Well, it’s just a bit after 10 p.m. here. The sky just put out the wildest color display. The clouds were dark and extremely low and turned from yellow to green to red. It was sorta creepy! Our neighbors gathered outside their houses to watch. While everyone else was outside I headed upstairs to my parents’ bedroom on the 3rd floor and opened their skylight. I scanned the vast neighborhood below. One of our neighbors just got married; they are having a loud party. Crouching to the ground, I gazed upward, so all I could see was the outline of the skylight window and beyond that the endless expanse of threatening black clouds. The partiers laughter and devilish music rose from below, mixing with the low rumbling of thunder overhead. The sky flashed angrily as bolds of lightning pierced the darkness. It almost seemed as though Someone was angry, and a feeling of awe washed over me as I thought about a very similar scene that took place years and years ago, before I was born.
The earth was filled with violence. Sinful man covered the face of the earth. Their angry, drunken cries reached the ears of Almighty God, and the stench of innocent blood rose to His nostrils. God looked down from Heaven and mourned the day He created man. He searched throughout the whole earth, and only one righteous man was found among all of humanity. His name was Noah, and he was told to build an enormous boat. Noah preached 120 years to all his neighbors, telling them that a flood would destroy the earth, but the people only mocked him. They were too busy having fun to think of something serious. Then came a day when they were eating and drinking and enjoying a marriage celebration. Suddenly the sky grew black. It began to rain--something that had never happened before. As rain fell harder and harder, the earth opened up and the fountains of the deep unleashed their torrents of water. All of sinful humanity drowned. The earth was void of all living things. The only people to survive the worldwide flood were Noah, his family of seven, and some animals in the boat.
When the flood ended, and the water subsided, God put a beautiful rainbow in the sky, and that was a sign of His promise to never destroy the earth with water again. We still see that beautiful bow in the sky today after a storm. The Bible is the Word of God, and God cannot lie. Years after that worldwide flood, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, came into the world in the form of human flesh. Jesus said,
“For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noe [Noah], so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe [Noah] entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” Luke 17:24-27
The sounds of partying people below...the raging storm overhead. This scene being played out before me reminded me of that day so long ago, when the earth was destroyed. The earth will be destroyed again after the Son of man, Jesus Christ, comes to claim His own. In Noah’s day the earth was destroyed by water; the second time it will be destroyed by fire. Jesus said in Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
Jesus Christ is coming soon! What are your works, friend? The Bible tells us that our works aren’t good enough to get us to Heaven. The best thing we ever did is like a filthy rag in the sight of God. He is so holy that we could never, ever attain to His holiness. God saw that we were doomed, as were all those people in the days of Noah. Way back then God told Noah to build a boat so those people could be saved if they would get in. Two thousand years ago God sent His only Son to die on an old rugged cross. Just like God made a way of escape by boat from drowning, He now offers us a way of escape from eternal death in Hell if we will repent of our sins and put our trust in Jesus Christ. The question is, will you get on board?
“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” Proverbs 22:3
Christian, are you waiting on the Ark? Are you expectantly gazing out the window, anticipating the coming of your Lord? It would be extremely wise to step in the boat. Don’t party around with the world; you can’t serve God and the devil and get away with it!!! It just doesn’t work! One day we will stand before God and give account for every idle deed. I expect there’ll be some tears shed on that day. Are you living a righteous life so they will be as few as possible? Noah did, and God recorded his name in the Hall of Faith.
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7
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