When Noah (Noe) Became a Date Setter!!
Did Noah count down the days to the Flood?
The Scripture - Genesis 7
(Genesis 7 Amplified - edited slightly) The Lord said to Noah, Come with all your household into the ark, for I have seen you to be righteous before Me in this generation.
4 For in seven days (time) I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living substance and thing that I have made I will destroy from the face of the Earth.
6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth or land. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.
10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came upon the Earth or land. 11 In the year 600 of Noah’s life, in the seventeenth day of the second month, that same day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows and floodgates of the heavens were opened.
12 And it rained upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark,
16 And they that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded [Noah]; and the Lord closed [the door] round about him. 17 The flood was forty days upon the Earth; and the waters increased and bore up the ark, and it was lifted [high] above the land.
My Best Interpretation!
I realise that there are some difficulties in interpreting the chronology of these events, and I recognise that many Doves are more across these Scriptures than myself. So I would like to focus on one main issue: did Noah have a seven day warning of the Flood? If so, did he present a countdown to the world of his day? Ron Reese has drawn attention to the possibility of a seven day warning in respect of 11 November 2015. My thoughts are that:
The Lord invited Noah and his family into the ark on what was day One
God promised that the rain would come seven days later (on the 8th Day)
The family gathered all the living things ready for embarkation
Noah’s family apparently went back out of the ark (or in and out in preparation)
Noah, his family and the living things entered the ark on the eighth day
They went into the ark on the very day the rains started (verse 12)
The Lord closed the door, the rains came and the ark lifted up from the Earth.
My understanding is that Noah was building the ark, an emerging witness to the world, for around 120 years - a Warner and Preacher of Righteousness! What patience! However, there was a marked change in the MESSAGE in those last seven days - Noah was able to give a precise warning time for the Flood! Perhaps he used a countdown - number of days left!! Surely a strong sense of urgency vibrated in his soul, and he was the ultimate risk taker - what if the flood did not come and there was a huge boat in the middle of dry land!! Noah became a Date Setter once that warning from the Lord was given! I believe that this has prophetic Truth for the end times, especially identifying milestones in the seven years of Jacob’s trouble (mainly for Israel).
It is interesting that Noah waited for the Lord to invite him and his family into the ark, even though he had built it! This reflects a sense of consecration of the ark. What is sad is that there was no repentance even with the urgency of the warning from Noah. There are strong parallels with the world today, and even many Christians are lukewarm about the Imminent Return of Jesus Christ! The Scriptures indicate that there was a seven day warning of the coming Flood! Today we also see a sharp acceleration in God’s Eternal Purposes for His Church, Israel and the World, a convergence of timelines that herald His Coming! And we need to warn the World of our Day!
Noah - the World’s Most Successful Preacher
I once thought of Noah as being an unsuccessful preacher (just eight in his church!). The Holy Spirit challenged me on this!! The truth is that Noah was the most successful preacher of his time. He saved himself, his wife, his three sons - and three women who chose a crazy boat builder and were prepared to leave their families behind to sail into their destiny!
Was there was a WARNING!! Noah - first Climate Change preacher!!
Red sky at night, Shepherds (Golfers!) delight - Red sky in the morning, Shepherds (Golfers!) WARNING
(Matthew 16:2,3 - Jesus) When it is evening you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. 3In the morning, it will be stormy today, for the sky is red and has a gloomy and threatening look. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
One interesting question, for which we do not really have an answer is: were there signs in the sky of the approaching Flood! Cirrus clouds? I wonder if the sky was red on the morning of the Flood! We do not know. What we do, however, know is that Jesus warned (see above) those who could forecast the weather - but could not interpret the signs of the times!!
Plane Crash in Si(g)nai! (Hebrews 12:26,27)
There are clearly many mentions of Sinai in the Bible. One reference that is especially interesting and timely is in Hebrews 12:
(Hebrews 12 Amplified) Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the Earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake and make tremble not only the Earth but also the [starry] heavens. 27 Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation of all [that can be] shaken - that is, of that which has been created - in order that what cannot be shaken may remain. .
There is always a risk in setting dates, but Noah took this risk. We may not have clear (time specific) warnings, but we look up expectantly for we know that our Redemption is drawing ever so near!!
Maranatha!! Denis