AS IT WAS IN NOAHS' DAY: A SAILING PALACE

BY PASTOR JOSEPH CHAMBERSMatthew 24:39-42New King James Version (NKJV) 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.  40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.  41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.  42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." The Bible begins perfectly in the Book of Genesis and builds upon itself.Every doctrine in God’s great revelation is found in this first infallible book. Those who want to create doubt about Genesis are really attacking all 66 Books of Holy Scripture. The New Covenant is completely concealed in the First Covenant (Old Testament) and that first covenant is perfectly revealed in the Second Covenant (New Testament). There is perfect harmony in these two covenants. Jesus Christ stated as quoted by Apostle Paul,  “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” (Hebrews 10:7) What an endorsement of the whole Bible!Both St. Matthew and St. Luke repeated the words of Jesus that the last days would be perfectly as it was in the Days of Noah. Here are their quotes:  “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (St. Matthew 24: 38-40)  Luke stated: “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” (St. Luke 17: 26-30)  What is so beautiful about these words spoken by Jesus Christ is that they tie the first book of the Bible (Genesis) to the last book of the Bible (Revelation). In one giant sweep Jesus Christ endorsed the two books on which all revelations of End Time prophesy hinges. Not only does He tie them together, but He gives us perfect insight into the careful judgment of wickedness and sets the wicked and the just apart in all of His actions. The“Law of First Mention” guarantees that God will never treat the righteous like He treats the wicked. That is impossible. Noah’s exciting day of salvation and deliverance from a great worldwide judgment is the exact type of the future when the Lord delivers His saints again. The one thing our Father never does is to surprise us without warning. As we study each fact of the builders of the ark and God’s action we will see a beautiful picture of our future. The Father could no longer tolerate His world sinking in utter filth. Demons and humans interacting was like a last threshold. Marriage was trashed as the people descended deeper and deeper into open sex and immoral actions. It is hard to imagine their world being any worse than our world is presently. Our Father sees every action of the world’s population. Nothing is hid and He is already identifying every soul that finds “grace in His sight.” You, every one of you, are already marked. The righteous family was put to work to prepare an ark (a great boat). The labor was intense and there had never been a rainstorm. Faith in what God told Noah was their only proof that the hard work was not in vain. The Heavenly Father was probably deeply involved in the process and maybe regularly visited the site and encouraged Noah. The Heavenly Father was inside the ark, probably inspecting the finish labor when He finally decided the day had come. He could not bear the stench of godless living any longer. Listen as He spoke, “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.” (Genesis 7:1-5)The great ark was completed and stored with every bite of food needed for the duration of the promised storm. What a picture it must have been to the great host of watchers and critics as this line-up of animals began their march and entrance. They had seven days to get everyone on board and to inspect the host, making sure no animal was missing. The count had to be perfect, seven males and females of all clean animals and one male and female of all unclean. Noah was well schooled in God’s revelations of purity and impurity. He and maybe his sons had spent great time in preaching righteousness and conducting great services where clean animals were offered in worship to the Holy God.When the ark was full and Noah’s family had entered, the Father must perform the last task. The Scripture says,  “And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.” (Genesis 7: 16)  The Father’s care for His family was beautiful. I have often thought “He simply shut the door,” but how wrong I have been. The Bible says, “He shut him in” or to understand the action, “He closed up the ark and covered it like a great chamber of beauty and protection.” No one could climb up the side and no storm could flood the great sea-worthy vessel. Noah and his family were shut up with the Heavenly Father like living in a cocoon of splendor. The weather could not lash them, the lightning and thunder could not shake them nor the great sound of dying souls break their hearts. They were perfectly protected. It was a sailing palace riding the storms of Heavenly judgment. When the storm ended and the water had finally dried up from the earth, Noah tried allowing a raven to go out to know if the storm was finished. Listen carefully as the Holy Bible shows us the picture:  “ And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.” (Genesis 8:13)  The covering upon the ark had been placed by the Heavenly Father when “He shut him in” but now Noah was responsible to remove the covering. Noah was in the ark as God had commanded and now we see a little of God’s great plan. This covering would have been massive and Noah’s sons certainly were needed. Noah had not seen the dry land until the covering was removed. What a picture we see of God’s perfect protection. Again we remember “as it was in Noah’s Day!”As we proceed to follow this Biblical truth we quickly discover that all truth is perfect and continues through the entire Scripture. The prophet statesman Isaiah received a perfect revelation of this same truth.  “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” (Isaiah 26:19-21) This chamber is a perfect rendering of a safe hiding place for the saints while judgment is turned loose on the wicked. God’s indignation against the wicked is a principle that is evident in the entire Bible. The Father always has a plan if men continue to defy Him to separate the two and judge the godless. Our Father will come out of His place to protect the righteous and punish the wicked.The prophet Zephaniah was especially given a picture of judgment to come. His book leaves no doubt of what our world is facing. While he speaks of what is about to happen he promises the righteous God’s remembrance. “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.” (Zephaniah 2:3) His promise is especially provided to those that turn to the Lord. Being religious or self-righteous is never accepted by the Lord. Those that confess faith without a Godly change of lifestyle are going to be disappointed. This promise is for the meek lovers, those who follow judgment and seek His righteousness. This is why, “judgment must begin at the House of God.” (I Peter 4:17)  But it is beautiful to know that He will hide the righteous when His judgments are in our world and sin is being punished.The prophet Malachi gives us one of the most powerful pictures of the same them that we have seen in Noah’s day. Nothing can discount the promise form the coming End Time judgment. “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” (Malachi 3:16-18)  This great truth cannot be misplaced from the end that is on schedule to occur. The blessed in this great text are the children of the Lord, and they are so identified themselves as His own children. He is all they want to talk about. They fear Him and obey His council. Notice that they are identified and written in a “Book of Remembrance.” He calls them His jewels. He will spare them from His impending judgment, and they will be with Him while His judgment goes forth. It is clear that they are with Him, and He promised to bring them back to earth to be part of His Millennial Kingdom. Modern Bible versions have removed the words “then shall ye return” because those words can only fit the pre-tribulation model of the end. It is so beautiful to see how the truth from Genesis has grown to even clearer insight to God’s plain promise to never judge His saints with the followers of wickedness.The Bible says, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath.” (I Thessalonians 5:9) We are promised “unto them that look for him shall he appear…” (Hebrews 9:28)  In the Noah story that Jesus told “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (St. Matthew 24:40) Ten virgins were identified by Christ, and five were wise and taken and five were foolish and left behind. The picture lives in all of these great words of the Lord.The marriage supper cannot be less than seven years because seven is the only number of completion. Let’s allow our Lord to say this truth so powerfully that only the die-hard can resist it.  “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (St. Luke 21:33-36) One final perfect connection to Noah’s day and the miraculous sailing palace where Noah’s family was having a celebration is found in Revelation. The Lord promised the Bride within the Church at large the same miracle as Noah received.  “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)The Father loves the world, and every sinner in this world He wants to save. But His chosen are His jewels and they will be protected for all seven years. Please do not let the devil make a fool out of you. Nor allow some misguided soul to use you and destroy “the Blessed Hope” in your life. Living ready to go and watching for His coming is joy unspeakable! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brethren, I had to share this with the Church of the Living God. Pastor Chambers did an outstanding jobs of connecting Genesis all the way through Revelation in a short and concise sermon analogy.  I pray it blessed you, as it did me.. Pastor Mike