May 30: A Shadowy Paradigm
They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Luke 17:27
In pointing us back to Noah, there is method and purpose behind the words of Jesus. His entire mission centers upon facilitating an eternal reunion between His heavenly Father and the people whom He so deeply loves. The purpose of warning ahead of judgement is to save! To separate the beloved sinner from sin—that is, to bring an end to sin without destroying the sinner in the process, but rather saving him from his own sin by: forgiving the sins of his past (freedom from sin’s penalty), sanctifying him (freedom from sin’s power), and—upon the return of the Savior—bring him, body and soul, into that glorious Kingdom where there will be not even a hint of sin in deed, word, or thought (freedom from sin’s presence). The entire universe will be permanently cleansed with no shred or shadow of sin to ever recur. Only law-abiding citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20) will be left alive. All who cling to their sin will reason within themselves that it is not necessary to live in harmony with Yahweh’s Word.
What do you conspire against the LORD? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time. Nahum 1:9
Noah understood this and found favor with God (see Genesis 6:8-9). In deep gratitude for God’s mercy and forgiveness, he dedicated all of his energy and resources for the benefit of others, in order to invite them into the ark for refuge and safety. But the multitudes of Noah’s day were arrayed against the principles and precepts of God, placing them in such a shadowy paradigm as to view Noah as a lunatic. Jesus points us back to this time, for this is the condition of the world now, just before His return. There is one major difference between then and now: Satan has had thousands of years to enlarge his methods of deception. By far, the most effective one is through a worldwide religious system that claims adherence to God’s Word while at the same time propagating teachings that contradict that Word. Those who preach real, authentic adherence to His Word, according to Biblical prophecy, will be marginalized as fanatics and lunatics (see John 16:2; Hebrews 11).
Noah stood firm. During those days, his voice was the mouthpiece of God’s Holy Spirit. This connection with God brought a supernatural power to his words. But rather than acknowledge the Spirit behind Noah’s words, they placed nature itself above the Creator who made it. They reasoned that Noah couldn’t possibly be speaking the truth, based upon the fact that it had never before rained. The earth was lush with the dew and the mist that had watered it. The people credited the rivers with staying within their boundaries of their own accord instead of acknowledging Him who said, “This far you may come, but no farther” (Job 38:11).
The return of Jesus will bring about the culmination of His mission to reunite the children of God (1 John 3:1) with their heavenly Father. But those who insist that His law is not valid will accept the errors of the unfaithful church (see Revelation 17) and hear these words of Jesus:
“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Matthew 7:23