How Much More?

Matthew 24:36-39,42 - But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But 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. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

As the scripture above says, those were the days in which Noah lived. God had had enough. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:6-8)

So what more can I say? Jesus is clearly saying He will return at a time only His Father knows. Things in this world will have to be pretty ugly for that to happen. Signs were given for us to know those times and season. If God destroyed the earth once and He says He will return once again to bring final judgment, why wouldn’t we be wanting to heed His words, like Noah did?

One of the names of Jesus is the Door. There is but one way to God the Father. We either heed His words today or we don’t. The door to the ark was the only way Noah, his family and anyone (yet no one) could enter to safety. We either go into that Door today and be saved or we perish like those people in Noah’s day. 

There will always be scoffers. I grieve over those who don’t believe He will return, that our days will get better, that we will make America great again, that peace and security is what the world wants and if that’s so, it should happen. We cannot trust man but we can trust God.

True peace and security can only be found in Jesus Christ. We are to heed His warnings. Yes, we continue with life, but we always have God and His Word in our hearts. The things of the world, as the song states, will grow strangely dim in the light and the glory of His grace. I was noticing this morning how things that seemed so important to me just are not anymore. I believe that is the Lord changing me to do as He says, not cling to the things of this world because our world is not on earth but in heaven. 

I know many of my church friends and I look up with excitement and anticipation for the day He will return. We are also to endure to the end of our life if He should take us before His return with the same anticipation of being with Him in that perfect world to come. It's harder for me to live in this world; I endure knowing that the glorious end will be near.

This is not a gloomy subject unless one's church does not talk about it. It's not gloomy if one has that relationship, that knowing, that one is born again. Many churches don't preach born again. Look up what that means; find scriptures that explain what it is and how it is achieved (and the words of one simple prayer will not save; but a heart willing to change and receive Christ will).

2Timothy 3:1-4 - But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God...

Back to the Beginning

Genesis 6:11-12 - The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

It's that time of year...back to the beginning in Genesis, reading about Noah. Every time I read it it feels more like today than the year before. My question is, when will others notice this? When will others begin to see the corruptness in this world? When will others take it seriously?

Noah was called by God to build an ark that he and his family, and anyone else who wanted to join them, would be saved from the flood He was going to send to cleanse the world of the sinfulness. And only Noah and his family were saved. The others didn't take Noah, or God, seriously. Today we have Jesus. He is the Door by which we must enter to be saved.

Noah and his family took building the ark seriously. They were eight in number. Eight out of how many thousands or more? And today we have thousands or more who believe we are going through what Noah did, not only a spiritual hardness but a worldly corruptness. Thousands of believers out of billions. That sounds like what Jesus says: Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:14)  It's not difficult to find the way, but difficult to be determined to walk on that path.

I'm believing times will have to get even worse before the world understands. There are just too many distractions, too much success to achieve, too much "fun" to have to notice the decline in morality. I'm not saying we shouldn't be working to make ends meet, or enjoy time with family and friends. But is God a part of any of this? Is He thought of or discussed at all?

We must start getting our priorities in order. God is first. Noah trusted God when all others laughed at him. So when I say it looks like we are in the last days, am I being laughed at too?

I'm not going to belabor this issue. Just know biblical history repeats itself. The next disaster will not be a flood but fire (2Peter 3:7). Can you think of any ways that might be possible? As in the days of Noah...

Matthew 24:37-39 - But 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.

Shame Can Bring Forgiveness

Psalm 83:16 - Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O LORD.

I don't care how repetitive I am in my blog. The message will always be the same in the end...the most important thing there is is having a relationship with Jesus Christ, Son of Almighty God. Jesus, the only way, truth and life. Jesus, who died for our sins...something no one else has done.

In this nation we see people living lifestyles that exclude God. Many just don't think there is a need for Him. Maybe they hate anything He stands for and are offended. Or maybe they have been so badly hurt by a church that anger and bitterness consume them to a point where they will not step into a church again. Maybe they lost someone or something so horrible in their life that they are angry with God because they believe that a good God would not allow something so bad to occur.

I believe, as I have for a long time, that we are seeing the consequences of a nation turning its back on God. Do things look all that great these days? We are in days like the days of Noah: And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26-27) They heard the warnings Noah was putting out there but they did not want to believe them. Then it was too late.

Timothy later added this about those living in the last days: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God...(2Timothy 3:2-4). Ouch.

Some see what they want to see...because they have not God and have bought into the delusion: The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2Thessalonians 2:9-12) Strong words? I guess!

I ask you to open your eyes and allow God to fill you with the wisdom of truth and knowledge. I ask myself time and again, who am I that God would allow me to see these things? I'm no one special...to the world...but to God...wow. It is a privilege to be counted as one who has just a tiny bit of wisdom and discernment.

Oh...but wait. That might be considered arrogant. And you know what? It might be. Some look at believers as arrogant because we say we have received Christ, believe we have a special relationship with Him, have changed spiritually, understand better His truth and, as one of these friends says, hold firm to our beliefs and have the hope Christ gives us, something others who aren't sure of this hope or have no beliefs don't understand because they have not heeded these words of God. Is it their fault? I don't know. If they have heard...even in these blogs (which are far from perfect)...and have laughed or determined the subject matter too absurd for their thinking, or they are offended because sometimes the content seems to offend...because it is the truth of God's Word...then, yes, they have chosen not to believe the truth and have believed the lie.

The truth is not difficult to grasp if one really wants to know it. God wants none to perish and there are many who will whether they live to be a hundred or die in an instant tomorrow. There is a very great need to know Jesus and His saving power. We cannot work for it. We must, though, desire and then seek it. Seek God.

Anyone who does not know God is His enemy of sorts. My prayer is that He would fill the faces of unbelievers with shame. Sometimes that's what we need to do...we need to see for ourselves the dreadful lives we live without Him. We need to see our sin and be ashamed, repent of those sins and seek Him. Then...He is just to forgive. He forgives as far as the east is from the west. The shame is then removed. A change will take place.

My message will not change. If it is offensive the offense is not with me but with He who showed us the truth. It's all about Jesus. Do you choose to follow Him or choose to live with others as in the last days of Noah? He's searching to and fro for those whose hearts are for Him that He might show Himself strong on their behalf. Will you join those He has sought and won over? It is unlike anything you have known. Join the "arrogant" ones who have a belief in something real and a hope like no other.

Isaiah 56:6 - Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.