“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.” Genesis 6:5-7 NKJV
The story of the flood of Noah is one of, if
not the, most recognizable story related to mankind in the Bible. Surveys have shown over the years that
virtually everyone, believer or not, are familiar with the account of a
worldwide flood which destroyed mankind with the exception of Noah and his
family. As I recall, even as a young
child first hearing this story, it surprised me that the world could reach a
point where God would choose to judge mankind so completely and
powerfully. I also was left with the
lasting impression that quite obviously, mankind deserved exactly what they
got.
At this
time of the year, when the rest of the world is preparing to celebrate
Halloween, I am always reminded of the flood because the Bible tells us it
occurred on the seventeenth day of the second month on the Jewish calendar.
That puts it around the same time of the year as Halloween, also known as All
Hallows Eve, The Day of the Dead, and many other names it has gone by
throughout history. Of course, this particular holiday being celebrated at the
exact same time of the year that the flood occurred, which was God's judgment
on the world that resulted in the death of all mankind, seems a little too
coincidental.
The
second thing that came to my mind as I studied the account in Matthew was a
phrase we find in verse thirty-eight. If you look closely at the passage,
notice something Jesus said. He said that people in Noah's day went about their
lives doing what they did "until the day that Noah entered the
ark". After reading that statement, I believe we would
benefit from looking more closely at the passage in Genesis that talk about
that day.
"Then
the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household,
because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. You
shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female;
two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of
birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all
the earth. For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty
days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living
things that I have made." Genesis 7:1-4 NKJV
What
these verses tell us is that God told Noah to go into the Ark because in seven
days the flood was going to begin. Matthew tells us that the normal, everyday
life of the unbelievers of Noah's day continued until "the day"
Noah entered the Ark. If the flood did not begin until seven days after Noah
entered the Ark, what happened on that day that got their attention to the
extent they changed what they had been doing? Since Noah had been going in and
out of the Ark for 150 years while he built it means something different had to
have happened this particular day. Considering this, the only answer I could
come up with is found in the following verse.
"So
those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded
him; and the LORD shut him in." Genesis 7:16 NKJV
Putting t
it another way, after everybody went in, God shut the door! Now when I got to
thinking about the door, the first thought I had was "just how big was
it"? Obviously, it had to be big enough for the largest animals
on the earth to walk through, so it follows that it must have been huge. With a
background in construction, my next thought was how was it engineered? Hinges?
Sliding? Let's not forget the weight either. Made of wood thick enough to
withstand the pressures it would face from the sea, and treated with pitch
which would make it even heavier, it would have taken a massive effort on the
part of Noah and his sons to put that door in place, much less close it.
But the
Bible tells us God shut the door. What exactly did the people outside see and
hear when God shut it? Did they see it closing seemingly all by itself? Did it
close slowly or slam shut with a loud noise? Maybe a little thunder and
lightning thrown in for good measure? I'm willing to wager as well that
the door, up until this point, had never been shut. Whatever happened,
because we are told that life changed after the door shut, when that door
closed there must have been a message there that they heard loud and clear. What
might that message have been? I wonder if it was the realization that no matter
if they changed their minds or not, they had lost their chance to get in?
Thinking about this led me to a couple of other passages where God talks about
closing a door.
"And
while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in
with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. "Afterward the other
virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said,
'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' " Matthew
25:10-12 NKJV
"Strive
to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter
and will not be able When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut
the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord,
Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you,
where you are from,' " Luke 13:24-25 NKJV
Taking a good look around right now, especially at the events of the past few months, do you think it is possible that we are approaching a similar time in the world’s history where God will once again choose to judge man for his actions? We as believers know from the Word that this going to occur again, the question is when?
“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 3:5-7 NKJV
I think
the message God intends for the world is clear. In order to escape the judgment
that is coming, you must enter before the door is shut. In Noah's day, I believe
the people of the earth had a good idea what was coming when they saw the door
shut, and realized they had lost their chance to escape the coming judgment.
When the world sees the church disappear in the rapture, they will know just as
the people of Noah's day knew, that the door which leads to deliverance from
God's judgment is shut. My prayer is that you have made the choice to enter in
before that door closes. The day that Noah entered the Ark, the tenth day of
the second month on the Jewish calendar will occur just ten days from now, Tuesday October 27. Have you made your choice? Jesus said this;
"Behold,
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."
Revelation 3:20 NKJV
I pray
you have asked Jesus to come into your heart, and have given your life to Him.
If you have, we will walk through that door together and hopefully soon. Many
of us believe we are fast approaching the day of the rapture of the church. As
you can see, we are also fast approaching the anniversary of the time God
judged the world the first time. With all the examples throughout history of
God choosing to use anniversaries of events in Israel's history to do other
things, is it possible we will see the next judgment of God on this earth begin
at the same time it did back in Noah's day?
Keep
watching.
