In Genesis, chapter
7, there is an
important verse in
the account of the
flood that God used
to destroy the Earth
that is particularly
relevant to us today
as we find ourselves
in the final
chapters of the last
days:
And Noah went in,
and his sons, and
his wife, and his
sons’ wives with
him, into the ark,
because of the
waters of the flood.
Of clean
beasts, and of the
beasts that are not
clean, and of fouls,
and of everything
that creepeth upon
the earth.
There went in
two and two unto
Noah into the ark,
the male and the
female, as God had
commanded Noah.
And it came
to pass after seven
days, that the
waters of the flood
were upon the earth
(Genesis 7:7-10
KJV).
According to the
last verse above,
God commanded Noah
to load his family
and all of the
animals onto the ark
and then He waited a
full seven days
before the rains
began to fall.
Why did God
wait these seven
days?
I can only imagine
the mocking and the
ridicule Noah and
his family endured
while they
constructed the ark.
People from
miles around must
have traveled to the
site to hurl insults
and abuse during the
decades it took Noah
to complete his
task. Noah’s ark
must have been quite
a tourist
attraction.
I also
believe, and I think
this is very
important, that
during the decades
it took Noah to
build the ark word
of his apparent
foolishness spread
across the known
world at that time.
Everybody in
the known world of
that day had the
opportunity to laugh
at Noah.
When Noah
finally entered the
ark with his family
and all of the
animals the ridicule
from the entire
world must certainly
have reached a fever
pitch.
Conditions in the
ark must have been
pretty bad while
they waited for the
rain.
I imagine it
was hot inside that
confined space and
it probably began to
stink almost
immediately.
I wonder what
thoughts went
through the minds of
Noah and his family.
I am sure
they heard the
jeering crowd
outside and I wonder
if, perhaps, their
faith might have
been tested while
they waited upon
God’s perfect
timing.
Every word in the
Bible is important
and not a single
word should be
overlooked.
Why did God
wait for seven days
and why was this
delay important
enough that God made
note of it when the
Holy Spirit inspired
Moses to write the
book of Genesis?
Was this delay one
last chance for the
people to repent,
turn to God, and be
saved?
Perhaps, but
I doubt this was the
reason.
My heart
tells me that God
knew nobody would
repent.
God gave the
inhabitants of the
earth a spectacle
for a period of
seven days in which
everybody who might
not have criticized
Noah up until that
point, or those who
had only minimally
done so, could truly
incriminate
themselves with
their own words.
In Matthew,
Chapter 12, Jesus
told us:
But I say unto you,
That every idle word
that men shall
speak, they shall
give account thereof
in the day of
judgment.
For by thy
words thou shalt be
justified, and by
thy words thou shalt
be condemned
(Matthew 12:36-37 KJV).
During the 40 days
and 40 nights that
the torrential rains
fell every human
life on the planet
that was not on the
ark ended in death.
I can imagine
the huge crowds
showing up at the
gates of Sheol as a
result and the
resultant grumbling
about how unfair the
entire matter was.
Practically
everyone must have
claimed innocence
and also claimed
that they were never
given any warning
that their behavior
while alive could be
worthy of such
consequences.
However, the
one thing that no
human can ever do is
successfully lie to
the Lord.
By their own
words while they
were alive they were
now condemned.
Let’s turn now to
today.
The entire
world is on edge
because people can
sense that something
of massive
importance is about
to happen.
Christians
can feel the
electricity that is
in the air, as can
Muslims, Jews, and
members of every
other religion; as
well as the godless
heathens who do not
believe there could
possibly be any
other power in the
universe that is
higher than
themselves.
I believe that very
few things happen in
our world that do
not happen for a
reason.
We recently
observed an
interesting
phenomenon where a
false prophet of
God’s word predicted
the Rapture would
occur on May 21, 2011.
The
mainstream media
immediately latched
onto this man and
he, along with his
prophecy, was loudly
mocked around the
world.
The reason
this man became an
instant laughing
stock was because
the people of this
generation have
struggled so hard
and for so long to
ignore the vast
multitude of signs
that are flashing at
us from every
possible direction.
When May 21st
came and went the
ridicule once again
reached a fever
pitch, just like it
did in the time of
Noah when the door
to the ark was
closed and a huge
ship sat baking in
the hot sun.
Once again we find
ourselves waiting
for the forecast
rainstorm to begin.
This time it
won’t start as a few
intermittent drops
of rain gently
falling from an
ever-darkening sky.
It will be
more like an
unexpected flash of
lightning and a
deafening blast of
thunder from
directly overhead
when there isn’t a
cloud in sight.