Summary of passages: Genesis 6:7-7:24: God said He will wipe mankind and everything He has created from the face of the earth for He is grieved He made them. Except for Noah and his family. He tells Noah He is going to destroy the world and he needs to build an ark. God enters a covenant with Noah. He tells Noah he will need to bring in two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive and every kind of food for him and for the animals.
Noah did everything God commanded.
Genesis 7: God tells Noah to enter the ark with the animals for in seven days He will send rain for 40 days and nights. Noah obeys. Noah was 600 years old when the flood happened. All the animals came to him. Then the Lord shut them in and the waters came. Everything perished. After the rain stopped, the earth remained flooded for 150 days.
Matthew 24:36-42: Jesus says to keep watch because even he (only the Father) knows when the Second Coming will be. Jesus compares his Second Coming to the days before the flood where everyone was living their life like they always had and no one suspected they were about to die. Jesus says only half will be saved for every two men and women only one each will be left.
Luke 17:26-27: Same speech but recorded by Luke. Jesus says here the days of the Son of Man will be just like in the days of Noah. People were going about their daily lives up until Noah entered the ark. Then the flood destroyed them all.
Questions:
9a) He spared Noah and his family from His judgment of the world. He spoke directly to Noah and told him what He was going to do. He gave him detailed instructions about what to do and what will happen. He reminded Noah to bring food. He gave Noah a week’s warning before He sent the flood. The Lord shut them in the ark. Only Noah was left and God cared for him, giving him everything he needed in order to survive.
b) God told Noah the exact size to make the ark to fit everything. God brought the animals to Noah. Noah didn’t have to track them all down.
c) Personal Question. My answer: God has always kept me safe when I’ve done stupid stunts and provided for my every need. I’ve never been homeless or hungry. I’m always had food, clothing, and shelter. He has forgiven me for all my sins, even the ones I repeatedly make. He has given me a purpose to do for Him. In every aspect of my life, God is there whether I acknowledge Him or not or what Him there or not. Deep down I know this. And so does He.
10a) Genesis tells us the people were evil and every inclination of their hearts were evil; they were corrupt and violent. Matthew and Luke tells us the people were eating, drinking, and marrying up until the day the flood happened and they knew nothing about their impending death.
It’s hard to interpret Matthew and Luke with so little detail given. I see this as people living their daily lives up until the flood and I see this as Jesus’ point: you must be ready for no one knows when I will come. You must lead godly lives for any day I could show up and judge you. You could read this as “partying” but that’s pure speculation.
Genesis however leaves no doubt the people were evil; hence, God’s judgment.
Fascinating. In all the movies you see all the people mocking Noah for building an ark and laughing at him. No where is this recorded in scripture (that I can find at least). I would say the people were so evil in Genesis that they probably didn’t care what some guy named Noah was doing. They were too busy doing the devil’s work.
b) Prayer and God.
c) That he could come at any time so you must be ready.
d) Just that scoffers will come who follow their own evil desires to cast doubt on the End Times. All it takes is one word from God and it is done.
I see nothing special here. This applied in Peter’s time (1st century AD) as it does in the 21st century AD. There will always be scoffers, doubters, people of the devil.
Conclusions: God’s message is timeless and it doesn’t change despite the days that have passed since Jesus: Jesus is coming so be ready. There are evil people who won’t make the cut. Do not be lured in by the ways of the world. God’s grace is sufficient. He provides all our needs. We require nor lack anything if we have Him. Hold onto that truth and reject the lies of the world.
I thought this was a very good lesson. Question -10 (esp.c) talks about not knowing when Christ will return and what people were doing at the time. I remember Edith Schaeffer (spouse of Francis) saying that if she knew Christ was coming back tomorrow, she wouldn’t do anything different. She would read her Bible, pray, wash clothes, continue to knit her Grandkids sweater,etc. That answer amazed me; and I desire, unlike those mentioned in Noah’s or Christ’s time, that I could live so righteously every day that nothing should be changed! Wow!
On question d) you say you see nothing special…what I saw is that the people deliberately forgot that by the word of God the heavens and earth came into being and was formed out of water and by water, it was by that same token, just the word of God’s mouth and that same water was used to destroy it. God’s same spoken word is also all that is that is keeping the present heaven and earth which are reserved for judgment and destruction of the ungodly to be consumed by that fire. To me that’s incredible. His word is all it will take to unleash it. That’s incredible to me.
Agree with Michelle. I also see that in over 2000 years since Peter wrote his words, society is still defying God and shaking their fists in the face of God. Just as God judged a very sinful degenerate world with the global flood, Peter is basically stating God will not be mocked, and He will judge again with fire. That is how I connect the flood in question 9d with conditions today. The words in 2Pet 3:10 are freightening and sound almost like nuclear war when he says ” the heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”