As in the days of Noah.

[B-A-C]

Gen 6:5; Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen 6:8; But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Gen 6:11; Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.
Gen 6:12; God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
Gen 6:13; Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

I have to say, this sounds a lot the world of this day and age.

Matt 24:37; "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
Matt 24:38; "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
Luke 17:26; "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
Luke 17:27; they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Heb 11:7; By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Matt 24:27; "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

I heard a pastor jokingly say that people on the east coast will taken a few seconds before those on the west coast, but sounds like he may be right.

Mat 24:30; "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31; "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Matt 24:36; "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
Matt 24:37; "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
Matt 24:38; "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
Matt 24:39; and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matt 24:40; "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.
Matt 24:41; "Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.
Matt 24:42; "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
Matt 24:43; "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Matt 24:44; "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

We see that some will be taken, and some will be left. Most believe this means the saved and the un-saved. Some people take the scriptures that say "Be ready because you don't know when the master will return", to mean, even believers who aren't "ready" won't be taken.

1 Cor 15:34; Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

It seems the word is exhorting us over and over again.. to be ready. Because there will be no warning.

1 Thes 5:3; While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
1 Thes 5:4; But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
1 Thes 5:5; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
1 Thes 5:6; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.

1 Thes 5:23; Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thes 4:15; For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
1 Thes 4:16; For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
1 Thes 4:17; Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

These verses are controversial, and could be taken a number of ways. Some say the dead in Christ have already risen (some believe you immediately go to heaven when you die)
Others believe you lie in the ground until either the rapture or the resurrection. But either way, it appears the dead go first. In 1 Thes 4:16; and Matt 24:31; it mentions a trumpet will be blown.

Luke 12:35; "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.
Luke 12:36; "Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.
Luke 12:37; "Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
Luke 12:38; "Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
Luke 12:39; "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Luke 12:40; "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."

1 Thes 5:2; For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

Luke 12:35 and 36 mention keeping your lamps lit, and a wedding feast, we see similar verses in the parable of the ten virgins.

Matt 25:1; "Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Matt 25:2; "Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.
Matt 25:3; "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
Matt 25:4; but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.
Matt 25:5; "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.
Matt 25:6; "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'
Matt 25:7; "Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
Matt 25:8; "The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
Matt 25:9; "But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.'
Matt 25:10; "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.
Matt 25:11; "Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.'
Matt 25:12; "But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'
Matt 25:13; "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Once again we are told be ready and be watchful.

2 Jn 1:8; Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

Matt 25:31; "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
Rev 2:26; 'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS;

 

[farout]

Is there anything that is not much worse now, then when the Days of Noah were ? Every thing you can think of, today it has become easier to get, do, or see, or buy. However there are more Lover's of our Mighty God, that are genuine Christians. What are your thoughts ?

 

[james g]

[h=2][/h]As in the days of Noah Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot,

Gen 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Sodomites ?

 

[B-A-C]

Matt; 16:2 But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.'
Matt; 16:3 "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?

I wonder if many are different today?

 

[james1523]

Matt 24:27; "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

I heard a pastor jokingly say that people on the east coast will taken a few seconds before those on the west coast, but sounds like he may be right.

The pastor needs to be corrected. The shortest distance is 2,092 miles from San Diego, CA to Jacksonville, FL. The speed of light is about 3e8 m/s. So time for light to travel from one side to the other is about 0.01 seconds. :shade: Considering the diameter of the Earth, the time the light will travel from east of the earth to west is 0.04 seconds.

Presumably God will send angels on one side of the earth a fraction earlier than the other side, so that everyone is taken at the same time.

 

[james1523]

Matthew 25 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

My view:
The lamp is Christ's light.
The vessel is the human soul.
The oil is the Holy Spirit.
They are all virgins - they are all born again Christians. They all have lamps, Christ lives in each of them. They all have a soul.
But only 5 have their lamps shining - they are filled with the Spirit.
This is an inward filling of the Spirit from within, not the power of the Spirit poured out from above.
That is, a person may speak in tongues, work miracles, but still not be filled with the Spirit from within, and be unknown by Christ. (Matt 7:21-23)

The ones selling oil is the two witnesses: Rev 11:3-4. They have the oil because they are the olive trees.

To be filled with the Spirit requires us to pay a price such as deny our self, love Christ more than anything, give up love for the world. Don't confuse this filling with the baptism of the power of the Holy Spirit (as per Pentecost) with speaking in tongues etc - this is where pentecostals often get it confused. Having oil is not about getting more power of the Spirit, more spiritual gifts, miracles etc, but having your soul transformed by the Spirit from within. That is, Christ living in and through you.

Those who overcome, are those who have dealt with their flesh, dead to self, and filled with Christ. They are the wise virgins with oil in their lamps. "Oil in your lamp" is a symbolic way of saying "the Holy Spirit in your soul (mind, emotions, will)." In other words, you are expressing the virtues of Christ in your mind (thoughts), emotions (feelings) and will (intents). In other words, you are displaying the "fruit of the Spirit", love , joy, peace etc.

A few lessons for us in this parable:
Being born again, accepting Christ as savior is not enough! Salvation is free, but overcoming and receiving rewards is not - it is earned, we pay a price, it costs us our life.
Don't be too attached to the world.
Don't neglect the infilling of the Holy Spirit. To be filled and remain filled with the Spirit we need to focus on Christ as number 1 and stay in constant communication with Him (Eph 6:18, luke 18:1, 1 Thess 5:16-18).
Prayer keeps the flowing of the Spirit going, like a light switch. The Spirit is like electricity, it is moving, it keeps flowing around and around inside of us. The filling of the Spirit is when this flowing of the electricity flows and circulates in our soul ( mind, emotions, will). Lack of prayer stops the flowing of the Spirit. Prayer gets the flowing going again.
Try our hardest to crucify the flesh, deny our self, and love Christ as number 1.
The return of Christ and knowing we will be judged at his return, should be the motivating factor behind why we do these things.
It's not about achieving sinless perfection, but being filled with the Spirit.
It's not about believing the right doctrines, but being filled with the Spirit.

Those who meet Christ without oil in their lamps are born again believers who have not lived a crucified life and Spirit-filled life. They expect the rewards without having done anything to take care of their soul, except enjoy themselves on earth. That is, they have not pursued the transformation of their soul into Christ's image, but rather pleasured their soul with worldly indulgences. In other words, God wants Christ to be our enjoyment, not the things of the world. This includes not just sinful things, but even seemingly benign yet natural things such as marriage life, work, gardening, physical exercise etc. This is about not making idols to replace God.

At the end of the day Christ is interested in having a group of brothers and sisters that look just like Him. This is achieved by us denying our self, not loving the world, loving Christ with first love, and being filled with the Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit we express Christ in the fullest way possible. When we are expressing Christ fully in our soul, then God will transform our mortal bodies so we will be just like Him also in physical appearance.

This is not just an individual matter but a group matter. We are filled with the Spirit and overcome the world and our self more easily as we fellowship with other believers, we shouldn't neglect fellowship. I think if we know some wise virgins or some who wish to be wise virgins, we should seek our fellowship with them. Fellowship with foolish virgins is not wise.

The infilling with Christ is reflected in Paul's prayer for the Ephesians:

Eph 3
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

The glorification of God in the church is the expression of Christ's virtues by us being filled with the Spirit and His inward transforming power. In Revelation 2, the Ephesians had given up their first love for the Lord. They also were affected by the Nicolaitans - who promoted a carnal and promiscuous and indulgent lifestyle. Jesus warned He would take away their lampstand. Individual believers have a lamp, but the church, all the believers together, is a lampstand. We can see how the prayer in Ephesians 3, the parable on the wise and foolish virgins, and the situation in that church according to Revelation 2 all fits together.

 

[B-A-C]

2 Tim 3:1; But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 Tim 3:2; For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2 Tim 3:3; unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
2 Tim 3:4; treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

2 Pet 3:3; Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,

 

[clark thompson]

God could end the world anytime because of all the evil in it. The bible is a warning for the coming end, I am ready thru Christ.

 

[B-A-C]

God could end the world anytime because of all the evil in it.

A non-believer asked me, if we are so bad, why doesn't God punish us? I asked him "If God did punish us, would start believing in him?" He said "yes, probably".
I went to couple of news sites today.
4 out of 5 American are living in or near poverty conditions.
There are massive floods in three states.
There is a large tropical storm not far from Hawaii.
Because of the IRS scandal, social security and welfare may not last through this generation.
America is not the "most indebted industrialized nation" in the world.
Violent crime is on the rise.
Stocks are going down, and the dollar is at one of it's lowest points against foreign currency.
Detroit is bankrupt, and a dozen more cities could follow within the month.
12 large hospitals closed across the nation due to lack of funding. 4 more will close in the next week or so.

I saw where the Pope is saying "He won't judge against people who are gay".
I saw were the UN is now talking about economic sanctions against countries that don't support pro gay and lesbian policies.

I asked him if he saw any correlation between all of these things. He admitted he did, I reminded him of his statement about becoming a believer... He just smiled and walked away.