- [Narrator] Three of the
most mysterious deaths in the Bible. Number one, Lot's wife. There is a woman that
Jesus referenced in Luke. "Remember Lot's wife,"
Luke chapter 17, verse 32. Her death was unlike
any other in the Bible. Lot's wife is an unnamed woman mentioned only a few times in the Bible. She is a woman who died prematurely as a result of her disobedience
to the Lord's Word. The truth is that we know more about Lot's wife's death story
than anything else about her. In Genesis 13, Abram, Sarai and Lot depart Egypt with their riches. The majority of the
possessions belonged to Abram, who was extremely rich. They moved south and constructed an altar between Bethel and Ai. However, they quickly
realized that the land was not suitable for
them because Lot also had flocks, herds and tenants. Lot chooses Sodom. Conflict developed between
Abram's and Lot's shepherds. Abram did not want any hard feelings so he made a proposal to Lot. Genesis chapter 13 verses seven to 12: And there was strife and
quarreling between the herdsman of Abram's cattle and the
herdsman of Lot's cattle. Now the Canaanite and the
Perezzite were living in the land at the same time, making grazing
of the livestock difficult. So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no
strife and disagreement "between you and me, nor
between your herdsman "and my herdsman,
because we are relatives. "Is not the entire land before you? "Please separate yourself from me. "If you take the left,
then I will go to the right "or if you choose the right,
then I will go to the left." So Lot looked and saw that
the valley of the Jordan was well watered everywhere. This was before the Lord
destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. It was all like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go into Zoar at the south end of the Dead Sea. Then Lot chose for himself
all the valley of the Jordan and he traveled east. So they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan and Lot settled in the
cities of the valley and camped as far as
Sodom and lived there. Lot researched the country and decided on the Jordan plain because
it was close to water. Lot pitched his tent towards Sodom while Abram dwelt in Canaan. Lot traveled with his
wife on this journey. Indeed, he moves out of or near the border of the land of promise to the plain cities whose inhabitants were notorious sinners. Thus, what he saw as a great
step forward became his ruin because these cities were
doomed to destruction. Despite the fact that Abraham
and Sarah were growing older, the Lord warned him of the escalating evil and impending wrath of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot was sitting at the entrance to Sodom when two angels approached and offered them a place
to stay for the night. They declined because they did not want to spend the night on the street. They eventually agreed and followed Lot, who provided them with food. That night, however, all the men of Sodom heard about the angels and
surrounded Lot's house. "Where are the men who
came to you tonight?" The angels drew Lot inside
and locked the door. Then struck the evil ones
outside with blindness to the point where they
couldn't find the house's door. The angels told Lot to gather his family and leave Sodom as soon as possible. Lot cautioned his sons-in-law but they insulted him and
disregarded his advice. As daylight came the angels reminded Lot that judgment was looming
and that he ought to remove his wife and
daughters from the city. "Flee for your lives," one of the angels exclaimed
as they fled the city. "Do not look back or halt
anywhere in the plain. "Get to the mountains or
you'll be washed away." Then the Lord showered brimstone and fire from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah and overthrew those
towns and all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities and all that grew on the ground. As the cities were being demolished, Genesis chapter 19 verse 26: "But Lot's wife looked back "and she became a pillar of salt." Lot and his two daughters escaped to Zoar, a city in the adjacent mountains. According to Bible
interpretations, Lot's wife was turned into a pillar
of salt for looking back, for breaking the instruction
not to look back. Her actions indicate
that she sympathized with the people of Sodom and her
failure to evade God's wrath serves as a stark warning to others. She was exceedingly blessed
to have God's angels in her home. They even took her by the
hand and led her out of Sodom. But what good did it
all do her in the end? All of God's grace was wasted on her. There are several key takeaways here. Number one, it is possible
to be lost forever even though you are religious and have every opportunity to do right. You can come from a pleasing family, have many spiritual
advantages, and still be lost. Number two, you can leave the world and begin on the correct path but you will be eternally
lost if you turn back. You are in charge of your own beliefs. But why did God care if she glanced over her shoulder at Sodom? Number one, looking back
was an indication of doubt. She had to confess to God the
penalty and fate of Sodom. He had spoken and He would
carry out his promise. We may declare that we believe God. Yet when the test comes,
we waiver and look back. God invites to put our trust in Him and turn our attention
to spiritual matters. Also, looking back was non-compliance because God had clearly
instructed not to look back. To look back may have revealed
her true attachment to Sodom. Was she displaying a love for
what she was leaving behind? Her body was leaving, but
her heart was still in Sodom. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to
be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James chapter four, verse four. Do we want to be friends
with the rest of the world? This does not imply giving
up everything in the world. This world represents everything
that is opposed to God, the wickedness that was
once a part of your life. Number two, Moses, the
man that God buried. God has chosen to
withhold such information about the events preceding
Moses' death from us. The mere mention of the name
Moses arouses different images in the minds of various folks. In the Bible, Moses' death
is shrouded in mystery. He died at the age of 120 but his eyes were not weak
nor his strength gone. Moses was still in his prime
when he was called home. Despite his age, Moses
was barred from entering the promised land because
of his disobedience at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh. He led the Israelites to
the very edge of Canaan and was given a glimpse of the land, but he was not permitted to enter it. Mount Pisgah has a summit
elevation of 4,500 feet and that's nearly a mile. There aren't many 120-year-old
men who can climb a mountain nearly a mile high and
live to tell the tale. Moses could take each step
on the slope in stride with lightened shoulders. He was well aware that
he was about to take his final breath at any moment. When it comes to the subject of death Moses teaches us that a believer
has no reason to be afraid or to rush out into the
streets in a panicked state. Death is an inescapable part of reality for each and every one of us. Before we are truly prepared to live we must first be prepared to pass away. Therefore, when we are ready to pass away let us not delay and immediately do it. As Moses took in this final visual feast of the promised land, a piece of real estate that
he would never step foot upon, this is what he was
looking forward to the most and that was it. God wanted him home. Then the Lord said to him, "This is the land which I
swore to Abraham, Isaac, "and Jacob, saying, I will
give it to your descendants. "I have let you see it with your eyes "but you shall not go over there. "So Moses, the servant of the Lord, "died there in the land of Moab "according to the word of the Lord." Moses gave up the spirit. Whether we are heroes or not,
we will all reach the point in our lives when we must abandon the body and pass on to another realm. Two different messages spring from this; the aloneness of death. Not its loneliness, but it's aloneness. There's a difference. Loneliness suggests an empty longing. Reaching in vain for someone else. Aloneness means nobody else goes along. That is what I see here. It's a solo flight. You never take a companion along when you travel through
death, you go all alone. On the other hand, Moses is all by himself atop Mount Pisgah. Joshua was not allowed to
accompany them in any way and Aaron had long since disappeared. On the rocky trek to the peak, where there was no discernible trail, there was just one
solitary figure to be seen. The next thing that springs
up is the security of death. Moses died according to
the word of the Lord. The man's life came to an end precisely how God had planned it out all along. Moses passed away by
himself, but in peace. The account of his passing
is contained within the final six verses of the book of
Deuteronomy, chapter 34. Death has a way of putting
things in proper perspective, doesn't it? After death comes a burial, and so it was in the case of Moses, but verse six contains one of
the most remarkable statements about the whole remarkable
career of Moses. Deuteronomy chapter 34 verse
six, "And he buried him "in the valley in the land
of Moab opposite Beth Peor. "But no man knows where his
burial place is to this day." Moses is the only person in the Bible whom God personally buried. Did you realize that? The Lord then hid the tomb. What made him do that? Because that grave would've
been turned into a shrine. They'd still be beating
a path up Nebo today, erecting shrines, selling
popcorn and peanuts, offering various rides, and maybe even running a tram up there with big banners proclaiming
Moses burial place. So it was concealed. This was so crucial to the Lord that it even sparked an
angelic confrontation. Jude verse nine contains
one of the stranger accounts in the Bible concerning this event. Jude writes, " But Michael,
the archangel, when he disputed "with the devil and argued
about the body of Moses, "did not dare pronounce
against him an abusive judgment "but said, "The Lord rebuke you."" The end of the story. All things have their proper wrap up as does the story of Moses. Since that time there has
not been another prophet who has arisen in Israel
who is comparable to Moses, whom the Lord personally knew. This is due to all of the miracles and signs that the Lord
committed Moses to perform in the land of Egypt against
Pharaoh, all of his servants, and the entirety of Pharaoh's
land, as well as due to all of the great terror and mighty
power that Moses displayed in front of all of Israel. Famous French historian and
philologist, Joseph Renan, once said of Moses, "He is a colossus among
figures of humanity." Moses was clearly one of a
kind, but at the end of the day he was just a man serving God. Nonetheless, we can derive a
great deal of personal gain from learning about his life and passing. Number three, Jesus. The final moments of
Jesus' life are recorded in Mark, chapter 15 verses 33 to 39. His journey to the cross
has been fraught with agony. He has been neglected, marked,
degraded and humiliated. In addition to being subjected to torture. Jesus takes his final breath at this moment as he hangs on the cross. Mark chapter 15, verse 33. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. This will be 12 o'clock in
the afternoon and the darkness would last until the ninth
hour or three o'clock. This other worldly darkness arrived when the sun was shining highest. Because the moon was now full, it couldn't have been
created by an eclipse because the moon can't intervene between the earth and
the sun when it's full. This darkness was undoubtedly brought about by God's prompt intervention. Mark chapter 15, verse 34. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi,
Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why
have you foreseen me?" Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? St. Mark here uses the Aramaic form. St. Matthew refers to the original Hebrew. This might be rendered. Why didst thou forsake me? Mark chapter 15, verse 35. And when some of the bystanders hurt him they began saying, "Look,
he calling for Elijah." Those who stayed around the cross, despite the mysterious darkness,
are mentioned in verse 35. The darkness would certainly add to the dreadfulness of the situation. It was out of that darkness
that the voice of Jesus was heard, and in as
much as Elias or Elijah was believed to hold some
relation to the Messiah, it was natural for some
of those who stood by to understand the words to mean that our Lord was actually
calling for Elias. Mark chapter 15, verse 36, and one ran and filled a sponge full of
vinegar and put it on a reed and gave him to drink, saying, "Let alone, "let us see whether Elias
will come to take him down." And Jesus cried with a loud
voice and gave up the ghost and the veil of the
temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Before entering the Holy Place, there was the first veil and
then there was a second veil before entering the Holy of Holies. The Holy Place would
correspond to what we refer to as the nave of the church,
which is a part of the church in which the priests were usually present. The Holy of Holies would be
equivalent to our chancel choir which is the most sacred
area of the structure. This was always kept
closed and the only person who was permitted to enter
it was the high priest. And even then, only on
the Day of Expiation, which occurred once a year. The veil that was placed in
front of the Holy of Holies was the one that was torn during the crucifixion of our Lord. It was the responsibility
of the officiating priest on the evening of the day of preparation at the hour of evening
prayer, which would correspond to the time of our lord's
death, to enter into the Holy Place, where he would of course be between the two curtains or veils, the outer veil and the inner veil. It would then be his
responsibility to roll back the outer veil,
exposing the sacred space to the people in the outer court. Then and there, to their amazement, they would witness the
inner veil ripped apart from top to bottom. This tearing of the veil now
meant first, dispensation, with its rights and
ceremonies was now uncovered by Christ and that
thenceforth the middle wall of partition was broken down. So the now, not the Jews
only, but the Gentiles also might draw nigh by the blood of Christ. But second, it also implied that the way to heaven was laid open by our lord's death. "When thou hast overcome
the sharpness of death, "thou didst open the kingdom
of heaven to all believers." The veil implied that
heaven was closed to all until Christ by his death
rent this veil in twain and laid open the way. Mark chapter 15, verse 39: And when the centurion who was standing right in front of him saw that
he died in this way, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God." He must have been standing close to the cross and there was something in the dying sufferer's entire demeanor that was so unlike anything
he had ever seen before that it elicited the spontaneous cry. "Truly this man was the Son of God." In just a few verses,
Mark packs a lot of punch. There's a lot to say about
the strange events that occur. Jesus had an effect on
those who were close to him. The thief on the cross had
a distinct reaction to him and now the soldier who
was watching over Jesus has to comment that he is the Son of God. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus had kept his identity
a secret from everyone but now it was completely
obvious to everyone. This man truly was the Son of God. What a declaration for
a Roman officer to make. If any of the religious
leaders overheard him, they would've lost their minds. They just spent the
previous day persuading Rome to execute Jesus, precisely because he was blaspheming about being God's Son. You need to realize
that Jesus died for you. Do not reject him. Once you've known him, once
you've heard the gospel and rejected it, you
can never be the same. It says that when the rich
young ruler rejected Christ he turned away grieved,
emotionally disturbed, because when you reject
the claims of Christ, that's a very serious thing. It'll be an hour of decision for many of you who
will receive him today.
