davidbowerkingwood

Before the flood, the earth was very close to perfection from an environmental perspective. The North Pole and the South Pole were semi-tropical paradises with mild temperatures and vegetation that is associated with tropical climates.

The Beresovka Mammoth elephant, pictured below, was found buried in frozen tundra in Siberia. The elephant, which had been frozen for thousands of years, had undigested ferns and flowers in its stomach of a variety which is not known to grow in such a frigid part of the world.

Over the years, scientific discoveries have revealed the presence of tropical vegetation in areas of the frozen north which can no longer support such plant life. How did such a change come about? The answer to that is found in the pages of Genesis.

At its original creation, the earth was surrounded by a thick water vapor canopy which served to protect the earth from solar radiation and the extreme temperatures of outer space.

The water vapor canopy, which surrounded the earth, created a greenhouse effect which dramatically moderated extreme temperatures and actually increased the oxygen levels and barometric pressure of the air people breathed. It was almost like living your entire life in one huge hyperbaric chamber.

Sadly, the optimal physical environment was not matched by a similar spiritual environment. After the fall of Adam and his expulsion from the Garden of Eden; mankind did not embrace a reliable spiritual standard to guide their behavior.

It would appear that standards of spiritual excellence were available, as demonstrated by the family from which Noah descended. Noah’s great-grandfather was Enoch who so pleased God that he was taken to heaven without dying. The family from which Noah descended, appears to have been a remarkable exception to the rule. I have written more on this in a series which begins with “The Creation Story.” a twelve-part series on the first chapters in Genesis.

The Lord Describes the End Times

Our Lord speaks of the end times in Matthew 24 and explains to his disciples some of the things that will take place just before his Second Advent. Many of the signs he mentions are in place around us at this very moment. The most important sign is the restoration of Israel as a nation; Israel had to be a nation again for the remainder of the prophetic events to take place!

In addition to Israel’s reemergence as a nation, our Lord spoke of many other signs; in Matthew 24:3-8 it is written:

“³ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

An Abundance of Prophetic Signs

Today, we are surrounded by these signs; as one commentator expressed it, “We are living in the times of the signs!” It seems likely to me that the intensity of these signs and the changes associated with the signs will only increase in frequency!

Later in Matthew 24, our Lord tells us in verses 37-39:

“³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Our Lord describes certain aspects of life which might be considered normal and expected, but does not mention other aspects of life which were described in Genesis 6:5-7 where it is written:

“⁵ Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

From these verses, we see a widespread pattern of living that was the antithesis of the life God had planned for mankind; we see lives that were consistently wicked and devoted to evil! In addition to this inherent wickedness, Satan had launched a genetic attack intended to preclude the possibility of a human savior. The Antediluvian World had become a distinctly unpleasant place to live from a spiritual perspective!

By God’s grace, there was one man who was a dramatic exception, Noah!

The Tribulation

The events our Lord describes in Matthew 24 take place during Israel’s last seven years, the Tribulation. At that point in time, the church will have already been removed from the earth by the “Rapture” along with the restraining ministry of God, the Holy Spirit.

In one significant way, the Tribulation will compare to the days of Noah, before the flood, there was no restraining ministry of God, the Holy Spirit available to the world; after the Rapture, the Holy Spirit’s restraining ministry will be removed!

As sad a place as the world has been since Pentecost, May 25, AD 33, it has certainly not been as bad as the world was in Noah’s day as described in verse 5 above, “⁵ Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

On Pentecost, at the time of our Lord’s First Advent, a great change was put in place; the Holy Spirit would indwell each person who received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and would be given new spiritual life. In addition to this personal ministry to each new believer, the Holy Spirit would exercise a world-wide ministry as described in John 16:7-11 where it is written:

⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

The Holy Spirit has suppressed sin all over the world since the creation of the church; things have never been as bad as they were in the days of Noah, nor will be in the Tribulation!

What’s Next?

Prophetically, the next event on God’s calendar of events is the Rapture of the Church, yes, we just may be the Enoch generation who is taken to heaven without dying. Only the Lord knows for sure, but all of the signs indicate it can happen soon!

“²⁰ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20