During our Sunday service on December 23rd, pastor Rick talked a little about how he believes that world events are telling us that things are moving towards Christ's return. He talked about Gog and Magog and about how he believes Russia or a Russian alliance will attack Israel. I thought it was an interesting detour in a service otherwise filled with children singing and a theme around Christmas since it was two days away.
It got me to thinking about Christ's return, which I have stated numerous times that I think is near. Jesus himself said in Matthew 24 that "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of man." verse36-37. I thought about what that statement means when Jesus talked about the days of Noah.
Here is a description of the times of Noah in Genesis 6:6 "The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind whom I have created, fromt he face of the earth-men and animals and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them." The description in verse 5 is that "every incliination of the thoughts of heart was only evil all the time." That's a sad commentary on man's heart only 6 chapters into the Bible.
I think that is part of what Jesus meant. Is that sin corrupts the heart and makes it insensitive to the things of God. It makes our hearts cold to him and to each other. In fact, in Matthew 24:12 it says, 'Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." That is what sin does. And in fact, when you see the violence in our society today and the tolerance of it you see that this is what is happening. Our hearts become insensitive to the pain of others and to the effects of our own sins.
But, I think there is something more to the "days of Noah". Noah was told to build an ark and when he entered it says that he was 600 years old. He had 600 years to be around people who were violent and did not walk with God. Yet, it says he found favor with God. You would think that Noah tried to warn his neighbors about the flood, yet when it started to rain, nobody except his immediate family responded to the call to get on the ark. God's wrath when it did come came suddenly. I think that is part of what Jesus meant here. Because we do not know the day or the hour we are suppose to be ready. In 1 Thessalonians it mentions this when it says, 'the day fo the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." This is was happened to people in Noah's day and I am afraid that it will happen again when he returns. Are you ready?
It got me to thinking about Christ's return, which I have stated numerous times that I think is near. Jesus himself said in Matthew 24 that "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of man." verse36-37. I thought about what that statement means when Jesus talked about the days of Noah.
Here is a description of the times of Noah in Genesis 6:6 "The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind whom I have created, fromt he face of the earth-men and animals and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them." The description in verse 5 is that "every incliination of the thoughts of heart was only evil all the time." That's a sad commentary on man's heart only 6 chapters into the Bible.
I think that is part of what Jesus meant. Is that sin corrupts the heart and makes it insensitive to the things of God. It makes our hearts cold to him and to each other. In fact, in Matthew 24:12 it says, 'Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." That is what sin does. And in fact, when you see the violence in our society today and the tolerance of it you see that this is what is happening. Our hearts become insensitive to the pain of others and to the effects of our own sins.
But, I think there is something more to the "days of Noah". Noah was told to build an ark and when he entered it says that he was 600 years old. He had 600 years to be around people who were violent and did not walk with God. Yet, it says he found favor with God. You would think that Noah tried to warn his neighbors about the flood, yet when it started to rain, nobody except his immediate family responded to the call to get on the ark. God's wrath when it did come came suddenly. I think that is part of what Jesus meant here. Because we do not know the day or the hour we are suppose to be ready. In 1 Thessalonians it mentions this when it says, 'the day fo the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." This is was happened to people in Noah's day and I am afraid that it will happen again when he returns. Are you ready?
