As It Was So Shall It Be
The Judgments of God are Coming Soon
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days when the Lord returns to this earth. Noah was 120 years building the ark and during that time he was a preacher of righteousness. Noah warned the inhabitants of the earth that it was going to rain and flood the entire earth. He also told them how they could escape the coming judgment of God, but no one listened to Noah’s warning. So it is today, many Christians are warning the inhabitants of the earth that God is about to judge this earth, but no one is paying attention to the warning.
In those days before the flood, people were living as though life was going to go on as usual forever. They totally rejected the message of Noah; they didn’t give it any consideration at all. After Noah entered the ark and God shut the door, so that no one else could enter, the flood came and removed the unbelievers from the face of the earth. The inhabitants of the earth did not understand the preaching of Noah until it was too late, so shall it be for those who reject the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
If you hear the message of the gospel of the grace of God and you reject it, the day will soon come when it will be too late for you to respond. Just as the flood came and destroyed the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth after Noah was secure in the ark, so the judgements of the Great Tribulation will come and destroy the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth after the rapture of the Church. As it was, so shall it be.
Gen 6:11-13 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 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.
Just as the earth was corrupt in the sight of God and filled with violence in the days of Noah so shall the earth be corrupt in the sight of God and filled with violence when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth. Notice that the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, not man’s sight. Men don’t recognize their own corruption because they reject God’s standards and set their own standards. God’s standards are perfect and unchanging but men are always changing their standards to fit their desires, to fulfill the lust of their flesh.
All flesh is corrupt and that is why Jesus Christ had to die for us. God demands total perfection and no one is perfect; therefore, God placed our sins upon Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ died for us to pay the penalty for our sins. The one and only way for anyone to be made perfect before God is to believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf and to accept the perfection of Christ in exchange for our own imperfection.
Not only was the earth corrupt but it was full of violence in the days of Noah. So also the earth will be full of violence in the days when the Lord returns to judge the inhabitants of this earth. I don’t believe it is necessary to point out how corrupt and violent the earth is today because we all know. We are now living in the days when God is about to judge the earth because of the corruption and violence upon the earth. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be. God destroyed the unbelievers then and He will destroy the unbelievers again soon.
Gen 6:17 "And behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.
God’s judgement is sure. Just as sure as God destroyed the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth in the days of Noah with the flood, so shall God destroy the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth when Jesus Christ returns to this earth. God’s word is sure it cannot be changed and His plan is sure it will be fulfilled according to His purpose.
No one was able to escape the flood once it started and no one will be able to escape the Great Tribulation once it starts. The escape must take place before the judgements start. Only those who were secure in the ark were able to escape the judgement of God at the great flood and only those who are secure in Jesus Christ will be able to escape the judgements of God at the Great Tribulation. As it was so shall it be, today is the day of escape, tomorrow may be too late, and the day is coming when it will be too late.
Gen 7:23 Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark.
Today, there are many people who do not believe in the God of creation, Jesus Christ. Instead of believing in Jesus Christ they believe in evolution and worship mother earth. Just as the earth was destroyed during the days of Noah, and every living thing upon it experienced the judgement of God, because of the unbelief of man, so shall every living thing experience the judgements of God during the Great Tribulation.
The time is soon coming when all life upon this planet will undergo severe judgments. There won’t be another world wide flood of water, but there will be many catastrophes greater than the earth has ever known. All of man’s worst fears will take place germ warfare, atomic warfare, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tidal waves, asteroids impacting the earth, the list goes on and on with events that the earth has never before experienced, along with all the associated consequences. All these many judgments will soon take place within a span of seven years, a time known as the Great Tribulation. The good news is that God will not destroy all life from the planet, but He will bring an end to the judgments when Jesus Christ returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, at the battle of Armageddon. A few people will come to believe in the one and only God and Savior, Jesus Christ, and also survive the Great Tribulation; these will live on to repopulate the earth. All unbelieving survivors will be destroyed at the time of the return of the Lord; therefore, no unbeliever will enter the Kingdom age of Jesus Christ. As it was, so shall it be.
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.
Even though it had never rained upon the earth before the great flood of Noah’s days, Noah believed God because he knew God and he believed that God’s word was trustworthy. Noah not only saved himself and his family from the judgment of the flood, but he also obtained righteousness before God by the exercise of his faith in God. Noah put his faith into action by building the ark, a task that took him 120 years. Noah testified to the world by building the ark and the world rejected Noah’s testimony and as a result the world was condemned.
Noah and his family escaped the judgment because they believed the word of God concerning the coming flood, but the unbelieving world was condemned. As it was, so shall it be, those who believe God will escape the coming judgments of the Great Tribulation, but the unbelieving world will be condemned.
People who believe in Jesus Christ and look for His return to this earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords are declared righteous before God, because of their faith in Jesus Christ. The rest of the world is condemned, because they reject the word of God and the testimony of believers concerning Jesus Christ.
2 Pet 2:4-9 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
Since God did not spare the wicked angels when they rebelled against Him, and He did not spare the wicked inhabitants of the earth at the time of the flood, and He did not spare the wicked inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, we can be sure that He will not spare the wicked and rebellious people of these last days.
God does not change, and His standards do not change, even though society changes. Our society changes with every new development in science and technology, and with every new discovery in medicine. The more people achieve, the more they become puffed up with their achievements; and as a result, they rebel more and more against God, thinking that they do not need God. As our knowledge increases, our wickedness increases. We are living in a time when knowledge is increasing like a rocket taking off because of the development of the computer. God has all knowledge and man will never be able to instruct Him. There is no defense for rebellion against God; all unbelievers will be judged for their wickedness. Just as God judged the wicked of old, He will judge the wicked of these last days.
Since God spared righteous Noah, and since God spared righteous Lot, we can be sure that He will also spare the righteous inhabitants of the world in these last days. Both Noah and Lot were considered to be righteous in the eyes of God because of their faith in Him, not because they were perfect in all their ways. Today, there is only one way to obtain righteousness before God, and that way is through faith in Jesus Christ. All who believe in Jesus Christ are considered to be righteous in the eyes of God because of their faith in Him, not because they are perfect in all their ways. We can be sure that God will spare the righteous today just as He spared the righteous of old.
The judgments of God against the rebellious angels, the unbelieving of Noah’s days, and the unbelieving of Lot’s days is a warning to the rebellious and unbelieving of these last days. God’s word is sure, just as it was, so shall it be.
Luke 17:26-27 "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man: 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.
The unbelievers of Noah’s days did not believe the warnings given to the them by Noah, the preacher of righteousness, and they did not believe the testimony of the ark as it was being constructed, because they were living the good life and did not want to consider the warnings of Noah. They enjoyed living for the moment and did not want to listen to anyone who preached that it would all end soon.
The unbelievers of these last days refuse to listen to the warnings given to them by the preachers of righteousness and they refuse to believe the testimony of the many Bible prophecies given to them. Because they are living the good life, they don’t want to consider the warnings of the many preachers of righteousness. They are living for the moment and do not want to listen to anyone who preaches that it will all end soon. They don’t want to think about giving up what they have because they do not love God, but they love what they have in this world. As a result, they will lose everything they love.
The unbelievers of old lived as though they were going to live forever and never face the judgment of God. The unbelievers of these last days are also living as though they were going to live forever and never face the judgments of God. They all refuse to acknowledge the existence of God; therefore, they will all face the judgment of God, both in this world and in the future eternity. Just as it was, so shall it be.
Luke 17:28-30 "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
When Jesus Christ returns to this earth to remove His followers, it will be a day like any other day. People will be living as though nothing would ever change. They will be involved in the affairs of life and planning for a long and bright future. These people do not believe in the God of the Bible, although they may believe in a God of their own imagination. They may be religious, and they may be faithful church goers, but they are not followers of Jesus Christ. There is no way to convince them that God is about to bring judgment upon this world because they are wicked, they do not truly believe in Jesus Christ, and they are in love with this world.
They are unwilling to acknowledge that they are wicked. Furthermore, they judge a person to be innocent or guilty according to how they feel about that person. They ignore the law and judge according to their unrighteous desires. They fail to recognize that God is just and righteous, and that His judgments are sure to be also. They will not escape.
Christians who study their Bibles and pay attention to prophecy know that the Lord is coming soon. Furthermore, they are warning others that God is about to bring an end to all things as we know them.
All true Christians do believe that Jesus Christ will someday return to this earth and they look forward to His return, but not all Christians expect Him to return soon. Many Christians are so in love with the world and are so involved in the affairs of this life that they will be caught by surprise when the Lord returns. At a time when they should be warning unbelievers, of the coming judgments of God, they are enjoying life with the world. They have left their first love.
As it was, so shall it be; only a few will escape the coming judgments.
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, ©
Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968,
1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1988. Used by permission.
Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (NAS) Jer 9:23-24