Escaping the Trap

[Last Daze]

• “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.  But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  Luke 21:34-36

A couple of questions about this passage:

• What day is it that will come suddenly like a trap?
• What does it mean to escape, or flee from, all those things?

I think the day or time being referred to begins with the abomination of desolation which quickly leads to the "worship or die" ultimatum associated with the image.  That trap will force everyone to make a life or death decision quickly, and it affects everyone on the face of the earth.

Having strength to escape, or being considered worthy to escape, is in contrast with how that passage begins.  To paraphrase, "Don't get wrapped up in the ways of the world but pray for strength to flee from the trap."  In other words, don't become spiritually lazy.  Instead, remain vigilant.  Walk in obedience to the truth.  Otherwise, you run the risk of succumbing to the trap.

One more question that each person can answer to themselves, "Are you praying as Jesus instructs in that passage?"  If not, why not?

[Daniel 11:36]

I believe that the "trap" is the coming "day of the Lord"

He will come when he is ready to bring His destruction against an unbelieving world [Revelation 6:12-17] .... this 70th week will continue from Revelation 8 thru Revelation 19

The church of today will be in heaven with Him just before He brings His wrath and destruction .... [1st Corinthians 15:51-8; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18] [Revelation 3:10; 4:5; 5:1-10; 7:9-17; 13:6; 17:14; 18:4; 19:14; 20:4 .... those on thrones] 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Daniel 11:36

[Last Daze]

3 hours ago, Daniel 11:36 said:

I believe that the "trap" is the coming "day of the Lord"

The descriptors that I find associated with the day of the Lord include:

• destruction
• wrath
• anger
• darkness

I can't find anything in scripture that portrays the day of the Lord as being a time of entrapment or a snare.

[Daniel 11:36]

Some will turn and repent during the tribulation period and specifically those of Israel along with some Gentiles

But today's church will be called to immortality just before 

Revelation

6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Daniel 11:36

[Steve Conley]

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Luk 21:34  And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

1Th 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Th 5:4  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Rev 3:10  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Hallelujah

[Daniel 11:36]

Good post just above by Steve Conley

[Last Daze]

3 hours ago, Steve Conley said:

Luk 21:34  And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

For me, the main takeaway is verse 34.

Don't flirt with Babylon or partake of her sins because it just might blind you to what's coming.

[Omegaman 3.0]

On 7/18/2018 at 7:56 AM, Last Daze said:

praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man

As you know, some versions render that "pray that you may be found worthy to escape . . . "

The worthy, in that verse is where the worthy in worthychristianforums is taken from.

However, as the version you quoted indicates, the Greek may also be translated along the lines of, "pray that you have the strength to flee". Back in the early '80s, when my studies forced be to abandon the pre-trib rapture theory, I noticed this, though that did not have an impact on my conclusions. Never-the-less, it is hard not to notice, how well the idea of needing strength in order to flee, fits in with Matt 24, where it says:

"then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ "Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸ Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath."

The double acknowledgement that running from the trouble is prudent, matches the idea of escape. The notion of praying that in might not be in winter, nor on a Sabbath, and the extra difficulty there will be for those encumbered by babes, and the necessity to not even go into you house to grab some stuff, surely indicates how rapidly things will be happening, and how arduous the escape will be. Not wonder the Bible repeatedly says it will be a time like no other.

What I find interesting though, is that it says to pray about the timing. I do not think Jesus would tell His followers, to pray about something, that theier prayers could not affect, nor to pray something that was against God's will.

If I am right on those points, then at least at the time of the Olivet discourse, these things were not settled matters. Surely, God knows the things that are set in His timing, but for those of us who are still on earth, with limited understanding, it is an instruction to not give up hope, and not to be ignorant. Watchfulness and perseverance, are our marching orders, along with evangelizing until His return.

 

[Omegaman 3.0]

Uh oh, I did not realize where I posted the above, I thought I was in the "club", where is is safe to express an opinion. So, I hope I did not offend anyone who had a different understanding than I hold, about how the future will unfold. I did not want to, and hope not to, stir up controversy or debate. Please consider this as just a sharing of my views, not a challenge to your own, to which you are entitled!

[Last Daze]

41 minutes ago, Omegaman 3.0 said:

As you know, some versions render that "pray that you may be found worthy to escape . . . "

The worthy, in that verse is where the worthy in worthychristianforums is taken from.

However, as the version you quoted indicates, the Greek may also be translated along the lines of, "pray that you have the strength to flee". Back in the early '80s, when my studies forced be to abandon the pre-trib rapture theory, I noticed this, though that did not have an impact on my conclusions. Never-the-less, it is hard not to notice, how well the idea of needing strength in order to flee, fits in with Matt 24, where it says:

"then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ "Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸ Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath."

The double acknowledgement that running from the trouble is prudent, matches the idea of escape. The notion of praying that in might not be in winter, nor on a Sabbath, and the extra difficulty there will be for those encumbered by babes, and the necessity to not even go into you house to grab some stuff, surely indicates how rapidly things will be happening, and how arduous the escape will be. Not wonder the Bible repeatedly says it will be a time like no other.

What I find interesting though, is that it says to pray about the timing. I do not think Jesus would tell His followers, to pray about something, that theier prayers could not affect, nor to pray something that was against God's will.

If I am right on those points, then at least at the time of the Olivet discourse, these things were not settled matters. Surely, God knows the things that are set in His timing, but for those of us who are still on earth, with limited understanding, it is an instruction to not give up hope, and not to be ignorant. Watchfulness and perseverance, are our marching orders, along with evangelizing until His return.

 

Hi Omegaman,

When you look at this passage:

• “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.  But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  Luke 21:34-36

the fleeing, or having strength, or being counted worthy appears to be more spiritual in nature that actual physical fleeing or strength.

Jesus talks about resisting dissipation and drunkenness and contrasts those activities with being on the alert.