Wake-up Call

We all know the story about Noah's ark and the flood, but why did God send the flood? The answer to that will tell us what it will be like when Christ returns.

Christ told us that as it was in the days of Noah so also will it be at the coming of the Lord. I don't know exactly what conditions were like in Noah's day, but I imagine things must have been very evil and corrupt if God sent the flood.

Genesis 6 says God saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of man's heart was evil. Noah warned people that God was going to send a flood, but few believed him or even cared. They went about their daily routine, "eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark." Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

People were unaware, and seemingly unconcerned, of the coming judgment, and they were wiped out. It seems that there are many people like that today. Evil runs rampant in the world today, yet people don't seem to care. Many have adopted an attitude of "anything goes." They accept sinful behavior as normal, unconcerned about what God says about sin.

I heard an interview recently with Susan Seymour, an Amarillo author who wrote a book called "Apostasy: The Deceived Generation." She taught in a Christian school and saw firsthand the cavalier attitude of many, including many believers, toward sin.

She says much of the younger generation has been lulled into a false sense of security. Because sin has become so widely accepted, many think they can live however they wish and not worry about the consequences or penalty of sin.

But it's time for people to wake up to the truth. If God was grieved by the evil that went on in Noah's day, you can be sure that His attitude toward sin hasn't changed. He hates all sin. He IS a loving and merciful God, but He will send judgment upon all who do not repent and accept Jesus as their lord and savior.

That day of judgment will catch many like "a thief in the night," just as the flood caught many unprepared in Noah's day. Only God knows the exact time of the return of Christ, but He does expect us to know the seasons. Look around. The signs are all around us. That should motivate us all to make sure we are living holy lives. Don't be caught unprepared on the day of His return.