Although we have come to expect such sights, it was still quite shocking to watch the recent celebration that ensued after the Massachusetts governor signed a law permitting the murder of children up to the time of birth. How much longer can it be until the Lord returns for us?
The barbaric atrocity of abortion is just one sign of an increasingly widespread mindset whereby the masses approve a wide range of evil behavior (see Romans 1:28-32). I have long read about the lawlessness that the antichrist will bring with him after the Rapture. However, I never imagined I would see so much of it before our departure.
As I thought about these things this morning, my attention turned to 2 Peter 3, where the apostle wrote about the scoffers who would come in the last days. In particular, I thought about what the apostle wrote about the Noahic flood: “They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:4-7).
I find it more than a little informative that the predicted mocking of the last days would include a purposeful forgetfulness of another time when God judged all of humanity. The Lord also linked those days to the time just before the flood of Genesis 6-8.
The Days of Noah
In Matthew 24:37-40, Jesus compared the time before His return to the “days of Noah.” The Lord’s comparison was not just with the evil of the world before the flood, but with the complete unawareness that judgment was imminent. They lived as though nothing could possibly interfere with their lives and future aspirations. Then the rains came.
Those outside the faith don’t believe that the flood recorded in Genesis ever happened. Although most Christians accept the account’s authenticity, many don’t believe the Lord will again judge humanity as He did in Noah’s day. They believe that the next event of God’s prophetic calendar is the end of the age and the Second Coming, when Jesus wraps up history and judges the living and the dead. They find alternative interpretations for the Scriptures that predict Jesus’ dramatic intervention in human history to destroy Satan’s kingdom and gloriously inaugurate His worldwide reign over all the nations.
Just as the Lord predicted through His apostle, the scoffing of the last days, in which we now live, includes a disbelief in Jesus’ warning concerning the fast-approaching time of God’s wrath that lies ahead for the entire earth and an unawareness of what lies ahead for the world.
The Rains Will Come
I imagine that the waiting was difficult for Noah and his family as they built the ark in preparation for something that had never happened before. Can you imagine the mocking they endured? The day came, however, when the rains arrived just as God said.
We live at just such a time, do we not? We know that the start of the Day of the Lord is ever so near, which will begin soon after the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). We recognize the many signs pointing to the start of this time of God’s wrath upon the earth and look for the Rapture to occur soon. We believe the judgments recorded in Revelation chapters 6-18 are real and imminent.
Yet we wait and wait. That’s where the message of 2 Peter 3:4-7 hits home. It’s not just a warning about the scoffers of our day; it’s an encouragement to all of us who long for Jesus’ appearing. The passage assures us that just as the rains came to the ancient world, so they will surely come to the world of our day. Those who now celebrate the murder of innocent children will pay a great price after Jesus takes us home to glory. The rains will come.
I understand how the realization of Jesus’ imminent appearing troubles those who have loved ones caught up in today’s rebellious mindset. I share that concern for many of my close family members, and I plead daily for their salvation.
Unlike Noah’s day, when the closing of the ark’s door sealed the fate of unbelievers, a great multitude of people will come to saving faith after God’s wrath begins to sweep through the earth. The good news is that they will receive eternal life and experience a future resurrection despite missing the rapture. The bad news is that most in this group will experience martyrdom for their faith. I often pray that my unsaved family members will have the opportunity to turn to the Lord then, should they not do so beforehand.
Until the day we meet Jesus in the air, we pray and warn others as the Lord gives us the opportunity. We know that just as the rains came to the ancient world, so they will come to the unbelieving world.
