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Thursday, April 12, 2018

LESSONS from the days of Noah and Lot - Luke 17:26-30 (1)

‘’And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.’’ (Luke 17:26-27)

‘’ likewise also in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.’’ (Luke 17:28-30).

The days of Noah refer to the humans. like you and I, who lived in the first world which God destroyed on account of sin. They were sinners like you and I who inherited the sin nature and the penalties of sin - physical death, spiritual death and eternal death - from Adam and Eve.

Being natural sinners, they lived rebellious lives contrary to God’s will for them as everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Within ten generations from Adam to Noah, sin had exploded to such alarming and frightening proportions that God regretted that he had made man.

God looked upon the earth and saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was continuously filled with all manner of evil.

One of the sins specifically mentioned was sexual perversion (Genesis 6:4). The daughters of men were having sexual affairs with fallen angelic beings and having offspring. Likewise at Sodom & Gomorrah, homosexuality also known as Sodomy was rampant.

In this Last Day, sexual perversions are rampant occurring in many forms - oral sex, anal sex, masturbation, menstrual sex, sex with a toy, bestial sex, pornography, vibrator sex, ungodly sexual styles etc. On the net today, perversions such as oral sex is openly and shamelessly discussed and celebrated in relationship forums even those dominated by Christian believers.

The earth in Noah’s day was corrupt and was filled with violence as all flesh had corrupted their ways on earth. Very few men such as Noah and Enoch were perfect before God, walking with Him. Noah was described as a just and perfect man who walked with God. To walk with God means to have a close and intimate personal relationship and fellowship with Him. It is a consecrated relationship based on obedience to God, and holy and righteous living.

Based on the alarming levels of sin, corruption and violence on earth which grieved God in His heart, God took a decision to destroy the earth along with all humans and the beasts, as well as the creeping and the flying animals.

He directed Noah to build an Ark of salvation known as Noah’s Ark to rescue the repentant and some animals from the impending destruction. God also informed Noah that He would send a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all living beings and things.

Men born in sin are born spiritually dead and alienated from God. Man is a soul with a body and a spirit. The body of man will separate from his spirit at physical death. While the mortal body returns to dust in the grave, his immortal soul and spirit would return to God to render an account of what was done in the body (Genesis 12:7) (Hebrews 9:27).

If a man dies in sin without repentance and conversion, his soul would not be admitted into eternity in Heaven where God lives, which means he would spend his eternity in eternal Hell. A man who dies in sin without repentance on God’s terms is an unclean person before God and nothing unclean can enter into a holy Heaven where a Holy God resides.

Reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ is the only solution to the alienation which sin created. Jesus is the eternal life which cancels eternal death. Therefore, a relationship with Jesus Christ is absolutely necessary to avoid the penalties of sin inherited through Adam.

The above stated facts indicate that the life of a man does not end on earth but continues into eternity, in Heaven or Hell based on his freewill choice.Those who perished in the days of Noah and Lot were non-challant regarding spiritual matters that determine their destination in eternity.

God warned them about the impending destruction, calling for repentance. He had prepared an Ark of salvation for their rescue. The calls and warning delivered to them through Noah were totally ignored.
They were more interested in their temporal, perishable, social and materialist pursuits than the spiritual - repentance and salvation - that would determine their eternity.

They were more interested and totally preoccupied with earthly matters – the socials and the material - the vanities, the cares and the affairs of this temporary world, forgetting that man brought nothing into the world and shall depart it with nothing.

They also failed to realize that a man born in sin is already alienated from God and if he dies in sin without repentance, he dies eternally separated from God.They failed to realize that the salvation of the soul of man is the greatest riches any man can acquire – imperishable riches that endure forever.

Rather than first secure the eternal destination of their immortal souls through repentance and salvation, their hearts were totally engrossed with perishable earthly and fleshly desires, ‘what shall we eat? ‘What shall we drink? ‘Whom shall we marry? ‘Where shall we build? ‘’What clothes shall we wear? ‘’What can we buy and sell?’’

They lived their lives carelessly as if life on earth continues forever and as if material and social pursuits are the chief end in life. They traded away their eternal abode with God for mundane, ephemeral values, for fleshly gratifications and they perished, eternally separated from God, despite being warned.
They died eternally, forever separated from God, spending their eternity in eternal Hell, in indescribable and unbearable pain and sorrow...an everlasting tragedy!

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