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Author: Stephen Weller
656 words, 3 minutes read time

Like In the Days of Noah

Scripture: Matthew 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-27

With the previous lesson we finished the section related to the parable of the fig tree and the return of the Son of Man. With this lesson we will begin a section in which the days of the coming of the Son of Man are compared to the days of Noah and Lot.

Lk 17:26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of Mt 24:27 the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, Lk 17:27 until the day when Noah entered the ark, Mt 24:39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

In the days of Noah, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5 ESV). God chose to bring a great flood upon the earth and assigned Noah the task of building an ark as a means of rescue, “And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood” (Genesis 7:7 ESV).

In those days before the flood, as construction of the ark continued, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage just as they are today and will be doing before the coming of the Son of Man. We should not see that eating and drinking as a description of evil in those days, rather, that life went on as normal. However, the people made fun of Noah building the ark and did not listen to his message from God and as a result they were caught unprepared when the flood came and swept them away. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. People will go on living as normal and be unaware of the spiritual danger of the coming of the Son of Man and will be swept away into an eternal living hell under the wrath of God.

All through the Bible, God chooses people to do a work for him. During this time of evil, God chose Noah and “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” Hebrews 11:7 ESV).  God chooses people today and makes us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5) by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8 – 9). Our new life was his doing, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV). Noah was chosen and given an assignment, just as we are chosen and given an assignment (Matthew 28:18 – 20). In each case there is eternal consequences.

In 2 Peter 2, Peter gives examples of God destroying multitudes of wicked people and rescuing a few during those times. When the Son of Man comes a great multitude will be swept away, but a few will remain to enter the final one-thousand-year period recorded in the Bible.

Conclusion

Is not today similar to the days of Noah with people eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage? Those people failed to heed the warning God gave them through Noah. How many are listening and responding today to God’s message of repentance? How strong is your devotion to Jesus Christ and how well are you doing on your work assignment? Noah completed his and so did Jesus. Will we?