Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: ASTPP
Program Code: ASTPP000014
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00:15 Well folks, welcome to Anchor Bible school again.
00:18 We want to continue our study of principle number seven. 00:23 And it's a very important principle; 00:24 that which was literal is spiritual now, 00:27 and will be literal in the coming kingdom. 00:30 And we want to take a look at a story that we find in 00:35 the Old Testament. 00:36 You know, it is in a certain sense a global story, 00:40 but it also has many literal things that point to 00:43 spiritual realities in the future. 00:46 And so we are going to use this story to illustrate 00:49 how literal things in the past can apply spiritually 00:55 towards the end of time before the second coming of Christ. 00:59 And basically, you have the handout, the title of it is, 01:02 The Flood Story as an Illustration 01:05 of Historical Typology. 01:07 And we're going to see several principles here. 01:09 We're going to see how types and antitypes work. 01:12 We're going to see also, you know, how the literal 01:16 becomes symbolic. 01:17 We're going to take into account several principles 01:19 that we've already studied. 01:20 And I'm sure you're going to be able to see these principles 01:24 as we study along. 01:25 I'm going to follow the outline just as it is. 01:27 We've asked you to fill in the blanks. 01:29 This is a different type of class, 01:32 we haven't done this before. 01:33 But you're going to help me fill in the blanks. 01:37 In this lesson, we want to study the cataclysmic worldwide flood 01:42 in Noah's day. 01:45 The reason why this study is so important 01:49 is because Jesus said that the flood foreshadows 01:55 the destruction which will come upon the world 01:58 at the very end of human history. 02:02 Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah, 02:05 so shall it also be at the coming of the Son of Man." 02:10 But is there more to the story than meets the eye? 02:16 Is the parallel just that the destruction at the end of time 02:19 is going to be like the destruction 02:21 in the days of Noah? 02:23 Is the parallel only that the wickedness of the world 02:26 before the flood is similar to the wickedness that will exist 02:30 in the world before the second coming of Christ? 02:33 Or are there more typological things involved than just 02:39 the wickedness of the race and the destruction that came? 02:43 That's what we want to take a look at. 02:45 Now the subtitle that we have here is, 02:48 Satan's Hidden Pre-Flood Agenda. 02:52 Satan had a special agenda when it came to blending 02:57 the righteous and the wicked before the flood. 02:59 And that's what we want to take a look at now. 03:03 So let's go to our outline and fill in this blank. 03:06 Genesis 3:15 explains that there would be warfare 03:10 between two seeds. 03:13 And what is the first blank there? 03:16 The woman's seed and the serpent's seed. 03:20 So how many seeds are there? 03:22 There are two seeds. 03:24 Now both of them, in the case of Adam and Eve, 03:28 both of them were children of Eve. 03:31 But the seed you are is not determined by your birth, 03:35 it's determined by your choice. 03:37 You realize that. 03:38 Now, the next point is that in the story of Cain and Abel, 03:43 Abel was the... 03:46 ...woman's seed. Very well. 03:48 And Cain was the seed of the... 03:51 ...wicked one. 03:52 So whose seed was Cain? 03:54 He was the devil's seed. 03:57 Now by influencing Cain to kill Abel, 04:01 Satan thought he had gotten rid of what? 04:06 Of the seed. 04:07 See, the devil suspected that perhaps Abel was the 04:10 promised seed of Genesis 3:15. 04:13 So he says, "I'm going to get rid of this young man. 04:16 And therefore, the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 04:20 cannot be fulfilled." 04:23 But of course, you know in Genesis 4, God gave 04:26 Adam and Eve another seed in place of the seed 04:31 that Satan had killed by using Cain. 04:35 Now in the next section that we have here, it says 04:39 Genesis 4:16-24 presents the genealogy of Cain. 04:46 And Genesis 5 delineates the genealogy of Seth, very well, 04:52 who took the place of Abel. 04:54 So the devil says, "I killed Abel; problem solved." 04:58 God says, "Not so easy. 04:59 I'll give another seed." 05:01 And so the devil soon realizes that he's not going to be able 05:04 to kill all the seeds. 05:05 Because he kills the seed and God brings another one. 05:08 So the devil says, "I need to implement a plan B. 05:11 There has to be a better plan than trying to kill the seed." 05:15 And by the way, soon the devil realizes that what God is doing 05:18 is preparing a holy line from which the Messiah will come. 05:22 He soon discovers that these seeds, lowercase "s", 05:27 are really preliminary seeds that will lead to the 05:31 coming of the Seed in the future, 05:33 and that God is preserving a holy line 05:35 from which the Seed will come. 05:39 Now let's read this note. 05:41 Before we are able to discover the devil's hidden pre-flood 05:45 agenda, we must review a few things about the world 05:50 before the flood. 05:51 Number one, between creation and the flood 05:56 there was a period of 1656 years. 06:01 Number two, before the flood human beings lived 06:05 to be over 900 years old. 06:07 At least some of them. 06:09 Though sin had entered the world, their physical and mental 06:13 energy must have been enormous. 06:16 Imagine a scientist working in a laboratory 06:19 for close to 900 years with much more mental energy. 06:23 In fact, Ellen White says that Adam was created with 06:26 twenty times the mental energy that men have today. 06:30 So they were not living in caves and killing dinosaurs 06:33 with stone hatchets. 06:36 There were no drastic temperature changes. 06:39 The world was close to its pristine beauty. 06:43 There were no drastic temperature changes. 06:45 There was no scarcity of food or natural resources. 06:50 Number four, most likely there was very little disease. 06:55 And Ellen White confirms this. 06:57 God had told man to be fruitful and multiply. 07:01 Imagine how many children 900 year old people could have. 07:06 There must have been millions, if not billions, 07:09 of people on the planet the day before the flood. 07:13 1656 years, in a world were there was very little disease, 07:19 where there was much more mental energy, 07:22 there was no scarcity of natural resources, 07:25 and God had told man to be fruitful and multiply. 07:28 So the world undoubtedly had at least millions of inhabitants 07:34 by the time that the flood came. 07:37 Now Genesis 6:1-4 speaks about the sons of God 07:45 and the daughters of men. 07:50 Now what happened between the sons of God 07:52 and the daughters of men? 07:53 The story in Genesis tells us that the sons of God 07:57 entered to the daughters of men. 07:59 Now that expression, "entered," means that they had 08:02 sexual relations with them. 08:03 They contracted marriages with them. 08:06 Now who are the sons of God? 08:09 The sons of God are the descendents of Seth. 08:13 Who are the daughters of men? 08:16 They are the wicked descendents of Cain. 08:18 And by the way, three women are mentioned 08:20 in the genealogy of Cain. 08:22 Very unusual to have women in genealogies. 08:25 And I'm not going to go into the meaning of their names, 08:27 but the meaning of their names has to do with 08:29 their external appearance. 08:32 In fact, one of them means, "jewel" or "ornament." 08:36 Adah. We say Adah. 08:39 In other words, all of the names of these women 08:41 emphasize their external attraction. 08:44 What is it that attracted the sons of God? 08:48 You know, you read what the rabbi say. 08:51 They say that the women ran around painted up, 08:53 in nakedness of flesh, and all decked out. 08:57 That's what the Jewish rabbi say happened. 09:00 Let me ask you, do you think that there were also 09:01 daughters of God here? 09:03 Before the flood, were there daughters of God? 09:05 So why didn't the sons of God look at the daughters of God? 09:08 Why did they look at the daughters of men? 09:10 There must have been some external appearance 09:14 to the daughters of men that the daughters of God didn't have. 09:18 In other words, the daughters of God were ordinary. 09:22 They didn't put on all the paraphernalia. 09:25 They didn't paint themselves up and they didn't run around 09:28 in nakedness of flesh, as the Jewish rabbis express it. 09:32 Now let's read the note. 09:34 Some Bible teachers have thought that the 09:36 sons of God were angels. 09:38 Have you heard that interpretation? 09:40 And that the daughters of men were human. 09:44 And that the result of the crossbreeding between 09:48 the two was the giants; a hybrid that was half human 09:53 and half demon. 09:56 That's the view that many, many scholars have today. 09:59 This view must be questioned for at least three reasons. 10:03 Number one, the immediate context... 10:07 Remember the importance of the context? 10:09 The immediate context indicates that the sons of God 10:12 were the descendents of Seth, 10:15 and the daughters of men were the descendents of Cain. 10:18 The previous two chapters give us the context. 10:21 Chapter 4, the genealogy of Cain; 10:23 chapter 5, the genealogy of Seth; 10:26 and then 6:1, sons of God and daughters of men. 10:29 The context indicates clearly who they were. 10:32 Number two, Genesis is the book about two seeds; 10:36 Cain and Abel, the sons of God and the daughters of men, 10:39 Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau. 10:42 In every one of these cases, both seeds are what? 10:46 Both seeds are human. 10:48 Number three, the Bible elsewhere makes it clear 10:52 that the sons of God are those who have been converted 10:56 to Jesus Christ. 10:58 Is that correct? 10:59 "Behold, what manner of love the Father has given us 11:02 that we should be called the sons of God," 11:04 1 John chapter 3 and verse 1. 11:06 And this gives us another important principle 11:09 that we're going to study when we deal with 11:10 how to interpret Bible symbols. 11:13 And that is, that symbols do not always mean 11:15 the same thing in Scripture. 11:18 Terms, the meaning of terms, can change. 11:21 For example I'll ask you, 11:22 what does a lion represent in Scripture? 11:24 When you find the word, "lion," what does it mean? 11:26 Well, it can mean the literal animal, 11:29 it can be a symbol of Satan who goes about as a roaring lion, 11:33 it can be a symbol of Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah, 11:37 it can be a symbol of Babylon, the first beast of Daniel 7. 11:41 So whenever you find, "lion," is doesn't necessarily mean 11:44 that it means the same thing. 11:45 You have to take into account the context. 11:48 It's true that, "sons of God," can refer to angels. 11:51 The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, 11:54 in the book of Job. 11:55 Those are angels. 11:57 The sons of God sang and shouted for joy at creation, 12:00 Job 38 and verse 7. 12:01 Those are angels. 12:03 But just because the expression, "sons of God," is used 12:06 in one context doesn't mean that it means the same thing 12:09 in the other context. 12:10 Because, "sons of God," can also refer to converted people. 12:14 Are you following me or not? 12:15 Very important to take into account the context. 12:19 Now, by mingling the seed of the woman with his own seed, 12:26 Satan reduced the number of faithful people 12:29 on the planet to eight. 12:34 What was the devil's agenda? 12:37 The devil's agenda, see, he soon discovers, he says, 12:40 "It does no good to kill the seed, 12:43 because God brings another one. 12:45 What I'm going to do is, I'm going to mingle the two seeds." 12:49 And the devil knows that when you mingle the two seeds, 12:53 the wicked seed overwhelms the righteous seed. 12:56 And he says, "If I can mingle the two seeds, 12:59 God's seed will lose its identity, 13:02 the number of faithful people will dwindle 13:06 until eventually it will disappear. 13:08 And God will have no one through whom to bring the Messiah 13:12 into the world." 13:14 That is his plan B. 13:16 See, his plan A is to kill the Seed. 13:18 His plan B is to mingle the seeds in order to destroy 13:23 the holy line. 13:24 Did he try to do that all throughout the Old Testament, 13:26 destroy the holy line? 13:27 He used both methods. 13:29 Yesterday we studied about Esther. 13:30 He tried to destroy Israel. Why? 13:34 Because he knew that the Seed, at this point he knew the Seed 13:36 was going to come from the lineage of Israel. 13:39 So he says, "If I can wipe them out, then there's not 13:42 going to be that Seed that is going to crush my head." 13:45 Did the devil mingle Israel with the surrounding nations? 13:49 Of course, he wanted them to lose their identity. 13:52 Because he knew that there had to be a holy line 13:55 from which the Messiah would come. 13:58 Now if God had not wiped out the iniquitous 14:03 pre-flood race, the whole of humanity would have been 14:07 degenerated to the point where there would be 14:10 no holy line through which to introduce 14:14 the Messiah into the world. 14:16 That is his agenda. 14:19 And you see it time and again in the Old Testament. 14:21 The devil using both methods; trying to kill the seed 14:24 and trying to infiltrate the seed to try and prevent 14:28 the Messiah from coming. 14:31 Now let's go to our next section. 14:33 The sinfulness of the pre-flood race. 14:37 The almost total depravity of the race before the flood 14:41 is described in Genesis 6. 14:44 "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man 14:49 was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts 14:56 of his heart was only evil continually." 15:02 How could God emphasize anymore than this 15:05 the evil and wicked condition of the world before the flood? 15:09 Is our world coming to that point? 15:13 I believe that our world is quickly coming 15:17 to that same point. 15:19 Now Genesis 6:11-12 emphasizes that the evil thoughts of men 15:26 were translated into action. 15:27 Isn't it true that we, many times, translate 15:31 our thoughts into action? 15:34 Yes. 15:35 "What we think, so we are," is what the wise man said. 15:40 Now notice what Genesis 6:11-12 tells us. 15:43 Because the thoughts of man were evil continually, 15:47 their behavior now reflects it. 15:49 Their conduct reflects it. 15:51 And so it says, "The earth was..." What? 15:55 "...corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 16:01 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; 16:04 for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth." 16:10 Incidentally, when you find that word in Scripture, 16:14 "way," it means the conduct. 16:17 It means the behavior. 16:19 So in other words, because they thought evil continually, 16:24 now what did they do? 16:25 They acted evil continually. 16:28 That's why the battle is really the battle for the mind. 16:32 Whoever has your mind has you. 16:36 The battle is not for the conduct. 16:38 The battle is for the mind. 16:40 Because as you think, so you are. 16:44 See, that's why Jesus said that adultery does not begin 16:47 with a sinful act. 16:48 It begins with a sinful thought. 16:52 Isn't that right? 16:53 Whoever looks upon a woman to covet her 16:57 has already committed adultery in his heart. 16:59 And sooner or later, that thought will bear fruit. 17:05 And so we need to guard the mind. 17:07 The sin of the pre-flood race began in the mind. 17:10 It did not begin with behavior. 17:14 Now in Luke 17:26-30, both the story of the flood 17:19 and the story of Lot are presented as types 17:25 of the condition the world will be in at the end of time. 17:28 This must mean that the sins of Sodom 17:31 were similar to those which were being committed 17:34 before the flood. 17:37 Is that correct? 17:39 Let's go to Luke 17 and read that so that you can see 17:44 what we're talking about. 17:48 Let's go to Luke chapter 17 and verse 26. 17:52 You'll see that Jesus uses the experience of Noah 17:55 and the experience of Lot to foreshadow what the world is 17:59 going to be like in the destruction of the world. 18:01 It says there in verse 26, "And as it was in the days of Noah, 18:05 so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man. 18:10 They ate, they drank, they married wives, 18:13 they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah 18:15 entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 18:19 Likewise..." 18:21 In other words, in the same way. 18:23 "...as it was also in the days of Lot. 18:26 They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, 18:28 they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went 18:31 out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven 18:34 and destroyed them all. 18:35 Even so will it be in the day when the 18:38 Son of Man is revealed." 18:39 So do the stories of the flood and the story 18:42 of Sodom and Gomorrah overlap? 18:45 They most certainly do. 18:46 So let's read this note. 18:47 The name, "Sodom," has become synonymous 18:51 with sexual perversion. 18:54 We use the word, sodomy, right? 18:57 We know that homosexuality was practiced in the cities 19:00 of the plain. 19:02 Even to the point that the men of Sodom 19:04 wished to have sexual relations with the angels 19:08 who visited Lot's house. 19:11 Lot's daughters had learned the ways of Sodom very well. 19:15 They made their father drunk so that they could commit 19:18 incest with him. 19:21 So was the pre-flood world a world of sexual perversion? 19:26 Yes. 19:27 Were the cities in the days of Lot characterized 19:33 by sexual perversion? 19:35 Absolutely. 19:36 What about the world today? 19:38 Incidentally, do you know something very interesting? 19:42 Immediately after the men of Sodom gathered around 19:45 Lot's house, it says both young and old, the whole city, 19:49 all of the young and old in the city, the men, 19:51 gathered around Lot's house, and they said to Lot, 19:55 "Send those two men out to us because we want to know them." 19:59 And Lot had even become defiled with Sodom because he says, 20:02 "No, no, no, I've got two daughters. 20:04 You can do whatever you want with my daughters." 20:06 Have mercy. 20:11 So clearly, these individuals wanted to have sex 20:15 with the angels. 20:16 And you know what the next thing was? 20:18 The last sign before the door closed was this episode. 20:23 Immediately afterwards, we're told that the angels 20:27 pulled Lot in, because they wanted to do violence to Lot, 20:29 they pulled Lot in and the door was shut. 20:32 Probation was closed. 20:36 Now let's continue here. 20:38 Ezekiel 16:49-50 explains that Sodom had become 20:42 selfish and materialistic. 20:44 Of course, that's not true of the world today. 20:47 "She and her daughter had... 20:51 ...pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness..." 20:59 Lots of time on their hands. 21:01 "..neither did she strengthen the hand of the 21:04 poor and the needy." 21:08 This is greed. 21:10 Extreme selfishness and greed that ignored the needs 21:15 of those who had less. 21:17 And they wanted to accumulate and they wanted to pile up 21:20 possessions for themselves. 21:21 Does this characterize the world today? 21:24 Absolutely. 21:26 For a further graphic description of the 21:28 depravity of the pre-flood race, you can read the sickening 21:32 account in 2 Peter 2 verses 4 through 22. 21:36 There you have a gross description of what these 21:39 cities were like and what the world before the flood was like. 21:42 It makes you sick just to read this list of sins 21:46 in 2 Peter chapter 2 and verses 4 through 22. 21:50 So because of the wickedness of the world, 21:53 because most of the world had gone over to the devil's side, 21:57 due to the union of the sons of God with the daughters of men, 22:01 God raised up a preacher. 22:04 One person. 22:06 Does that person become symbolic of a worldwide movement 22:09 at the end of time? 22:11 Yes. 22:12 See, you have a literal individual. 22:14 And that literal individual symbolizes a whole people 22:18 at the end of time who proclaim a similar message. 22:21 Before the world was destroyed, God sent a powerful worldwide 22:27 message of warning. 22:28 Noah was a preacher of righteousness. 22:32 He was a preacher of righteousness. 22:34 He called the world to be righteous. 22:38 Judged by numerical standards, Noah's evangelistic crusade 22:43 was a tragic failure. 22:46 In fact, if he had been a pastor in one of our conferences, 22:51 he might have been fired. 22:54 Because he had a 120 year evangelistic crusade 22:58 and he only had seven people to show for it. 23:01 And they were all members of his own family. 23:03 Have mercy. 23:06 Just imagine, of the millions of people who lived on the planet, 23:12 only eight persons responded; and they were all members 23:15 of the same family. 23:16 If the story of Noah represents what will happen in 23:19 the end time, do you suppose that the majority 23:22 will be on God's side? 23:25 Noah did not preach a smooth message. 23:28 He denounced the sins of the antediluvians 23:31 and called them to repent and allow God 23:34 to change their behavior. 23:37 His was a message not only that God loves you, 23:40 but God wants you to give your life to Him 23:43 and He wants you to live a holy life. 23:45 His was a message of sanctification, 23:49 which the world needed to hear. 23:53 But Noah not only preached. 23:56 Noah also what? Built an ark. 24:02 In other words, his words were backed up by his actions. 24:08 And if you read Hebrews 11, you're going to notice 24:09 something very interesting. 24:11 In Hebrews 11, all of the heroes are doing something. 24:15 By faith, this; and by faith, that; 24:17 and by faith, the other. 24:19 By faith, Moses left. 24:21 By faith, Abel sacrificed. 24:24 In other words, they're doing something. 24:26 You see, man is not saved by faith alone. 24:31 Man is not saved by works. 24:34 Man is not saved by faith plus works. 24:36 Man is saved by a faith that works. 24:40 Because if your faith is not a working faith, 24:42 it's not faith. 24:43 In fact, James says that faith without works is dead. 24:48 And a dead faith can't save you. 24:50 Genuine faith always works. 24:52 So God says to Noah, "I'm going to inundate 24:55 the world with water." 24:58 Wow. 25:00 "I'm going to fill the earth with water. 25:03 And everybody is going to drown." 25:06 Did Noah believe God? 25:09 Of course he believed God. 25:10 Had he ever seen rain? 25:11 Never seen rain. He believed God. 25:14 The Bible says, "And it was accounted 25:15 to him for righteousness." 25:16 He believed God. 25:18 What did he do? 25:20 He went and got the saws and the hammers. 25:25 And I don't know if they had nails. 25:28 But what did he start doing? 25:30 Building the ark on dry land. 25:33 Did his actions show that he believed what God had told him? 25:37 Yes, his faith was shown by his works, by his actions. 25:42 These days it's very common for people simply to say, 25:46 "Oh, I believe in Jesus." 25:48 Well the devil believes in Jesus too. 25:51 But it's not a saving faith. 25:54 Saving faith works. 25:55 So Noah not only preached, but Noah worked to show 26:01 that he believed what he preached. 26:03 His words were backed up by his actions. 26:06 He had a faith that worked. 26:09 He invested all his time, efforts, strength, 26:13 talents, and resources into the building of the ark 26:18 while the rest of the people were saving for a rainy day. 26:25 Building the ark was not one job among many. 26:31 It was his primary task. 26:35 And also preaching was his primary task, right? 26:39 Notice that it was his building of the ark 26:42 which condemned the world. 26:45 Noah did the absurd because he believed God. 26:49 Faith simply means trusting God enough to do what He says. 26:54 But you cannot trust God unless you love Him. 26:57 And you cannot love Him unless you know Him. 27:00 And you cannot know Him unless you spend time with Him. 27:05 There's a sequence there. 27:08 Noah's preaching was accompanied by the 27:10 power of the Holy Spirit. 27:13 Is this all symbolic of the end time? 27:16 Does God have a message calling the world to righteousness 27:19 at the end of time? 27:20 He most certainly does. 27:22 Will the works of God's people show that they believe the 27:25 message that Jesus really is coming soon? 27:28 Will it involve how we use our time? 27:31 Will it involve how we use our resources? 27:33 Will it involve how we use our talents? 27:36 How we use our strength? 27:38 Yeah, because we can say, "Oh, I believe Jesus is coming, 27:41 and He's coming soon." 27:42 And we live in a huge mansion, and we have a Lamborghini. 27:45 I'm exaggerating for effect. 27:47 And you know, we have bunches of money in the bank. 27:50 And you know, we dress with thousand dollar suits. 27:54 And you know, when that happens, do we really believe 27:57 that Jesus is coming soon? 27:59 You see, our life shows if we believe that 28:01 Jesus is coming soon or not. 28:04 What we do with our resources, with our strength, 28:06 with our time, and with our talents, 28:08 the world will see and they will believe if our actions 28:12 are in harmony with our faith. 28:17 Interestingly enough. 28:20 The Spirit was striving. 28:21 "My Spirit shall not always strive with men." 28:24 That means that the Spirit was striving during the 120 years. 28:27 Now the note is very interesting. 28:29 The Hebrew word, "strive," means, to plead a cause, 28:34 to contend, or to judge. 28:36 In fact, most of the time in the Old Testament 28:39 where that word, "strive" or "contend," is used, 28:43 it is translated, "judge." 28:46 So the message of Noah was a message of judgment. 28:51 The Holy Spirit not only strove with human hearts, 28:55 but in the process, the same Spirit was also judging them 28:58 based on their response to His pleading. 29:02 Noah's preaching was a judgment hour message. 29:06 Is that true of the end time as well? 29:09 Is the purpose of the message to divide the world 29:11 into two groups? 29:13 Absolutely. 29:14 The bottom of page 2, the pre-flood race was given 29:17 a period of probation. 29:19 Of how long? 29:20 120 years. 29:24 And you say, "Well, is the probation for the world 29:26 going to be 120 years?" 29:28 No, we don't apply the year/day principle 29:30 to historical accounts. 29:32 That's why you need to read the material 29:34 that I gave you on miniature symbolization. 29:38 I deal with this specific time period. 29:40 Some people are re-applying this time period. 29:43 But the time periods in the historical sections... 29:46 See, this is what you call typology. 29:48 This is not direct apocalyptic prophecy. 29:51 It's a story in the Old Testament 29:53 that foreshadows the future. 29:55 But the time period is not to be understood 29:58 by the year/day principle. 30:00 Are you understanding me? 30:02 So the pre-flood race was given a period of 30:04 probation of 120 years. 30:06 As soon as Noah's preaching was over, the... What? 30:09 ...the door would be shut and probation would... 30:14 ...close. 30:17 Have you ever notice that Noah's message was accompanied 30:20 by a powerful miracle? 30:22 Do you know Ellen White says that God's people 30:24 not only will preach with power the loud cry, 30:27 but she says that miracles will follow God's people. 30:30 Now what was the miracle that took place in the days of Noah? 30:34 Noah did not have to hunt the animals down, 30:36 like Hollywood's version says. 30:39 You know, that Noah's sons are pulling, they're yanking 30:42 on the rope, you know, trying to get the animals 30:44 to come into the ark. 30:45 No, no, no, no, no. 30:48 The animals obeyed the voice of God 30:51 and went into the ark to Noah. 30:54 That's what it says; Noah didn't go searching for them. 30:56 They went into Noah. 30:59 You know, the animals had more sense than the people. 31:03 Human beings had descended to a sub-human level, 31:07 I believe is what God is trying to teach here. 31:09 In fact, we're going to notice an interesting note in a moment. 31:13 The miracle of the animals obeying God and entering the ark 31:15 seems to indicate that human beings had fallen 31:18 below animal level. 31:20 This is the reason why Jude 10 calls them brute beasts. 31:26 Which is an insult to the beasts. 31:30 Before the flood, it had never rained. 31:34 You know, you tell people today that the earth is going to 31:36 be destroyed by fire, they say, "Come on, be real. 31:39 Who would ever believe such a fairy tale?" 31:42 You know, they said the same thing in the days of Noah. 31:46 Before the flood, it had never rained. 31:48 The earth was not watered from above, but rather a 31:52 mist went up from the earth and watered the 31:54 whole face of the earth. 31:56 In other words, the earth was watered not by water from above, 32:00 but by water from below. 32:02 Let's read the note. 32:04 The planet was covered with water before creation. 32:07 On the second day, God placed part of the water 32:09 above the earth and part of the water under the earth. 32:13 That's what is called the windows of heaven 32:15 and the fountains of the great deep, incidentally. 32:18 The water above provided a uniform climate. 32:21 The whole world was indoors, and the water below 32:24 sprinkled the earth. 32:26 At the flood, God did not have to create water. 32:30 He merely brought the waters above back down, 32:33 and the waters below back up. 32:36 Just imagine Noah trying to convince the pre-flood race 32:39 that it was going to rain. 32:41 This appeared illogical, unreasonable, 32:43 unscientific, and empirically absurd. 32:47 And yet Noah still preached. 32:51 So no matter how absurd it might appear that we 32:55 believe that Jesus is coming soon, and no matter how much 32:58 the secular world, you know, thinks that this is ridiculous 33:02 and it's unscientific, they need to remember the days of Noah. 33:07 Because in the days of Noah, scientists and theologians 33:11 and the great men of the earth believed the same thing. 33:15 Now let's talk about the close of probationary time. 33:19 When Noah finished building and preaching, 33:22 the Lord shut him in. 33:24 Who shut the door? 33:26 The Lord shut the door. 33:28 Is there going to be a shut door for the world 33:30 before Jesus comes, before the destruction comes? 33:33 Absolutely. See this is a typology. 33:36 Now at the end time, we're not talking about a literal ark. 33:40 No matter what that 2012 movie says. 33:43 We're not talking about a literal ark. 33:46 We're not talking about a literal door. 33:49 We're not talking about a literal person. 33:52 We're not talking about literal rain. 33:54 Are you following me? 33:55 We're not talking about building a literal boat. 33:58 The literal becomes symbolic of the spiritual. 34:01 Are you seeing the principle? 34:04 Now when the door of the ark closed, the saved were saved 34:07 and the lost were lost. 34:10 After this, there would be no changing of sides. 34:14 At this time, the Holy Spirit ceased to strive with 34:17 the hearts of humanity. 34:19 Was the Holy Spirit withdrawn at that point? 34:21 Yes. Is the Holy Spirit going to withdrawn for the earth? 34:26 See, we don't have to prepare for the second coming. 34:27 We have to prepare for the close of probation. 34:30 Because all cases will be decided at that point. 34:33 And by the way, probation closes when we die too. 34:37 If we don't reach the probation, corporate probation 34:39 for the world, where we should die, 34:41 our probation is finished. 34:42 That's why we need to live with Christ every day. 34:45 We have to have a relationship with Him every day. 34:49 Now notice, although those outside the ark were lost 34:53 when the door shut, they did not know it 34:57 until it started to rain. 35:00 Noah and his family were in the ark for seven days. 35:04 Ellen White says it started to rain on the eight day. 35:07 So it was seven complete days before it started to rain. 35:12 Have you ever wondered why God left Noah and his family 35:15 in the ark for seven days before it started to rain? 35:20 God could have made it rain the very day that they entered, 35:23 but He didn't. 35:24 Is there some theological reason to that? 35:27 Of course. 35:28 The faith of Noah and his family was tested to the utmost 35:32 during this period. 35:33 Do you suppose that each day that passed, 35:34 Noah and his family said, "Wow, no rain. 35:38 No rain. 35:39 No rain." 35:42 The devil was probably trying to convince them 35:44 that they were wrong. 35:46 And how do you suppose the wicked behaved 35:49 for each day that passed? 35:51 Oh, each day they partied more. 35:52 They said, "Ha, they're crazy. 35:54 They're in there with all those animals." 35:57 You know, some people say, "How could they take enough 35:59 food for all of those animals for the year plus 36:03 that they spent inside the ark?" 36:04 See, people try to find all kinds of excuses 36:06 to not believe it. 36:07 And what I believe, this is not inspired, 36:10 what I believe is that God made all the animals hibernate. 36:15 Could God make them hibernate? 36:18 Of course He could. 36:19 It might be that they didn't have to take any food in there. 36:22 That God put them, you know, He put them to hibernate. 36:25 And therefore, they didn't have to eat. 36:27 But anyway, that's my own speculation. 36:30 And I'll tell you, when speculation is mine, 36:32 I'll tell you. 36:34 Now, the faith of Noah and his family was tested 36:38 to the utmost during this period. 36:39 They must have wondered, "Will God fulfill His word 36:43 and send the flood after all?" 36:44 This was a time of triumph for those outside the ark 36:48 and a time of apparent defeat for those in the ark. 36:50 The same terminology that Ellen White uses 36:53 regarding the time of trouble. 36:54 We can imagine the ridicule and the imprecations 36:58 of the multitude. 37:00 But then very early on the eighth day, 37:05 you see these unidentified flying objects. 37:10 Clouds. 37:13 And suddenly, there is thunder and there is lightning. 37:19 And drops of rain begin to fall. 37:21 And do you know that Ellen White says that they were so hardened, 37:25 the antediluvian world, that the great men and the scientists 37:28 said, "Oh, this will pass." 37:31 But then, the rain started falling in torrents. 37:35 You know, I went to Iguazu Falls. 37:39 You know, it's where Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil meet. 37:45 And that is, I mean it's thunderous. 37:47 It's spectacular. 37:48 That was about a year and a half ago that I was there. 37:51 And when I was standing there looking at the Iguazu Falls, 37:55 which, oh they cover a large distance, 37:58 and I could hear the thunder of the water, you know, 38:01 crashing down into the river, I said, "Man, can you imagine 38:06 what it would be like for this to be taking place 38:08 all over the world?" 38:10 Because that's what the flood was like. 38:12 Cataracts... 38:15 ...I mean, I mean, waterfalls gushed out of the heavens. 38:21 And water gushed out of the earth. 38:23 And Ellen White says that huge boulders were thrown 38:25 hundreds of feet into the air by these jets of water 38:29 that came from the earth. 38:32 The flood was a worldwide cataclysm. 38:35 Some have thought that the flood was some local affair 38:38 in the valley of Mesopotamia. 38:40 There's Adventist theology teachers that teach this 38:44 in some of our institutions. 38:46 That the flood was a local affair. 38:50 Or some are teaching... 38:51 And I'm not sure that in the Adventist church 38:52 they've gone this far; 38:55 to teach that the flood story is a myth. 38:58 But there are several biblical, historical, and geological 39:01 reasons why this was a real worldwide flood 39:06 in space and in time. 39:09 Now you can read all of these reasons. 39:12 They cover about a page and a half. 39:16 I'm not going to go through those because you have them 39:18 in your material. 39:19 What I will mention is that in the Bible, 39:24 in the Old Testament, there are about eleven words 39:27 that are translated, "flood," into English. 39:29 Eleven different Hebrew words. 39:32 But when it comes to the flood in Noah's day, 39:34 there's one unique word that is used only 39:37 for the flood in Noah's day. 39:40 And that is the Hebrew word, "mabbul." 39:43 It's not used for any other kind of flood. 39:45 And in the New Testament, you have basically 39:48 two words for, "flood." 39:50 One is the word, "potamos." 39:52 And that's the word, for example, that is used... 39:54 Remember the man who built his house upon the sand, 39:57 and the man who built his house upon the rock; 39:59 and the flood came. 40:01 Well that's the word, "potamos." 40:03 Incidentally, this is where we get the word, "hippo potamos," 40:06 Hippopotamus. 40:08 See, potamus means river or flood, 40:11 and hypo means under. 40:13 So it means an animal that swims under water. 40:17 Hypo potamos. 40:18 But anyway, aside from that, the word that is used 40:23 generally in the New Testament for, "flood," 40:25 is the word, "potamos." 40:26 But when it comes to the flood in the days of Noah, 40:30 a special word is used. 40:33 It is the Greek word, "kataklysmos." 40:37 What word do we get in English from kataklysmos? 40:41 The word, cataclysm. 40:43 In other words, the flood was a cataclysm. 40:46 It was a catastrophe. 40:48 It covered the whole world. 40:51 And it disfigured the world. 40:53 In fact, we're going to notice that the world 40:55 returned to the condition it was in before creation week. 40:59 Now going to just below the middle of page four. 41:03 When the flood came, the fountains of the great 41:07 deep were broken up. 41:09 And the windows of heaven were opened. 41:13 In other words, water came from above and water came from below. 41:17 Noah and his family, listen carefully, were on earth 41:21 during the destruction, but they were preserved 41:25 by divine power. 41:28 Did Noah and his family go through the tribulation? 41:32 Did the three young men go through the tribulation? 41:36 Did Daniel go through the tribulation? 41:39 But the end time generation, God is going to be merciful. 41:41 They're not going to go through the tribulation, right? 41:44 Of course God's people are going to go through the tribulation. 41:48 The worst in the history of the world. 41:50 But the good news is that we have Psalm 91. 41:55 No plague will befall God's people. 41:58 We will dwell under the shadow of the Almighty. 42:02 Praise the Lord. 42:03 So we better have a covenant with Him. 42:05 We better have a covenant with Jesus. 42:07 Because when we are allied with Jesus, 42:09 He will be our Protector. 42:11 He is the Shepherd. 42:12 He is the Head. 42:14 He is the Husband. 42:15 He is the Suzerain or the Sovereign over His people. 42:19 And He has committed Himself to protecting His people 42:22 in the catastrophe to come. 42:25 Let's read the note. 42:26 The word during the flood returned to pre-creation chaos. 42:30 That is, to an empty and disorderly state. 42:34 Was the earth dark, yes or no? 42:36 Was is covered with water? 42:39 Was there anyone alive? No. 42:42 Is that the condition of the earth before creation week? 42:45 Was it dark, according to Genesis 1? Yes. 42:48 Was it covered with water? Yes. 42:50 Were there any inhabitants? No. 42:53 So the world returned at the flood to the condition it was in 42:56 before creation week. 42:58 And let me just clarify something. 43:00 Some people say, "Oh, so you believe that the earth 43:02 was here before creation week?" 43:04 Well there are two views. 43:05 One view is that this planet existed for who knows how long. 43:10 And then at some point, God decided to do 43:13 the events of creation week. 43:15 In other words, life exists only from the time of creation week. 43:20 Others believe that God created this world, 43:23 and immediately you have the events of creation week. 43:27 Now I have not defined in my mind which of the two 43:31 is the best one. 43:33 Because there are conservative scholars that believe 43:37 one or the other. 43:39 But let me say that it's really not that important. 43:43 The thing that is really important is when 43:46 creation week took place, when life came into this world. 43:50 Because if this planet existed here for millions of years 43:54 before creation week, it's irrelevant to us. 43:59 Because our idea is that the world is about 6000 years old 44:02 since creation week. 44:04 Now if God created the world right away and then He 44:07 did the seven days of creation immediately, 44:10 well that's good too. 44:12 But it doesn't really matter when it comes to 44:15 the theological position of the church. 44:17 I don't think, anyway. 44:19 And so, you know, let me give you an illustration. 44:21 Let suppose that at some point God decides 44:25 to create life on Jupiter. 44:29 How long has Jupiter been there? 44:31 Who knows how long Jupiter has been there. 44:33 So God decides to create on Jupiter 44:38 throughout a period of seven days. 44:39 I mean, would that be a theological problem? 44:42 No, no theological problem at all. 44:44 Jupiter is there, it has no life. 44:46 It's lifeless. 44:47 The key point is when creation begins, creation week. 44:51 Are you following me or not? 44:53 Uh now, let's notice. 44:55 The world during the flood returned to pre-creation chaos. 44:58 That is, to an empty and disorderly state. 45:01 All the wicked perished during this period. 45:03 What do you suppose happened to Satan during this period? 45:08 Now here's where it gets interesting. 45:09 The world returned to the condition 45:11 it was in before creation. 45:12 Now what happens to Satan. 45:14 Listen to what Ellen White has to say. 45:16 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 99. 45:18 "Satan himself, who was compelled to remain in the 45:23 midst of the warring elements, feared for his own existence." 45:28 What a cataclysm this must have been 45:30 that the devil feared for his own existence, 45:33 according to the spirit of prophecy. 45:34 And by the way, was the devil bound to this earth? 45:39 Yes. 45:41 How was he bound? 45:44 He had no followers. They were all dead. 45:48 Is the devil going to be bound here during the millennium 45:50 after the world returns to the condition it was in 45:52 before creation? 45:54 Yes. Will he be bound? 45:56 Yes, because all of his followers will be dead. 46:01 You see the parallel? 46:03 Now, when Noah and his family came out of the ark, 46:07 the earth had been cleansed of sinners and was totally changed. 46:12 The world which then was perished, 46:17 being flooded with water. 46:19 Now are we to understand this whole story typologically? 46:23 Is Noah a type? 46:25 He's a type of a people. 46:27 Is the ark a type? 46:29 Yeah, 1 Peter 3 says it represents the church. 46:34 Is the door typological? 46:37 Yes, the door is typological. 46:38 We're dealing with typology here. 46:41 In other words, what was literal now becomes what? 46:45 Many of the details, at least, become symbolic. 46:49 Now, did Jesus tell us that this story was typological? 46:52 Yes He did. 46:54 Jesus and the flood story. 46:57 In Matthew 24, Jesus drew a parallel between 47:00 the flood story and His coming. 47:02 He said, "But as the days of Noah were, 47:05 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." 47:14 Now it's interesting to notice that the word, "until," 47:16 is used how many times? 47:19 It's used twice. 47:22 And perhaps we should take a look at that. 47:24 Let's go in our Bibles to Matthew chapter 24. 47:28 Matthew chapter 24. 47:30 Because this is the critically important point for this time. 47:34 And let's read beginning with verse 37. 47:38 The word, "until," is used twice. 47:41 It says, "But as the days of Noah were, 47:44 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." 47:47 And we usually say the coming of the Son of Man 47:49 is the second coming. 47:51 It includes the second coming, but it is not 47:54 only the second coming that is being compared here. 47:58 Let's notice verse 38. 48:00 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating 48:04 and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage," 48:07 now listen, "until the day that Noah entered the ark..." 48:12 So the word, "until," marks which point of time? 48:16 When they entered the ark. 48:20 "...and they did not know..." 48:22 Who did not know? 48:24 The wicked. 48:26 Because, you know, it says they were eating and drinking, 48:29 marrying and giving in marriage. 48:30 It's talking about them. 48:32 "...they did not know..." 48:33 And now comes the second "until." 48:35 "...they did not know until the flood came 48:38 and took them all away." 48:39 Now, so you have two "until." 48:42 When the door closes, and the second "until" 48:45 when it begins to rain. 48:47 And in between, those who were outside the ark did not know. 48:51 What didn't they know? 48:53 They did not know that they were lost. 48:58 Is there a parallel between that and what is going to 49:02 happen at the end of time? 49:05 Yes, because probation is going to close 49:09 before Jesus comes. 49:11 And the world will basically be oblivious 49:15 to the fact that probation has closed, 49:17 that the door has closed. 49:19 And they will continue marrying and giving in marriage, 49:24 planting, building, eating, drinking. 49:28 They will continue business as usual, 49:33 unconscious that the door of probation has closed. 49:36 And they will only know that they're lost 49:39 when fire descends from heaven, when Jesus comes in the clouds. 49:45 That's what Jesus was referring to when He says, 49:47 "As it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be 49:51 at the coming of the Son of Man." 49:52 Let me illustrate the point. 49:56 Let's suppose that it's... 49:58 Well, anybody here from Michigan? 50:01 Or Wisconsin? That area of the country? 50:04 Well, aren't you ever lucky. 50:08 Actually, I'm from Wisconsin. It's very cold. 50:10 Anyway, they've had real freezing cold weather 50:12 in that area, you know; Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan. 50:16 It's been a really raw winter. 50:19 So I want you to imagine that, you know, you get home 50:22 one afternoon after a long day of work. 50:24 You've shoveled the snow out on your driveway. 50:28 And you come into the house and you have supper. 50:31 And then you're dead tired, you say, 50:32 "Oh, I'm going to go to bed." 50:34 So all of the family goes to bed. 50:36 And when you're in bed nice and snug under the covers, 50:43 all of a sudden you say, "I forgot to lock the door. 50:48 Wow. 50:50 I really hate to get out from under these covers, 50:53 it's so nice and cuddly warm. 50:56 I've lived in this house for 20 years 50:57 and the thief has never come." 51:01 So you stay in bed. 51:03 And lo and behold, who do you suppose comes that night? 51:07 The thief. 51:11 And he comes, and everybody in the house is oblivious 51:15 that the thief has come. 51:18 Because everybody is asleep. 51:20 They're not watching, they're sleeping. 51:23 And so the thief comes into the house. 51:26 And he steals your video camera. 51:30 He steals some money that he finds. 51:33 He steals the television set. Hallelujah. 51:38 Except for 3ABN, of course. 51:43 And he runs off with all this stuff. 51:47 The people of the house did not know that the thief came. 51:52 When do they find out that the thief paid his visit? 51:56 They find out only when they wake up in the morning. 51:59 But then it is too late. 52:02 That's why Jesus said that He's going to come as 52:04 a thief in the night. 52:06 Not that Jesus is a thief. 52:08 No, it's not the thief part that is emphasized. 52:11 It is the surprise point that is being emphasized. 52:15 Probation will close to the surprise of the world. 52:18 No need to be surprised. 52:21 But it will close. 52:22 It will take the world over like an overwhelming surprise, 52:27 according to the spirit of prophecy. 52:30 And most of the people in the world will be oblivious 52:33 that the door of probation closed. 52:35 In fact, Ellen White emphasizes that the majority in the 52:38 Seventh-day Adventist Church will be caught by surprise. 52:43 Because they're expecting the world to go on for a lot longer. 52:47 And Ellen White says that they expect to accumulate more stuff. 52:53 You know, the more stuff that we accumulate, 52:55 the more the Lord is going to have to burn. 53:00 It's a time for us to be investing in the cause. 53:04 Everything. Not only money. 53:07 Our time, our talents, our efforts. 53:10 Noah had a one-track mind; 53:13 preach and build. 53:16 And we should have a one-track mind; 53:18 preach and build. 53:21 Is that not true? 53:23 This world is not our home. 53:26 You know, we're only here for a while. 53:30 We only need that which we indispensably need to survive, 53:35 to get us here from point A to point B. 53:37 And so we should be living in expectancy. 53:42 We should long for the second coming of Christ. 53:45 You know, let's go to the last section here. 53:48 I already did a lot of the parallels in the next section 53:52 which says, "End Time Fulfillment of the Noah Story." 53:55 Let's just go to the bottom of page six. 53:59 Living In Expectancy. 54:02 After comparing the flood with His coming, 54:05 Jesus gave some very practical counsels about how we should 54:09 live while we wait. 54:11 What is the first counsel? 54:14 "Watch therefore..." 54:16 Does that mean watching the signs? 54:18 Does that mean watching what's happening in the world? 54:21 Being aware? Yes. 54:22 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour 54:27 in which the Son of Man is coming." 54:29 And that's not talking about the second coming. 54:30 It's talking about the close of probation. 54:34 "Take heed, watch and pray; 54:39 for you do not know when the time is." 54:41 So watch and pray. 54:45 "Therefore, you also be ready; 54:50 for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." 54:55 So we should be expecting Him. 54:59 We are to wisely... 55:02 What's the word there? 55:05 ...invest... 55:07 We are to wisely invest that which belongs to the Master. 55:13 And one way you can invest is by contributing 55:15 to Secrets Unsealed. 55:18 I had to get that in. 55:21 And I'm serious. 55:24 You know, you kind of snickered at that. 55:26 But our passion at Secrets Unsealed is to share 55:30 the special message for this time. 55:32 That's the passion of our ministry. 55:34 Our ministry is not about money, it's not about popularity, 55:37 it's not about having a nice building. 55:39 This building exists only for the glory of God; 55:42 to prepare material so that people know what the 55:44 real issues are. 55:47 And we are careful with people's money. 55:50 We are audited by a CPA. 55:54 The money that is donated to our ministry, 55:56 we use strictly for what it is donated for. 56:02 Our accounts are open. 56:04 So we need to invest in God's cause. 56:07 I'm not saying don't pay tithes and offerings. 56:09 You need to do that at your church. 56:12 We need to support the work. 56:14 But you know, we have a lot of extra that we can invest 56:17 in other causes. 56:20 Our offerings. 56:22 The next point, we should do... What? 56:27 Well that word, "do," should not be there. 56:30 We should occupy until He comes. 56:32 In other words, keep what? 56:34 Keep busy. 56:36 Don't just sit around. 56:38 Finally, Jesus' parable in Matthew 22:1-14 is apropos. 56:45 The man without a wedding garment did not 56:47 sneak into heaven. 56:49 The examination of the garments represents the judgment 56:52 which now transpires in heaven. 56:55 The separation of the righteous and the wicked 56:58 takes place before Jesus comes. 57:02 Let's make sure, folks, that we are covered 57:05 with the garment of Christ's righteousness. 57:09 Not only His robe of imputed righteousness, 57:14 but His robe of imparted righteousness. 57:18 Not only being reckoned righteous, 57:21 but also actually being righteous, 57:24 through the grace and through the power 57:26 that God gives us in our daily lives. 57:29 What is going to convince the world that Jesus is real 57:33 is not that we say, "Oh, I've been justified by faith," 57:36 and we live like the devil. 57:38 No, it's our life that will show whether we are really committed 57:42 to Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. |
Revised 2015-03-17