AS IT WAS…SO WILL AS IT WAS…SO WILL IT BE!IT BE!

The Days of Noah

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What can we learn from the events of 4000 years ago?

Jesus gave a warning that has great meaning for us today: “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Mt 24:37

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What were the Days of Noah

like?

Moses wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5

‘EVERY’: or, the whole imagination: the Hebrew word signifies not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires - continually: every day! All they desired and wanted all the time was only evil!!

Why did God tell righteous Noah to build a huge boat on dry land?

Ge 6:6,7 “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”

What a sad state of affairs! In just 2 thousand years the earth had gone from what God declared ‘Very Good’ to

where God was sorry He even made it!

Why was God made sorry?“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 his way upon the earth. Gen. 6:11-12

God Is Love! He created all things to be happy! Now the evil and violence of men was destroying all possible happiness from the earth. Men delighted in killing and torturing both animals and people. The cries and groans of the oppressed

and suffering rose up before the loving Creator.

And God saw something else too…

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them (from) the earth! Gen. 6:13 (margin)

God saw that unless He interceded to put a check on it, the growing tide of evil would blot all life from the planet!

What had led to this horrible evil?

God saw man would soon destroy all life on earth!

When Man turns from obeying God he starts a process that leads to

DEATH!The race that lived before the flood were like nothing we have ever seen. They lived hundreds of years. They had minds that never forgot what they learned. They had a world rich in natural resources.

There was almost nothing beyond their capabilities -The heights of evil they rose to… we can’t even imagine!

THE WICKED RACE OF CAIN…

In Genesis 4 we have the story of the first son of Adam. He grew up to be arrogant, self-willed and rebellious… he

became the first murderer on earth, brutally beating his innocent brother to death because he had dared to urge him to obey God. He knew he deserved to die. But as an object

lesson to the universe of what SIN will grow into – God allowed him to live out his life.Cain married one of his sisters and moved away from his parents to build a city

to dwell in. He invented a form of worship contrary to the worship of the Creator. And it included Idolatry. (see Joshua 24:14,15)

Idolatry led to cruel practices –killing and torturing in the name of worship. Satan delighted in the mighty race of Cain and taught them many evils!

THE GODLY RACE OF SETH…Although Adam and Eve had

many children, the Bible zeros in on only certain ones. After

the death of Abel and the rebellion of Cain, Seth was

born and grew up to serve the Creator faithfully. His

descendents are call the ‘Children of God’.

These ‘Children of God’ lived a more agricultural life in secluded areas to be away from the violence of the race of Cain and the false worship. They would gather on the Sabbath to offer sacrifices and worship before the gates of Eden.

But as time passed, the woman of Cain’s race learned many seductive practices. They learned to make themselves very appealing to the urges of men and we are told: “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they

took them wives of all which they chose.” Gen. 6:2

INTERMARRIAGE BROUGHT APOSTACY!Genesis 6 tells us that as the godly race of

Seth mingled and intermarried with the rebellious race of Cain, men became mighty in their deeds of evil. Giants in both stature

and intellect, they perused pleasure and lust until the state was reached we read about

earlier.

Only a few persons still served God faithfully and they had to dwell in the secluded areas for refuge from oppression and persecution.

But even in that wicked time we have the example of a man who lived so close to God that he actually was removed from earth and taken to heaven! His name was Enoch and he was Noah’s great grandfather. He took hold by faith of the Hand of God and “walked with God.” We can do this also, no matter how bad

others choose to be – we can “Walk with God!”

What things did Jesus point out about these people of Noah’s day?

“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until

the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming

of the Son of man be.” Mt 24:38,39 Eating and Drinking; Marrying and giving in Marriage: These things are not

wrong in themselves BUT this is showing that these things were all the focus of their lives and there was an intensity about it that was evil continually!

What other example does Jesus give us?

“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.” Luke

17:28,29 Eating and Drinking; Buying and Selling: Planting and Building; When these

things become all important and God is forgotten and dishonoured and His Law despised - then evil rules in the heart of man continually! Like the people before

the flood, Sodom was full of horrible cruelty.

Why did the people ‘Not Know’? Didn’t God warn them?

“And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Mt 24:38,39

For 120 years Noah faithfully preached to the world the message of the coming flood and the safety to be had in the Ark he was building at God’s command.

With every blow of the hammer on that ship he testified to his belief in the word of God! It took all the possessions that Noah had to build this ark-

Imagine the kind of faith it took- in a world that had never known rain and life seemed to continue

‘normally’!

This is the point Jesus was making…

If you had been in Sodom the day before the fire fell – you would have thought it would continue forever. Life’s round of affairs went on as usual, including a few rude jokes about the

preaching of that ‘Nutcase’ Lot. If you had been in the cities and towns the day before the Flood came – you

would have seen things continuing normally. In fact later the people gathered abound the closed ark and had a party ridiculing and threatening Noah! BUT

THERE HAD BEEN EVIDENCE to back up what Noah and Lot were saying!!

God gives evidence for those who wish to see and believe!

Just the night before the fire fell on Sodom, a huge crowd had been smitten blind as they tried to do violence to Lot’s

guests. When the ark was finished and Noah invited the people to come in for the last time, all at once hundreds of

animals were seen coming to the Ark…

In an orderly manner Seven each of the clean animals identified in Leviticus went into the ark. People watched in horror – Was Noah Right?

Two each of the uncleananimals went into the ark. Birds flew in flocks to enter the ark. Nature obeyed her Master but man would not heed!

Could not the people see from this that the building of the ark was the work of God? Did they not know that animals and

birds would not enter the ark in perfect order and of their own accord without the guidance of a divine hand? They

might have known; but for 120 years they had been hardening their hearts.

They asserted that if there were any truth in what Noah had said, the men of renown--the wise, the prudent, the great men--would understand the matter!They had been training themselves to reject the message of truth. Now, when unmistakable evidence was given them, their hearts were so hard that they laughed it away. For seven days the animals came led by angels, and Noah arranged them in their places!

THEN Noah made his last appeal and was rejected again. Now with his family and belongings he entered the Ark. The one massive door no man could close but a brilliant beam of light was seen streaking from the sky… and a mighty angel from heaven closed the door. PROBATION had ended for the

rebel race.Noah’s faith was tried as for 7 days all continued as before. No sign of the coming disaster was seen. People celebrated and laughed outside the ark. All were sure now that Noah was a deluded fanatic !

The seventh day dawned clear but all at once…

Safe within, Noah and his family cared for the animals and waited…

Suddenly for the first time in history, dark clouds gathered and lightening streaked

across the sky!

The wind howled like the shrieks of avenging

demons! The party around the ark broke off and

screams of terror filled the air!

“NOAH WAS RIGHT!!The FLOOD is HERE!”

Men saw their proud edifices of Idolatry destroyed by fire from heaven before their very eyes!

And then came the RAIN!

Water poured from the sky as the protective

canopy that had sheltered the Earth making it a

tropical paradise, collapsed …Water shot in huge geysers

from the ground!People scrambled to the high places and struggled to hold on. They tied their children to large animals in hopes they would be carried to safety. The animals in terror rushed towards men as if they could help them.

What would they not have given for one more invitation from ‘Crazy Noah’?

As the waters rose the Ark shifted and began to float.

As it WAS in the days of NOAH! SO shall it be when the Son of

Man Cometh!They KNEW NOT! Until the FLOOD came and TOOK

THEM AWAY!

Lu 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares !

The Ark, ‘Ship of Vision’, was built by an amateur boat builder over 120 years.The Ark carried 8 people and a host of animals.The Ark was used for only 1 year and thendiscarded in the mountains of Ararat.The ark was built by hand of wood and joinedby iron rivets.The Ark was designed and launched by God. Men or devils could not sink it!

The Titanic, ‘Ship of Dreams’, was built by professionals over just a few years.The Titanic was loaded down with people acting like animals.The Titanic was only afloat for a few days then rested 2000 feet deep at the bottom of the icy Atlantic.The Titanic was built of iron with wood within.The Titanic’s owners boasted that God himself could not sink it. So ends Man’s proud schemes!

Titanic VS the Ark

BE YE ALSO READYFor in such an hour as

ye think not …The Son of Man

cometh! Mt 24:44