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TV Program
Have you ever been caught in a predicament where you know you are right but no one believes you? And then to make matters worse, someone pulls out evidence that seems to prove you’ve never been more wrong in your life?
Today, I’ll show you how that is always been the case with God’s people and how God plans to put a stop to it.
The subject of astronomy has always fascinated me, and when I was a kid, I would read everything I could lay my hands on that would teach me something new. And one day I stumbled upon this book that said the planet Jupiter didn’t have 12 moons as we had always believed, but 14.
Now, today we know that there are actually more than 60 moons circling that biggest planet. But the wisdom at that time said there were only 12. So when the subject of the solar system came up in my fourth grade class, and the teacher wrote 12 moons on the chalkboard beside Jupiter.
Teacher: “…and Jupiter has 12 moons.”
I got really excited and raised my hand.
Teacher: “Shawn?”
Young Shawn: “Teacher did you know they’ve actually found two more moons, so the number is really 14?”
Now, somehow I figured she would be as excited as me, but to my absolute amazement, she shot me down.
Teacher: “Um, no, Shawn, there are only 12 moons circling Jupiter.”
And of course I protested.
Young Shawn: “But I just read the other day that they found two more!”
But you know, I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t going to let some fourth grade kid tell her that the textbook was wrong.
Teacher: “No. Twelve.”
So in the minds of all my classmates, the issue was settled forever. Jupiter had 12 moons. And then, just a few months later, we had a guest speaker come to our school, a fairly well known local astronomer who took us on a visual tour of the solar system. He had the most beautiful color slides of every planet, and his presentation was absolutely spellbinding. To this day, I think my favorite part of his talk was on the planet Jupiter, because when that giant planet came up on the screen, he turned to our assembly and said:
Astronomer: “This is Jupiter. We’ve just discovered two new moons, bringing the total now to 14. Jupiter consists of a density of hydrogen and helium, enveloped with a metallic...”
I felt absolutely vindicated, and dozens of bewildered fourth graders turned around in that gymnasium as if to say, “You mean Shawn got it right?”
Have you ever found yourself trying to defend something that nobody believed? And when you try to make your case, you discover that even though you know you are right, the evidence seems to be stacked against you?
Then you’ve got this small idea of what God’s people are going to face as we come up against the final moments of earth’s history. In an earlier program (“The High Water Effect”) I looked at the life of Noah, who was asked by God to warn the world of the coming judgment.
What is interesting about Noah is that today his very existence seems to be in question. And those who still believe the story to be true find themselves in the awkward position of defending something that almost no one in the secular community believes anymore. Never mind the fact that almost every culture on earth remembers a universal flood, and never mind the fact that the actual geological record almost screams “universal catastrophe.” You are still going to find that your audience is more than a little skeptical.
So right out of the gate, the story we are going to study today is actually an example of the phenomenon I want to illustrate, and of course the underlying motive for denying the flood story is to deny the story of creation. Because if you can deny the story of creation, then you can deny the existence of God. And if you can deny the existence of God, then you can deny the Second Coming of Christ.
In fact, the link between the flood and the return of Christ is so important that Peter actually mentions it when he’s talking about last-day skepticism. Listen to what Peter says (2 Peter 3:3-4):
“Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’”
His subject is people’s attitudes in the last days, and the problem he predicts is that people are going to want an excuse to do whatever they want. But in the back of their minds, and in the pit of their stomachs, there is this uneasy feeling that they are going to have to account for their actions. So either they act on their conscience and turn their hearts back toward God, or they convince themselves it is just not going to happen. And how do they do that? Listen carefully to what Peter says next (2 Peter 3:5-7):
“For this they willfully forget. That by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth, which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
It says that people are going to deliberately forget where they came from so they can deliberately forget where they are going. Centuries before the debate between Darwinian evolution and creation, Peter predicted that the debate was going to happen, and with a quick flick of the wrist, he pulls the veil of deception off the whole thing to show us what’s really going on.
“This isn’t just a matter of origin,” he says, “it’s also a matter of destiny. The story of the flood is a clear warning to the last generation. But if people stop believing it, they are going to miss the boat, and there’s no pun intended.”
Now, that makes this whole matter worth a little study. Especially when you add the fact that Jesus stated plainly in Matthew 24 that the final generation living on planet Earth is going to make the same mistakes the people of Noah’s day were making. So let’s dig right into it and ask a few important questions.
What was the mistake Noah’s generation made? Well, you’ll find the answer in a couple of different places in your Bible, including Genesis six and Matthew 24. In Genesis six, we discover that the world had become desperately wicked or as God puts it, “The imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
And then in Matthew 24, Jesus points out that in addition to being wicked, the people were actually so lost in their rebellion that they couldn’t even tell how bad the situation was. Listen now to the word of Jesus (Matthew 24:38-39):
“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, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
The amazing thing about Noah’s generation, according to Jesus, is that even though they were amply warned, they were still caught by surprise when the floodwaters actually came. And how do we know they were amply warned? It’s simple. The Bible indicates that Noah preached for as much as 120 years before the rain actually fell.
And even his great-grandfather Enoch predicted that something was coming when he named Noah’s grandfather Methuselah. Methuselah means “when he dies, it will come.” And the flood came right after Methuselah died. So it’s not like the people of Noah’s day didn’t have a chance. It was more a case that they knew it was coming but refused to believe it, and exactly the same thing is going on today.
Nobody can say that at least the Western world hasn’t heard of the Second Coming of Christ, because even late-night comedy shows and cynical talk show hosts are busy making fun of it. Instead of taking advantage of God’s mercy, we turn a blind eye to the real condition and pretend like the world is just going to go on forever. We dismiss that uneasy feeling in the pit of our stomachs, and we rationalize that what other generations would have called wicked behavior is just an alternate viewpoint or lifestyle. And so if there was ever a generation crying peace and safety just before destruction it’s a good bet it might be us.
So, what set Noah apart from all the rest? The answer to that is found in Hebrews 11, where God gives us a list of people who warmed his heart. Listen to this description found in Hebrews (Hebrews 11:7):
“By faith, Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness, which is according to faith.”
According to the Bible, there are several things that set Noah apart from his neighbors. First of all, he was a man whose heart was soft enough to actually hear the voice of God. The sin in Noah’s heart was not cherished and nurtured to the point where he had drowned out the pleading voice of the Holy Spirit. But more than that, when Noah heard the voice of God, he acted on it.
You know, a lot of people hear God speaking to them every single day, and they know they are supposed to do something about it, but it’s a rare breed in this wicked world that actually has the courage to step out in faith. We just read that Noah was moved with godly fear when he built the ark. That means he took the warning seriously and he leapt into action.
Now, if you think about it, that took a great deal of faith, because the job God gave to Noah was absolutely colossal, and the likelihood that anybody in Noah’s neighborhood was going to understand—well, it wasn’t much. In all the history of the world, there had never really been a major catastrophe or natural disaster. And the people were going to have a little trouble visualizing the kind of flood that Noah was talking about, and to build such a big boat—450 feet long and three stories high—well, that just seemed like a crazy thing to do in the middle of dry land.
And then to top it off, Noah kept preaching the same message over and over for as many as 120 years, and nothing seemed to happen. Life just went on the same as always, and Noah became something of a laughingstock, that fanatical guy with the great big boat out in the middle of a field. He was the out-of-touch preacher who still believed all that crazy stuff about prophecy and the end of the world.
You know, you have to hand it to Noah for sticking it out all those years while his neighbors made fun of him, because you know in your heart, that’s not an easy thing to do. And yet the Bible warns us to get ready because the same thing is going to happen to us. In fact, I believe it may be happening already. Even in some Christian circles it is getting harder and harder to find people who still believe what the Bible actually says.
It’s not that they have mountains of evidence that prove the theory of evolution, and it’s not that they found some other source of spiritual information that has proven more reliable. It’s more a matter of finding an excuse to live without moral boundaries, exactly the way that Peter predicted.
But the problem is going to get a whole lot worse than that. Not only will genuine Christians have to live with the ridicule of those who no longer believe, the also Bible indicates that all of the evidence is going to seem to be in favor of their critics. Listen to this amazing passage found in Revelation 13. Here’s what it says (Revelation 13:1-4):
“Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw as like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded. And his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’”
In the last days of human history, the majority is going to be wrong. They are going to fall prey to a false system of worship that is sponsored by the dragon himself. And it’s not going to be a small movement, because the Bible says that all the world wonders after the beast. So in light of that, what happens to God’s people?
Well, in the verse that comes just before the passage we read, those people, God’s people are described as a remnant, a smaller group that is persecuted by the dragon. And we are told they have some very specific characteristics that set them apart from other people. Just listen to this. The Bible says (Revelation 12:13-17):
“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
In the last days, the Bible teaches that God’s people are going to stand by faith. Even though the whole world turns to lawlessness and rebellion, even though the imaginations of people’s hearts are wicked all the time like in Noah’s day, these people stand on the commandments of God, and more than that, they actually have the testimony of Jesus Christ. They have a message for the world.
Don’t forget that Noah didn’t just build boats. He was also a preacher of righteousness, a man with an important message for his time. And just like it happened back in Noah’s day, God’s last-day people, according to the book of Revelation, those people whose hearts belong entirely to God, they have a message for their time, which you find just a few verses later in Revelation 14. Listen carefully to how the Bible describes these last-day people of God and the message they share with the world. It says (Revelation 14:5-7):
“And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God. Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come. And worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”
As it was in the days of Noah, our world is getting more and more wicked with each passing day. But God doesn’t simply destroy this world without a warning, because that’s not how a God of love operates. Before he makes a move, he sends out a global invitation to return to the God of creation. He raises up a prophetic movement that knows exactly what is going to happen, and through that prophetic movement of God’s people, he warns the world and calls everyone to step inside the ark.
The parallels are absolutely amazing. And if this were a longer show, we could dissect this story for hours and hours, and compare it to the passages in the Bible that deal with last-day events. But in the time we have left, I want to underline one simple fact that you find as the story of Noah unfolds in the Book of Genesis--a simple detail that a lot of people miss when they read the story. Here it is in Genesis, chapter 7 (Genesis 7:7, 10):
“So Noah with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the floor were on the earth.”
You see, it didn’t rain the first day Noah went into the ark. Even though God ordered him inside and the door of the ark was sealed, it didn’t start raining for an entire week. Now try to imagine what that was like. For maybe 120 years, you preached that the flood was coming. And then, for a moment, all the evidence pointed your way because the animals came out of the woods on cue, and the Lord Himself closed the door of the ark. It was finally time for the prophecy to come true, and then nothing. Seven days of sitting in the ark with a bunch of smelly animals while the laughter outside got louder and louder.
I’m convinced that God put that detail in the story for our benefit, because God’s people are about to face a moment where all the evidence seems to point in the wrong direction. For a while we have a lot to point to, clear signs that we are on the right track. And then it all dries up for a short period and our faith is tested to the limit. Take a look at this passage found again in Revelation, chapter 13. It says (Revelation 13:11-13),
“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.”
As the final crisis comes to its peak, there is more visible support for the wrong side than the right side. A second beast shows up to support the first one, and he has the ability to bring fire down from heaven. In the Old Testament, in the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, the fire was falling on God’s altar. But now in the last days, God warns us that the fire is going to fall in the wrong place in the last moments. Our eyes are going to deceive us. The visible evidence is going to suggest that we may have been barking up the wrong tree.
But to surrender in those last moments would be a terrible mistake, because just when things couldn’t possibly get worse, just when the devil pulls out all the stops and does his best to destroy God’s people, that’s when Jesus will raise his nail-scarred hand and say, “Enough.” At that moment, He will lead the armies of heaven back to this earth and vindicate his people. Here’s how the Bible describes it in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 19:11-15):
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations. And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God.”
What exactly is the sword that comes out of Jesus’ mouth? According to Hebrews 4 and Ephesians 6, the sword is the Word of God. And in the final moments, that’s what’s going to be important. It won’t matter what public opinion was. It won’t matter what your friends or coworkers said. What’s really going to matter is what God said.
Listen, I know it can be tough to live a genuine Christian life in this world. Especially when even well-meaning Christians seem to be losing their grip on the simple authority of God’s Word. That problem is only going to get worse. But the promise of God to you is this: If you stick with Him, you are going to see the day where your faith will be vindicated. It might take seven days, but on the eighth day, the rain will come. In the meantime, God says, you build your ark, you make plans to get on board, and then you invite as many as you can to take advantage of the cross of Christ before the final moment comes.
Maybe today your faith is faltering just a little bit. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve seen evidence for the faith you have in the Bible. I’m here to tell you today that your faith will be vindicated—God will come through. So why don’t we pray together?
Scriptures Used in “Eighth Day Faith”
“Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’”
—2 Peter 3:3-4
“For this they willfully forget. That by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
—2 Peter 3:5-7
“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, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
—Matthew 24:38-39
“By faith, Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness, which is according to faith.”
—Hebrews 11:7
“Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw as like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded. And his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’”
—Revelation 13:1-4
“And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God. Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”
—Revelation 14:5-7
“So Noah with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the floor were on the earth.”
—Genesis 7:7, 10
“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.”
—Revelation 13:11-13
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations. And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God.”
—Revelation 19:11-15