We begin this message with Jesus' prophetic warning for these last days in Luke 17:26-30 where He told us it would be like it was in the days of Noah and of Lot in Sodom.
We quote, "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man;
"They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
"Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
"But on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
"Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."
What has been prophesied is that in these last days the worldwide sin of Noah's day will engulf the earth once again along with what was once the relatively localized sin of Sodom. The time of Noah was marked by an ungodly population explosion committed to continual violence and wickedness.
In addition there were two other signs that revealed God's judgment upon the earth was coming in the near future. First and foremost was the preaching of the prophet Noah and then there was the building of an ark to preserve life for repopulating the earth after the great flood.
In a thought-provoking news report, which whether being prompted by God or by a latent recognition of man as he refers to the ark of Noah's day, the warning of Jesus for these last days shines forth.
The article presents an intriguing twist for consideration as it anticipates the perilous times we are entering. Quoting from an August 6, ‘04 Denver Post article which headlined, "Frozen Ark boards its first endangered guests, British project preserves DNA so that future advances in cloning may bring back species from extinction" we read, "Britain's Frozen Ark project, aimed at safeguarding genetic material from a variety of species, boarded its first endangered passengers last month, including an Arabian oryx, a spotted sea horse and a British field cricket.
The ark, a project by three British institutions, doesn't include any living animals but hopes to collect frozen DNA and tissue specimens from thousands of endangered species.
Like Noah, the scenists harbor hopes of repopulating the Earth.
"I think it will be used for cloning eventually," said professor Alan Cooper, director of the Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Center at Oxford University...The principal collection will be set up in London at the Natural History Museum and the Institute of Zoology, and there are plans for duplicate collections elsewhere in the world to safeguard the survival of the samples.
With some 10,000 species listed as in danger of extinction, the ark will fill quickly. The project will be guided by the world Conservation Union's red list of threatened species.
Professor Bryan C. Clarke, a population geneticist at Nottingham University, said the project would not immediately save any species from extinction.
"The Frozen Ark is not a conservation measure but rather a backup plan for when all best conservation efforts have failed," Clarke said. "The recent progress in molecular biology has been so fast that we cannot predict with any certainty what may be possible using this genetic information within the next few decades. Without it, nothing can be done."
The beautiful truths believers can find joy in is that according to God's Word found in Mark 13:20 and Ezekiel 47:8-9, the Lord will return before total extinction will take place and He will send out healing waters to restore life that was thought to have been lost forever.
Before we continue looking at Jesus' prophecy from Luke 17:28-29, that these last days will be as it was in the days of Sodom, we have this one other article from the July 24, ‘04 Universal Press Syndicate titled "Rogue Waves" which keeps us in remembrance of those who perished in the raging waters of the great flood and that others will perish likewise during the fast approaching final years of great tribulation.
We quote, "The European Space Agency (ESA) announced that its satellite observations have confirmed tales of monster "rogue" waves that have menaced mariners for centuries. Evidence to support tales of individual waves more than 100 feet in height had been sketchy until ESA observed 10 around the globe higher than 80 feet during only three weeks of orbiting radar surveillance. Scientists long have believed the statistical models that say the monstrous deviations from normal sea conditions occur only once every thousand years. But the new observations show that the waves exist "in higher numbers than anyone expected," said Wolfgang Rosenthal, senior scientist with the GKSS Research Center. Such waves are believed to have been responsible for numerous maritime tragedies throughout history, including the sinking of supertankers."
The Lord promised in Genesis 9:15 that He would never destroy the earth's population with a flood again, but He never promised that the limited destructive forces of water would cease.
In our Rapture Watch message titled, "Destruction from Earth's 4 Corners" we shared how monster waves that will dwarf the ones now being found, will one day in the not too distant future redefine the landmasses of the earth.
Returning to Jesus' prophecy in Luke 17 of how these last days will be like the days of Sodom we have this strange but telling article from the July 12, ‘04 Colorado Springs Gazette which headlined, "Gay couples split fuels marriage debate."
In Genesis 19:4-5 we are told of how the entire society of Sodom was given over to homosexuality and how all the people from every quarter wanted to rape (unbeknownst to them) two angels of God. In verse 9 Lot took a moral stand for decency and swiftly became the target of the wrath of the Sodomites. The text indicates that the population of Sodom took particular offense with Lot because of what they claimed as their communal rights.
Homosexuality and even the compulsory participation of strangers to indulge in perversion with the dwellers of Sodom was sanctioned by whatever authority existed. The historical Spartans of Sparta were likewise known to have a similarly structured society which by law demanded acceptance and even compulsory participation in homosexual acts.
As we quote from the following article, which sub-headed "same-sex divorce shifts focus to different legal challenges" be aware of how a social framework for homosexuality is being forged and forced by its own momentum upon a majority population that does not legally or morally accept homosexuality. Talk of divorce implies that a legal marriage has transpired.
We quote, "...a same-sex couple who tied the knot in San Francisco three months ago is seeking to dissolve their union.
The couple's breakup after more than 10 years puts the spotlight on the flip side of same-sex marriage: divorce...The breakup highlights a tricky legal situation that the 3,955 same-sex couples who married in San Francisco will face if they decide to sever ties or one person dies.
Hertz said the couple, whom he declined to identify for privacy reasons, own property together and aren't sure how to divide their assets...Hertz said the couple probably will have to wait until the California Supreme Court decides the validity of the marriages, which might happen by the end of August.
The breakup has political repercussions because it's the first to surface since the gay rights movement took pains to celebrate the stability and social value of same-sex relationships during San Francisco's 29-day marriage spree." The California Supreme Court did rule against the marriages only on the matter of the mayor's authority.
In Genesis we are told of a world during Noah's time that rejected the truths of God. Though separated by time and localized we are also told in Genesis abut the societal legitimization of sexual deviance by the people of Sodom. Jesus warned how these conditions would arise again in the last days and even merge into a global condition suited for destruction.
In the Book of Genesis we are told that God created the heavens and the earth while atheism says there is no God or else the agnostics say he is detached and unknowable. In Genesis we are told mankind is a direct creation of God while evolutionists say mankind originated from a lifeless cosmic soup.
In Genesis we are told that man is made in the image of God and was instructed to be fruitful and multiply upon the earth. The abortionist says that the offspring of man is no more than non-essential tissue, acceptable to be forcefully removed from the womb and thrown in the trash.
If in men's minds there is no mandate from an Almighty God, Who created man in His image to have children upon the earth, then there is also no God Who declared that men and women should join in marriage. Within this expanding rejection of God's Word and authority we find the unrepentant homosexuals fertile compost for justification in the un-godly courts of this Noah-reminiscent age. There is no universal reference point for moral truth. Once there is, no absolute truth then all points of view are potentially acceptable as being true.
By their self-determined end to any argument, sinful men answer only to other sinful men. The progression of men joining carnally with men and women with women in a society overruled by like-minded individuals or those who are morally weak inevitably produces tolerance, then acceptance and finally the legal law of the land.
It is notable that one view of some Bible scholars is that when the Scriptures speak of the Anti-Christ not regarding the desires of women in Daniel 11:37, it refers to him being supportive of homosexuality or even that he himself is a homosexual. This is a debatable interpretation, but it is a scriptural fact nonetheless that the accepted sin of Sodom is going to be prevalent throughout the globe during the days of his dictatorial rule.
Any doubts that homosexuality is establishing a law-based global acceptance can easily be verified. For example, in addition to a growing number of European nations, the international city of London's Greater London authority began recognizing same-sex marriages in 2001 according to the June 29, ‘01 Denver Post article which headlined, "London city officials OK same-sex nuptials." Even the biblical nation of Israel swore into their Parliament in 2002 the first openly homosexual activist Uzi Even according to an October 19, ‘02 New York Times article which headlined, "Gay activist soon will join Israeli Parliament." The article reported the development as "a milestone" and that "people who for years were unmentionable will now be represented as part of Israeli society."
In Revelation 11:8 we find that Israel is indeed prophesied in these last days to become like Sodom along with the rest of the world. Time is short. The pace of corruption taking place upon the earth should be sounding alarms to the Church.
Only the Spirit of God speaking through faithful believers is restraining the rising, dark tide for the moment. Soon the Holy Spirit indwelt Church will be removed to heaven and the Anti-Christ will cover the earth with an ungodliness unlike anything ever witnessed before as is prophesied in I Thessalonians 4:15-18 & II Thess. 2:3-10.
Then those who come to Christ after the Rapture will find themselves facing the same uncontrolled hatred from the world as Lot did in Gen. 19:9. When the homosexuals of Sodom were hindered by Lot from attacking the angels they said to him and all those about, "Stand back!...this one came in to sojourn, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you, than with them."
Today is the day to trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the Holy Spirit. You can be born again into the family of God this very moment if you will only put your faith in the only begotten Son of God Who shed His blood on the cross for you almost 2000 years ago.