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THE SERVANT THAT KNEW HIS LORD’S WILL SHALL BE BEATEN WITH MANY STRIPES

Updated - 6/16/10

 

We read in Luke 12:47-48:

 

47  And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

48  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

 

In this study we will examine these verses and their context in detail to answer the question: Do these verses require that the unsaved who have died from this world, whose bodies are presently sleeping in the dust, to awake to consciousness to fulfill these verses?

 

We are going to begin this study by analyzing these verses carefully, part by part. First, we want to lay some ground work by understanding some of the terms used in these two verses:

 

 

WHOM DO THE “SERVANTS” REPRESENT?

 

These verses talk about a “servant” who knew the Lord’s will, and about one that did not know the Lord’s will. In both cases, the “servant” represents unsaved people because they are receiving punishment for their sins. The Lord Jesus took all of the punishment for the true believer’s sin. Only the unsaved will be punished for their sins.

 

 

The “servants” described in Luke 12:47-48 represent unsaved people because they are receiving punishment for their sin.

 

 

Unsaved man is also a “servant” of God, like the true believer is a “servant” of God. Below are a few verses that show that God uses the word “servant” to speak of the unsaved, who are also “servants” of God. However, they are unprofitable or evil “servants”, according to these verses. Nevertheless, the unsaved also are “servants” of God:

 

Matthew 18:32  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant <1401>, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

 

Matthew 24:48  But and if that evil servant <1401> shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

 

Matthew 24:50  The lord of that servant <1401> shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

 

Matthew 25:30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant <1401> into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

The above verses confirm that God uses the word “servant” to refer to unsaved as well as saved people. In the case of Luke 12:47-48 the “servants” represent the unsaved.

 

 

 

WHAT IS THE “lord’s will”?

 

The “Lord” in these verses of course refers to God. To understand what God means by “his lord’s will” in Luke 12:47-48 we examine other passages that use the word “will” to see how God defines this word:

 

Matthew 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will <2307> be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

 

This is the Lord’s prayer. The prayer is that the Lord’s “will” would be done on earth. The “Lord’s will” is the whole Bible. We pray that everything that God has declared in the Bible will come to pass.

 

 

Matthew 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will <2307> of my Father which is in heaven.

 

Matthew 7:21 is describing the character of the true believer. He is one that “doeth the will of my Father”. The “will of my Father” is the whole Bible. The true believer is endeavoring to follow the whole Bible.

 

 

Matthew 12:50  For whosoever shall do the will <2307> of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

 

Matthew 12:50 is talking about the true believers who are part of the family of God, as represented by the titles “brother, and sister, and mother” of the Lord Jesus. The “will” God is talking about in this verse is the whole Bible. That is what the true believers do.

 

 

Romans 2:18  And knowest his will <2307>, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;

 

In Romans 2:18 God is talking about the Jews and their knowledge of the Old Testament which was the Bible that was available in their time. God talks about how they knew His “will”. The Jews knew the Old Testament. Notice that God adds at the end of the verse that they were “instructed out of the law”. The “law” refers to the whole Bible, which was the Old Testament for the Jews since that was all that was available in their time. In Romans 2:18 God identifies the “will” of God with the “law” of God, which is the whole Bible.

 

 

Colossians 1:9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will <2307> in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

 

The “knowledge of his will” that the people needed is the whole Bible. This is where we learn the will of God.

 

 

These are a few verses in which God defines what the “Lord’s will” is. Without doubt, the “Lord’s will” is the whole Bible.

 

God defines terms by how He uses them in the Bible. No where does the Bible teach that the “Lord’s will” is limited to some new teachings coming today. Rather, the Bible defines the “Lord’s will” as the whole Bible.

 

 

 

Next, in our study we must ask another question:

 

 

DO THE WORDS “STRIPES” AND “BEATEN” ALWAYS SIGNIFY CONSCIOUS AFFLICTION?

 

We see the words “stripes” and “beaten” in Luke 12:47-48. We must examine if these Greek words are always used to signify conscious affliction.

 

Here are some verses with the same Greek word translated “stripes”:

 

Luke 10:30  And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded <4127> him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

 

This man was beaten to the point of destroying his body. He suffered conscious affliction when we was “wounded”.

 

 

Acts 16:23  And when they had laid many stripes <4127> upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

 

Acts 16:33  And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes <4127>; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

 

These two verses talk about when Silas and the Apostle Paul were cast into the jail of Philippi. They received “stripes” of conscious affliction.

 

 

2 Corinthians 6:5  In stripes <4127>, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

 

2 Corinthians 11:23  Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes <4127> above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

 

In 2 Corinthians 11 the Apostle Paul is not boasting. Rather God is speaking through him so that we might know the problems that a witness of the Gospel can suffer. The Apostle Paul suffered greatly, more than most believers will have to suffer for the sake of Christ.

 

When the Apostle Paul received “stripes”, he received much conscious affliction.

 

 

Revelation 16:9  And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues <4127>: and they repented not to give him glory.

 

Revelation 16:21  And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague <4127> of the hail; for the plague <4127> thereof was exceeding great.

 

The Greek word translated “stripes” in Luke 12:48 is translated “plague” in these two verses from Revelation 16 that talk about Judgment Day for the unsaved. In both verses the unsaved have “blasphemed” God because of the

“plague” or “stripes” that they have received from God. The Greek word “blasphemed” always signifies a conscious action. It is a response against God for being “plagued”. Therefore, we can know that the “plague” from God is a conscious affliction.

 

We see in the above verses and it is also true in all verses that use this same Greek word translated “stripes” in Luke 12:48 that this word always signifies some kind of conscious affliction.

 

 

Let us now look at the Greek word “beaten” that we find in our passage. We find this same Greek word in these verses:

 

Matthew 21:35  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat <1194> one, and killed another, and stoned another.

 

Mark 12:3  And they caught him, and beat <1194> him, and sent him away empty.

 

Mark 12:5  And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some <1194>, and killing some.

 

Mark 13:9  But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten <1194>: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

 

We can see in the 4 examples above, that the one is being “beaten” consciously using the same Greek word found in Luke 12:47-48.

 

 

Luke 22:63  And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote <1194> him.

 

In Luke 22:63 the men “smote” or beat the Lord Jesus.

 

 

John 18:23  Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest <1194> thou me?

 

In John 18:22 the temple servant had hit the Lord Jesus and in this verse, Jesus is asking why he struck Him. It is a conscious affliction to be struck.

 

 

Acts 5:40  And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten <1194> them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

 

Acts 22:19  And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat <1194> in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

 

In these 2 verses in Acts, we see more examples of this same Greek word talking about people who were being beaten.

 

 

We have looked at the Greek words translated “stripes” and “beaten” in Luke 12:47-48 and they always are used to refer to conscious affliction. God is using language that speaks of conscious affliction that the unsaved must endure because of their sins.

 

 

At this point, let us summarize what God is saying in Luke 12:47-48.

 

 

Luke 12:47-48 teaches that the more an unsaved person knew of his Lord’s will, which is the whole Bible, the more “stripes” or conscious affliction he must receive.

 

 

This teaching is confirmed by other passages of the Bible. We will examine some of those passages now.

 

 

MATTHEW 11:20-24 CONFIRMS THE TEACHING OF LUKE 12:47-48 BY TEACHING THAT THOSE CITIES WHICH HEARD CHRIST SPEAKING WILL RECEIVE MORE CONSCIOUS AFFLICTION AT JUDGMENT DAY THAN THOSE WHO NEVER HEARD.

 

 

We read in Matthew 11:22:

 

But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

 

First, before we examine this verse, we are going to examine the Greek word translated “tolerable”. It is argued that Matthew 11:22 can be fulfilled by shame in God’s sight coming upon unconscious corpses. However, to come to truth, we must remember the Biblical rule of 1 Corinthians 2:13 that God teaches truth by comparing Scripture with Scripture. The Greek word translated “tolerable” is always used in the Bible to indicate conscious affliction. Let us examine verses with the same Greek word translated “tolerable”:

 

Matthew 17:17  Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer <430> you? bring him hither to me.

 

The Lord Jesus suffered the conscious affliction of sadness over the unbelief of the unsaved people of National Israel. That was a great conscious affliction for God that His people would not come to Him. We read about this in Luke 19:41:

 

And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

 

When Jesus came near to Jerusalem, He wept over the city. This was because of their unbelief. God suffers the conscious affliction of sadness over the fact that His people will not come to Him nor believe in Him. This is the “suffering” of which Jesus speaks in Matthew 17:17. Sadly, those people were a “faithless and perverse generation”.

 

God “suffers” the conscious affliction of the sadness for His people that turn from Him.

 

 

We read in Acts 18:12-16:

 

12 ¶ And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,

13  Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.

14  And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear <430> with you:

15  But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters.

16  And he drave them from the judgment seat.

 

The Greek word translated “tolerable” in Matthew 11:22 is translated “bear” in Acts 18:14. In Acts 18:12-16, the Apostle Paul was brought before Gallio who was acting as the judge. Gallio decided that the matter in question had nothing to do with the secular law concerning which Gallio had authority. Gallio understood that the matter was a question of “your law”, that is the Gospel. Therefore, Gallio did not hear the case. He “drave them from the judgment seat”. Gallio did not “bear” with them. That is, he did not spend the time with them to hear both sides, listen to all of the arguments and appeals, and then make a judgment.

 

In Acts 18:14 God is using this Greek word translated “tolerable” in Matthew 11:22 in the sense of to “bear” with two groups arguing about an issue. In this context, this word still indicates conscious experience. It is the conscious experience of having to listen to two groups arguing about an issue and then making a decision and putting up with the complaints of the losing group. This is a conscious experience or conscious affliction.

 

 

1 Corinthians 4:12  And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it <430>:

 

In  1 Corinthians 4:12, God is speaking through the Apostle Paul and telling us how he was “persecuted”. When he was persecuted, he “suffered” that conscious affliction.

 

 

2 Corinthians 11:1  Would to God ye could bear <430> with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear <430> with me.

 

2 Corinthians 11 is an important chapter and helps us to understand how God uses this Greek word translated “tolerable” in Matthew 11:22. In 2 Corinthians 11, through the Apostle Paul, God is going to admonish the Corinthian church people. God is warning them that others bringing a wrong gospel had come into their church to “beguile” them as satan beguiled Eve (verses 3 & 4). In verse 1, God wants them to “bear” with Him as He explains (through the Apostle Paul) to them that they are departing from the Lord Jesus and going down a wrong path. It is a conscious affliction to “bear” with and listen to admonishment that we have been going down a wrong path.

 

 

We read some more verses with this same Greek word:

 

Ephesians 4:2  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing <430> one another in love;

 

Colossians 3:13  Forbearing <430> one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

 

2 Thessalonians 1:4  So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure <430>:

 

In these 3 verses, God is telling us that we must “forbear” or “endure” the afflictions that come from trying to get along with others or from bringing the Gospel. These are conscious afflictions.

 

 

2 Timothy 4:3  For the time will come when they will <430> not endure <430> sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

 

Hebrews 13:22  And I beseech you, brethren, suffer <430> the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.

 

In these 2 verses, God is telling us that when the Word of God comes to “exhort” or correct us, it can be a conscious affliction. We do not like to hear that we have been going down a wrong path. God tells us that people will not “endure sound doctrine”. It is a conscious affliction to have to listen to the truth and be corrected by it.

 

 

We see that all of these verses use this Greek word translated “tolerable” in Matthew 11:22 to indicate conscious affliction. This is true for all of the verses that use this same Greek word.

 

 

With this understanding, let us look at Matthew 11:20-24:

 

20  Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

21  Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22  But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

23  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24  But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

 

Verse 20 sets the context of the discussion. The Lord Jesus is “upbraiding” those people among whom He did most of His mighty works. Those are the cities in which He did most of His preaching. They heard a whole lot of the “Lord’s will” directly from the Lord Himself.

 

In verse 21, the Lord names 2 of the cities, Chorazin and Bethsaida, in Israel that had received much preaching and many mighty works. Then, Christ also mentions two heathen cities outside of Israel that received very minimal Gospel, “Tyre and Sidon”. The people of Tyre and Sidon had received very little Gospel preaching. They knew much less of the “Lord’s will”.

 

In fact, God says that if the people of Tyre and Sidon had heard all the preaching that the cities of Israel had heard, then “they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” It would have had such an impact upon them that they would have repented.

 

 

The Lord Jesus is emphasizing the point that the people of those cities in Israel had heard much more of the Gospel message. They knew much more of the “Lord’s will” than did the people of Tyre and Sidon.

 

 

Then, we read the important next statement from the Lord Jesus in verse 22:

 

But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

 

From 1 Corinthians 2:13 we know that God defines words by how He uses them in the Bible. Earlier in this study, we have already established that God always uses this Greek word translated “tolerable” in Matthew 11:22 to indicate conscious experience. It is never used to indicate a non-conscious experience like shame upon a corpse or the scattering of bones.

 

Notice also God gives the point in time of the experience in view. God says “at the day of judgment”. So, we know that God is talking about an experience that will occur at Judgment Day.

 

In this verse God is saying that Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for the people of Tyre and Sidon than for those who heard the preaching of the Lord Jesus. God has defined this Greek word translated “tolerable” to always signify conscious experience. So, God is saying that the conscious experience of Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for the people of Tyre and Sidon than for those that heard much preaching from the Lord Jesus.

 

 

This verse is teaching that the people who heard the preaching of the Lord Jesus and rejected it will experience more conscious affliction at Judgment Day than those of Tyre and Sidon who heard very little of the Gospel.

 

 

This agrees with the principle of Luke 12:47-48. The people of Israel are represented by the “servant, which knew his lord’s will”. They are the ones to “whomsoever much is given”. They have been given much of the Lord’s will by the Lord Himself through direct preaching.

 

The people of Tyre and Sidon are represented by the servant “that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes”. They are not those “unto whomsoever much is given”. They had not received much of the Lord’s will. Matthew 11:20-22 and Luke 12:47-48 teach that the people of Tyre and Sidon will receive fewer stripes, less conscious affliction at Judgment Day. The conscious affliction of Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for the people of Tyre and Sidon than for those of Israel who heard the preaching of the Lord Jesus.

 

 

Matthew 11:22 gives a specific application of the law of Luke 12:47-48 in that it teaches that the conscious affliction of Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for the people of Tyre and Sidon who knew less of the Lord’s will than for those of Israel who heard much preaching from the Lord Himself.

 

 

This is why the unsaved, whose bodies are sleeping in the dust, must awake to consciousness at Judgment Day to experience this affliction. For Bible verses that explain the awaking of the unsaved to consciousness in their bodies at Judgment Day, please see the study:

 

 

TEN PROOFS OF THE CONSCIOUS AWAKING OF THE UNSAVED

 

 

God repeats this principle in the next 2 verses, Matthew 11:23-24:

 

23  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24  But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

 

The people of Capernaum also had experienced many of the “mighty works” that the Lord Jesus had done, demonstrating the Gospel. They knew more of the “Lord’s will”. They are represented by those “unto whomsoever much is given”. They have been given much of the Lord’s will.

 

In verse 23, God is saying that if the same impressive “mighty works” had been done in Sodom, that city would have remained. That is, the works that the Lord Jesus did, demonstrating the Gospel and that He was from God, were so impressive that if those works were done in Sodom, the people would have got the message that this is from God and would have repented sufficiently so that God would not have destroyed them. In other words, the people of Capernaum had received many wonderful works from God. They knew much of the “Lord’s will”.

 

In verse 24, God repeats the principle that Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for those, like Sodom, who did not receive much of the Gospel, much of the Lord’s will, than for Israel, who received much of the Lord’s will.

 

 

Matthew 11:24 teaches that the conscious affliction of Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for those who knew little of the Lord’s will, like Sodom, than for those, like Israel, who received much of the Lord’s will. This agrees with the principle taught in Luke 12:47-48.

 

 

Notice that God makes this point 2 times in Matthew 11:20-24. In both verse 22 and verse 24, God makes the point about the conscious affliction at Judgment Day being “more tolerable” for those that knew less of the Lord’s will. Genesis 41:32 teaches that God doubles up on points to place extra emphasis upon a truth.

 

 

 

IN MATTHEW 10:15 GOD AFFIRMS THE PRINCIPLE THAT THE MORE AN UNSAVED PERSON KNEW ABOUT THE LORD’S WILL, THE MOST CONSCIOUS AFFLICTION HE WILL RECEIVE AT JUDGMENT DAY.

 

In Matthew 10, the Lord gives the true believers instruction about sending out the Gospel. This instruction applies throughout the New Testament era. In verses 14-15, God gives the consequences for turning away from the Gospel:

 

14  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

15  Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

 

In verse 14, God is instructing the believers what to do when they bring the Gospel and someone rejects it. They are to depart from those people and move onto other places to bring the Gospel. Then, in verse 15, concerning the people of that city, God says “It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”

 

We studied the Greek word translated “tolerable” above and found that God defines this word as always signifying conscious affliction. Also, notice that the time reference given is “the day of judgment”. God is faulting that city that heard the Gospel but did “not receive” the message or the messengers. They were not interested in the Gospel.

 

Verse 15 is saying that the conscious affliction of Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for those who had not heard much of the Gospel, like Sodom and Gomorrha, than for the people of that city who heard and did not “not receive” the Gospel.

 

 

Matthew 10:15 is another confirmation of the principle of Luke 12:47-48 that the unsaved who knew more of the “Lord’s will” must experience more conscious affliction at Judgment Day than those that have never heard.  

 

 

God repeats this statement in 3 other verses:

 

Mark 6:11  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable <414> for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

 

Luke 10:12  But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable <414> in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

 

Luke 10:14  But it shall be more tolerable <414> for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.

 

 

In each of the 6 verses with this Greek word translated “more tolerable”, God is giving specific applications in which those that knew more of the “Lord’s will” shall experience more conscious affliction at Judgment Day than those that knew less. They must awake to consciousness at Judgment Day to fulfill these verses.

 

 

 

SOME ARGUE THAT LUKE 12:47-48 ONLY SPEAK OF SERVANTS THAT KNEW ALL OF THE LORD’S WILL, OF WHICH THERE ARE NONE.

 

 

In Luke 12:47 we read about the servant “which knew his lord’s will”. Some have argued that no one knows all of the “lord’s will” and therefore Luke 12:47-48 do not apply to anyone. That argument is simply trying to avoid these verses. God has put these verses into the Bible and so we should listen to them.

 

In the second part of verse 48, God provides further help in understanding of what He is teaching by these verses, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

 

In this statement, God uses words that do not signify a complete knowledge. The one to whom “much is given” is one that has been given a greater amount of truth from the Bible, the “lord’s will”. This is also true of the one to whom “men have committed much”. This is talking about those to whom God has “committed much” truth from the Bible. Concerning those people, God “will ask the more”. God has a higher expectation from them, as we read about in Matthew 11:20-24 concerning the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. Those cities in Galilee were among those to whom “much is given” in comparison to Sodom and Gomorrah and Tyre and Sidon. God “will ask the more” in the sense that when they awake to consciousness at Judgment Day, they will be “beaten with many stripes”. Judgment Day for the cities of Tyre and Sidon will be “more tolerable” because they knew less of the Lord’s will. They shall be beaten with “few stripes”.

 

 

When we consider the last part of Luke 12:48, we see that this passage is not limited just to someone who knew all of the Lord’s will. It speaks to all people, according to how much they knew of the Bible.

 

 

 

Let’s now examine the context of Luke 12:47-48. Some have argued that these verses only apply to those on earth at the last day.

 

 

A CAREFUL EXAMINATION OF THE CONTEXT OF LUKE 12:47-48 SHOWS THAT THIS PASSAGE IS TALKING ABOUT ALL UNSAVED SERVANTS THROUGHOUT TIME, NOT JUST THOSE HERE AT THE END.

 

 

We read in Luke 12:45-46, the verses just prior to verses 47 & 48:

 

45  But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46  The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

 

When we read Luke 12:45-46 quickly we can get the impression that it is only talking about the end of the world. This has led people to conclude that verses 47 & 48 only apply to those in the world at the end of time. We have already seen by the 6 verses with the Greek word translated “more tolerable” that God applies the principle of Luke 12:47-48 to those in the days of Jesus and to all those hearing the Gospel throughout the New Testament era.

 

 

We must carefully examine the passage containing Luke 12:47-48 to learn if the context is all time or just for those near the end of the world.

 

We start out our examination of the context of Luke 12:47-48 by going back to verse 31. We read in verses 31 to 35:

 

31  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

35  Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

 

Verse 31 is very similar to Matthew 6:33 in the Sermon on the mount. Luke 12:31-35 is talking about and to believers throughout time.

 

We read in the next verses, verses 36 to 40:

 

36  And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

37  Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

38  And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

39  And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

40  Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

 

These verses talk about when the Lord comes. We read the word “come” in each of the 5 verses.

 

When we think about the “coming of the Lord” we normally think about the end of the world. It is true that the Lord is coming at the end of the world. However, the Bible uses the idea of Christ “coming” to describe other times that He has come or will come.

 

 

DOES THE LORD “COME” ONLY AT THE END OF THE WORLD OR DOES THE LORD “COME” AT OTHER TIMES AS WELL?

 

 

We will examine the various ways that the Bible talks about the Lord “coming”. The Bible talks about how Christ “came” in 29AD to preach for 3 ½ years and then go to the cross. We see this truth in these verses:

 

Matthew 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

 

Matthew 10:34-35:

34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

 

Luke 5:32  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

 

Luke 7:34  The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

 

Luke 9:56  For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

 

1 Timothy 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

 

 

These are some of the verses that talk about how the Lord “came” in 29AD to 33AD to bring the Gospel and go to the cross.

 

 

The Lord also “came” at Pentecost in 33AD in the person of the Holy Spirit.

 

We read in these 2 verses that the Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of Christ”:

 

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

 

1 Peter 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

 

 

In Romans 8:9 God talks about the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of God” and then later in the same verse God says, “Spirit of Christ”. Both are names for the Holy Spirit.

 

God can refer to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of Christ” and as the “Spirit of God” because both the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ are God.

 

Before the Lord Jesus went to the cross, He gave this promise to the true believers in John 14:16-18:

 

16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

 

In verses 16 & 17, the Holy Spirit is called the “Comforter” and the “Spirit of truth”. The Lord Jesus is promising to send the Holy Spirit to the true believers. This was fulfilled at Pentecost in 33AD when the Holy Spirit was poured out.

 

Then, in verse 18, the Lord Jesus says “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you”. He will not leave them “comfortless” because He will send them the “Comforter”, the Holy Spirit, as explained in verse 16. The next thing the Lord says in verse 18 is “I will come to you”. The Lord Jesus ties the statement “I will come to you” to the statement “I will not leave you comfortless” and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Effectively, the Lord Jesus is saying that “I will come to you” in the person of the Holy Spirit who is the “Spirit of Christ”.

 

We read a confirmation of this in Acts 1:8:

 

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

 

 

So, the Lord Jesus “came” again at Pentecost in 33AD in the person of the Holy Spirit who was poured out.

 

 

 

THE LORD JESUS “CAME” AND SCATTERED MANKIND AT THE TOWER OF BABEL

 

We read in Genesis 11:5-8:

 

5 ¶ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

6  And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

7  Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

8  So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

 

We remember that the LORD, Jehovah, is the Lord Jesus. We read in verse 5 that the Lord Jesus “came” down to see the actions of mankind in the construction of the Tower of Babel. The Lord confounded their languages and scattered the people abroad.

 

 

 

THE LORD JESUS CAME AND GAVE SARAH, AND GIVES EVERY MOTHER, HER BABY

 

We read in Genesis 18:10-14:

 

10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

 

God gives a commentary about this in Romans 9:9:

 

For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.

 

In Genesis 18:10-14 God has appeared to Abraham in the form of 3 men. However, God promises to “return unto thee” in the next year when Sarah would give birth to Isaac. We do not read that God appeared again in any form. Rather, God came to Sarah in the sense that He gave her conception and the birth of Isaac in the next year.

 

We see in the language of Romans 9:9 that God said “At this time will I come”. God “came” to Sarah to give conception and in the next year to give Isaac. God must form the baby in the womb.

 

So, God “came” to Sarah to give her a child and God must come to all women to give them children.

 

 

 

GOD “CAME” TO NATIONAL ISRAEL THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT SEEKING THE FRUIT OF SALVATION

 

We read in Luke 13:6-9:

 

6 ¶ He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

7  Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

8  And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

9  And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

 

Luke 13:6-9 is talking about a man and a fig tree. The “man” represents God. Other passages point to the fig tree as representing Old Testament Israel and the context of Luke 13:6-9 agrees with that.

 

This passage talks about this man “coming” for 3 years to seek fruit from the fig tree and yet there was none. The 3 years can represent God’s purpose for how much time He would work with National Israel during the Old Testament. Since 1447BC when Israel came out of Egypt until the time of Jesus, God had been working closely with National Israel seeking the fruit of obedience and salvation. God “came” to them repeatedly in the form of prophets and yet as a nation, they never turned to God. There never was fruit from them as a nation. This is the point of verse 7 in which the man says that he found no fruit from the fig tree. However, he will come one more time and see if it brings forth fruit. That one last time could represent Christ’s dealings with them during His 3 ½ year earthly ministry after which point God rejected them and moved onto the New Testament church. Or, it could represent the fact that they became a nation again in 1948 for one last time before the end.

 

In either case, God “came” repeatedly to National Israel throughout the Old Testament in seeking fruit from them.

 

 

 

GOD “COMES” TO SAVED AND UNSAVED PEOPLE TO QUALIFY THEM TO SERVE GOD IN A CERTAIN CAPACITY.

 

We read a number of verses which talk about the Spirit of God “coming” upon someone:

 

Judges 3:10  And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.

 

Judges 6:34  But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.

 

Judges 11:29  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

 

Judges 14:6  And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

 

Judges 14:19  And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.

 

1 Samuel 11:6  And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.

 

The Spirit of God is God Himself which means that God “came” upon these people. We know that at least King Saul never became saved and the Bible talks about God “coming” upon him in 1 Samuel 11:6. So, God can “come” upon both the saved and the unsaved to enable them to accomplish a specific job that God has for them. This does not mean that this person became saved, but rather God qualified him to serve in some capacity.

 

 

 

GOD “COMES” TO SOMEONE WHEN HE SAVES THAT PERSON

 

We read in the following verses:

 

John 3:8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

 

John 3:8 is talking about the Holy Spirit “coming” to save someone and indwell Him. We do not know when and how that happens. God does that. Nevertheless, God “comes” to someone when He saves him.

 

 

John 14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

 

John 14:23 is a very direct statement that God “comes” and makes His “abode” with someone when He saves him. In this verse, God focuses upon the Father and Son coming to indwell the true believer. Other verses focus upon the Holy Spirit coming to indwell. The whole God Head is intimately involved in our salvation.

 

 

Psalm 80:1-3:

1 ¶ <<To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph.>> Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

2  Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.

3  Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

 

In verse 2, the Psalmist, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, asks God to “stir up thy strength, and come and save us”.

 

 

Psalms 72:6  He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

 

God is the one that “comes” down with the rain of the Gospel.

 

 

Acts 3:20  And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

 

Upon salvation, God sends the Lord Jesus who comes and indwells the true believer.

 

 

Matthew 18:11  For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

 

Luke 19:10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

 

Matthew 18:11 and Luke 19:10 talk about when the Lord Jesus came and ministered started in 29AD. However, the Lord Jesus is still “come” into this world and is in this world “to seek and to save that which was lost”.

 

So, we see many verses that talk about how God “comes” to mankind when He saves him.

 

 

 

GOD “COMES” TO THE UNSAVED WHEN HE SLAYS THEM FOR THEIR SIN.

 

We read in Exodus 12:23 that God “came” and slew the first born of Egypt during the Passover in 1447BC:

 

For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

 

The Lord Jesus is the LORD, Jehovah. He is the “destroyer” that “came” and slew the first born of the Egyptians. God is finally the “destroyer” of the unsaved. The Lord Jesus was the “destroyer to come” into the houses of the Egyptians. He “came” and slew their first born.

 

 

Israel disobeyed and God’s wrath came upon them. We read about this in 2 verses in Psalm 78:

 

Psalms 78:21  Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

 

Psalms 78:31  The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

 

These verses talk about how the “anger” and “wrath of God came” upon the people of Israel, and God slew them. However, finally, it was God that came and slew the people for their sin.

 

 

We read in Job 15:21:

 

A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

 

Job 15:21 is talking about the wrath of God coming against the unsaved. God is the “destroyer” that finally “comes” upon the unsaved and destroys him by casting him into the lake of fire for a perpetual destroying.

 

 

We read about God “coming” to see the sinful condition of Sodom and Gomorrah and then destroying it in Genesis 18:20-21:

20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

21  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

 

God “came” down and saw the sinful condition of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them.

 

We have seen a number of passages that teach that God “comes” to the unsaved and takes them in death.

 

 

 

GOD COMES AND TAKES THE MAN THAT HAS HIS “TREASURE” IN THIS WORLD

 

We read in Luke 12:16-21:

 

16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

 

This passage is particularly relevant because it is in Luke 12, the chapter that we are studying. Luke 12:16-21 is actually part of the same context of Luke 12:47-48 as we shall see. In Luke 12:16-21, the Lord gives an illustration of a man who had his treasure in this world. This man received a great harvest and was planning to use his new wealth to enjoy this world for himself.

 

But, God came to him and took his soul that night. This passage is a parable but nevertheless it is similar to the other passages that we have just read where God comes to the unsaved and takes them in death from this world because of their sin.

 

 

 

GOD ALSO COMES TO THE TRUE BELIEVER TO TAKE HIM IN DEATH FROM THIS WORLD

 

We read in Luke 16:22:

 

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

 

This is talking about the beggar who died. The beggar represents the true believer. Luke 16:22 talks about how the angels carried him into Abraham’s bosom, a representation of the blessing of God’s care. This verse talks about “angels”. However it is finally God that decides when to take a true believer in death from this world and who directs that the true believer’s spirit is brought into heaven.

 

God finally is the one that comes and takes the true believer in death from this world.

 

 

 

REVELATION 2 & 3 WARN THAT CHRIST “CAME” THROUGHOUT THE N.T. ERA IN JUDGMENT AGAINST CHURCHES THAT DISOBEYED.

 

Once principle that we must keep in mind as we study the Bible is that God uses actual people who lived 2,000 years ago or more to teach Gospel truth. These people really existed and what God said to them was really true and applied to them. What God said to them is also for all mankind throughout time because God wrote about it in the Bible. Nevertheless, those people really existed and what God told them about themselves was true for them.

 

For example, there was a man from Ethiopia named Ebedmelech in the days of Jeremiah. We read about him in Jeremiah 38 & 39:

 

Jeremiah 38:7-13:

7  Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;

8  Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying,

9  My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.

10  Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.

11  So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

12  And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.

13  So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

 

Jeremiah 39:16-18:

16  Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.

17  But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.

18  For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.

 

Jeremiah 38 describes how Ebedmelech risked his own life to help save Jeremiah. Then, in Jeremiah 39 God says special things to Ebedmelech. God makes special promises to Ebedmelech.

 

Ebedmelech was a real person and all of the promises given to him in Jeremiah 39:17-18 are true promises that apply to him. These promises also apply to all true believers throughout time. However, we have to keep in mind that they are specific promises to a specific person, Ebedmelech, who lived about 2500 years ago. They also apply to this man who lived about 2,500 years ago.

 

In the same way, God made specific statements to 7 churches in Revelation 2 & 3. These were real churches with real people that lived about 1,900 years ago. The statements to those people in those churches apply to churches throughout the New Testament era. However, those statements also apply to the people in those churches who lived about 1,900 years ago.

 

 

As we study statements made to specific people in the Bible, like Ebedmelech or the people of the 7 churches in Revelation 2 & 3, we must keep mind that those people actually existed and that the statements made to them apply to them.

 

 

Knowing this information, let’s read about the church of Ephesus. We read in Revelation 2:1-5:

 

1 ¶ Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

 

In Revelation 2:1-5 God is talking to the people of the church of Ephesus. He is talking to all churches throughout time, however, God is also talking to the people of that church that existed about 1,900 years ago.

 

God has some good things to say about those people. However, God is against them because “thou hast left thy first love” as we read in verse 4. The people of that church were falling away from truth. God is warning them and commanding them in verse 5; “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works”. God is commanding them to repent and return to God.

 

If they do not repent, God tells those people in that church 1,900 years ago that He “will come unto thee quickly”. God is not talking about His “coming” at the end of the world. Rather, if the people of that church do not repent, God “will come unto thee quickly”. God will “remove thy candlestick out of his place”. That means that God will remove His blessing of the light of the Gospel from that church. They would become a “dead” church like the church of Sardis (Revelation 3:1).

 

Revelation 2:5 is a warning to the people of the church of Ephesus and to all churches throughout the New Testament era that God will “come quickly” and “remove thy candlestick out of his place” if they did not continue to follow the Bible.

 

 

We read in Revelation 2:12-16:

 

12 ¶ And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

13  I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

14  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

15  So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

16  Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

 

In this passage, God is warning the people of the church at Pergamos, another church that existed about 1,900 years ago. They are following some wrong doctrines. God is commanding those people to “Repent”. If they do not repent, God “will come unto thee quickly”. God will “come” to them in judgment by removing the light of the Gospel, God’s blessing upon the Gospel.

 

We see from Revelation 2:5 & 16 that God “came” in judgment against local churches throughout the New Testament era by taking away His blessing upon the Gospel in that church.

 

         

We see from the accounts of Revelation 2 & 3, that throughout the New Testament God “came” in judgment upon churches and their people who were in rebellion against God.

 

 

By studying how God uses the idea of God “coming” to mankind we have learned an important truth:

 

 

The Bible speaks of God “coming” in many other ways besides Christ “coming” at the end of the world. God “comes” in salvation, to take both the saved and unsaved in death from this world, to bring judgment upon a church and in many other ways.

 

 

Learning this will help us to correctly understand the context of Luke 12. Next, we have to examine how the Bible uses another word.

 

 

 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “WATCH” IN THE BIBLE?

 

Before we begin looking at Luke 12 in more detail, we have to examine how the Bible uses the word “watch”. We must also see if the word “watch” sets the context to be only talking about the end of the world.

 

The following verses speaking about “watching”:

 

Ephesians 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

 

Colossians 4:1-2

1 ¶ Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

2 ¶ Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

 

2 Timothy 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

 

The context of these verses is the whole New Testament era. God is instructing all true believers throughout time to “watch”.

 

 

We read in Proverbs 8:34:

 

Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

 

Proverbs 8:34 is talking about all true believers throughout time. This verse is instructing all believers to be “watching”. The reference to “gates” and “doors” points to the Lord Jesus who is the door or gate into the Kingdom of God (John 10:7, 9). We find the Lord Jesus by reading the Bible. Proverbs 8:34 points us to “watching” in the Bible, the Word of Christ. Proverbs 8:34 points us to “watching” by studying and examining the Bible.

 

 

We read in 1 Corinthians 16:13:

 

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

 

In 1 Corinthians 16:13 God is instructing all of the true believers throughout time to “Watch ye”. The next phrase gives some insight into what it means to “watch”. The Bible is the pillar and ground of the truth and of faith. We “stand fast in the faith” by studying and watching in the Bible for truth and for walking in that truth.

 

 

We read another important passage with the word “watch” in Acts 20:29-31:

 

29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

 

These verses are part of the Apostle Paul’s final discourse to the people of the church of Ephesus. Acts 20:31 provides more help in understanding the Biblical definition of “watch”. In verses 29 & 30 through the Apostle Paul, God warns that after the Apostle Paul’s departure, false teachers would bring wrong doctrines into the church of Ephesus. In verse 29 God warns about false teachers that would come from outside and enter into the church with their wrong doctrines. Then, in verse 30, God warns about men from within the church itself that will arise and bring wrong doctrines.

 

The command from God to them concerning this problem is found in verse 31, “Therefore watch”.

 

 

For what were they to “watch”? They were to watch out for wrong teachings by studying the Bible to make sure that they were strong in the truth. This has been true throughout the New Testament era.

 

 

In Acts 20:31 God is helping to define what He means by to “watch”. We are to watch by carefully studying the Bible to be strong in the truth. This will protect us against wrong doctrine.

 

 

We read about the church at Sardis in Revelation 3:1-4:

 

1 ¶ And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

2  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

 

This message was directed to the people in the church of Sardis that existed about 1,900 years ago. This message is speaking to them and to all church people throughout the New Testament era.

 

We learn from verse 1 that they were already a “dead” church. God had removed His blessing upon the Gospel in that church. We learn from verse 4 that there were still a few true believers in that church. But, the church itself was already “dead”. God had removed His blessing upon the Gospel in that church. God tells them that in verse 1.

 

Then, in verse 2 God commands the people of the church of Sardis to “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain”. This church had fallen into sin and they were to repent and obey the Bible. They were to “be watchful” by studying the Bible and examining where they had sinned and to repent of those sins.

 

In verse 2, God is telling them to be “watchful”. They would “strengthen the things which remain” by studying the Bible and repenting of their sin and obeying the Bible. God is showing that to be “watchful” has to do with studying the Bible and obeying it.

 

Then, in verse 3, God further expands on the point made in verse 2. God tells the people of Sardis 1,900 years ago that if they do not “watch”, then God will come “on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee”.

 

 

If we read just verse 3 we can think that the verse is set in an end of the world context. However, if we read both verses 2 and 3, we find that they are linked together and that they apply to the people who were in that church about 1,900 years ago.

 

 

We learn what it means to come as a “thief” in John 10:10:

 

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

 

The thief comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”. This is what God does to those that remain unsaved. God “steals” (or takes away) every blessing the unsaved had in this world, because finally all of it belongs to God. Some people think that “to kill, and to destroy” signifies annihilation. However, the Bible defines its own terms. Please see the following studies to learn the Biblical definitions of these terms:

 

 

WHAT IS DEATH FOR MANKIND?

 

DOES THE FREQUENCY OF WORDS LIKE "PERISH", "DEATH", "DESTROY", "CONSUME", ETC. TEACH ANNIHILATION?

 

 

Going back to the church at Sardis in Revelation 3, we read again in verses 2 & 3:

 

2  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

 

In verse 2 God is commanding the people in that church to be “watchful” in the Bible about their sin and their standing before God because in the previous verse God told them that they were already “dead”. In verse 3, God tells them to “repent”. They must turn back to obedience to the Bible. This is the fruit of “watching” and obeying the Bible. Then God continues in verse 3 to warn that if they do not “watch”, He will “come on thee as a thief”. The word “watch” in verse 3 ties back to “watchful” in verse 2 and has to do with learning and studying in the Bible and repenting of sin. This was a command to those people in that church about 1,900 years ago as well as being a command to all churches throughout time.

 

 

The people of the church of Sardis in Revelation 3:2-3 were not being commanded to specifically “watch” for the Lord’s return, but rather to “watch” in the Bible, especially about their sin problem, and to repent. This command has applied throughout the New Testament era.  

 

 

We already saw that the word “thief” identifies with God coming in His wrath against the unsaved and in Revelation 3:3 God applies this word to the people in the church at Sardis about 1,900 years ago.

 

 

So the word “thief” is not limited to just the unsaved at the end of the world. God applies this word to the people of the church of Sardis that lived about 1,900 years ago. It applies to all of the unsaved throughout time.

 

 

In verse 3, God says that He will “come on thee as a thief”. A quick reading of this can make us think that it is talking about the Lord coming at the end of the world. However, we already looked at many verses that show that the Lord has “come” against the unsaved throughout history in judgment (Genesis 11:5-8 & 18:20-21, Exodus 12:23, Job 15:21, Psalm 78:21, 31). God warns churches throughout the New Testament era that if they disobey He will “come” to them in judgment and remove His blessing upon the Gospel in their church (Revelation 2:5, 16). As churches fell away throughout the New Testament era, God “came” to them in judgment and removed the candlestick, God’s blessing upon the light of the Gospel. They were no longer used of God in bringing the Gospel.

 

Next, we read in Revelation 3:3 the phrase “thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee”. Again, if we read this phrase quickly and not examine the context we can think that this phrase is talking about the Lord coming at the end of the world. However, if we read verses 1-3, we find that the first focus is upon God “coming” against the people in the church of Sardis about 1,900 years ago if they did not repent.

 

God told them in verse 1 that they were already “dead”. God commanded them to be “repent” and be “watchful” in the Bible about their sins (verses 2-3). Then, God warns them that if they do not “watch”, then he will “come” against them, as He warned other churches (Revelation 2:5, 16). When God “came” against those churches 1,900 years ago, He removed the light of the Gospel and fought against them (Revelation 2:5, 16). Then, in Revelation 3:3, the phrase “thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee”, points back to God “coming” against those churches 1,900 years ago because they did not repent of their sins. This phrase simply declares that when God “came” against churches and removed the candlestick, they did not know when God came against them and finally removed God’s blessing upon the Gospel in their church. A church can begin to drift away and slowly continue to drift away. This phrase “thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” is warning them that at some point, as they are drifting away, God will “come” and remove the candlestick of the Gospel from them and they will not know when. God will remove His blessing upon the Gospel that they bring. They will just continue to drift away and be devoid of the blessing of God upon their church.

 

 

Sometimes people read the word “hour” and think that this word automatically points to the coming of the Lord at the end of the world. God does use this word to point to the end of the world. However, this Greek word is very common in the New Testament. It appears more than 100 times and it is frequently used in settings that have nothing to do with the end of the world. Here are some example verses with this same Greek word “hour”:

 

Matthew 9:22  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour <5610>.

 

Matthew 14:15  And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time <5610> is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

 

Luke 1:10  And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time <5610> of incense.

 

Luke 10:21  In that hour <5610> Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

 

John 4:52  Then enquired he of them the hour <5610> when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour <5610> the fever left him.

 

John 5:35  He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season <5610> to rejoice in his light.

 

Acts 10:30  And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour <5610>; and at the ninth hour <5610> I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

 

1 Corinthians 4:11  Even unto this present hour <5610> we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;

 

2 Corinthians 7:8  For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season <5610>.

 

Galatians 2:5  To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour <5610>; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

 

Philemon 1:15  For perhaps he therefore departed for a season <5610>, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;

 

Sometimes this Greek word is translated into different English words, like “time” or “season”, but it is the same Greek word translated “hour” in Revelation 3:3. God does use this word “hour” to talk about the end of the world, but we see many verses in which this Greek word is used to describe an event that has nothing to do with the end of the world.

 

 

Therefore, the presence of this Greek word translated “hour” in Revelation 3:3 and in other verses, is not a proof text that the verse is talking about the end of the world.

 

 

We have examined Revelation 3:1-3 in detail, looking at the key words in the verse that help establish the time context of the passage. We have found that the first focus of the passage is a warning to the people of the church of Sardis who lived about 1,900 years ago. It is also a warning to churches throughout the New Testament era.

 

 

A careful examination of Revelation 3:1-3 shows that it is not focused upon the Lord “coming” at the end of the world, but rather is a warning to the people of the church of Sardis that existed about 1,900 years ago and to all churches throughout time that God will “come” and remove their candlestick if they disobey and do not repent.

 

 

THE LORD “COMES”

 

We have seen many passages in which God teaches that the Lord “comes” not only at the end of the world, but God “comes” throughout the history of the world for various reasons. For example:

 

1. The Lord “came” in 29AD to bring the Gospel and go to the cross (Matthew 3:11, 10:34-35, Luke 7:34, 9:56).

 

2. The Lord “came” in Pentecost in 33AD in the person of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ (John 14:16-18).

 

3. The Lord “came” in the Tower or Babel to bring judgment (Genesis 11:5-8).

 

4. The Lord “comes” to give mothers conception (Genesis 18:10-14, Romans 9:9).

 

5. The Lord “came” to National Israel repeatedly seeking fruit (Luke 13:6-9).

 

6. The Lord “comes” to qualify saved and unsaved people to serve Him (Judges 3:10, 6:34, 11:29, 1 Samuel 11:6).

 

7. The Lord “comes” to save people (Psalm 80:1-3, John 14:23)

 

8. The Lord “comes” to slay the unsaved throughout the history of the world (Genesis 8:20-21, Exodus 12:23, Job 15:21, Psalm 78:21, 31)

 

9. The Lord “came” throughout the New Testament era to bring judgment upon unfaithful churches (Revelation 2:5, 6, 3:1-3)

 

 

So, we see that the Lord “comes” and has “come” many times throughout the history of the world for many reasons. Therefore, when we read about the Lord “coming” we have to carefully examine the context of the passage to determine what “coming” God has in view.

 

 

Now that we have established that the Lord “comes” at many times and for many reasons, let us look at Luke 12 again to determine if the context is the whole New Testament era or just the end of the world.

 

We will begin our study of the context Luke 12 in verses 34-37:

 

34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

35  Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

36  And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

37  Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

 

The language of Luke 12:22-35 is very similar to that we find in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. This teaching applies to all mankind throughout the New Testament era.

 

Then in verse 36, God talks about men that “wait for their lord”. Throughout the New Testament era, the true believers have been waiting for the return of their Lord. The Lord either “comes” to take them in death from this world or for the believers in the world at the end, He will come to take them in the Rapture. In any case, the true believers through the New Testament era “wait for their lord”.

 

In verse 36, the language “when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately” is similar to what we read in Revelation 3:20:

 

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

 

This language has to do with salvation. When God saves us then we are waiting for our Lord and are ready to open the door for whatever He has planned for us. The phrase “when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately” in Luke 12:36 identifies with being a true believer. A true believer is always ready and waiting for whatever the Lord plans for him, including being taken in death from this world and the Rapture.

 

In verse 36, we read the phrase “return from the wedding”. This may make us think of the end of the world, however, God helps us to understand this phrase in Matthew 20:1-11:

 

1 ¶ And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

2  The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

4  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

5  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

6  And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

7  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

9  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

10  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

 

Matthew 20:1-11 shows that God is already calling people to the wedding. In verse 4, God says “Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage”. Everything is already ready for the wedding. During the New Testament, God has been calling people to that wedding. When everyone that is to come to the wedding has come, then we read about that “king came in to see the guests” in verse 11. This is like the end of the world when Christ returns.

 

So, the phrase “return from the wedding” in Luke 12:36, identifies with Christ coming in the world throughout the New Testament era to save His elect and also to take them in death from this world. It applies to the whole New Testament era.

 

 

Now, going back to Luke 12, we read in verse 37, “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching”. We can read this and think that in this verse, God is changing the context to talk about the end of the world. However, we have already found that the Bible frequently talks about God “coming” for different purposes. God “comes” to take both the unsaved (Exodus 12:23, Psalm 78:31, Job 15:21, Genesis 18:20-21) and the saved (Luke 16:22) in death from this world.

 

So, Luke 12:37 fits perfectly for talking about all true believers throughout time which agrees with the context of verses 22-36.

 

 

Throughout the history of the world for every true believer, there came a time when God “came” and took him in death from this world. At that time, the true believer was blessed because he was “watching” in the Bible to learn and obey whatever God taught him.

 

 

The rest of verse 37, “verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them” applies to all true believers throughout time, whether God “came” and took them in death from this world or “comes” for them in the Rapture.

 

We already looked at the word “watch” and found that God applies this word to all true believers throughout the New Testament era (Proverbs 8:34, Acts 20:31, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Revelation 3:2-3).

 

 

A careful examination of Luke 12:37, seeing how God uses phrases like “the Lord comes”  and “watching” in other parts of the Bible, shows that the context is all true believers throughout the New Testament era.

 

 

Let’s look at the next group of verses, verses 38-40:

 

38  And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

39  And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

40  Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

 

We wonder why God talks about a “second watch” and a “third watch” in verse 38 and if that language somehow sets the context as the end of the world.

 

In the Old Testament, it appears that there may have been 3 night watches as indicated by the language of Judges 7:19:

 

So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

 

The language of a “middle watch” implies 3 night watches in the Old Testament.

 

However, when we look for night watches in the New Testament, we find that there seems to be 4 night watches:

 

Matthew 14:25  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

 

Mark 6:48  And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

 

Mark 13:35  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

 

Perhaps there were 3 night watches in the Old Testament and 4 night watches in the New Testament.

 

Luke 12:38 talks about the Lord coming in the “second watch” and the “third watch”. We can understand this if we keep in mind that throughout the New Testament era, the Lord has “come” for both believers and unbelievers by taking them in death from this world. This verse could simply be emphasizing that we don’t know when the Lord will “come” for us. The Lord could come at anytime, including during the night, to take us in death from this world. Or, the Lord could take us in the Rapture at the end of the world.

 

Let’s look now at Luke 12:39-40 in more detail:

 

39  And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

40  Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

 

Again, we can read this quickly and assume that it is talking about the return of the Lord at the end of the world. However, let’s go back 23 verses and consider a passage that is really part of the same context. We read in verses 16-21:

 

16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

 

If we examine Luke 12:39 carefully we find that Luke 12:16-21 is an example fulfillment (in a parable) of Luke 12:39. The “rich man” in verses 16-21 is an example of the “goodman of the house” in verse 39. Christ comes as a “thief” when he comes and takes away everything the unsaved have when he takes them in death from this world (John 10:10, Revelation 3:1-3). The “rich man” (verse 16), who is really the “goodman of the house”, said to himself “thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” in verse 19. He did not know “hour the thief would come” (verse 39). God came as a “thief” and took him in death from this world. If he had known that God would come, “he would have watched”. The word “watching” has to do with studying the Bible and comparing ourselves against what the Bible says that we might be “ready” to meet God because “the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (verse 40). The Lord “came” for that man in Luke 12:16-21 when he did not think that he was going to come for him. He thought that he had many years, but the Lord “came” that night and took him in death from this world. So, we can see that Luke 12:16-21 fits very well as a fulfillment of the principle given in Luke 12:39-40.

 

 

When we examine Luke 12:38-40 carefully we find that Luke 12:16-21 fits very well as an example fulfillment of Luke 12:38-40 and that throughout the history of the world the Lord has “come” for the unsaved by taking them in death from this world.

 

 

In fact, we can see that Luke 12:16-21 is part of the same context of Luke 12:38-40. After Luke 12:21, God instructs in verses 22-34 that our treasure is not to be in this world but in the heaven. Then, in verse 35 God is talking about the importance of being saved and in verse 36 that it is important that we are saved now, so that we are ready anytime the Lord may “come” whether it be to take us in death from this world or at the Rapture. Then in verses 37-40, God warns that we don’t know when the Lord may “come” for us. This is especially true when the Lord “comes” to take us in death from this world.

 

 

Let’s consider the next portion of the chapter, verses 41-46:

 

41 ¶ Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

42  And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44  Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

45  But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46  The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

 

In verse 41, God guides Peter to ask an important question. To whom was the passage of Luke 12 directed?

 

Verse 42 has some words that are significant in answering the question. The phrase “portion of meat” is a single Greek word that is only found in this verse. However, it is made of two Greek words that are used several times in the Bible. One of the words is translated “measure” as in a portion of something. The other word is translated either “wheat” or “corn”, and is found in these verses:

 

Matthew 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat <4621> into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

 

Mark 4:26-29:

26  And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

27  And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

28  For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn <4621> in the ear.

29  But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

 

In the above verses and most others, this Greek word has to do with the true believers that are the harvest of the Kingdom of God.

 

 

John 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat <4621> fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

 

In John 12:24 God is pointing to the Lord Jesus as the “wheat”.

 

 

Revelation 6:6  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat <4621> for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

 

In Revelation 6:6 the “wheat” is the Gospel that is being pinched off. It is becoming scare so that it now has a price, when it should have been in abundance and given out freely (Isaiah 55:1).

 

Revelation 6:6 is the best fit for this Greek word found in the phrase “portion of meat” in Luke 12:42. Luke 12:42 is talking about the “portion of meat” of the Gospel that God gives out to the true believers. In Luke 24:45 we find that Christ gave a “portion of meat” of the Gospel to the disciples after His resurrection:

 

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

 

In Luke 24:45, the Lord gave the disciples more understanding of the Bible. In that way, He gave them a “portion of meat” of the Gospel.

 

 

We read in Ephesians 3:3-7:

 

3  How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

7  Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

 

In this passage, God is speaking through the Apostle Paul to teach that God has opened the Apostle Paul’s understanding of the Bible so that he could see that the Gospel was to be given to the gentiles as well as the Jews. This is new truth from the Bible that God gave to the Apostle Paul and it was also a “portion of meat” of the Gospel that was given to the Apostle Paul “in due season”, at the appointed time. Also, anytime a believer learns something from the Bible that is a “portion of meat” of the Gospel that God has given to him.

 

 

The Greek word translated “in due season” in Luke 12:42 signifies a specific time. It could be anytime. It is also found in these verses:

 

Luke 1:20  And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season <2540>.

 

In Luke 1:20 God is talking to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. The “season” is the coming year in which John the Baptist would be born.

 

 

Romans 3:26  To declare, I say, at this time <2540> his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

 

Romans 11:5  Even so then at this present time <2540> also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

 

In Romans 3:26 & 11:5 the “time” is the present time and throughout the New Testament era.

 

 

2 Corinthians 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time <2540> accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time <2540>; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

 

1 Timothy 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time <2540>.

 

In 2 Corinthians 6:2 and 1 Timothy 2:6 the “time” is also the whole New Testament era.

 

 

So the Greek word translated “due season” in Luke 12:42 refers to a specific time. It can be anytime. In fact, God has been giving the true believers some amount of truth from the Bible, their “portion of meat” of the Gospel, according to His time, in “due season”, throughout the New Testament era.

 

 

So, let’s look again at Luke 12:41-46 with this increased understanding:

 

41 ¶ Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

42  And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44  Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

45  But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46  The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

 

The answer to the question in verse 41 is given in the following verses. When we examined the language of verse 42, we found that it applies to all of the New Testament era. Some new truth is being opened right before the end. However, we saw in Luke 24:45 and Ephesians 3:3-7 that God opened the believers’ understanding to additional truth according to His time table at various times in the New Testament era. Also, individual believers come to more truth from the Bible as they study the Bible for themselves. That is God’s “portion of meat in due season” for them. This has been true throughout the New Testament era.

 

 

There is nothing in verse 42 or in the rest of the Bible that limits the application of verse 42 to just the end of the world.

 

 

Verses 43-44 apply to all true believers throughout time. All true believers throughout time will be “rulers” with the Lord Jesus. The Lord “comes” for all true believers throughout time to either take them in death from this world or take them in the Rapture. In either case, He “comes” for all.

 

Verses 45-46 talk about the unsaved servants. The language of the “servant” in these two verses agrees with the illustration of the “rich man” in Luke 12:16-21. The “rich man” in Luke 12:19 thinks that the Lord will not “come” and take him for many years, likewise the “servant” in Luke 12:45 thinks that “My lord delayeth his coming”. But, the Lord “came” and surprised both men. In Luke 12:20, the Lord came “this night” and took the “rich man” and in Luke 12:46 the Lord came and took the “servant” when he did not expect. The language of Luke 12:46 fits very well for the man in Luke 12:16-21 and also fits well for all the unsaved “servants”. The Lord “comes” and takes them in death from this world when they are not expecting it. This language that the Lord “will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers” applies to all of the unsaved throughout time.

 

 

We have found that the context of Luke 12:16-46 has remained the same throughout the whole passage. It applies to all faithful and unfaithful servants throughout the whole New Testament era.

 

 

Then, we read the following verses in Luke 12:47-51:

 

47  And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

48  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

50  But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

51  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

 

 

 

Then, in verses 47-48, God is explaining that those unsaved servants who knew more of the Bible, the “lord’s will”, will receive more stripes, more conscious affliction. We studied these verses in detail above. Now, we have studied the context of Luke 12:16-46 and found that it applies to the whole New Testament era. In this way, we know that the context of Luke 12:47-48 is the whole New Testament era.

 

Verses 49-51 continue the discussion talking about when Christ first came in 29AD and continuing throughout the New Testament era. Notice that verses 49 & 51 talk about when the Lord “came” in 29AD.

 

 

We have carefully studied the context of Luke 12:16-46 and found that it applies to the whole New Testament era, confirming that God is talking about of all the unsaved throughout time in Luke 12:47-48.

 

 

 

Let us continue our study by examining other problems with the theory that Luke 12:47-48 only applies to those here on May 21, 2011.

 

 

THERE ARE OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE THEORY THAT THE “MANY STRIPES” IS LIMITED ONLY THOSE IN THE WORLD ON MAY 21, 2011

 

 

Some argue that the “beaten with many stripes” only applies to those in the world on May 21, 2011 and it is because those left behind heard about the Lord’s return on that day and did not respond. We will examine this argument in the light of Luke 12:47-48 and the rest of the Bible.

 

The following are a list of problems with this argument:

 

1. The Lord’s will is the whole Bible.

 

As shown above, the Bible defines the “Lord’s will” as the whole Bible and not just the date of the Lord’s return. Also, in Luke 12:48 God talks about the servants knowing “much” of the Lord’s will. God is not talking about knowing a single piece of information, but rather knowing “much” of the “Lord’s will” versus knowing less.

 

Throughout the New Testament era, there have been many unsaved servants that knew much of the “Lord’s will”, the whole Bible. Luke 12:47-48 applies to them even though their bodies are now sleeping in the dust of the earth.

 

 

 

2. The BiblE INDICATES THAT not everyone will hear about date of the Rapture before it happens.

 

Let’s look at Matthew 24:38-39. If we examine these verses carefully, we can learn something important. We read there:

 

38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 

In Matthew 24:38-39 God is relating the end of the world to the flood of Noah’s day. Notice that God says in verse 39 regarding the people in Noah’s days that they “knew not until the flood came, and took them all away”.

 

God says that when the flood came that the people “knew not” that the flood was coming. God says that “so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”. God is saying that the same situation will occur when Christ comes on Judgment Day.

 

 

Matthew 24:39 is saying that there were some people who did not know ahead of time about the coming flood.

 

 

People will respond to Matthew 24:39 by saying something like “they did not know in their hearts, but they did hear about it.”

 

 

We have to carefully listen to the Bible. God plainly says in Matthew 24:39 that they did not know. No where in the Bible does God nullify or modify this statement.

 

 

Some people have made up their mind that everyone will know and when the Bible says that they “knew not” in Matthew 24:39, they are forced to push on the verse and change it.

 

If the Bible had said somewhere that everyone in Noah’s day did know, then that would be a point.

 

 

No where in the Bible does God say that everyone in Noah’s day did know of the coming flood. But, God says in Matthew 24:39 that there were some people that “knew not”.

 

 

We should listen to what the Bible says and accept that without pushing the Bible to say something that it does not say.

 

The Bible does say that Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” in 2 Peter 2:5. Therefore, he would have been telling the people about judgment coming. Also, as people saw that ark being built, they were receiving a warning.

 

 

However, this does not mean that everyone heard from Noah or saw the ark being built.

 

 

At the time of the flood, the world had already been in existence for about 6,000 years. Mankind began in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Then, they sinned and were expelled from the garden.

 

Adam and Eve had children; Cain, Abel, Seth, other sons and daughters. These children had children and the human race began to grow. Over time, we would expect that mankind would expand out somewhat across the land.

 

After all, in 300 years, people have spread across the whole continent of North America, about 3000 miles, to form the present United States of America.

 

 

Therefore, after 6,000 years from creation to the time of the flood, it would not be unreasonable that mankind would have spread out at least several hundred miles from the original dwelling place of Adam and Eve.

 

 

At the time of the flood, most people were farmers. There is no evidence that God had opened the minds of men to understand any modern technology. There is no evidence that there was any means of rapid communication. Someone who lived in one area would have had no reason to visit people 100 miles away. It would have been a full-time job to put enough food on the table and raise your family.

 

 

As a result, many people that were hundreds of miles away from Noah, would never have seen or heard about the ark that he was building.

 

 

As the Bible indicates, Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). However, he was busy in his area building the ark. Noah would have told anyone with whom he had access about the flood. However, that would have been limited to people in his general area.

 

The people near Noah heard about the flood coming and they saw the ark being built. But, many of the people that were hundreds of miles away, never would have heard about Noah nor about the ark.

 

That is why the Bible says in Matthew 24:39, that they “knew not until the flood came, and took them all away”.

 

Matthew 24:39 is not saying that no one knew about the coming of the flood. Rather, this verse is teaching that there were some people that did not know. Many of those people that were hundreds of miles away from Noah never would have heard about Noah and the ark. Those people “knew not until the flood came, and took them all away”.

 

 

Matthew 24:39 plainly indicates that there were some people that did not know that the flood was coming. There is nothing in the Bible that contradicts this statement. Therefore, we must accept what the Bible says and not try to force it to saying something that it does not.

 

 

We read in the last part of Matthew 24:39, “so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”. God is telling us that it will be the same way in the coming of Christ at the end of the world. There will be those that did not know He was coming.

 

 

God also relates the end of the world to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

 

 

We read in Luke 17:28-30:

 

28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

 

 

In Luke 17:28-30, God is relating the conditions of Sodom and Gomorrah right before their destruction to the conditions that will exist in this world right before it’s destruction.

 

The language of verse 28 indicates that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were going about their activities as normal. God says that “they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded”. This is the language of “business-as-usual” for these people. Right up to the destruction of these cities, the people were continuing with their regular activities.

 

God says in verse 30 that it will be the same way when Christ returns.

 

 

We must ask the question: Did the people in Lot’s day know of the impending destruction before it happened?

 

 

To answer this question, let’s look at the account of the destruction of those cities as recorded in Genesis 19.

 

We read in Genesis 19:1-3:

 

1 ¶ And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

2  And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

3  And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

 

The “two angels” that we read about in verse 1 represent God Himself coming in the appearance of two men. It would have been better to translate this as “two messengers”.

 

Notice they came in the evening as we read in verse 1, “at even”. It is almost night time when they arrived in Sodom.

 

We learn in verse 3 that the two angels, who were God appearing as two men, stayed in the house of Lot.

 

In verses 4 to 11, we read about how the men of Sodom wanted to have homosexual relations with these two men, but God protected the household of Lot.

 

Then, we read in verses 12 to 16:

 

12 ¶ And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

13  For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

14  And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

15 ¶ 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.

16  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.

 

In verse 13, God tells Lot that He will destroy the city.

 

In verse 14, Lot warns his two son-in-laws of the impending destruction.

 

 

Through verse 14, God is still describing the same evening that the two men arrived to talk to Lot. Verses 1 to 14 cover one evening.

 

 

Then, verse 15 describes the morning. In verse 15, we learn that God hurried Lot out of the city. In verse 16, Lot is now out of the city, along with his wife and two daughters.

 

We read in Luke 17:29:

 

But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

 

Luke 17:29 teaches us that this same day that Lot left Sodom, the cities were destroyed.

 

 

How many people in Sodom and Gomorrah knew about their impending destruction?

 

 

The two son-in-laws of Lot knew about the impending destruction. Maybe they told some people. However, they thought that Lot had “mocked” them. Lot may have told some other people, but he could not have told many people because it was night time. There were no street lights. Everything was dark.

 

Therefore, some people of Sodom knew about the impending judgment.

 

However, no one from Gomorrah knew. There is no way that the people of Gomorrah could have known. No one could travel any distance at night in those days. In the morning, God hurried Lot out of Sodom and that same morning, the city of Gomorrah was also destroyed.

 

 

Therefore, we can know with confidence that the people of Gomorrah, did not know about their impending destruction before it happened.

 

 

In Luke 17:28-30, God is telling us that as it was in the days of Lot, it will be at the end of the world.

 

When we examine the days of Lot, we find out that some people knew about the destruction. We find out that the true believers, which is at least includes Lot Himself, knew about the destruction. Some unbelievers knew about the destruction, like Lot’s wife, and his two sons-in-law, and maybe some others. However, none of the people of Gomorrah knew about the impending judgment.

 

God is telling us that the same conditions were occur at Judgment Day.

 

 

We have examined the information that God gives about the destruction of Noah’s day and the destruction of Lot’s day. We found out that the true believers knew about the impending destruction. Some unbelievers knew about it also. However, there were unbelievers who did not know about the impending destruction.

 

God is telling us that in like manner there will be some people that will not have heard about May 21, 2011 when Christ comes.

 

 

There is more information about this subject in the study at this link:

 

 

WILL EVERYONE HEAR ABOUT MAY 21, 2011?

 

 

We have seen sufficient Biblical evidence that not everyone will hear about the Rapture before it happens. No where does the Bible say that everyone will hear about the Rapture before it happens.

 

 

 

WHY DO THE UNSAVED WHO DID NOT KNOW ABOUT MAY 21, 2011 RECEIVE “MANY STRIPES” WHEN THEY DID NOT EVEN KNOW THAT PORTION OF THE “LORD’S WILL”?

 

Let’s consider the unsaved that are left behind at the Rapture who did not hear about the date of the Rapture. Some people argue that the “many stripes” in Luke 12:48 is only the extra 5 months of punishment that comes upon those left behind at the Rapture. It is argued that everyone left behind will have heard about the date of the Rapture. Because they knew that portion of the “lord’s will”, they will be subject to the “many stripes”. However, we have just seen that the Bible teaches that there will be those who do not hear about the date of the Rapture before it occurs. Why are they subject to “many stripes” when they did not know about the date of the Rapture?

 

 

The Bible teaches that there will be unsaved people left behind who did not know the date of the Rapture. If the “many stripes” is simply the 5 months after the Rapture, how can these people be subject to this extra punishment if they did not even know the “lord’s will” concerning the date of the Rapture?

 

 

Let’s consider another problem with the teaching that Luke 12:47-48 is only talking about more stripes for those left here on May 21, 2011.

 

 

 

3. Every week about 1 million people die from this world. An increasing number of them know about May 21, 2011. How it is that as long as they die before May 20, 2011, they will never receive any extra “stripes”?

 

Every week more than 1 million people die from this world. Information about the date of May 21, 2011 is being broadcast worldwide in more than 50 languages over many frequencies. Therefore, there is an increasing percentage of people worldwide that have heard about May 21, 2011 and other new teachings. However, each week, another 1 million people will die from this world. Within a year, that is more than 52 million people. Many of those people will have heard about May 21, 2011 and many other new teachings. If annihilation is true, those people will receive no additional “stripes”. Yet, they have heard a lot more of the “lord’s will” concerning the new teachings. However, they did not receive the “many stripes”. This does not agree with Luke 12:47-48.

 

 

 

4. An unsaved person who heard many of the new teachings will be able to receive “fewer stripes”

 

As the teaching about May 21, 2011 goes out into the world, many unsaved people will hear about it and will also learn many other new teachings.

 

An unsaved person knowledgeable in the new teachings, like, for example, the Rapture being on May 21, 2011, the final 5 months of stripes until the destruction of the universe and the supposed annihilation of the unsaved will be able to react on May 22, 2011 more effectively. If the annihilation is true, this unsaved person can see that the declaration of the Rapture on May 21, 2011 was accurate and because he knows more of the “Lord’s will” about the final 5 months that will end in the destruction of the universe, he can reduce his “stripes” by simply annihilating himself by destroying his body.

 

In this way, someone who knew more of the “Lord’s will” concerning the details of the 5 months, the eventual destruction of the universe and the supposed annihilation of the unsaved, can receive “fewer stripes”.

 

 

This is exactly the opposite of what God teaches in Luke 12:47-48!

 

 

Whereas someone who knew very little about the new teachings or did not know about May 21, 2011 as indicated in Matthew 24:38-39 and Luke 17:28-30, will not know that an eventual destruction of the universe is coming in a few months. He will not know that there is no hope in remaining in this world. He will think that he can continue to struggle and finally the world will recover. So, he will receive “many stripes” because he knew less of the “Lord’s will”. This is backward of the teaching of Luke 12:47-48.

 

 

 

5. Many people who knew more of the “Lord’s will” shall not receive the “many stripes”

 

During the New Testament era and particularly in the last few decades, God has opened up more understanding of the Bible. This new information has been published throughout the world to varying degrees. As a result, particularly in the last few decades, many people have come to know more of the “Lord’s will”.  Many new truths began to be taught in the 1980’s, 1990’s and early 2000’s. However, many unsaved people who have learned a lot of these truths have already died from this world. They knew more of the “Lord’s will” yet did not receive the “many stripes” because they missed the final 5 months. This does not agree with Luke 12:47-48.

 

 

We want to remember that the law of God, the Bible, is precise. We can not read Luke 12:47-48 and say that it will be approximately fulfilled or will be fulfilled for most people. We cannot say that there will be some unsaved people who knew more of the Lord’s will and yet the declaration of Luke 12:47-48 will not be fulfilled for them because they died from this world a few months or years before May 21, 2011. We cannot say this because the law of God, the Bible is precise and not approximate.

 

 

 

6. Throughout the New Testament era, many knew more of the “Lord’s will” yet did not receive the “many stripes” because they avoided the 5 months.

 

It is sometimes argued that before our day the people and the churches basically did not know any of the Bible, any of the “Lord’s will”. But, is this true?

 

To varying degrees during the New Testament era, there have been churches and people that have known many truths from the Bible. For example:

 

1. They had read much or all of the Bible several times and understood a lot of truths.

 

2. They understood about God and that He is the creator and ruler of this universe.

 

3. They understood many historical events and the moral and spiritual lessons in those events.

 

4. They understood that we are sinners and about the Lord Jesus who is the savior of sinners, and that the Lord Jesus made the payment for sin.

 

5. They understood about election and predestination and that we cannot save ourselves. They understood that when God saves us then we have eternal security.

 

6. They understood many moral laws that God established, including laws concerning marriage and that Sunday was the Lord’s Day.

 

 

They understood many truths of the Bible, the “Lord’s will”. Yet, many of them remained unsaved and will not receive the “many stripes” of the 5 months unless there is a conscious awaking at Judgment Day of the unsaved.

 

 

These are some arguments that show the 5 months starting in May 21, 2011 will not fulfill the Biblical principle that “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required”. A conscious awaking at Judgment Day, which the Bible teaches, is required to fulfill Luke 12:47-48

 

 

Let us make a summary statement of this study of Luke 12:47-48

 

For many reasons Luke 12:47-48 requires a conscious awaking at Judgment Day for the unsaved. God has given both historical illustrations and New Testament illustrations showing that this law applies to all mankind throughout time (Matthew 10:15, 11:20-24). The Bible teaches that the “Lord’s will” is the whole Bible, making Luke 12:47-48 applicable to all mankind throughout time. A careful study of the context of Luke 12:16-48 shows that it speaking of the whole New Testament era. For these and other reasons, Luke 12:47-48 requires a conscious awaking of the unsaved at Judgment Day.

 

 

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