Then
the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made
man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD
said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both
man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have
made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:5-8 NKJV
This
coming Tuesday will be the anniversary of Noah’s flood, (if you use the
sighting of the new moon to establish the start of the Jewish month as they did
in Old Testament times), and I thought since Jesus linked the flood of Noah to
the end of this age I would share some of my thoughts on the subject. For no reason I can think of, (other than the
prompting of the Holy Spirit), I have always been fascinated by the story of
Noah. In fact, so much so that at one
point in time I spent considerable time and effort to research the possible
location of where the ark might have come to rest.
Much
has been said and written lately on the subject of God judging this world, and
even singling out America as a nation deserving God’s special attention. As we see evil growing and manifesting itself
in sometimes horrific ways around the world, is it any wonder that many believe
that we are approaching, or even have arrived at the time where God will once
again reveal Himself to mankind by directing His wrath upon an unbelieving,
sinful world. As believers, we know that
God has already warned that there will be a coming time of judgment just as
there was in Noah’s day but instead of using water, this time around He will
use fire.
knowing
this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to
their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the
fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning
of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by
which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with
water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by
the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of
ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:3-7 NKJV
While
many in the world would use promises like this to portray God as being cruel and
vindictive, they choose to not only ignore the fact that this judgment is well
deserved, but also that God has provided both a way of escape and given mankind
ample opportunity to make the right choice.
In Noah’s day, even those witnessing the ark being constructed over a period
of so many years never made the choice to join Noah and his family on the
ark. It has been almost two thousand
years since Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again as a sacrifice for
mankind’s sin, yet slowly but surely that sacrifice has been ignored by more
and more of the world’s population until we find ourselves once again facing
the time of God’s judgment.
The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some
count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 NKJV
I’m
sure most of us have heard people say that although they believe, the rapture
of the church is still many years away and the world is no worse off than it
ever was. Unfortunately these people
mistake God’s patience for indifference or “slackness”. I can recall while raising my children and
setting boundaries they often mistook my patience for indifference. The looks on their faces when my promise of
judgment actually occurred was often priceless.
Although God has promised a sure and final judgment, He is giving the
world time to make the right choice because as a loving father, He wants no one
to go to hell. Yet as in Noah’s day,
more will choose to ignore God’s providence than accept it.
And for
this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the
lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had
pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 NKJV
The
lie that God will not judge is the same one that Satan introduced in the Garden
of Eden so many years ago when he convinced Eve to ignore God’s warning not to
eat the fruit of the tree. Just as he
was able to deceive Eve, he is also able to deceive many in the world
today. The question for us as believers
is how do we react to the situation we find ourselves in as the world looks
more and more like it did in Noah’s day?
Noah made the choice to be obedient to God, and followed His
instructions to build an ark. In much
the same way, salvation by faith in the gospel of Christ is the modern day ark
which will save mankind from the coming judgment, and it is our responsibility
to share it with an unbelieving world.
For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation
for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16
NKJV
Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Have you? Have you made the
choice to accept the gift of salvation made possible by the sacrifice of God’s
Son, Jesus Christ? If not, if you are
reading this you still have time to do so before God’s judgment begins. Becoming a believer is accomplished by asking
Christ to come into your life and to begin to help you live life as He
directs. If you want to do that today,
simply pray this prayer to Him; "Dear
Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins and open the door
of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior.
Thank You for saving me. Amen."
If
you have done this today, or have done it in the past, you have God’s promise
that you will be spared from the judgment He has promised is going to occur to
those who choose not to believe.
For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what
may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since
the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power
and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile
in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be
wise, they became fools, Romans
1:18-22 NKJV
Keep
watching.
