Mega-Storm!
By Pastor Hal Mayer
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Keep the Faith Ministry. Thank you so much for joining me today as we study. We have studied much from the amazing book of Genesis in 2011. And this month we are going to have the third installment on the life of Noah. It is increasingly clear to me that we are on the brink of eternity, yet so many of God’s people don’t read or understand their Bibles. The angels holding back the winds of strife are only waiting for the sealing of God’s people in their foreheads.
But before we begin, I want to tell you that I really appreciate the support that you have provided for our Keep the Faith Ministry project in Australia at Highwood Health Centre. We really appreciate it very much. It helps us move forward into a new day in ministry for the Lord. At a future time, I will share with you more on the progress there. But for now, suffice it to say that we are still seeing wonderful results from the health program. What a mission field we have in Melbourne! But it doesn’t stop there. Highwood Health Centre is able to service all of Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of Oceania. So, thank you for partnering with Keep the Faith Ministry. It really means a lot to us. And if there are some of you who still wish to help us with the purchase of a good secondhand van for transporting our guests, please don’t hesitate to send your gift in today. It is not too late.
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Rapid events in the world tell us that Jesus is coming soon and that before He comes; there will be an overwhelming deception and an overwhelming surprise which will sweep many souls into eternal death. Now is the time to get your soul into alignment with heaven. Now is the time for God’s last generation to “find grace in the eyes of the Lord” just like Noah did in Genesis 6:8. That’s talking about you and me. We are called to be righteous Noahs in this evil generation. Your life can be “just and perfect” just as Noah’s was. Your soul can walk with God, just as Noah did. Genesis 6:9.
Before we begin my message for today, please bow your head, if you can, in prayer. Our Father in heaven, how great is thy faithfulness! You are a big and wonderful God, and we are so impressed with what you can do. You have spared our lives. You have inspired us with Your power. But we have often failed You and veered off Your plan for our lives. Please forgive us, and bring us back to the place where we can please You, and find grace in Your sight. Please help us to be just and perfect in our generation, just as Noah was in his. As we study the great flood today, send Your Holy Spirit to teach us much, and show us how to live. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Please open your Bibles if you can, to Isaiah 30:26. I especially want young people to listen to what this says, because many young people like science, and this verse is full of science. Speaking of the new earth, the prophet says, “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of His people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.”
This is a very interesting verse. It is loaded with scientific information! Did you know that this verse is talking about the flood through which Noah passed as well as the new earth? Let us think about this for a minute. Did you notice that the verse says that the sun will be seven times brighter and hotter than what it is now? Now that’s incredible! How can you survive if the sun is seven times brighter and seven times hotter than it was before? God surely has a way to accomplish that without destroying you, doesn’t He? And today you will see that He does.
Also, did you notice that the verse says that the “light of the moon would be as light of the sun”? In other words, the moon will be burning and producing energy like the sun is today. Yes, it’s true. Did you see that? “The moon shall be as the light of the sun.” That’s incredible! The moon will be a burning mass, a ball of fire to give light and heat, just like the sun. Right now, the moon is a dust planet. But one day it is going to burn.
Here it is from Ministry of Healing, page 506. “All nature in its surpassing loveliness will offer to God a constant tribute of praise and adoration. The world will be bathed in the light of heaven. The years will move on in gladness. The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold greater than it is now.” It is so plain that I wonder why so many have missed this point and its implications.
But there is something else really important about that verse in Isaiah 30 that should catch your attention. Did you hear that part about when the Lord will bind up the “breach of His people” and when He heals the “stroke of their wound?” That’s very important not to miss, my friends, because it tells us something about the solar system after God created the world. Did you see it? Think carefully. If something or someone is healed, that means they are put back like they were before. In other words, the sun was once seven times hotter than it is now, and the moon was once a burning orb like the sun is now. When God heals the “stroke of their wound,” He will be putting back in place the things that were once disturbed and changed. Now isn’t that quite a thought? What does that tell you about the sun and the moon before the wound? Yes, that’s right, the sun was seven times brighter and hotter than it is now, and the moon was a burning orb, giving light and heat like the sun is now. In other words, what the prophet says the sun and moon will be like in the future is the way that they were in the past. But what happened that the sun and moon are so changed now?
Take a look at that verse again. There is something even more interesting about it. There is a direct connection between the sun and the moon and the “wound.” That’s what this verse is telling us. In other words, something happened to the sun and the moon that caused the “wound” inflicted upon the earth and humanity. At one point there was a sun that was seven times hotter and brighter than it is now, and the moon was as the sun is now. But next, the sun was only one seventh of what it was, and the moon was extinguished. Then, when the earth is made new, the sun will be restored to its full strength and the moon will again be a ball of fire. That’s amazing.
I can tell you that no atheistic scientist can understand this. They start with presuppositions that they accept by faith. They measure what they can see and try to understand what they cannot see by sheer speculation based on those presuppositions, which they firmly hold by a determined faith – and it is actually faith in a falsehood. Oh yes, they say they have evidence. But their evidence is only based on inductive reasoning, in which they draw conclusions about the past, by the details that they see now. In other words, they reason concerning what they cannot see by evidence of what they think they understand about the world as it now is. They think that the way the world is now is the way it always has been, at least in its principles. And they refuse to accept that there was a great change that took place by supernatural forces. They look at the existing solar system, and they say “oh, because of what we can observe about it right now at this point in time, we can assume that it took millions upon millions of years to come into existence.
The Bible-believer, on the other hand, starts with what he cannot see, but which is revealed in scripture. He accepts it by faith as truth, and proceeds from there. He has a divinely revealed principle upon which he bases his study, and then he can truly understand what happened in the past by studying the natural world as it is now.
Non-believers have no ability to discern the work of God because they cannot accept that there is a supernatural being in the universe. God is so big, that He can hide in the complexities of nature, so that only those who believe His word will truly understand Him and His works.
Now this verse in Isaiah 30 is absolutely loaded with information. Any school science teacher should have this verse memorized and its implications worked out, so that the students they teach will understand the scientific truth about creation and the flood directly from the Bible.
So let us pretend that we are in science class, and that we understand basic physics, and hydro-dynamics – that’s the dynamics of water. Now, let us see what God says about how the earth, the sun and the moon came into existence. Turn to Genesis 1. But wait a minute. What does all this have to do with the flood? Just wait, you’ll see. But first we need to understand how God created the earth. Perhaps you have thought about this before, but never really put the physical laws of nature together in your mind, and thereby understood how God in His powerful word, made the things that are. He created those laws of nature. And He can use them to accomplish His purposes.
Genesis 1:2 “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
So, let us think about this for a moment. What existed before there was a living planet? It was just a huge ball of water. Where did it come from? We aren’t told, probably because it isn’t necessary. But it was obviously there. But the waters surrounded what was to become earth. And they were very deep. There was no dry land, no mountains, nothing protruding above the water.
Now, look at verse 6. “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.”
In other words, God separated some of the water and moved it up into the atmosphere as water vapor. Certainly that is when He created air, which holds the water vapor. He removed a good deal of the water that was on the face of the deep and raised it up and suspended it above the globe of water and surrounded it with atmosphere, or as the Bible calls it “the firmament.” Now that is an enormous amount of water that was vaporized. Actually, God was in the process of making the perfect environment for man to live. The atmosphere would provide a warm, safe environment so that man could enjoy the best things of the earth.
But once God made the firmament, how did he keep it there? Water is suspended in the air of the atmosphere by heat. The hotter the air, the more water it holds. The cooler the air, the less water it holds. So, on the fourth day God made something to keep the water vapor at the right density, the right altitude, and the right temperature.
Let us read verses 14 – 15. “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”
Both of these two lights, which we call the sun and the moon, were to give light. Yes, the moon was to generate light too, not merely be a device that reflects light. It was not to be as bright as the sun, but a lesser light. The sun, according to Isaiah 30:26, was seven times brighter and hotter than the one we have now, and the moon was as the sun. The sun was really, really bright, and it is hot, so hot in fact that it would scorch the earth if it weren’t for a thick layer of water vapor hanging in the firmament to absorb and dissipate both the light and the heat.
According to the verse we just read, there is a relationship between these lights, the sun and the moon, and the atmosphere of the earth. That relationship is one of rulership, governance or control. These lights were given a job to do that involved more than merely to give light. The sun and moon were to influence and control the atmosphere. And we know how this works. It is easy to understand. When the sun, in all its sevenfold glory was shining upon the earth, it was daytime, and the temperature was slightly warmer. This meant that any mist or condensation on the plants and upon the earth that was not absorbed by the plants would evaporate and go into the atmosphere again because the temperature during the day would be warmer than at night. But when the moon was shining upon the earth it was not as bright, and perhaps because of the thickness of the atmosphere and the density of its water molecules, it could have appeared much darker than the sun does today. The temperature was a little cooler, which would cause some condensation upon the leaves of the trees and plants so that they could get water to grow and flourish.
But there is something else that this verse is telling us. If the sun was seven times hotter than it is now, and the moon was a ball of fire like the sun today, they would generate an enormous amount of heat, which means that the atmosphere or firmament could hold a lot more water than it presently does. How high up the mantle of atmosphere went around the earth, we are not told in scripture. But it was like a protective jacket or coat that would prevent the heat of the sun from burning the earth. The moisture in the atmospheric mantle would protect the earth from cosmic rays too, and it would provide the exact requirements for an earth that would blossom and flourish on every inch of its surface whether land or water. The mantle was just the right altitude that it created just the right balance between the heat of the sun and the moisture in the air so that animals, plants and man were all perfectly comfortable at optimum temperature, moisture, and oxygenation during both the day and the night.
Moreover, fossil records at or around the poles of the earth, reveal that before the flood there was the same life forms as in other parts of the earth. This tells us that even at the poles, the temperatures were similarly warm, quite unlike they are today. The thick firmament of water vapor apparently distributed the warm air and temperate climate from pole to pole so that even the extreme North Pole and the extreme South Pole were of the same or very similar climate. With no high and low-pressure areas colliding with each other like we have today, there were no serious variations in temperature from one place to the other around the globe. So, the weather was even and consistent. There were no violent storms. Also, the earth’s axis was not skewed in relation to the sun like it is now. This probably helped to keep everything balanced and even.
So, the Bible says in Genesis 1:4 that after God separated the waters from the waters, He also then gathered the waters covering the earth together in seas and made dry land and all plant life on the third day. How did He make dry land? He, no doubt, had to change the shapes and contours of the earth, or simply create the land mass, shaped and contoured so that there would be dry land and seas. God is big and powerful. That would not have been a problem for Him.
Once the land was shaped, plant life, animals and man could now be bathed in an atmosphere of dense water vapor. Probably the barometric pressure was much greater than it is now. Trees and plants were much larger than they are now. And even man was substantially larger than he is now. The hyperbaric atmosphere, or a high atmospheric pressure would also oxygenate the blood of animals and humans much more effectively, and it would, no doubt, increase the photosynthesis that makes plants flourish. Convection currents would create gentle breezes to keep the earth as pleasant a place to live as could possibly be imagined. Wouldn’t you want to live there? Have you ever gone into a greenhouse when the temperature is cool and dry outside? What is the temperature and moisture like on the inside? It is warm, moist and comfortable isn’t it? Well the whole earth was like a greenhouse, most pleasant and comfortable.
There is another aspect to the relationship between the sun, moon and a spherical earth. God designed that the sun and moon interact with the molten core of the earth made of iron and nickel to create a magnetic field. Perhaps because of the moon being a ball of fire like the sun today, there may have been two fields that kept everything in balance. That magnetic field also helped to protect from the cosmic rays of the sun, and evened out weather patterns, and stabilized the earth’s thick crust so that I would not break up or move.
As the magnetic field today changes, it can cause severe weather in some parts of the earth, which has now been documented scientifically. But this did not happen before the flood. Also, the magnetic field is directly related to the molten core of the earth, which is where upheavals of molten rock in volcanic activity come from. The connection between the magnetic field and earthquakes is just beginning to be understood, but it appears that if the magnetic field is skewed enough, it can contribute to violent earthquake activity. But back before the flood, when the earth was a stable sphere, and not tilted on its axis, and when everything was in balance, this magnetic field helped to maintain the balance of beautiful weather, stable earth, and protection from the sun, so that there would be no extreme variations or violence. There was one great harmony of geophysical and solar system unity, a balance in all nature that provided the most pleasant conditions for living, and for the productivity of the earth.
The earth’s magnetic field impacts climate: Danish study
Now that we understand how God created a perfectly balanced atmospheric environment to sustain the life of man and all the animals, birds, plants and other living creatures, we are now ready to understand what happened at the time of the flood?
God told Noah to build an ark and carefully prepare it so that it would keep out the water and ride through the coming storm and flood. Noah earnestly warned the people of the coming flood. But the scientists in Noah’s day thought that it was all a hoax, and that Noah’s predictions were impossible. Nothing had ever changed in the atmosphere for many, many centuries. What evidence was there that such a change as Noah predicted was going to happen now? You see, scientists don’t believe anything that they cannot measure or quantify. They did not reckon with the idea that God could actually change the way nature interacts, or change the magnitude of its interaction. Nor did they think of the possibility that some elements that held everything in balance would change so much that it could cause disruption, upheaval, violence and the destruction of the whole planet.
Noah warned and warned them for 120 years. He pled with them. He coaxed them. He pointed out the advantages of coming into the ark. At first, some trembled at Noah’s powerful testimony. But as time went on, and their fears were assuaged, and as they continued in transgression, they became bold and in their godlessness they mocked and ridiculed him. They made his life rather miserable, I suppose, at times. Imagine having to put up with all the ridicule, laughter and jokes for 120 years. But that is the genius of delay. God delays the fulfillment of His promises so that man does not make decisions to follow him from fear. He delays his judgments in order to test and reveal the character of his true people. He delays so that the true motivations of our hearts are revealed.
God bids Noah in Genesis 7:1 “Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee I have seen righteous before Me in this generation.”
Please think about what God did here. After Noah had worked faithfully for 120 years; after he had given the warning message and been rejected by everyone; after Noah was tired out by an intense focus on his project and the hard work required to get the ark built, God said, “Noah, come into the ark. It is time to stop your work. Your evangelistic work is completed. You have done all you can. You have obeyed me completely. And those people in the world have fully rejected me, and now mercy can no longer gain access to their hearts because they have shut the door on the Holy Spirit. Now it is time for you to come into the ark and I will shut the door on them. All the promises I have made to you will come to pass. All the warnings I have sent to the world about the destruction of the flood will soon come to pass also. Come thou and all thy house into the ark.”
God speaks to Noah in tender terms. He loves him, just as He loves you and me. He reaffirms Noah’s righteousness and faithfulness in spite of all that he has endured. The door of probation is about to close and God is going to shut Noah in the ark. He is going to protect him from the elements that are about to be unleashed upon the wicked people of the earth.
Think about the term “this generation.” God was referring to the generation whose thoughts and imaginations “were only evil continually;” the generation in which “all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth;” the generation that had filled the earth with violence; the generation whose wickedness was so great that God said “it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart;” the generation in which only one man and his family found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Do you think we are nearing a similar situation today with our generation? God is actually proposing to have more than eight people in this final generation, but the conditions will be the same.
When God said to Noah, “for thee I have seen righteous before me in this generation,” He was making a very important statement. You have been righteous Noah, in spite of the prevailing wickedness, licentiousness, violence and evil. You have been righteous Noah, even though the world around you put enormous pressure on you to give up and compromise. You have been righteous, even though you have faced incredible hostility and abuse. You have been righteous, even though you convinced no one but your family to come into the ark. So, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark, I will save you.” Do you think God is looking for people like that today? Absolutely, you and I will have to stand against all the same things that Noah did.
“Noah, your work is not a failure just because there are no others coming in with you other than your family. Your work is not a disappointment because you didn’t have any baptisms. Your work is not a loss because it appeared ill advised. Your work is not a defeat because it is related to prophecy, which is always fulfilled. “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.”
Think of the contrast. Think of the spiritual distance between Noah and the wicked world. Think of the sweeping rebellion to the law of God in contrast to Noah’s plain, simple loyalty and his plain, simple life. The contrast was stark; Noah’s simple faith vs. the scientist’s complex speculations; Noah’s humble appeal, vs. the religious leaders arrogant claims; Noah’s loyal service vs. the corrupting influence of those around him. By saying that Noah was righteous in his generation, God was drawing out the contrast so we could draw a distinction between Noah and the world.
But this story, my friends, is prophetic. Noah was righteous in his generation; in his wicked generation. At the end of time, the wickedness will be similar, and the proportions of people saved will also be similar. Only a few will be protected by God. Only a few will survive the coming crisis and not let go of their faith. While the invitation to righteousness is open to all, only a few will accept it. Only a few will accept Christ’s power to live a righteous life without sin in this last generation. And only a few will be sheltered during the great social and natural upheavals that are about to be unleashed upon the earth.
Think how many were righteous. At the most, in the whole world and its multitudes of people, there were only eight righteous and even Ham and perhaps his wife were not really quite there. Think about the proportions. Of the millions that probably inhabited the world at that time, there were only eight that went into the ark and had God’s defense.
Likewise in the last days, even among the people of God, as few as they are in number compared to the whole population of the earth, we are told that very few of them are making the preparation to come into the ark of safety and be sheltered by God in the coming crisis. I hope you and your family are living righteously before God today and making preparation for that time by building your own character ark of safety as we spoke about in a previous message. I hope that God can look upon me and say “for thee I have seen righteous before Me in this generation.”
When Noah went into the ark and the door closed he had no idea what the world would be like when he came out. He had no idea of the violence that would be inflicted upon the earth during the flood. But he went in trusting that God would care for him. The people had no idea what was about to happen to them. Keep in mind that the whole world knew about Noah and his project. And they all had a chance to come into the ark. Likewise, the message of the faithful in the last days will go to “every nation, kindred, tongue and people.” Revelation 14:6
For seven days after the door was closed, everyone waited. The crowds outside the ark continued their reveling, partying and making bold jests against the God of heaven. Inside the ark, there was a prayer meeting every day, just like Noah had done all of his life. He didn’t change his course of communion with God inside the ark. He walked with God in the ark just as he had done before. But there was plenty to do as well in caring for the animals. Noah and his family threw their trust on Christ. They prayed that they would be spared the divine vengeance that was to be poured out upon the earth. They prayed that the ark would ride safely through the storm.
As each day went by, perhaps they wondered if anything was really going to happen. As the people outside the ark got bolder, they demanded that Noah come out so that they could make fun of him. “See,” they said, “nothing is going to happen. It’s already been seven days Noah, and there is still no rain. You are a false prophet. Ha, you are just as deluded as anyone can be.”
“But upon the eighth day dark clouds overspread the heavens. There followed the muttering of thunder and the flash of lightning. Soon large drops of rain began to fall. The world had never witnessed anything like this, and the hearts of men were struck with fear. All were secretly inquiring, ‘Can it be that Noah was in the right, and that the world is doomed to destruction?’ Darker and darker grew the heavens, and faster came the falling rain. The beasts were roaming about in the wildest terror, and their discordant cries seemed to moan out their own destiny and the fate of man.” That’s from Patriarchs and Prophets, page 90.
Notice that the statement says that “all were secretly inquiring.” You see it was politically correct not to question the leaders. Even when the storm came, the hold of the leaders was so strong that the clouds and raindrops held the people from speaking up. Eventually however, there was no denying that this was the storm Noah had been predicting for 120 years. But now it was too late.
In Genesis 7:11 the Bible says that “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”
What does this mean that the fountains of the deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened? It means that all those elements of nature that are linked together in one great web of geophysical and solar unity was shredded and torn apart. But how did it happen? The Bible essentially tells us how it happened in terms that leave no doubt that there was a dramatic change to that harmony of things earthly and heavenly. This was the wound spoken of in Isaiah 30.
The apostle Peter draws the parallel to the last days from the flood, just like Jesus did. Listen to 2 Peter 3:3-7. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming, for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
Notice that ungodly men are ignorant of the things of God, and what God has planned for the final judgment. They deny that God will judge. They say that God, who is only love, would never destroy His own creation. Many go so far as to say that there is no God. But the coming catastrophes and disasters will be so great, that the people will come to the conclusion that there is a God in heaven. But they will turn against the keepers of His law and blame them for the upheavals.
Notice too that just like in Noah’s day there were scoffers – or those who laugh at the word of God and those who try to live by it faithfully. Notice that they follow their own sinful lusts while mocking and deriding the warnings that God sends them through his end-time servants. There are tremendous thoughts in these verses about the last days.
But I especially want you to notice that Peter says that there was a relationship between the heavens and the earth whereby the earth was overflowed with water and the people perished. Something happened to the relationship between the heavens and the earth that caused all the fountains of the deep to be broken up, and the waters to come down from the heavens. What could that be?
The amazing thing about the scripture is that by studying the Bible you get a little from one place and a little from another place, and you can piece the details together. “Here a little, there a little,” says Isaiah 28:10. Now look at what our earlier scripture says about what happened and let’s tie it all together.
Isaiah 30:26 says “moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of His people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.”
So, when the Lord “bindeth up the breach” and “healeth the stroke of their wound,” there is going to be a change in the sun and the moon. In other words, when all things are put back to the way they were at creation, the sun will be seven times brighter and hotter than it is now, and the moon shall be as the sun is now. In other words, the moon will be a burning orb, just like the sun. And the sun will be much more intense. The atmosphere in the new earth will hold a lot more water than it does now. And the barometric pressure will be significantly more than it is now – perhaps seven times more. The density of the atmosphere and the amount of water vapor that will be maintained in the atmosphere will be held by a sun that is seven times hotter than it is now. That water vapor will dissipate the heat and the light so that it is not too hot and not too bright on the surface of the earth, but just right for optimum living for humans, plants and animals. I bet the earth’s axis will also be corrected and put back into its original position in that great day, so that the temperature will be equalized from north to south and all around the middle. When all things are put back into that great geophysical and solar harmony, which existed before the flood what a wonderful place planet earth will be to live again.
But what Isaiah and Peter are actually telling us is that at the flood there was a change in the relationships between sun, moon and the earth that caused a mighty disruption of “all the fountains of the deep,” and the “windows of heaven were opened.” The sun was reduced in its brightness and temperature to one seventh of what it was before the flood and the moon was extinguished. Can you imagine what that would have done to the dense water vapor suspended in the atmosphere? No wonder we are told in Patriarchs and Prophets, page 99 that “water appeared to come from the clouds in mighty cataracts.” We sometimes experience this in some small way today when there is a heavy rainstorm. We say that there were “sheets of rain” coming down from the sky. Sometimes, it is so dense that if you are driving in your car, you have to pull over to the side of the road because you cannot see to drive, and just wait until the storm passes over before you proceed again. When you have been in that situation, have you ever thought about this statement about how the water came down at the time of the flood? Just imagine that kind of downpour, and even worse, crushingly worse, for more than 40 days. The atmosphere cooled and it had to give up its water vapor. It happened so fast that the water came down so quickly that everything was flooded in a few days, even the highest mountains.
Now imagine what happened to the magnetic field when the sun and moon changed. Quickly, the magnetic field that connects the sun to the iron and nickel core of the earth was significantly reduced in strength. As a result, all of a sudden there were tremendous earthquakes and upheavals from deep inside the earth that also caused the earth to break up in pieces. Great pressures forced water contained in the huge subterranean aquifers to come under incredible pressures which pushed water up through the surface of the earth in mighty geysers, or “jets of water” with “indescribable force, throwing giant rocks so high into the air that when they came down, they bored holes deep into the earth. Great volcanoes erupted and blew fire high in the sky only to explode as it connected with the water from the sky and earth. The earth, no doubt, shook and quaked mightily. This is what it means for the fountains of the deep to be broken up.
Imagine the howling wind, never heard before by human ears, as it blew with violent force so great that it threw down trees and tore them up by their roots and flung them about. This was more than a category 5 storm. Perhaps it was a 10 or a 20 or even more in terms of the scale that we use today to determine these things. Fearful lightening struck fast and furious causing great damage and destruction to buildings, groves and other architectural marvels. Rivers quickly rose and flooded all the neighboring land. Lakes were soon engulfed by so much water that they flooded the beautiful houses, fields and gardens surrounding them.
The people were horrified. The animals were terrified. Not one scientist was ridiculing Noah now! Not one religious leader was accusing Noah of being a false prophet. They were all watching in horror as their world fell apart right before their eyes. Listen to this from Patriarchs and Prophets, page 99.
“The people first beheld the destruction of the works of their own hands. Their splendid buildings, and the beautiful gardens and groves where they had placed their idols, were destroyed by lightning from heaven, and the ruins were scattered far and wide. The altars on which human sacrifices had been offered were torn down, and the worshipers were made to tremble at the power of the living God, and to know that it was their corruption and idolatry which had called down their destruction.”
“As the violence of the storm increased, trees, buildings, rocks, and earth were hurled in every direction. The terror of man and beast was beyond description. Above the roar of the tempest was heard the wailing of a people that had despised the authority of God.”
Just imagine what that must have been like! Where do you hide? How can you escape such destruction and disaster? The natural disasters that we have now, pale into insignificance compared to what happened at the flood. God said that the earth was filled with violence. But now God had given them violence like they had never seen before. This was completely overwhelming violence.
The people were frantic with fear. They plead with Noah to let them into the ark, but their cries and entreaties were in vain. They knew why they were being destroyed. It was because of their sin and rebellion to the law of God. That was the cause of their distress. Their hearts had been closed to the voice of God pleading with them to turn from their wicked ways, and now the ear of God was not open to their cry. They weren’t truly repentant. They were only sorry for the consequences of sin.
“So when God’s judgments shall fall upon the earth before its deluge by fire, the impenitent will know just where and what their sin is—the despising of His holy law. Yet they will have no more true repentance than did the old-world sinners.” That’s from Patriarchs and Prophets, page 99 also.
Some of the people tried to climb onto the ark or cling to it by whatever handhold they could get. But as the waters rose around the ark, it was eventually lifted from its moorings and began to float on the open sea. The wind and the waves beat against the ark and all those who had tried to hang on were now thrown off by these elements or were crushed and torn off by collisions with rocks and trees and they drowned.
“The massive ark trembled in every fiber as it was beaten by the merciless winds and flung from billow to billow. The cries of the beasts within expressed their fear and pain. But amid the warring elements it continued to ride safely. Angels that excel in strength were commissioned to preserve it.” Patriarchs and Prophets, page 100.
Outside the ark, “the beasts, exposed to the tempest, rushed toward man, as though expecting help from him. Some of the people bound their children and themselves upon powerful animals, knowing that these were tenacious of life, and would climb to the highest points to escape the rising waters. Some fastened themselves to lofty trees on the summit of hills or mountains; but the trees were uprooted, and with their burden of living beings were hurled into the seething billows. One spot after another that promised safety was abandoned. As the waters rose higher and higher, the people fled for refuge to the loftiest mountains. Often man and beast would struggle together for a foothold, until both were swept away.” Patriarchs and Prophets, page 100.
If only they had listened to the voice of God through Noah; if only they had softened their hearts in obedience to God, they would not now be destined for destruction. Once the door of the ark closed, there would be no more probation, not one more hour of mercy. Once the voice of Noah had ceased, their doom was sealed. “The avenging waters swept over the last retreat, and the despisers of God perished in the black depths.” Patriarchs and Prophets, page 100.
Imagine what was going on inside the ark for forty days and forty nights. It was rough. The wind howled around the ark and pushed it from side to side. At the same time the huge ship was rocking front to back as it came up to the crest of a huge wave and then down into the trough and then back up again. Sometimes, the waves crashed against the enormous vessel or caused it to lurch from side to side like a toy boat in the furious storm. Noah and his family had to hang on so that they would not get thrown around. The animals clamored for a foothold. It was an incredible balancing act. But eventually, they got used to it more and could work around and feed the animals and clean up after them.
“Another storm is coming. The earth will again be swept by the desolating wrath of God, and sin and sinners will be destroyed. The sins that called for vengeance upon the antediluvian world exist today. The fear of God is banished from the hearts of men, and His law is treated with indifference and contempt. The intense worldliness of that generation is equaled by that of the generation now living… That which is lawful in itself is carried to excess. Appetite is indulged without restraint. Professed followers of Christ are today eating and drinking with the drunken, while their names stand in honored church records. Intemperance benumbs the moral and spiritual powers and prepares the way for indulgence of the lower passions. Multitudes feel under no moral obligation to curb their sensual desires, and they become the slaves of lust.” Patriarchs and Prophets, page 101.
All you have to do is read the newspapers every day, and you will see that the world that is now, is fast approaching the time of God’s judgments. Men and women live for pleasure. Extravagance and display are at every level of society. Justice is perverted. Fraud, bribery and theft in high places go unchecked. Men are being made the slaves of others. Cold-blooded murder is common. The spirit of anarchy is everywhere. Just look at what happened in the Arab world as people overthrew their governments, or in the western world as citizens protested the greed and avarice of Wall Street and the stock market. The pent up fires of passion are building and will one day spill out into unrestrained violence, and when lawlessness escapes control, the earth will be filled with woe and desolation.
It’s coming, my friends. Pay attention. Get out of the cities so that you will miss the violence and loss of life. Get your heart right so that you will be protected by God in the day of vengeance.
Most will not accept God’s message of warning. Very few will forsake their sins and come to Christ in repentance and find grace in the eyes of the Lord. They are steeped in their amusements and pleasures. The electronic age has multiplied ways in which they can live in sin and pleasure. But it all causes indifference to God and the warnings that He sends.
Like the flood came suddenly upon the despisers of God’s law, so we are told that “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” That’s from 2 Peter 3:10.
“When the reasoning of philosophy has banished the fear of God’s judgments; when religious teachers are pointing forward to long ages of peace and prosperity, and the world are absorbed in their rounds of business and pleasure, planting and building, feasting and merrymaking, rejecting God’s warnings and mocking His messengers—then it is that sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Patriarch and Prophets, page, 103.
My friends, on which side of the ark do you want to be, the outside or the inside? Just as Noah was protected in the ark from the judgments of God, so God’s faithful people in the last days will be shielded by divine power from the wicked and from the upheavals of nature. You urgently need that protection. I desperately need that protection. But that protection only comes when you have prepared your heart with repentance toward God and surrendered your soul to Jesus to live His life in you.
As we near the close of this message, listen to this statement from the pen of inspiration. It is from Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 8, and page 315. “When Jesus rises up in the most holy place, lays off His mediatorial robes, and clothes Himself with the garments of vengeance, the mandate will go forth: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: . . . and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:11, 12. A storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it?”
Friends, this is the antitypical close of probation prefigured by the closing of the door of the ark. He that was righteous was inside. He that was unholy was outside the ark. Also note that after the close of probation there is a short time of waiting. So, after the close of earthly probation, God’s people will be protected, but waiting.
Today is the day to heed God’s call. Please don’t wait until there is a popular uprising of fidelity to God and His law. That’s never going to happen. Popular piety is not piety at all. It only makes sin look religious and excusable. You will be alone in your decision, but you must make it if you are going to be saved. Your life needs to be like Noah, simple faith, trusting obedience, and humble work for souls. Build the ark in your soul so that the tempest will not overthrow you.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we have learned so much from the story of the flood that we are impressed that we are living in exactly the time predicted by the story at the end of the world. Help us to be shining examples of fidelity to God like Noah was. May we do all that the Lord commands us, so that God will say to us “come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee I have seen righteous before Me in this generation.” Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to us today to teach us many things out of Your word. Keep us faithful we pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.