As it was in the days of Noah - Luke 17:26-30

The Christian race to eternity is likened to a war and the Christian is a soldier on the battle field. He is at war with spiritual forces, not flesh and blood (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) and this is why the Bible advises believers to put on the whole armour of God in order to be able to stand (Ephesians 6:10-18).

The Devil will do anything to distract a Christian from his heavenly pursuit, to lose his focus, to run after shadows and eventually to be lost. The Scriptures say that at the coming of the Lord, many shall be caught unawares, and shall be left behind to their everlasting regrets and sorrow. May this not be our lot in the name of Jesus Christ. 

If a Christian shall be left behind, it may not be by reason of deliberate sins but because he allowed himself to become entangled or over involved with the affairs of this life –the cares of the world.

2 Timothy 2:4 says,

‘’No man that warreth entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him as a soldier.’’

Matthew 13:22 says,

‘’he that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the world and he became unfruitful.’’

The Scriptures above refer to believers in the family of God but have lost their focus and have entangled themselves with the vanities of this life. Jesus made two powerful, prophetic but tragic statements in the Scriptures in Luke 17:26 -30 as follows:

‘’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).

These statements refer to both believers and unbelievers and there are several lessons to learn from them. The tragedy of these statements is the prophetic declaration that the events of the days of Noah which led to the destruction of many will be repeated in this Last Day. 

Will you be a victim as in the days of Noah?

There is no sin in eating and drinking or in marrying and giving in marriage. There is no sin in building houses and planting vineyards or buying and selling. But these are earthly matters that have no eternal values and many have become engrossed and totally preoccupied with them as if that is the chief end in life.

The undoing of the men who lived in the days of Noah and Lot was forgetting and ignoring spiritual values. They ignored and rejected God’s call to them for repentance and salvation. They failed to heed the prophecies that signaled the impending end that was given to warn them to make the right preparations for eternity. 

They failed to discern the signs of their times and did not know the time of their visitation. As a result, the 40 day flood came suddenly and as many that were not in the Ark of salvation (Noah’s Ark) perished in the floods. Only 8 persons were saved from that destruction of the world of Noah.

Likewise in the days of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah, men were busily involved in materialistic pursuits that they neglected the spiritual pursuit to their eternal peril. They had no time for messages of repentance and salvation and preparation for eternity. 

They were so engrossed and occupied with earthly and material matters that they thought life on earth would be forever. When judgment came, it caught them unawares as they were not prepared. Only 3 persons were saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Same applies today...

Many in this Last Day are too busy with their work, business, pleasures and plans that benefits the mortal body that will perish in the dust, but are ignoring and having no time for the things of the spirit that will benefit their immortal soul which will face judgment and will go into eternity. 

The tragic statement, ‘’as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man’’ is repeating itself. Will you be a victim as in the days of Noah? What are the lessons we can learn to avoid falling victim?