Noah and the Coming of the Son of Man

Matthew 24: 36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[1] but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Luke 17: 26"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32Remember Lot's wife! 33Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."

These verses were brought into a different focus for me today as we studied Genesis 6-9. The basics are this: Noah was seen as righteous through God's eyes. Noah could not pass judgement without God's grace, but God chose Him to build the ark. Noah's Ark is not a children's story, it is a story about the wrath of God's judgement on the wicked. God's grace saved Noah and "shut him in" the ark. The wicked were taken from the earth. It was a new beginning for man. Noah, in a way, was the "second Adam" because he was told after coming out of the ark to "be fruitful and multiply" just as in the beginning. The ark was a kind of microcosm of creation. God didn't destroy his creation, he preserved a portion of it. He removed the wicked from it, to begin fresh and new. However, it obviously didn't get rid of the problem of sin because immediately after Noah emerged from the ark, he worshiped God, but proceeded to get drunk and get naked! The point is Noah represents to us how God's grace can cover us and take us through the judgement. If we are in Christ, we will pass through the judgement.

Now for the interesting ponderable. The above verses tell of how it "was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." In Noah's day...who was taken away? Who was left behind?

The wicked were taken from the earth. Gone from creation so that creation could start again. Noah's story did point out however, that our problem of sin...is not a product of our environment. We won't survive without God's love and mercy covering us.

In Noah's day "every inclination, every thought of the heart was only evil". Because of this God was grieved. Only his grace preserved his own creation to attempt life and living once again. Northbrook U really challenged me to think about all this today.

1 Thessalonians 1
9for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Many believers debate over the end times and what will actually occur. I don't know either, so if you thought I did...HA! What I do know is that God's grace covers me. Whatever happens...if believers are all taken up to heaven before God's wrath on earth...yay us, but remember that (Revelation 12:7) there will be "war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back." so maybe that doesn't sound so cool either. If instead we are left behind and the wicked are taken from us, that there will be heaven on earth. Revelation 21:2 "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband."...Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God."

So, I've just been pondering about wanting Jesus to come back. When He comes...is He taking me? or taking the wicked away from me? Either way is cool...I JUST WANT TO BE WITH HIM! Woooooohooooooooooo!!!