The Days Of Noah Series

THE BEGINNING OF WHAT IS TO COME: THE DAYS OF NOAH

This morning I want you to open your Bible with me to the book of Matthew as we continue our study on the beginning of what is to come. In speaking of the final generation, Jesus clearly outlined numerous signs and events that would take place before His return. Jesus said these signs would arrive on the world stage and they would act like birth pangs. He said these signs would converge together and that they would continue to increase in both their frequency and strength. And that is exactly what we are seeing today. We are seeing the beginning of what is to come.

Every single sign that Jesus gave is happening in this generation on an ever increasing scale and they will continue to escalate and increase until they reach their final fulfillment during the tribulation hour just before the glorious return of Christ. Jesus said when you see these signs beginning to take place; He said lift up your head for your redemption is near.

Over the past two thousand years the world has seen signs and events, such as wars and earthquakes and plagues, but our generation has experienced more fulfillment of Bible prophecy than in the previous two thousand years combined. No generation has ever passed through history like our generation.

In speaking of our generation, Jesus said

Matthew 24:33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it (My return) is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. NIV

Once these signs get started, they will not stop until everything is fulfilled. We are that generation. We must be ready for what is to come and the most important event still to come is the return of Jesus Christ. There is nothing more important in all of your life than for you to be prepared in your heart for the coming of Jesus Christ.

In this series, we have already covered numerous signs that pinpoint this generation as the generation that will experience all the signs that lead to the fulfillment of Christ’s coming. But for today, I again want to show you another sign that is clear evidence that we are living in the final generation of Christ’s return.

Matthew 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and 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. NIV

THE DAYS OF NOAH

One of the clearest signs of how close we are to the coming of the Lord is the sign of the days of Noah. Jesus said His return will be in a generation that would be just like the days of Noah.

Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of Man returns.”

What does He mean by that? How are the days of Noah a sign to our generation?

There are two questions here we need to answer.

First, is it possible that our generation is like the days of Noah’s generation, and second, is there any evidence that our generation is like it was in the days of Noah?

In Genesis 6, I believe there are at least seven similarities that match how the days of Noah are similar to our generation.

POPULATION EXPLOSION

Genesis 6:1 When men began to increase in number on the earth… NIV

The first piece of evidence that is similar between our generation and Noah’s generation is the increase of population.

There is nothing wrong with an increase in population. God said to be fruitful and multiply. But, as the population increases so does the world’s problems.

In 1900, there were approximately 1 billion people in the world. Seventy-five years later in 1975, we reached 3 billion. In 2010, thirty-five later we have more than doubled the population at over 7+ billion, and it’s believed we will pass the 8 billion mark sometime in the next 2 years.

We are the very first generation since the days of Noah to experience a great population explosion.

Why is this important? It is important because as the population increases so does the world’s problems such as wars and famines and food shortages. For the past 20 years, scientists have been making dire predictions regarding the population explosion our world is experiencing.

THE INCREASE OF SIN AND WORLDWIDE JUDGMENT