39. "Sign and manner of our Lord’s second coming: Have faith to Jesus!" Genesis 6:5-8

 39. "Sign and manner of our Lord’s second coming: Have faith to Jesus!"

Genesis 6:5-8 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord .

I. Wickedness of man results God's judgement.

God dealing with man's third fall—wiping out man from the earth by the flood. "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." (Genesis 6:5)

In our time, before that wickedness of mankind will lead to coming great tribulation, all the righteous overcoming believer will be saved by the Second coming of our Lord Jesus. That rapture day will take place to judge the god of this world, and all who fell into rebelion to the will of God, like wiping out in the time of Noah, also to separate the wicked to His sons. 

How is the manner of His coming? 

Matthew 24:38-39 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;  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.

Are these stuff like eating, drinking ang marrying are bad before the Lord? Of course not, the wickedness here was that they knew nothing about what would happen, their thoughts and their heart was only evil. 

For indicates that this verse in Matthew 24:39 is the explanation of why and how the Lord’s second coming (parousia) will be like the days of Noah. In the days of Noah the following conditions existed:

 

(1) people were befuddled by eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, and 

(2) they did not know that judgment was coming, until the flood came and took them away. When the Lord’s parousia is about to come, people will likewise be befuddled by the necessities of this life and will not know that God’s judgment (signified by the flood) will come upon them by the Lord’s appearing. The believers, however, should be de-drugged and should soberly know that Christ is coming to execute God’s judgment upon this corrupted world.

In the beginning, eating, drinking, and marriage were ordained by God for man’s existence. But because of man’s lust Satan utilizes these necessities of human life to occupy man and keep him from God’s interest. At the end of this age, near the coming of the Lord’s second coming, this kind of situation will be intensified.

Let us learn about the accounts of Noah:

And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sonsʼ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. In the six hundredth year of Noahʼs life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. -Genesis 7:7, 11-12 

God can cause flood as the tools for cleansing the earth, He can allow to open the floodgates of the heavens, and all the springs can burst out fountains of water enough to filled the vast land of earth. This is how powerful our God is and will not tolerate the wickedness of man, He can allow to destroy them all. 

Luke 17:27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

We are also being warned by God, through His people about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, have faith and walk before God and be separated by the wicked activities of this world.For "by faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith." (Hebrews 11:7) 

God is merciful, indeed He was, and He is full of mercy until now. Some biblical scholar says that the second coming of our Lord Jesus is so late by the supposed time of His coming based on the given signs they interpreted, but I believe God prolongs His waiting until His people are ready, so that they may be saved. Like in this book of 1 Peter 3:20 "-to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water," 

But surely His judgement will come, Genesis 7:10 "And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth." In our time, the coming of the Lord will surely come and will rescue His people, "if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; (2 Peter 2:5) the great tribulation is at hand but we don't need to afraid all overcoming saints, for we are under His protection, we will save by our Lord Jesus from His wrath. Just be prapared, and be watchful from the works of our enemies and the second coming of our Lord Jesus. 

Matthew 24:3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

This question of Jesus' disciples is for us to know when and how is the manner of Jesus will come at the rapture day, and not for them. This scene can be read in 3 books, see Matt. 24:3-13: Mark 13:3-13; and Luke 21:7-19.

(1) Matthew 24:3-14 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”  Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.  You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of birth pains.   “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.  At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,  and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,  but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

(2) Mark 13:3-13 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”  Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.  When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.   “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.  Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.   “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

(3) Luke 21:7-19  “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”  He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”  Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.   “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.  And so you will bear testimony to me.  But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.  For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.  You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.  Everyone will hate you because of me.  But not a hair of your head will perish.  Stand firm, and you will win life.

Different author's written account but same content about Jesus second coming. 

Jesus was sitting on the Mount, he is prophesying about the end of ages. For the thought, Jesus and later His disciples often went to the mountain to pray, before and after they minister to people. Read these accounts:

(a) As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, (Matthew 21:1)

(b) When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:30)

(c) Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” (Luke 22:39-40)

(d) but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. (John 8:1-2)

(e) Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath dayʼs walk from the city. (Acts 1:12)

-To receive the vision of the Lord’s prophecy concerning this age, we need to climb the high mountain to enter into His presence. That's a good experience, you and God in a quiet place talking, high mountain is a good place. 

In Matthew 24:3, The disciples’ question concerned three matters: 

(1) the time when “these things” would take place, including not only the destruction of the temple but also the things mentioned in Matthew 23:32-39;

(2) the sign of Christ’s coming; and 

(3) the sign of the consummation of the age. 

Matthew 23:32-39 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!   “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?  Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.  And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.   “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.  Look, your house is left to you desolate.  For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”

The Lord’s word from Matthew 24:4—  Matthew 25:46 answered the disciples’ question concerning these three matters.

We have read the signs of the end times, some are already fulfilled accordingly to what Jesus prophesied, "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.   “Immediately after the distress of those days  “ ‘the sun will be darkened,  and the moon will not give its light;  the stars will fall from the sky,  and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’    “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth   will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:27, 29-30) But the exact time, no one knows.

In the time of that great tribulation may be, but hopefully not, we will experiece it, but I believe before this time come is the rapture day, so the sufferings of the believers will not reach them to death, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened." (Matthew 24:22) 

Parousia, which means presence. Christ’s coming will be His presence with His people. In these manner: 

(1)...This presence (parousia) will begin with the rapture of the man-child (Revelation 12:5 "She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne." ) 

(2)...and the rapture of the firstfruits (Rev. 14:1-4 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Fatherʼs name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. ) 

(3) ...and will end with His appearing on the earth with the saints. During the period of His parousia there will be the great tribulation 

(a. Matthew 24:21 "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again."

b. Revelation 9:1-21 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.  The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like womenʼs hair, and their teeth were like lionsʼ teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).  The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.  The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.  The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.  The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

c. Revelation 11:14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.

d. Revelation 16:1-21 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of Godʼs wrath on the earth.”  The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.  The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.  The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were;  for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”  And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”  The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.  The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.  The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.   “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”  Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.  The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.)

(4) ...which will begin with supernatural calamities (Revelation 6:12-17 "I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.  Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

Revelation 8:7-12 "The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.  The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.  The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.  The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night."; 

(5) ...Christ’s descending to the air (Revelation 14:14 "I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.");

(6) ...the rapture of the majority of the believers to the air (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 "According to the Lordʼs word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."); 

(7) ...the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."); 

(8) ...and the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of Godʼs holy people.)  Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”). 

II. So beware, that our imagination and heart will not be found evil, from these will start the wickedness of man.

Genesis 6:5 And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. (Genesis 8:20-21)

Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings to God to please Him so that the earth with its systems of nature could be preserved. The perpetual regularity of the different cycles in nature without end is God’s guarantee that the order of the universe will be maintained for the preservation of the earth and the growth of all kinds of living things, that man may multiply endlessly and replenish the earth to fulfill God’s eternal purpose.

Noah and his family spared their life by God because the heart of Noah is not evil. So like Noah, guard your heart with the righteousness of God. 

Why in our heart? Because wickedness start with our heart. We must not intertain in our heart the evil thoughts or feelings. The Psalmist said, "No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth. (Psalm 58:2)

We must to guard our heart. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander (Matthew 15:19). Do not entertain evil thoughts in your heart, God can descern our thoughts and hearts. (Matthew 9:4) Evaluate your heart, is there any evil thoughts or only righteousness and morality can be found? If we are under heavenly ruling, our hearts will be filled with heavenly moral.

So instead of entertaining evil thoughts, let Jesus dwells in our heart so that we can find salvation from death. Although man’s heart is corrupt and deceitful and its condition is incurable, even such a heart can be a tablet upon which God writes His law of life. This reveals that God has a way to impart Himself into man. Once He has come into man, God will spread from man’s spirit into his heart. This is God’s way, according to His economy, to deal with the heart of fallen man. Yet many were rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So they turned and became God's enemy and he himself fought against them. (Isaiah 63:10)

When we repented from our sins, Jesus cleansed us, and forgave us after we are being baptized in the water in Jesus name, and gave us a new life after we have recieved the Holy Spirit. Jesus dwells in our life right after we recieved the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will help us to connect to God, and help us to be separated from this world by walking by Him.  We must not ignore the Holy Spirit within us. In Ephesians 4:30 we are reminded,  "do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

To grieve the Holy Spirit is to displease Him. The Holy Spirit abides in us forever ( says in John 14:16-17), never leaving us. Hence, He is grieved when we do not walk according to Him (Rom. 8:4), that is, when we do not live according to the principle of reality with grace in the details of our daily walk.  

We must remember that we were sealed in the element of the Holy Spirit. This shows that God has sealed us with the Holy Spirit as the sealing element. From the time that we are saved, the Holy Spirit as the seal in us seals us continually with the element of God that we may be transformed in nature until our body is completely transfigured and redeemed. Hence, this verse In Ephesian 4:30, says that we were sealed with the Holy Spirit unto the day of the redemption of our body.

We, the believer and overcoming saints have a new heart in Christ with a new Spirit, not the same spirit of this world that brings sin to us but the heavenly spirit came from our heavenly Father to give us life, as promise in the book of Ezekiel 36:26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

So hear the voice of the prophet Joel saying, "Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:13)

Again, man’s fall into wickedness brought in the curse; but the offering of Christ to God through the cross in the church life keeps the curse away and brings in the blessing. The ultimate curse is death, and the greatest blessing is life. We are saved by Christ from death, so we must live with Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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