THE HOLY BIBLE TEACHES that when Jesus Christ returns, people all around the world will be living just the way they were in the days of Noah, and in the days of Lot. They were eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, trading, planting and building. (Luke 17:26-28). Genesis chapters 6:5-6 teaches that every inclination of the thoughts of the hearts of the people was evil all of the time, and that the Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth. Because of this, the Lord said, “I will wipe out mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth.” In the days of Lot, Almighty God demolished Sodom and Gomorrah because the people were living in sexual immorality, idolatry, greed and violence. In both cases, Almighty God poured out His wrath upon the world and people were destroyed! However, in both cases, the Lord rescued His faithful servants and delivered them BEFORE He poured out His judgment and wrath.
When the Father judges the world again, He will not have the faithful build an ark, nor will there be anywhere for them to run and hide. Jesus will come as a thief in the night, when people all around the world are saying, “Peace and safety,” to carry His bride away to the wedding banquet. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess 4:16-17, 5:1-4, Rev 4:1 NIV).
Could the people of today, all around the world, be living the way they were in the days of Noah and Lot? Could we be living in the last of the last days? “Aurora shooting: Suspect opens fire at Colorado movie theater, killing 12-7/”20”/2012.” – The Columbine tragedy: The lives of 12 students and a teacher were taken- 4/”20”/99.” “Campus Carnage, Gunman slays 32, injures 15, then kills self-April 2007.” “Teen shot dead near school-Sept 2003.” “7 killed at school, March 2005.” “Omaha high schooler kills vice principal, self, Jan 2011,” “Teen dragged by car, then beaten.” “Gunman kills 12 kids in Brazil school- April 2011.” “Student: ‘Run, he’s loading,’ gunman kills 5, self in lecture hall at Northern Illinois -Feb 2008.” “Professor charged in killing of 3 on faculty- Feb 2010.” “Aurora police officer kills family, himself- June 2001.”(Local News Paper Reports). “My Spirit will not contend with man forever” (Gen 6:3).
As we take a closer look at how people were living in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot, we can clearly see that God’s awesome prophetic Word is coming to pass before this generation. Because many within the societies of the planet are no longer worshipping our Lord, and rampant sexual immorality, teen pregnancy, abortion, theft, drug use, violence and murder are out of control, God is lifting His hedge of protection off of the people. We can clearly see that sexually transmitted diseases and sexual organ related cancers are at a record breaking high. In addition, we can clearly see the natural catastrophes all around the world continue to increase. The increase of earth quakes and their magnitude are on the rise. This year, we are experiencing out of control, record breaking forest fires. Within the past 10 years, we have experienced record breaking hurricanes and tornadoes , not to mention record breaking HEAT. “And men were SCORCHED with GREAT HEAT, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give Him glory” (Rev 16:9 KJ). Record breaking hailstorms pounded areas of Colorado a few months back, devastating the exteriors of houses. Again, the amount of hails storms and the size of the hail stones have increased. “From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men” (Rev 16:21NIV). How close are we?
2 Peter 2:4-10 continues to teach that God will pour out His judgment on the world, yet He will protect the righteous. “If He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the FLOOD on its UNGODLY people, but PROTECTED Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if He condemned the cites of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the UNGODLY; and if He RESCUED Lot, a righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard-if this is so, then the Lord knows how to RESCUE GODLY men from trials (tribulation) and to hold the UNRIGHTEOUS for the day of judgment” (2 Pet 2:4-10).
The Word of God clearly teaches that God knows the future. He teaches that the people of this world are not going to change from the deliberate life of sin; therefore, He will Judge the world, very SOON! “But do not forget this one thing dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to REPENTANCE. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it WILL BE LAID BARE! Since everything WILL BE destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live HOLY and GODLY LIVES as you LOOK FORWARD to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Pet 3:8-12).
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Many within this lost and unsaved world do not understand the meaning of REPENTANCE. The main reason is because the church, which is supposed to be a light and example for this lost world, does not understand the true Biblical meaning of repentance. Some 2000 years ago, Jesus had to explain the true meaning of repentance to five out of seven churches (Rev Ch’s 2-3).
We may not know the day or hour of our Lords return, but we will know the general time frame and we will know the SEASON. “But you brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief” (1Thess 5:4 NIV). “But let us encourage one another-and all the more as you SEE the DAY approaching” (Heb 10:25 NIV).
As we continue to study the signs of the times we can clearly see that most of the people in the world are truly living just the way they were in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot. We will continue to try and warn the world and the church that Jesus Christ is for real, and that judgment day is coming. Jesus teaches us that people will continue to scoff about His Second Coming. “First I want to remind you that in the last days there will come scoffers who will do every wrong they can think of, and LAUGH at the truth. This will be their line of argument: ‘So Jesus promised to come back, did He? Then where is He? He’ll never come! Why, as far back as anyone can remember everything has remained exactly as it was since the first day of creation” (2 Pet 3:3-4 Living Bible). Yes, friends, in these last days, many will think you are joking if you try to tell them about the rapture, the second coming of Jesus and judgment day. “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, ‘Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to DESTROY the city! But his sons-in-law thought he was joking” (Gen 19:14 NIV).
Yes, friends; people today will think you are nuts if you try to tell them that God’s judgment and wrath is about to be poured out on this world. Even when the catastrophic statistical charts are bouncing off of the scale, many will simply ignore God’s warning. Nevertheless, we are to continue to sound the alarm, in love. “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and BLOWS the trumpet to WARN the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but DOES NOT take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but DID NOT take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have SAVED himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will HOLD the WATCHMAN ACCOUNTABLE for his blood” (Eze 33:1-6). Until next time, Jesus is coming very soon. Are you going to be READY?
And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son,
and believeth in him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up on the