Suddenly, But Not Without Warning

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and did not realize until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two will be in the field: one is taken and the other is left.  Two will be grinding at the mill: one is taken and the other is left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief comes, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be dug through.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an hour you do not expect.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made administrator over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Truly, I say to you that he will appoint him as administrator over all his possessions.  But if that wicked servant says in his heart, My master delays his coming, and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not expecting him and in an hour he does not know, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Matthew 24:37-51

 

“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those intending to live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the lustful behavior of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, his righteous soul was tormented from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds); then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust for the day of judgment, to be punished, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries.”  2nd Peter 2:4-10

 

“And Jehovah said, I will obliterate man whom I have created from off the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and flying creatures of the heavens, for I regret having made them.  But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah.  These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation. Noah walked with God.  And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God looked upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.  And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them along with the earth.  Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.  And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.  You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels.  And behold I, even I, am bringing a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy from under the heavens all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.  And I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark; you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.  And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.  Of flying creatures after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come in to you, to keep them alive.  And take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.  Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”  Genesis 6:7-22

 

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”  Hebrews 11:7

 

Here we are wrapping up the year 2018.  The epistle of 2nd Peter makes mention that Noah was a preacher of righteousness.  Yet we know from the Bible that only Noah, his three sons and their wives were saved (1 Pet. 3:20).  What we have in the world today is a large amount of disbelief, even from those who proclaim to know Christ.  If society actually believed that God’s Judgment was once again going to effect the entire world, would they not behave in regards to those facts?

 

In our modern society people don’t like to believe that there was a literal Flood that killed all but eight people.  They refuse to believe that Noah built an ark, that the animals, insects and birds were loaded unto it, complete with food, and God closed the door to the ark.  They refuse that afterwards the entire world, even above the highest mountaintop, however high it may have been prior to the Flood, was covered with water.  They refuse to believe such facts.

 

I’ve often wondered how many people thought Noah was crazy.  Yet when the rains began and the Flood started, then they realized their error, but it was too late.  The Bible is quite clear that another time of Judgment is coming against the inhabitants of the earth, it will come suddenly, but not without warning. 

 

If you consider that we have the fossil record, we can see the cause and effect of the upheaval from the Flood in our geologic record, we really have no excuse to not believe God.  How is it in a world where there are churches all over and billions of people who claim to profess the Christian faith, who say that they believe in God or in Christ, but they refuse to believe what the Bible tells us is going to happen?!

 

Where does the knowledge of God come from?  Of where does man turn to hear the Words of God?  Is it not the Bible? 

 

“All Scripture is breathed by God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.  I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of season. Convict, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own lusts, desiring to hear pleasant things, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to myths.”  2nd Timothy 3:16-4:4

 

“Remember the former things from a long time ago; for I am the Mighty God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one else is like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from antiquity things which are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my counsel from a distant land. Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have formed it; I will also do it.”  Isaiah 46:9-11

 

So why continue to warn about such things?  Well because the Bible warns about such things.  There will come a point in time for every soul where they will have to individually chose whether they will repent and by faith believe into Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior or not.

 

If people believed God and what the Bible said then they would realize the seriousness of sin.  They would realize the necessity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dying on the Cross and rising again.  They would realize how they have offended our Creator, how sin separates us from Him and they would repent and turn from their ways, through the free gift of Salvation that He has provided for all mankind.

 

“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of Jehovah been revealed?  For He grows up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of the dry ground. He has no form nor splendor that we should regard Him, nor anything spectacular that we should desire Him.  He is despised and rejected by men; a Man of pain, and knowing infirmity; a hiding of faces; being despised, we have esteemed Him not.  Truly He has borne our sicknesses, and carried our pain; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and Jehovah has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.  He has been oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opens not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is mute, so He opens not His mouth.  He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken.  And His grave was assigned with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.  Yet it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should give His soul as a sin-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the delight of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand.  He shall see the travail of His soul, and shall be fulfilled. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.  Therefore I will apportion to Him with the great, and He shall divide the spoils with the strong; because He has poured out His soul unto death; and He was reckoned among the transgressors; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”  Isaiah 53

 

We live in dangerous times, just as the Bible prophesized.  Truly the apostasy is full blown and getting worse as time goes on.  Admittedly I am actually shocked at how fast it is taking hold and how many good biblical churches are quickly becoming corrupted or falling to the ecumenical movement.  What should be being done is those who are Christians, the churches that truly serve Jesus Christ, need to be busy about preaching the full Gospel message, warning people to turn from their sins and turn to Christ for Salvation. 

 

“But evil men and pretenders will grow worse and worse, leading astray and being led astray.  But you continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”  2nd Timothy 3:13-15

 

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their destructive ways, through whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.  By covetousness they will exploit you with well-turned words; whose judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”  2nd Peter 2:1-3

 

One day the Rapture will happen and it will happen suddenly and without warning.  Yet the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7), will begin immediately afterward, suddenly, but not without warning.  Can we just for a moment grasp the seriousness of a world that rebels against their Creator?

 

“But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.  These are they who set themselves apart, sensual persons, not having the Spirit.  But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,  keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.  And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others rescue with fear, snatching them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”  Judas 1:17-23

 

Let’s take a look at the Flood and realize the seriousness of sin in the eyes of a holy God.  Just to recap here, some scripture:

 

“And Jehovah said to Noah, Come into the ark, you and all your house, for I have seen you as being righteous before Me in this generation.  You shall take unto you of every clean animal seven and seven, a male and his female; and two each of animals that are not clean, a male and his female; also seven and seven of the flying creatures of the heavens, male and female, to keep seed 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 obliterate from off the face of the earth all living substance that I have made.  And Noah did according to all that Jehovah commanded him.  Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.  So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.  Of clean animals, of animals that are not clean, of flying creatures, and of everything that moves upon the earth, two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.  And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.  In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the heavens were opened.  And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.  On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark; they and every living thing after its kind, all animals after their kind, every creeping thing that moves on the earth after its kind, and every flying creature after its kind, every bird of every wing.  And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life.  So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And Jehovah shut him in.  And the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it was high above the earth.  The waters prevailed and greatly increased upon the earth, and the ark moved about upon the surface of the waters.  And the waters prevailed with abundant force upon the earth, and all the high hills under the heavens were covered.  The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.  And all flesh died that moved on the earth: flying creatures and animals and living things and every creeping thing that moves on the earth, and every man.  All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died.  So He obliterated all living substance which was on the face of the ground: both man and animal, creeping thing and flying creatures of the heavens. They were obliterated from off the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark were left alive.  And the waters prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.”  Genesis 7

 

So, let’s take a look at how serious sin is in God’s eyes.  Then let’s realize that God has provided Salvation to all of mankind. 

 

What if God decided to judge the United States for our sin.  What if He decided to allow wildfires to break out everywhere that would not be able to be stopped and would do massive damage.  Imagine a wildfire sweeping through the entire state of Montana, killing every person, every animal and every insect!  The entire state a smoking hot heap of ash with no survivors!

 

Such a judgment would be less severe than what happened during the Flood.  While we don’t know how many people were on the world in those days, we certainly know that it was more than currently lives in Montana.  So when we realize the seriousness of God’s judgment, why do we not turn away from our sins?!

 

Why will we not repent as societies of the world towards our holy Creator and turn to His Son Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our Salvation?  Why do we continue to not believe what the Bible says, His Word, and yet pretend that we are alright before Him?  Why do we not realize what God’s Word says will happen and just the simple fact that such a topic as this being able to be written in the prospective that it is, signifies that God’s Word is true.

 

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so persistently harasses us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:1-2

 

Indeed people are not ready, they are not paying attention!  They continue on with their sin and rebellion, getting worse and worse.  They pretend to know God, but they do the opposite by their actions.

 

“They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and reprobate with regard to every good work.”  Titus 1:16

 

It might have been all fun and games during the days of Noah.  People went about rebelling, they went about their lives doing whatever it was they were doing.  One thing they weren’t doing was following their Creator and repenting of their sins before Him.  One thing they weren’t doing is being pleasing to Him, they were walking contrary to Him.  This is serious business and by no means should be taken lightly, for history, if people chose to believe it, shows the exact opposite, God should be feared!

 

Nineveh repented when Jonah warned them as to what was coming (Jonah 3:5-10).  God had mercy on them.  While ultimately we know that the Tribulation is going to occur, God will have mercy on those who are Saved through His Son Jesus Christ.  For those, they will be kept from the wrath of Almighty God (1 Thes. 5:9). 

 

What the world needs to do is take very serious sin and the consequences of it, in regards to their personal souls.  The end will eventually come and it will come suddenly, but it will not come without warning.  God provided these warnings through the Bible, they are readily available.  People need to rectify themselves before a holy God and this can only be done through Jesus Christ. 

 

“For ever since the creation of the world the unseen things of Him are clearly perceived, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they know God, they do not glorify Him as God, nor are thankful, but become vain in their reasonings, and their stupid hearts are darkened.  Professing to be wise, they become foolish, and change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.  Therefore God also gives them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who change the truth of God into the lie, and fear and serve the created things more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.  For this reason God gives them up to vile passions. For even their women change the natural use for what is contrary to nature.  Likewise also the men, abandoning the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men with men performing what is shameful, and receiving the retribution within themselves, the penalty which is fitting for their error.  And even as they do not like to have God in their full true knowledge, God gives them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with every unrighteousness, sexual perversion, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, depravity; whisperers, defamers, haters of God, insolent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do them, but also approve of those who practice them.”  Romans 1:20-32

 

Amen!