Noah Then and Noah Now

The basis for my discussion is 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12, especially verses 6 & 7 — “And now you know what is holding him back {the man of lawlessness}, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.”

Patty and I were having a discussion on how bad the world is getting, how ugly people are with each other and how they have violence in their hearts against God and His righteous ways.

We talked about Noah and the escape from a great flood. Jesus said the end would be like the days of Noah. Life went on as normal. Noah tried to warn people, but he was ignored. Life went on as it always had.

Geological studies have offered an explanation for this “worldwide flood,” which was regional but interpreted by Noah as being worldwide as he saw it. He had no idea that there were some things outside his experience and beyond the world he knew. (By the by, if the Flood was regional, the animals brought into the ark were also regional, significantly reducing the number taken into the ark!)

Nevertheless, after the Ice Age a large sea developed behind an earthen dam from the glacier melt. Speculating that a monsoon season began, the earthen dam weakened, and it collapsed, releasing all that water behind it. He saw it happening, knew it was happening. He possibly even was preventing it from collapsing and held it back until everyone had the chance to escape the catastrophe.

Patty and I see its parallel today. Eventually, God will slowly cease preventing consequences of Human behavior from a similar flooding disaster, the results of our own doing. He has been so patient with Mankind, but there is coming a time when He will take the prevention out of our way — whoever or whatever that earthen dam is — and let the consequences roll.

Patty noted that the movie we just watched (World War Z) was perhaps, figuratively speaking, how the growing ugliness in the world will end.

Many of us go on with our lives as usual, pretty much isolated from wars and famines, sexual assaults, murders, plagues (even after Covid… nobody I knew died…). Get my drift. I think most people sleep rather soundly at night. Comfort is what life in the West is all about, isn’t it?

“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 he 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.” — Matthew 24:10–14

Are you listening? Are you seeing what we are seeing?