? In the Lord's recovery we should not hide any truth from His people.
Those who are not absolute in following the Lord become useless. Tell me, how many Christians today are truly useful in the Lord's hand for God's economy? Most Christians have become useless as far as God's economy is concerned. They are like salt that is tasteless (Luke 14:34).
Such Christians are not only tasteless, but according to Luke 14:35, they are "fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile," but to be cast out. The land here is the field which grows things for God that He might accomplish His purpose. The dunghill in the universe is the lake of fire, where every dirty thing will be piled up. Luke 14:35 mainly refers to the coming age of the kingdom. In the kingdom age there will be the earth, the land for the fulfillment of God's purpose, and there will also be the lake of fire, the dunghill. Christianity always tells people that there are only two places — heaven or hell. But in this verse the Lord Jesus speaks of the third place, saying that tasteless salt, being fit for neither the land nor for the dunghill, is cast out. Where was the pillar of salt which Lot's wife became? Was it in heaven or in Sodom? It was in neither place, but in the third place. Although you have read through the Gospel of Luke, have you ever seen that in this chapter there are three places? Where will you be — in the land, in the dunghill, or cast out to the third place?
In Matt. 25:30 the Lord said that the unprofitable servant would be cast into outer darkness. The outer darkness must also be the third place. What this will be and where it will be, the Bible does not say. Nevertheless, the Bible does say that if you are a slothful servant, at the Lord's coming back you will be fit neither for the land because you were unprofitable, nor for the dunghill because you have been saved. Where then will you be? In the third place, a place outside both the glorious kingdom and the lake of fire. Few Christians have ever seen that in the Bible there is a third place prepared for the defeated saved ones. This is a sobering word.
We need to be deeply impressed that in the full revelation regarding man in the divine Word there are three places — a place for salvation, a place for perdition, and a place for shame. Where was Lot's wife? Although she was saved, she was in the third place, the place of shame. This is the teaching of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. Do not try to argue with it.
Believers who live in the world as the worldly people and seek to save their soul, their soul-life, will suffer shame as did Lot's wife, and will lose their soul at the Lord's coming back (Luke 17:28-33). Most Christians are like this. Although they are believers, yet they live like worldly people, shopping and dressing in the same way as the worldly people do. Since they live and walk the same as the worldlings, there is no difference between them and the worldly people.
To save the soul means to refuse to suffer for the Lord's sake. Christians who save their soul like to have their pleasure. They say, "What's wrong with going to sporting events? It's not sinful." Although it may not be sinful, it is worldly. I am not saying that Christians should have no physical exercise for their health. We certainly need that. But once any form of exercise becomes a sport or entertainment, it is worldly. If you enjoy it and find it pleasurable, it means that you are saving your soul. To have any psychological and worldly enjoyment is to save the soul.
Today is not the time for us Christians to have psychological and worldly pleasure or enjoyment; it is the time for us to suffer in our soul, in our psychology. As long as we can maintain our existence, it is sufficient. We should not seek psychological and worldly pleasure. Since World War II, who has given such a sobering word? During the past thirty-one years, I have been watching and observing, but I have not heard a sober word or warning telling Christians that we are not on this earth for our psychological and worldly enjoyment, and that we must suffer the loss of every kind of amusement and entertainment. Your enjoyment of certain music at home may be a saving of your soul. Many Christians cannot overcome their television sets. Their watching television may be a saving of their soul. I am neither religious nor legal, but I do say that today is not the time for us to have psychological and worldly amusement; it is the time for us to suffer in our soul. This suffering in the soul is for the saving of the soul. If you are not willing to suffer in order to save your soul, you will suffer shame as Lot's wife did and lose your soul at the Lord's coming back.
It is wrong to teach that all Christians will be raptured at one time at the Lord's coming back. That teaching befuddles the spiritual sense of the Lord's people. In Luke 17:34-35 the Lord said, "I tell you, in that night there will be two on one couch; the one will be taken, and the other will be left. There will be two grinding at the same place; the one will be taken, but the other will be left." You may argue, saying, "The one taken is a believer, and the one left is an unbeliever." But that is your interpretation. While both are the same, doing the same thing in the same place, only the Lord knows who is genuinely for Him. If you read the context of Luke 17:22-37, you will see that this word is not given to unbelievers but to the Lord's disciples. It was a word given to them concerning the time of His coming. The "two" in verses 34 and 35 refer to two of the Lord's disciples, one of whom will be taken and the other of whom will be left. The one who will be taken will surely not be like Lot's wife. The disciple who will be left will be like Lot's wife. This is a sober word.
The children of God who do not abide in the Lord as the anointing teaches will be put to shame at the Lord's coming back (1 John 2:27-28). We who are in the Lord's recovery know what is the inner teaching of the inward anointing. But do we abide in the Lord according to the teaching of the living anointing within us? First John 2:27 and 28 charges us to abide in the Lord according to the anointing. For example, if you are about to go shopping and the anointing says no, will you say, "Amen, Lord"? If you do, that is good. However, if you say, "Lord, I won't buy anything bad," the Lord may say, "I don't care whether you buy something good or bad. Don't go." We should simply say, "Amen, Lord, I'm just abiding in You according to Your teaching of the inward anointing." We all need to abide in the Lord in this way.
If we do not abide in the Lord according to the anointing, we shall "be put to shame from Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28). To feel shameful is one thing; to be put to shame is another. This verse is not saying that we shall feel shameful, but that we shall "be put to shame." Notice that, according to the Greek, it does not say, like the King James Version, "before Him" but "from Him." The Greek preposition here is apo, which means "away from." If we abide in the Lord according to the anointing, when He appears, we shall have confidence, assurance, boldness, and peace and not be put away from Him. Literally, the Greek words translated "at His coming" mean "in His presence." The Greek word for presence is parousia, which includes the meaning of coming. We may have His coming and yet not be in His presence. For example, the President of the United States may come to Anaheim tonight, but only a few people will enter into his presence, that is, into his parousia. The Lord Jesus will come, but will you be worthy to be in His presence? If you live in a worldly way, loving the world and making the Lord the last in your life, how could you be brought into His presence when He comes? We must abide in the Lord according to the inward anointing so that we may have confidence, boldness, and assurance before Him in His presence at His appearing and not be put to shame away from Him.
At His appearing, the Lord will deal with His believers. If His believers follow Him today in the way of abiding in Him according to the inward anointing, they will then have peace, boldness, assurance, and confidence and will be brought into His parousia, into His presence. If they do not abide in Him today, at His appearing, they will be put to shame away from Him. To be put to shame away from Him must mean to be put to the third place, the place which is neither the field for the fulfilling of God's purpose, nor the dunghill in the lake of fire. It is the place of shame outside His presence. A believer who is put to shame away from Him is not lost. He is still a saved person, but he must suffer being put to shame. That being put to shame will be for him a dealing and a discipline; it will be the chastisement exercised by the sovereign Lord over His defeated believers. This matter is quite clear and is very serious.
The believers who do not watch for the Lord's coming back and live a proper life will suffer shame (Rev. 16:15). In Revelation 16:15 the Lord tells us to keep our garments. In the Bible, a garment always signifies what we are in our walk and living. We must have a clean walk, and our spiritual garment must be pure, white, and approved by God. We must watch for the Lord's coming and keep our garments pure. If we live such a clean life, we shall have no nakedness when He comes and men will not see our shame. This verse also says that the Lord is coming as a thief. He will not come as a visitor announcing His arrival ahead of time. When we do not think that the thief will come, he comes. I have been told that thieves often come about three or four o'clock in the morning, at the time when people are deeply asleep. We need to be sober and watching. Otherwise, the Lord will come as a thief and our nakedness will be exposed. Once again, this tells us that there is the possibility that a saved person may be put to shame at the Lord's coming back.
God's people who do not live and walk according to His way, that is, according to His economy, will come short of the fulfillment of His purpose and be put to shame. As we have seen, this is the significance of the pillar of salt. Do not take this merely as a Bible study, but as a warning for us all. Even we who are in the Lord's recovery cannot afford to be loose or indifferent. We must be sober and consider the situation to be quite serious. We need to have a life and walk that fulfills God's purpose. Then at the Lord's appearing we shall be in His parousia and not be cast out to the third place, the place of shame.
