Mission Venture Ministries

For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. (Matthew 24:37) 

The Lord Himself told us that the last days will be like those of Noah’s where the earth was filled with violence and the thoughts and intents of man’s heart were continually evil. God carried out the deserved judgment, and only kept a few righteous survivors to inhabit the earth. Today, the parallels between our day and Noah’s are unmistakable as Jesus warned us: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37-39).           

Evil has always existed since the fall of man and will be here until the Lord returns; that is why the Lord gives us hope as we endure the tribulations that are taking place today: “Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out” (Proverbs 24:19-20). 

Nothing, according to the Scriptures, will stop the hatred of evil men against that which represents the lifestyle of those who live for the Lord Jesus: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first” (John 15:18). But remember that the vengeance belongs to God alone, “for we know Him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people” (Hebrews 10:30). Vengeance will come one day as we are read in the book of Revelation thru the horrific judgments of the seals, trumpets and bowls. 

The biggest challenge is that we forget that the enemy has always existed in one way or another, and if we are constantly in turmoil over the latest display of evil we are not trusting in the Lord. We need to pay attention to the words of our Lord when He said: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe” (John 14:27-29). 

It is the peace and the “joy of the LORD” that brings us strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It is the delight in doing good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share (1 Timothy 6:18) that allows us to experience the love of the Lord Jesus. Seeking first “the kingdom of God, and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) is what brings our heavenly Father’s steadfast supply of all that we may need according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). 

When evil days move stealthily into our lives as they seem to be doing each day in this time of history that we live in, we would do well to focus our “minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). 

The Bible constantly reminds us to look beyond the moment and current circumstances. We need to look to where we are going and to remember that we already know the end. The closer we get to it, the more clearly it can be understood. “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-5). 

We live in dark times for sure, but we are not of the darkness. We live in a time where “sudden destruction” is imminent, and yet we do not have an appointment with it. We are not of the night and thus the day of the Lord will not come upon us as a thief, because as believers we know how things will end. 

If these times are weighing heavily on you, if the spiritual darkness feels like it’s pressing in on you, if it feels like the world has reached the point of no return, then look up, because our redemption is near! (Luke 21:28). How do we know? God told us the end of the story in His book: Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son” (Revelation 21:5-7). 

It is crucial for us to remember that when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He included in the prayer, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We need to take note of the fact that if Jesus said to pray like this, He is in essence telling us that God’s kingdom is coming and God’s will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Therefore, we should pray for that outcome. 

This is a time when the world is looking more and more like a kingdom of darkness, where the love of many is growing cold, and lawlessness is abounding, where evil characters and their malicious plots are plentiful all around us. Yet we know that God is ultimately in control. He has told us through the prophets that the world’s condition is temporary and that darkness will not prevail over the kingdom of light. 

Even though God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), it is worrisome to think of those who are going to be left behind when this moment in history comes upon those who do not know Jesus. What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as the world wide flood of Noah’s day, will be pale in comparison. We need to live each day prepared to meet with the Lord and to have an urgency to reach the lost, for it is not the Father’s will that any one of them should perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). 

Please remember that “The wicked plots against the righteous, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow to take down the afflicted and the needy, to kill off those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, and their bows will be broken” (Psalms 37:12-15). 

Therefore, “observe the blameless person, and look at the upright; for the person of peace will have a future. But wrongdoers will altogether be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be eliminated. But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and rescues them; He rescues them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him” (Psalms 37:37-40). 

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).       

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