Just Like the Days of Noah

            "So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him. Then the flood came....." Genesis 7:15-17

 

            In my last post I wrote to you about why Jesus came the first time, but I also told you that He promised to come again.  The first time Jesus came to earth, He came as a suffering servant, but the next time He comes, He is coming as a conquering King who will come to judge the world.  He has already made a way of salvation for those who will receive it; next He is coming to judge those who have rejected Him and the salvation He offers. Notice in the scripture above that God closed the door of the ark. After that came the judgment on all who had rejected the Lord's call.

            In Matthew 24:37-39 the scriptures teach that when Christ comes again it will be “just like the days of Noah.  For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.”  To sum it up, in Matthew 24:44 Jesus warns “the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”  How many of us are truly expecting the Lord to come back any day now?  We should be, especially since we could draw our last breath at any time, even before the Lord's return. We need to be ready either way.

            So, what is God’s judgment on the earth going to be like this time?  The first time God judged the people on the earth it was by flood, but He promised never to do that again.  (See Genesis 9:11-17.)  The rainbow is the sign of His promise.  However, judgment will come again, only this time it will be by fire. “But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” II Peter 3:7

            Jesus tells us the day of His coming will be just like the days of Noah.  How bad were things on earth in those days?  Genesis 6:11 says, “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.”  II Timothy 3:1-5 gives us a picture of what things will be like in the last days.  “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.” Does this sound like today?

 

            Did you ever wonder about the terrible condition of the world today?  Well, God already knew it would get this way, but there is a way of escape, and it is through the salvation Jesus offers us.  Jesus shed His blood on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus IS the ARK! Hebrews 2:3 asks the question, “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”  Indeed, if we reject God’s offer of His most precious only begotten Son, we shall not escape judgment.

Next time, I want to talk to you about why I believe that the Lord’s return is very near, even at the door.  Keep your eyes on Jerusalem, and get in the Ark while there is still time.