With all of the chaos going on in the world, we can’t help but ask: Are we living in The End Times? Are we getting to The End of the World that the Bible talks about? Before his death on the cross – Jesus’ disciples approached him privately one day and bluntly asked the question that we’re all wondering: “What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (Matthew 24: 3)

The short answer Jesus gave was, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” (Matthew 24: 36) Modern translation – it could be today – or it could be 100 years from now. Truly, only God knows.

However, the long answer is littered with clues. Please read Matthew 24 and Luke 21 to get the full context. Here is one of the biggest clues:

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.” (Matthew 24: 37)

So what was going on in Noah’s day? Noah’s story can be found in Genesis Chapter 6 through Genesis Chapter 9. Literally, the world was a different place back then. Most scholars think it had never rained before Noah’s great flood. Somehow, the earth was surrounded by a type of vapor covering that supported life and provided water. Plus, normal, healthy human life expectancy was somewhere between 500 – 900 years old! Think of all you could get done in a lifetime back then. You could be 800 – and finally be able to retire! 🙂 Anyway, several verses summarize what was going on in “Noah’s day”:

Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on the earth at the time (Genesis 6:9).

Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence (Genesis 6:11) . . .

So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures . . . “(Genesis 6:13)

“Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out (Genesis 6: 14)”, God told Noah . . .

As we look closer into Noah’s life, we can imitate these three actions that he did to help us as we try to navigate through our own challenges during what possibly could be The End Times:

1. Noah had an active RELATIONSHIP with God – Genesis 6: 9 says: Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. He wasn’t perfect, he wasn’t without sin, he made mistakes like the rest of us (see Genesis 9: 20-22 for an example). However, in an evil world – he caught God’s attention. By walking in close fellowship – that looked like staying near God, in sync, in a rhythm He leads. Sometimes, I’ll take action because “God is taking too long” – and then I’ll pray and ask for him to “bless the decision” (Whah, Whah – Debby Downer music insert). The best practical ways to walk with God are Bible reading (and ask to hear a specific message for you), prayer (not just for stuff), listening and singing worship music, and time with others that will encourage us in our faith.
2. Noah REMAINED faithful even though others didn’t – Genesis 7: 6 & 7 say: So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him. Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. Many scholars estimate that it took Noah 50 to 75 years to build the ark. Let’s visualize ourselves doing what he did. I have a hard time focusing 50 to 75 minutes straight. He probably was tired, frustrated, and sore physically working on this massive project every day for years. He probably wondered, “Did God really say to build this – or am I hearing things?” If “the whole world was corrupt” – he probably got made fun of, harassed, threatened, and was definitely shunned. I remember as a kid wearing jeans too small for me with my tube socks showing (high water pants) and kids would tease, “Are you waiting for a flood?” Multiply that 100X to get a sense of what Noah had to endure as he truly was waiting for a flood!
3. Noah RESOLVED to finish what God had told him to do – Genesis 7:1 – “When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that your alone are righteous.” Again, his faithfulness was off the charts. Building a giant boat when there was no visual or physical sign of needing one. Faithfully gathering all of the animals to go on board (I personally may have “overlooked” the snakes and left them behind). He more than likely warned his neighbors, the scoffers, and the those who passed by. No one outside of his family was convinced or repented or believed him. The Bible states that only Noah, his wife, and three sons and their wives entered the ark before the doors were shut – eight total people. By worldly terms – a very small conversion rate. Sometime it is like that for us. We share our faith and beliefs and people aren’t interested. We try to warn those headed on a destructive path and they don’t listen. We invite them to church or a Bible study and the reply is, “Maybe next week . . .”As Noah demonstrates – God doesn’t judge our faithfulness on quotas, results, and amount of followers we have. He just asks that we do the work He has assigned us – and leave the results to him.

Conclusion – Whether we are in The End Times or not – Noah modeled a way for us to live thousands of years ago as he navigated through what was his End of the World scenario. Fortunately, God had mercy and love enough to preserve him and his family. He has done the same for us with the provision of his son Jesus Christ. We don’t have to live in fear based on the current state of the world – or fear of our eternal destiny when we’ve put our faith and trust in Him. The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Also, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (to die on the cross for our sins), that whoever believes in him (trusts in, clings to, relies upon, repents from sin, has a relationship with) will not perish – but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Someday, when we stand before God – He will present before us how we lived on earth. He’s going to say, “Well done – good and successful, wealthy, on stage, A-List Influencer, multi-talented, reached millions, best-selling author and servant!” NO! He’s going to say, “Well done good and FAITHFUL servant.” (Matthew 25:23) Faithful – a quality frequently overlooked, but a priority to God. Sticking it out, persevering, keep moving forward, keep seeking God, trusting, loyal. All those inner character qualities that we can be working on every day until it is officially The End Times.

Blessings,

Dave 🙂

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