By: Mike The BibleWorker
The flood that swept away the antediluvian or ancient world in the days of Noah (more than 4,500 years ago) has left a visible mark on our planet. We see it every time we look at a topographic map and notice the continents with their mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, flood plains, and how they are arranged in a specific pattern throughout our planet. We also see it in our mountains and in the countless types of marine fossils found on their peaks. Furthermore, there is also evidence of a catastrophic worldwide flood when we look at photographs of fossils of large reptiles (dinosaurs), as they are almost always found buried in the death pose, with their necks raised as if searching for their last breath of oxygen.
The flood mentioned in the book of Genesis was a real event that destroyed everything in its path, including all human beings except Noah and his family, eight souls in total. Jesus also mentioned Noah's flood when He lived among us (more than 2,000 years ago). The apostle Matthew recorded the following in his gospel. Jesus said,
"(38) 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, (39) and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:38,39 NKJV.
If Jesus made reference to the flood, we can be sure that it really occurred, just as Moses describes it in the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. The real question we must address is why it happened. Jesus gives us a clue in verse 38 when He says that "they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage." Some might respond and say there is nothing wrong with eating, drinking, and marriage... I would agree that God gave us the capacity to eat, drink, and marry; these things were instituted in the Garden of Eden as gifts to our first parents, so of course they are good. But the problem is not in the gifts themselves, but in how we use those gifts.
Many today abuse these gifts; we see it especially in the Western world, where access to unhealthy refined foods and alcohol is found on almost every corner, and has led many to need to hear the health message or, worse yet, the funeral home. We also see it in today's divorce rates and in how marriage is treated like a job from which you have the option to resign at any time and for any reason. Perhaps this is what Jesus was referring to...? But I believe we can find the answer to our question by considering what Moses wrote in the following texts,
"(11) The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. (12) So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. (13) And God said to Noah: The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth." Genesis 6:11-13 NKJV.
Moses mentions two words several times in these three verses: corruption/corrupt and violence. We will all agree that those two words have a negative connotation, meaning they are not good words to be associated with. When we dig deeper into the word violence, it comes from the Hebrew word Chamas (Strong 2555), which means: "cruelty, damage, falsehood, injustice, oppressor, ungodliness, violence against." We can say that the antediluvian world was busy mistreating its neighbors, friends, and family members; love was truly scarce. In other words, God was not in their lives, so instead of worshiping the God of their fathers or the God of Adam (Adam lived more than 900 years), they worshiped themselves or others (Romans 1); they truly, truly corrupted themselves. Basically, there was an abundance of family problems that could have stemmed from high divorce rates and/or polygamy, which led to broken homes and, subsequently, to broken people who only lived for themselves and their idols... Which could explain why they ate and drank excessively, married recklessly and/or had relationships with the wrong person; they were looking for a way to escape their problems or the problems around them, or worse yet, their hearts were so far from God that they deliberately sought to cause trouble. Wow, that reminds me of our world today! Of course, violence is violence, such as murder, rape, robbery, etc.; but we know that problems start at home and then are reflected in society.
Today we live on a planet that resembles the antediluvian world, a planet where love is greatly scarce; it is nowhere to be found. As in the days of Noah, many have stopped believing in God and in His Word, and this has led to many of society's ills. The problem lies in the fact that many do not know who the true and living God is; they do not know His character. Satan, unfortunately, has distorted who God really is, and this in turn has created the society we have today, a society that does not care about the person next to them.
Jesus told us that this is what those who live in the end times before His return would see. We would behold a planet with broken people, people who need to hear the good news that God loves them and that He truly sent His Son, His only-begotten-literal-Son, to die for all their sins. God wants them to know that He is waiting for them to cast all their burdens or problems upon Him, as Peter wrote (1 Peter 5:7), and the God of the universe, the living God, will heal them of all their sins and of the sins they have witnessed in their lives. God also wants the world to know that He is so willing to send them the greatest promise of all: He will send them the Spirit of His Son (Galatians 4:4-7), and then they will finally be able to cry out: Abba, Father.
Friends, let us be like Noah and prepare ourselves and our families for what has been prophesied to come; that is, let us prepare for the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Let us invite and encourage as many as we can as believers, doers of the Word, true witnesses of God's love in our lives. I pray that the God of peace fill you with all hope and love as we await the manifestation of His Son.
Sincerely in Christ Jesus,
Mike The BibleWorker
The days of Noah