Tuesday, September 4, 2018

A FRESH LOOK AT THE OLIVET DISCOURSE PT 8

We are to be approaching God with earnestness and eagerness for the LORD’s return, even though we don’t know when that will be.  He then goes on to give an illustration concerning that time, making reference to the days  of Noah. In the days before the flood, people were eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark; in other words, they were living life as usual.  Only after Noah was in the ark did the people recognize the truth of his preaching.  Noah knew all along that God was going to destroy “all flesh wherein is the breath of life” under heaven.

Genesis 6:13 & 17 “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 with the earth.  And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.”

Scripture also tells us that Noah was a preacher of righteousness.

2Peter 2:5 “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly….”

This tells me that his situation was much like that of Christians who share the truth of God’s coming today.  He knew the truth and was faithful to preach it, but the people ignored his message because they didn’t believe it.  We who have been redeemed by Jesus know the truth and are faithfully declaring it to those around us, but they choose to ignore it because they don’t believe it.  

This is not the first time that Jesus had taught this truth.

Luke 17:26-30 “And as it was in the days of Noe, 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 entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.  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.  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

Note that Jesus included the example of Lot in His earlier teaching to emphasize His point.  I think the important truth to note is that God is going to deliver His own before exacting judgment on the wicked. 


As He continues to paint His word picture, the LORD says that two will be working in the field; one will be taken, and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and the other left.  This is descriptive of what happens at the rapture when the LORD takes the family of believers home to heaven and leaves the unbelievers behind to experience the coming judgment.

(to be continued...)

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