“…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 the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matt. 24:37-39) Noah was given instructions to build an ark, a great boat of enormous dimensions. It would serve as the vehicle to preserve life from the great Flood that God would send to destroy the world, a world filled with people who had lost ALL MORAL LIVING AND WOULD NOT CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR. “For if God did not spare the ancient world, but SAVED NOAH, one of eight people, A PREACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly…” (2 Pet. 2:4-5) Through Noah (his work of building a huge boat and his PREACHING OF GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS) God was giving the world an opportunity to repent, change and acknowledge Him as Creator. The work Noah did for 120 YEARS was an example of God WARNING AND URGING MAN TO ACKNOWLEDGE DEPENDENCY ON HIM.
Jesus said: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For MANY WILL COME IN MY NAME, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you ARE NOT TROUBLED; for all these things must come to pass, but THE END IS NOT YET. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the BEGINNING OF SORROWS.” (Matt. 24:4-8) (I believe this is where the TRUMPET OF GOD sounds!) Jesus went on to say, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and WILL HATE ONE ANOTHER…But HE WHO ENDURES TO THE END SHALL BE SAVED.” (Matt. 24:9-13)
-Bill Stockham