My friends as you may know just as in Noah's day just before the flood violence and corruption continue sadly to dominate the news in our world today. And no matter how hard we try to deny the truth the truth is that until Christ returns to establish his kingdom here on earth sadly things will just continue to worsen and decline steadily over time. We are also nearing clearly now the apostle Paul's prediction and the mystery of what many call today the "RAPTURE" (Latin-Rapturo)(Greek-Harpazo) of the church in these last days. In fact the apostle John in his day wrote that we are in the last "hour" so how close must we actually be now? This exciting event is imminent as in suddenly without warning in the blink of an eye! According to the apostle Paul more precisely it will happen one day at any moment in the "twinkling" of an eye (See 1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-52 and 1 THESSALONIANS 4:16-17). It means in English to be caught up or caught away. Yes indeed my friends caught up and away to forever be with Jesus Christ soon one day! We all need to prepare ourselves now for this exciting and prophetic event. We need to always "watch and pray" and be looking up as the Lord Jesus himself once had to say (See MARK 13) John the apostle also said concerning this truth that we are to "abide" in Christ so that when He "appears" we may have confidence and not be "ashamed" before Him at His coming (See 1 JOHN 2:28). In our generation today sadly many predict falsely that things will eventually improve here some day some how some way. However the truth is as the Lord Jesus himself once declared that here on earth there would eventually be "great" tribulation unlike there ever was or ever shall be (See MATTHEW 24).
Sadly violence and corruption will continue to dominate the news both here in America and around the world until Christ comes with His bride to set up His reign on earth when He returns visibly to the world after the rapture at His "second coming" when all on earth will see Him at that time even those who "pierced" Him (See REVELATION 1). Here's what Jesus also had to say about those living in this generation today, "BECAUSE INIQUITY SHALL ABOUND THE LOVE OF MANY WILL GROW COLD BUT HE THAT SHALL ENDURE TO THE END THE SAME SHALL BE SAVED" (MATTHEW 24:12). We should also remember what was happening way back in Noah's day just before the flood came and swept them all away. Just as God judged violence and wickedness in Noah's day he will do so once again some day. We also need to realize if we don't somehow already that God's ways are truly higher than ours. There is of course evil in the world from the beginning and God allows it to operate here for reasons obviously that we as mere humans simply can't totally understand or ever fully explain. Just ask JOB. But God always has a plan in the end for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
There's no way to fully comprehend why all the violence and chaos in the world is occurring today and as you well know there's plenty of it unfortunately going around everywhere lately these days. We do know however from the scriptures that the devil of course is behind all the confusion and deception just as he was in the beginning when he deceived Adam and Eve while disguising himself and lying to them about God and his plan causing them both to fall. Like today violence was also prevalent back in Noah's day. The earth was filled with it then along with wickedness as well. Here's what Moses himself had to say just before the flood came and swept them all away, "THEN THE LORD SAW THAT THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN WAS GREAT ON THE EARTH AND THAT EVERY INTENT OF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY. THE LORD WAS SORRY THAT HE MADE MAN ON THE EARTH AND HE WAS GRIEVED IN HIS HEART (GENESIS 6:5-6)." Wow what a sad commentary.
Thankfully Moses goes on to say however that Noah found favor in God's sight because he and his family were the only ones on earth apparently back then actually serving God and still living right! There's also a remnant of believers living today who, and more who eventually will, are obedient to God and who love God and fear him and will also escape God's wrath here on earth that will once again one day unfortunately come as revealed in the book of Revelation.
It's true that today we're now clearly starting to resemble the generation living in Noah's day and history is about to repeat itself. But just as God provided a way of escape for Noah and his family through an arc in the same way in our day through the cross of Christ he's also made a way for you and I today. Just as predicted there are scoffers rising up just as there were likely long ago as well back in Noah's day (See 2 PETER 3:3-10). But the truth is to escape God's wrath one day we must trust and obey today believing that Jesus alone is still the truth the life and the way! Yes it's true that God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.
And we can add absolutely nothing to all he did for us while hanging on a tree two-thousand years ago on that old rugged cross at Calvary. We're saved by grace through faith in Christ it's the gift of God so no one can boast (See EPHESIANS 2:8-10). No one deserves it and we can never earn salvation because we've ALL sinned and fallen short of God's glory. It's true Jesus Christ himself will one day come again appearing to all those watching for him. But to a world unprepared and unaware one day for them he will return like a "thief" in the night (See 1 THESS 5:1-10). And when he eventually does I wonder will he find us like Noah obeying God and living right or ignoring him like the world today just asleep in the light?
