Prophecy
NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE LORD
The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is about faith and contains examples of Old Testament faith heroes. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. When the word ‘hope’ is used in the Bible, it means ‘absolute certainty’ that an event will happen. Faith is being absolutely certain of what is hoped for but cannot see. True biblical faith is having a rock solid belief and unshakeable assurance in the promises of God. Faith consists of believing and receiving what God has revealed. Then verse 2 says, ‘For by it (faith) the men of old gained approval (from God).
Much can be learned from a study of these people of great faith. Some by faith were victorious over overwhelming circumstances of life. Some by faith subdued kingdoms and escaped death by the sword. Still others were tortured and killed for their faith. However, they trusted in the Lord, walked with Him and received His blessing. We should all have that same faith.
One of those heroes of the faith was Noah. He was a righteous, God-fearing man who obeyed God’s order to build an ark thereby saving himself, his family and the living creatures on earth from a devastating flood. Through faith, he believed God and obeyed Him without question.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, prepared for the salvation of his household and became an heir to righteousness that comes by faith.
The biblical account of Noah and the flood is recorded in Genesis chapters 6, 7 and 8. In those days, the Lord saw that man’s heart had become evil, immoral and corrupt. Wickedness and violence prevailed throughout the earth (Gen. 6:5, 11-13) as they rebelled against God. Also, Genesis 6:1-4 tells us that a group of fallen angels (sons of God) had taken for themselves earthly women as wives. Those ungodly unions produced a wicked race (Nephilim) including mighty men of renown who had much wealth and power. This was an obvious attempt by Satan to corrupt the bloodlines of the entire human race.
The Lord looked upon His creation and after seeing the horrible condition of mankind, was sorry for what He had done. Genesis 6:6,7 tells us He grieved in His heart and promised to destroy man, animals and birds from the face of the earth. The Lord said in Gen. 6:3 that He would not put up with man forever. He gave them 120 years to heed His warnings and repent before destruction would come. All flesh would then be destroyed by a flood that He promised to send upon the earth. But Noah, who was a godly man (but not sinless) and who walked with God, would be saved along with his wife, their three sons and their wives.
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord.
God commanded Noah to build an ark for himself, his family and all birds and animals of every kind. Also, it would need to store all of the food to be eaten. Very specific instructions or blueprints were provided to Noah. It must be constructed using gopher wood (probably equivalent to cypress or cedar). The ark must be 450 ft long, 75 ft wide, 45 ft in height and must
contain three decks with rooms. In addition, it must have a door in the side, a window near the upper edge of the ark and a roof covering the top.
Now, let’s take a moment to visualize that project. The ark wasn’t anything like the cute boat we often see portrayed in artist’s paintings. This thing was massive, more like the size of a cruise ship. In reality, it was probably more like a huge floating rectangular box than a streamlined boat. After all, it didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything except float and drift on the water.
Just try to imagine the amount of wood needed and how far they must have gone to collect and haul it. They were given a 120 yr time period to finish the job, but remember that the only workers were Noah, his three sons and their wives. We don’t know exactly where Noah built the ark, however the Bible does tell us the area where it eventually came to rest after the flood. That resting place is hundreds of miles from any large present day body of water, but large bodies of water as they exist today after the flood may be different than they were before the flood. We just don’t know, but it’s likely the ark was built on dry land. Since the only thing the ark had to do was float, then it’s not likely it drifted far away. However, its location could have changed somewhat due to a wind God sent over the earth (Gen. 8:1) that caused the waters to recede.
The faith that Noah had is something that is almost impossible to comprehend. He could have said, ‘Lord, you’ve got to be kidding. There’s going to be a flood?’ But he didn’t say that. He didn’t question God’s command. Noah truly had a rock solid faith and unshakeable assurance in the promise of God. Genesis 6:22 tells us, ‘Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did’.
Genesis 6:8 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
As the ark was being built, Noah and his family probably were the laughing stock of the whole area. People likely gathered from miles around to watch them. All that time Noah tried to warn them that judgment from God was coming soon in the form of a flood that would destroy all things and that they needed to repent before it was too late. Noah would have been scorned and ridiculed for his faith. The people watching perhaps said, ‘Look at that crazy old Noah. Do you see him? He’s building an ark. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Just look at him! He says there will be a flood! Ha, ha, ha. Doesn’t he know it never rains around here?’ However, the day was coming soon when their laughter would stop.
In Genesis 6:14, God commanded Noah to coat both the inside and the outside of the ark with pitch. This would normally be done on one side only to make it watertight. However, in this case God instructed that both sides be sealed. I believe the outside was sealed to keep the evil world and judgment out while the inside was coated to seal Noah and his family in the ark with God. This is symbolic of the way God seals the heart, mind and salvation of true believers after they put their faith and trust in Him.
The ark was finally finished. Genesis 6:21 says that God told Noah to gather all the food onto the ark that would be needed for himself, his family and all the birds and animals. In Gen. 6:22 we read, ‘Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did”.
The time had now come for God to call them into the ark. According to Genesis 7:1 (KJV), The Lord said to Noah, ‘COME INTO THE ARK, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation’. You see, God was on the inside INVITING them in to be with Him. Today, His invitation is available to all who would believe and trust Him.
Genesis 6:8 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
By the way, Noah did not have to search for all the birds and animals and then herd them all to the ark. God did that for him. Genesis 6:20 says, ‘Of the birds after their kind, and the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind shall COME TO YOU to keep them alive’. Also, Genesis 7:9 tells us they went into the ark TO Noah. Then, Genesis 7:15 says, ‘So they went into the ark TO Noah, by twos of all flesh in which has the breath of life’.
It’s important to note here that while two of every creature male and female were needed to keep the species alive, seven of the ‘clean’ animals and birds were required as recorded in Gen. 7:2,3. The ‘clean’ creatures were the only ones God allowed to be used as a burnt offering sacrifice on the altar. We will learn more about that sacrifice later.
The dimensions of the ark would provide over 1,500,000 cu. ft. of space, or a space equal to 522 railroad stock cars. A stock car can hold 240 sheep sized animals. Using today as an example, it is estimated there are over 17,600 species of animals on the earth. If two of all species including seven of each ‘clean’ species had to go onto the ark, then 45,000 might be a likely approximation for the total number. Simply dividing 45,000 by 240 would tell us that only 188 of those 522 railroad stock cars would be needed to house all the animals, or only 36% of the total space. The remaining 64% of the ark space could have been used for the food, Noah’s family and ‘range’ space for the animals.
What a sight it must have been for those who had gathered to watch. The joking and laughing must have reached hysterical levels just seeing Noah’s family and the birds and the animals go calmly and purposefully into that ark. Also, the people were probably cheering to have finally gotten rid of Noah and his preaching for a while.
The Bible tells us that when all were safely inside the ark, then God closed the door behind them to seal them inside. Genesis 7:16 says, ‘So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and THE LORD SHUT HIM IN’. The last chance for the unbelieving world to repent was now gone. Their eternal fate had also been sealed.
Then it started to rain. Not only did it rain, but water also gushed up from deep within the ground. Genesis 7:11 described it as ‘the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened’. At this point, all the people, in spite of their unbelieving and hardened hearts, were probably beginning to panic. As the water rose to their knees and then to their waists, perhaps they gathered by the thousands around the ark desperate to save themselves. Soon they would be choking and clawing at the sides of the ark and screaming at Noah for him to let them in. ‘We believe you now! Let us in and save us!’ But now it was too late for them. They had rejected the message for 120 years. They had laughed at Noah and the promise from God. The Lord had spoken and they didn’t believe Him, so they all perished. Gen. 7:23 says, ‘Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark’.
Genesis 6:8 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
The Bible teaches in Genesis 7:11,12 & 17 that it rained for forty days and nights and the waters rose to lift up the ark high above the earth. We know from scripture that the flood was not simply a local or regional flood. The following scriptures clearly tell us that it was worldwide.
Gen. 6:17 Every thing on the earth shall perish.
Gen. 7:4 I will blot out every living thing from the face of the earth.
Gen. 7:19 All mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered.
Gen. 7:21 Every living thing on the earth perished.
Gen. 7:23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was destroyed.
The floodwaters continued to rise for 150 days at which time it crested and began to recede. Then 74 days later the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat as recorded in Genesis 8:14. They are located in present-day eastern Turkey near the boarders of Armenia and Iran. After another 147 days, the floodwaters had gone away and the land became fertile again. God then spoke to Noah commanding him in Genesis 8:15-17 to ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your son’s wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you’.
Genesis 8:18,19 says that Noah then went out of the ark along with his wife, his sons and their wives and all the living things that were with him. A total of 371 days had passed from the day the rain began to fall until the day Noah left the ark.
The first thing Noah did was to build an altar to the Lord. He took of every ‘clean’ animal and of every ‘clean’ bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. According to Gen. 8:21 and Gen. 9:1, God was pleased with the offerings and blessed Noah and his sons.
Nearly 2400 years after the flood, Jesus suffered and died on the cross of Calvary as the perfect unblemished sacrificial Lamb in our place for the atonement of the sins of the whole world. That event was the most important and exciting thing to ever happen to mankind. From that moment forward to now 2000 years later, we too can be made ‘clean’ through His shed blood on the cross.
In Genesis 9:8-11, God made an everlasting covenant with Noah and his sons and their descendants after them. God’s covenant was a promise stating that He would never again send a flood over all the earth to destroy all things. God then made a rainbow as a sign confirming His covenant to them as written in Genesis 9:12-17. That sign, whenever it appears in the clouds, will serve as a remembrance of that covenant for all generations.
Genesis 6:8 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Although this might seem to be the end of the story, it is really the beginning of another one. Even though the story of Noah, the ark and the flood was about him in his day, it also gave us a picture of what is yet to come for mankind in our day. It is an analogy of God’s warning, His promise of upcoming judgment, signs that the time is near, the rapture of all true believers and finally the terrible tribulation judgment that will surely follow for mankind.
We have already learned that God promised Noah that He would destroy all those on earth because they had rebelled against Him. He carried out that promise exactly as He said He would. Scripture tells us it will happen again. God is God and cannot lie. He will surely do what He has promised to do. From 2 Peter 3:6,7 we have His promise: (v6) ‘The world at that time was destroyed, being flooded by water’. (v7) ‘But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men’.
Then 2 Peter 3:10-12 says, (v10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (v11) Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, (v12) Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
In Luke 17:26,27 we read these words of Jesus. (v26) ‘And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: (v27) They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all’. Then Luke 17:30 says, ‘It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed’.
After reading the scriptures in Gen. 6:5, Gen. 6:11-13, Luke 17:26,27 and also Matt. 24:37-39, we are given insight as to the condition of mankind that existed then. However if we just open our eyes and look around, those conditions exactly describe what is happening today. In addition, the world today is mocking God and abandoning Him. Deut. 8:20 says that whoever forgets the Lord your God will surely perish. Everything seems to be the same today as it was in the days of Noah. Just as the people of Noah’s day were warned, we have also been warned of the judgment that is soon to come. God always gives warning of judgment because it is not His will that any should perish (2 Pet. 3:9). However, we must be aware that Acts 17:31 tells us that God has already set a day when He will judge the world. Then Dan. 11:35 tells us the time of the end will come at the appointed time. No power on earth can stop that judgment. It is clear that God will not continue to put up with rebellion against Him. But today as it was in the days of Noah, very few people are paying attention.
Throughout the years the ark was being built, Noah, his family and all people everywhere would have seen the signs that judgment was close at hand. Each day of construction progress brought them one day closer to the promised judgment day. During the early days of the project much time and energy was spent gathering and preparing the materials needed and at the time, the
finished work may have seemed a long way off. Then, the framework of the ark began to take shape. When the sides, top and the decks were added, the progress would have become more obvious to all.
Each of the construction stages was a visual sign indicating the work was drawing closer to completion. The final stages or signs included applying the pitch seal, installing the door and attaching the ramp walkway. These were very likely all done in sequence and very quickly. Noah and his family were the only ones who believed God’s warnings, therefore, only they could see the signs that judgment was very near. The final sign that judgment was imminent would have been when Noah saw the creatures enter into the ark. As we said before, all the other people had been warned but ignored God’s message. They did not believe and did not repent.
Today, scripture provides us with many warning signs so that those who are keeping watch may know when the end of the age is at hand. In fact, we are commanded in scripture to pray, watch and know the signs so we will not be caught sleeping or unaware of the times. The Bible tells us those signs will increase in frequency and intensity as the time draws near. In Matt. 24:8 and Mark 13:8, the increases in frequency and intensity are described to be as birth pains.
Those signs and the condition of man’s heart all pointing to the approaching judgment can be found in Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 & 21, 1 Tim. 1, 2 Tim. 3 and 2 Pet. 2 & 3 as well as others. Those signs include: Godless and lawless society, false teachers and cults, apostasy and lukewarm ‘believers’ in the church, signs in nature, wars and conflict, violence and terrorism, disease, famine, plagues and scoffers who don’t believe the signs exist or they downplay them.
The Old Testament also predicts events that signal the time as well. Some of them are: Israel nation re-formed, Jerusalem reclaimed, Hebrew language restored, Jews returning to Israel, revived Roman Empire / EU, Jerusalem surrounded by armies and great increases in knowledge. All the signs of the end-times will be described and detailed in another writing at another time.
Luke 21:28 tells us, ‘Now WHEN THESE THINGS BEGIN TO HAPPEN, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near’. Then Matt. 24:33 says, ‘So you also, WHEN YOU SEE ALL THESE THINGS, know that it is near, right at the door’. All these signs are here today and they are also increasing in frequency and intensity exactly as it was prophesied.
Then God closed the door sealing Noah, his family and all the creatures inside the ark God had removed them away to a safe place thereby protecting them while He brought His wrath on all the earth. The Bible says that true believers of today will also be taken away and will be protected before God can bring His horrible end time judgments on the earth. The event that removes them is called the rapture and could take place at any moment.
At the rapture, Jesus will APPEAR in the CLOUDS and will call His own to be with Him forever. 1 Thes. 4:16,17 (v16) ‘For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first’. (v17) ‘Then we who are alive and remain will be CAUGHT UP together with them in the CLOUDS to meet the Lord IN THE AIR, and so we shall always be with the Lord’. John 14:3 ‘If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and RECEIVE YOU TO MYSELF, that where I am, there you may be also’. Col. 3:4 ‘When Christ who is our life, is REVEALED, then YOU also WILL BE REVEALED WITH HIM in glory’.
The instant it happens, our bodies will be changed into bodies of purity and righteousness like that of Jesus. 1 Cor. 15:51,52 (v51) ‘Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, (v52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and WE WILL BE CHANGED’. 1 John 3:2b ‘We know that WHEN HE APPEARS, WE WILL BE LIKE HIM, because we will see Him just as He is’.
While true believers have always endured suffering and persecution for their faith, they will be removed or caught up (rapture) away from here BEFORE the tribulation judgments begin on the earth. We know that the flood could not happen until Noah and his family were safe in the ark. Also in Genesis 19, we learn that God would not destroy Sodom until Lot and his family had been led away to safety by the two angels.
As with the accounts of Noah and Lot, God has promised that the tribulation wrath will not fall on His own. 1 Thes. 5:9 ‘For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ’. 1 Thes. 1:10 ‘and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come’. Rev. 3:10 ‘Because you have kept My commandments to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth’.
It needs to be pointed out here that the rapture event must not be confused with the second coming of Christ as recorded in Revelation 19. They are not the same. The rapture must take place at least seven years before the second coming. Remember that during the rapture, Jesus will APPEAR IN THE CLOUDS to call His own to Him, and then will take them safely to heaven with Him. As we have said earlier, it can happen at any moment and will be unexpected. Matt. 24:36-38 tells us no one knows the day or hour and when it takes place, the world will be having a good time and doing business as usual. Because of that, the rapture simply cannot take place at any time during the seven years of tribulation devastation. Also, 2 Thes. 2:7-9 teaches that the Antichrist will not be revealed until after the church (believers) has been removed.
Christ’s second coming will be at the end of the tribulation period. People will certainly NOT be doing business as usual then. At that time, those who are still alive from the seven horrible tribulation years will just be struggling to survive and will be gathering to bring total war against Israel. At the second coming, He will be COMING TO EARTH prepared for battle to put an end to all who oppose Him. He will be riding a charging white stallion followed by the armies in heaven (raptured believers) all wearing white fine linen and all riding white horses. He will be wearing many crowns, His eyes will be like flaming fire and He will be clothed with a robe dipped in blood. He will destroy the enemy with the sword of the Word from His mouth. On His robe and thigh He will have a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS! Every eye will see Him, every knee will bow and every tongue will then confess that He is God.
Just as the flood was God’s judgment on the whole earth in Noah’s day, the coming seven years of tribulation will be His judgment against Israel and all people of the earth for their unbelief. The tribulation will consist of 21 terrible judgments – 7 seal judgments, 7 trumpet judgments and 7 bowl judgments. The tribulation will begin when the first seal judgment of Rev. 6:1,2 is opened at which time the Antichrist will confirm a false seven year covenant (Dan. 9:27) with Israel, then everything will begin to unravel. Each of the 21 judgments will become increasingly more intense and severe. Matt. 24:21 describes them in this way: ‘For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
The tribulation will not just be more of the same trouble that we see in the world today. During those seven years there will be WORLDWIDE disease, famine, great earthquakes, nuclear wars, demonic invasions, economic collapse, waters polluted, mass executions and more. More than two thirds of the world population will die. Simply put, you just wouldn’t want to be here to experience that terrible time. But sadly most will choose to be here, and it is clearly a choice.
In Noah’s day, almost everyone ‘missed the boat’. When the rapture happens, most people today will miss that event too. They don’t believe it will happen, they are not watching for it, they are ignoring the warning signs, and they have not put their faith and trust in the Lord. Noah had found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He feared God and had total faith and trust in Him and His promises. We too can have the same faith and trust in Him that Noah had during his life.
We must be convicted of our sinful nature, realize that we are eternally lost sinners and know that Jesus came to die on the cross to pay the full price for our sins. Then we must confess our sins before Him, ask forgiveness for those sins, repent of our sinful ways and invite Jesus to come into our heart and life as our Lord and Savior.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, HE WHO HEARS My word, AND BELIEVES Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Rom. 10:9,10 (v9) IF YOU CONFESS with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED; (v10) For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Eph. 2:8,9 (v8) For BY GRACE you have been SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES, it is the gift of God; (v9) NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS, so that no one may boast.
1 John 4:15 WHOEVER CONFESSES that Jesus is the Son of God, GOD ABIDES IN HIM, and he in God.
Genesis 6:8 ‘But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord’.
Choose Jesus as the Lord of your life today and you too will find grace in the eyes of the Lord!
Don Mehl
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