Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Many people believe that we are living in these times. There are earthquakes all over the earth, and the number of earthquakes each year increases.
Mathew 24:32-42 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinkin, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and Knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be gfinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour yur Lord doth come.
In chapter 6 of Genesis Noah was told to build the ark because a flood was coming. The earth was filled with violence. The Bible says, "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."
Did you ever wonder what the people who lived near Noah must have thought when they saw him building the ark? For one thing they had never had a drop of rain. According to scientists the earth was probably overcast with a cloud cover, it had never rained. There's much scientific evidence to support that, and I believe that's how it was.
Put yourself in the position of someone living near Noah at that time. There were no big bodies of water where he could float this huge boat he was building and when he told people that he was building it because there was going to be a flood, they scoffed and laughed at him. But one day, it did begin to rain, and it did flood. And all the people who laughed at Noah ended up drowning in the flood.
Have you ever seen anyone drown? My oldest daughter almost drown and I can tell you it wasn't a pleasant sight. We were out on the boat and she is a good swimmer so we were having lots of fun until she went under the water and came up beneath the boat. She struck her head which caused her to be slightly unconscious. And for a minute or two she drifted under the water. During that time her brother and I were frantic trying to find her, but all we saw was water. And that day, at that time the color of the water seemed to be black. Drowning is not a pleasant sight.
Let's pretend we can visualize back to that day when Noah had the ark ready and the water began to fall out of the sky. There's a family made up of a dad, a mom, and a little girl. They live in a house on the side of the hill where they could actually look down and watch the progress of Noah's project. Many times the little girl had asked her father why Noah was building a boat. Her father had laughed and scoffed and said that Noah was predicting what he called rain to fall from the sky.
That day the family was sitting in their house which was not built to withstand rain because it did not need that kind of protection since it never rained. They were sitting in the house, and a little stronger breeze than normal came up. They looked outside and noticed that the clouds overhead were darker than usual.
It's getting cooler so the mother goes around the house and makes sure that the windows are closed. Someone hears something on the roof. Something they've never heard before. They have heard birds land on their roof and hop around, and this sounds kind of like that, except that it seems to be all over the roof.
They step outside to see what it is on their roof. As they step outside, drops of water land on their heads and faces. They look up and more drops of water hit them in the eye and in the nose.
The little girl asked her father, "What is this Daddy?"
The Daddy doesn't have an answer, but suddenly remembers what Noah said. He answers, "Well, it looks like it might be raining." As he speaks, the rain increases and the clouds grow darker. Before long the rain is beating down so hard that they have to go into the house to keep from becoming drenched.
Inside the house they don't find much shelter because their roof was not designed to protect them from rain, and everything in the house is getting wet. Now the daughter begins to get frightened, and starts to cry.
As they look out the window they notice streams of water are now flowing past their house down the hill toward Noah's boat. Also, the walls of their house and the ceiling of their house are beginning to sway and fall apart. To keep from being hurt by the crumbling house they run outside. As they look toward the valley, they notice water gathering around Noah's boat. All of the doors are closing and its beginning to float.
Other members of the community are now running around screaming and crying. Most are running toward higher places, like the top of the hill. In the meantime the water continues to fall in sheets from the sky.
The little girl, her mother, and father also begin to run up the hill. Because of the heavy rain is difficult to see ahead of them. They can only see a few feet ahead, and begin to run into other people, and other people run into them. Everyone is trying to get to the highest point.
It's very crowded at the top of the hill and the rain is coming down so fast that the ground has turned to mud, and becoming very slippery. The family huddles together and watches the flooding waters move toward the top of the hill.
The father picks up the little girl and holds her in his arms as she cries. She asks her father why didn't you believe Noah? But her father has no answer now and it's raining so hard now they can't even see far enough to know where Noah's boat has floated to.
Soon the water has reached the point where those standing near our family are being surrounded by it. They cannot believe how fast it's rising. People are now beginning to scream as they slip into the water. The water is now rising around the father and mother. They're having a difficult time standing as it rises quickly. The mother and father look at each other knowing that they should have listened to Noah. But now it's too late.
People are now pulling on each other, and trying to climb on top of each other to stay above the rising water. In a selfish fight for life they are actually drowning each other.
Finally the father's ability to stand on solid ground gives way, and he has to begin swimming with his daughter in his arms. He watches his wife and she tries to swim. But how long can a person swim when others around you are trying to survive by pulling you under.
The last thing the father knows as he tries to keep his daughter above the water is that someone is pulling him under.
(Pause)
But that's not the end of the story. Such a sad way to have to die! But according to the Bible, after these people died, they went to hell.
Thousands of years later Jesus Christ came to earth. While Jesus walked the earth this man, and his family were still burning in hell. This morning when you woke up, and your eyes opened, and you realized it was morning, this man and his family were still in hell. What are your plans for tomorrow? As you go through your day, remember, this man and his family are still in hell.
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Have you trusted Jesus as your savior? Are you saved? Do you have a friend who you know is not saved?
We live in the last days. Would you like your friend to go through what we call the tribulation? You will be taken up if you are saved, but if that friend is not saved they will stay here. While they are here the anti-Christ will appear. Your friend will have to wear the mark of the beast.
The Bible says there will be a famine. The Bible says people will die from sword, and hunger, and beasts. That sounds hard to believe doesn't it? Remember the family that lived during Noah's time? They found something hard to believe also.
The Bible says during this time one-third of all the trees will be burned. The Bible says all of the grass will be burned. The Bible says one-third of all the ships will be destroyed. The Bible says all the waters will become polluted. The Bible says people will have grievous sores or their bodies. The Bible says there will be a scorching sun. And, the Bible says there will be many earthquakes. Many more than we have now.
I know all of this is hard to believe, but remember, the Bible says it will be just like it was in Noah's time.
If you have a friend who is not saved, pray for that friend and work with them.
If you are not saved, wouldn't it be a good time to change that?