When teaching His disciples about the time just before His second coming Jesus said this: “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot. They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17: 26-30)
It is evident from the above scripture that there will be a period of time late in the reign of the antichrist (final 3 1/2 years) when, at least where the non -Christian world is concerned, predominantly evil mankind will be thriving under his rule. The economic system of this man of sin seems to be allowing mankind a kind of normalcy after much war and destruction. The world will finally have the leader they sought after, and Satan will have his man on the throne. Mystery Babylon will have been destroyed, the two powerful Christian witnesses are gone, and the populace will be marrying, buying and selling, farming, building, etc. However, Jesus’ comparison to Sodom and Noah’s time indicates that their primary focus will be evil, moral corruption and lawlessness, all of the time. Even after the 4th and 5th bowl judgments are poured out from God, there will not be repentance for their actions. (Revelation 16:9&11). That’s how it was in Noah’s day and in the cities of the plains where Lot dwelt and that’s where we’re headed today at a furious pace. And I’m sure, that’ll be just fine with the son of perdition. At this time, the only item left on the antichrist’s agenda will be to defeat Christ Himself in the final battle for Jerusalem (Armageddon). We know how that ends!
Suddenly, likened to a thief striking in the night, the unsuspecting evil population in this world will be destroyed by fire from heaven. We know, however, that those belonging to Christ are not going to be surprised by these events. Just as Noah and Lot were not surprised, due to the fact they were the only righteous men in their habitation, they were both duly warned ahead of time. This is God’s MO. “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to the prophets.” (Amos 3:7). “However, when He, the Spirit of truth comes….He will speak and tell you of things to come” (John 16:13). If you’re a Christian, you’re righteous because He is righteous, and, just like those righteous men Noah and Lot, you’ll have plenty of warning of what’s coming and when it’s coming. If you’re worried, don’t fret, God knows how to destroy evil while taking care of His own. More on that in another blog.
If your primary goals are similar to what the world is seeking, i.e., wealth, notoriety, power, satisfaction of temporal lusts, etc., you’re on a dead- end course. It will all come crashing down, and its end is assured. Your focus should be very narrow – Christ and His kingdom. Jesus gave us the examples of Noah and Lot for good reason. We can’t have one foot in the world and one in His kingdom. We need to leave this world behind and never look back. No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for His kingdom. (Luke 9:62). Remember Lots’ wife? She looked back.
Our world is progressing very quickly to a state mirroring that of Noah’s day as well as Sodom and Gomorrah. Don’t be a part of it. Be imitators of Jesus our Lord, the author and finisher of our faith.
Maranatha, Jim