AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOE AND THE DAYS OF LOT

By Dimitris Pelidis

When it comes to our relationship with God what seems to undermine its vitality is not so much the heavy opposition we face, but the light, daily affairs we so easily get caught up in. The casualness of our daily lives (in all its subtlety) poses a far more serious threat than any of the major crisises that openly challenge our devotion to the Lord. Our daily cares gradually eat away at the great desire of the soul to follow the Master and do His will. Therefore we become insensitive to the Spirit’s lead and live for this day, neglecting that the day of our Lord Jesus Christ is at hand. Not only is His return sure and ready but it will also be swift as lightning, according to the scriptures.

For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. (Luke 17:24)

Lightning is extremely fast and unpredictable! You just can’t tell at which split second it will shoot down from the sky to the earth below. However, you can still notice the grey clouds and prepare for the storm. Similarly, Jesus Christ will descend from above at the speed of light and nobody knows nor can predict the exact moment of his dissension. However, we can still discern the menacing clouds of our times gathering and prepare ourselves for His sudden visitation and the great storm following.

The Gospel of Luke offers a startling analogy of our times to the days of Noe and the days of Lot.

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 Noe 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. (Luke 17:26–30)

As we see from the passage above the striking resemblance of our days to the days of Noe and Lot does not lie in its blatant evilness but rather in its ordinariness and naivety. Of course there is nothing wrong with activities like eating and drinking, getting married, buying, selling, planting or building.

What is amiss here is to be totally given to these pursuits at the expense of God and his kingdom. To seek these things more than God and his things is to elevate the provisions above the Provider and thus “to worship and serve the creature more than the creator who is blessed for ever” (Rom. 1:25).

Glory to God, for a man like righteous Noah who sought the kingdom of God in his day. He saw the great flood coming afar off and didn’t think twice about what he was supposed to do. He simply believed God, rolled up his sleeves, got down to work and brought to pass that awesome project: the building of the ark.

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, MOVED WITH FEAR [emphasis added], prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

One normal day while Noah’s fellow men were comfortably going about their worldly affairs they got a rude awakening. The windows of heaven suddenly opened and the earth was thoroughly washed of their corrupt existence. While God-fearing Noah and his household were taking the cruise of their lives, those ungodly people were taken completely by surprise and were found at the bottom of the raging flood.

For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. (Proverbs 1:32-33)

It is interesting to see that the sin of Lot’s contemporaries in Sodom was exactly the same as that of Noah’s. Namely, their turning away from God in exchange for a life of ease and prosperity, definitely a prosperity of fools which would inevitably lead to their destruction also. Note what the sin of Sodom precisely was:

Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

What is amazing is that our present world is just like that. Does not modern society exhibit the very same iniquity? Is it not proud, full of bread and abundantly idle? In fact the in-way of life, “the good life” is to have it all without even lifting a finger. Everything now is readily yours at the touch of a button. LEISURE, RELAXATION AND COMFORT have become the world’s obsessions. Or are 21st century people compassionate and merciful? Quite the opposite, they are just too engrossed in themselves and their precious possessions to spare a thought or a dime for the poor and needy. And they are haughty, so haughty and abominable.

There was just one righteous man in the entire city of Sodom. Righteous Lot. That’s certainly being in a minority of one, isn’t it? Yet, wouldn’t you rather be in a minority of one with the ONE TRUE GOD than in the majority with the Devil and this present, evil world? Look who got delivered and who got destroyed at the end of the day.

And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished .... (2 Peter 2:7-9)

Noah and Lot are types of the people we should be in our generation. Will we give in to the temptation to line up with the rest or will we, like Noah and Lot stand with our God even if that meant that we would be the last righteous men remaining on earth? What will you do when you hear the Lord’s call? How will you respond when he speaks to you saying the following?

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.... Is it time for you, O ye to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?... Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. (Haggai 1:2, 4, 7-8)

Shall we turn a deaf ear, dwell in our ceiled houses, and mind our small businesses? Or will we like Noah get the Lord’s job done which is, the edifying of his Holy temple, THE CHURCH OF GOD. The choice is ours! Only, let it be a good one! Remember how the story ends. “SURELY I COME QUICKLY!” testifies the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 22:20).