Our Lord Jesus said, “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.” (Mat 24:37-39).
He also said, "It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed." (Luk 17:28-30)
Let’s look at the parallels between what happened with Noah and Lot, and what will happen at the rapture.
| Noah |
Lot |
Rapture |
| The people in society had become very wicked (Gen 6:1-6, 11-12) |
The people in society had become very wicked (Gen 19:4-5,9) |
The people in society have become very wicked (Mt 24:5-12; Lk 21:8-12, 16-17; Mk 13:6-13; 1 Tim 4:1-2; 2 Tim 3:1-7; Rev 18:5) |
| God determined the need for judgment (Gen 6:7, 13, 17) |
God determined the need for judgment (Gen 18:17, 20-21) |
God has determined the need for judgment (Mk 13:19-20; Lk 21:22-23; 2 Thes 5:1-10; Rev 15-16; 18:2, 6-8) |
| There were very few righteous people, only eight in all (Gen 7:1; 2 Pe 2:5) |
There were very few righteous people, only Lot and his two daughters (Gen 19:16; 2 Pe 2:7-8) |
There are very few who will be ready for the rapture (Mt 24:13; Mk 13:20) |
| God gave advance warning to the righteous (Gen 6:13, 17; 7:1, 4) |
God gave advance warning to the righteous (Gen 19:12-13) |
God has given advance warning to the righteous (Mt 24:25; Lk 21:34-36) |
| God commanded Noah to make advanced preparations to escape the judgment (Gen 6:14-21; 7:1-3) |
|
God has commanded us to make advance preparations to escape the judgment by being ready for the Lord’s return. He has also instructed those in Judea to flee for the mountains at a certain point, and for those in the city to get out (Mt 24:15-16, 42; Mk 13:14-16, 33, 35-37; Lk 21:20-21, 34, 36; Rev 18:4) |
| God commanded Noah to take his family and enter the ark before the flood came (Gen 7:1-4) |
God’s holy angels commanded Lot to flee from the city to the mountains in order to escape the judgment (Gen 19:15) |
The Lord will command His holy angels to gather the elect to Christ (Mt 24:31; Mk 13:27) |
| Noah and his family obeyed God and got into the ark (Gen 6:22; 7:5, 11-13) |
Lot and his daughters obeyed God’s holy angels and fled (to Zoar, not the mountains), except his wife who looked back and became a pillar of salt (Gen 19:23, 26) |
We must obey the Lord, make our advance preparations both naturally and spiritually, come out from Babylon and be separate from the world, touching no unclean thing, being careful, being always on the watch, praying, and on guard (Mt 24:15-16, 42; Mk 13:14-16, 33, 35-37; Lk 21:20-21, 34, 36; 2 Co 6:17 – 7:1; Rev 18:4) |
| Once Noah and his family were in the ark with the animals and God closed the door, the judgment came suddenly in the form of a global flood that destroyed all the wicked (Gen 7:20-23; 2 Pe 3:6) |
The day Lot left Sodom, judgment came suddenly in the form of fire and brimstone from heaven that destroyed the wicked in that city (Gen 19:24-25; Lk 17:29) |
On the day the Son of Man is revealed (rapture), the hour of trial (time of punishment) will come upon the whole earth to test the inhabitants of the earth (Lk 17:30; 21:22; Rev 3:10). Also the heavens and earth are reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly (2 Pe 3:7) |
| Noah and his wife, along with their three sons and their wives were saved from destruction, along with the animals that were in the ark with them (Gen 8:1, 16, 18) |
Lot and his two daughters were saved from destruction, because God remembered righteous Abraham and his prayers for the righteous (Gen 19:29) |
Only the righteous who are ready for the rapture will be saved from the punishment that is going to come upon the whole world (Mt 24:40-41; Mk 13:37; 1 Thes 4:16-17; ) |
Closing Words
Based on this analysis, we can clearly see parallels between what happened in the days of Noah, in the days of Lot, and what will happen at the time of the rapture, as the Lord Jesus Himself explicitly pointed out. As the apostle Peter wrote, what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah was an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly after the rapture (2 Pe 2:6).
The people in society today have become very wicked, just as in the days of Noah and Lot. God has determined the need for judgment. There are very few who will be ready for the rapture. God has given advance warning about all of this to the righteous, which is written in His Word. There are also many people receiving dreams, visions, and prophecies about what is coming upon the earth, according to Acts 2:17.
God has commanded us to make advance preparations to escape the judgment by being ready for the Lord’s return. He has also instructed those in Judea to flee for the mountains at a certain point, and for those in the city to get out. This is for a specific point in time when the abomination of desolation occurs and Jerusalem is surrounded by armies. Getting out of the cities and fleeing to the mountains may apply not only to those in Judea, but also to believers throughout the world.
The Lord will command His holy angels to gather the elect to Christ when He comes in the clouds of glory.
We know that the heavens and earth are reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. For Scripture says:
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat." (2Pe 3:10-12)
"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (2Pe 3:14)
God has not appointed us to suffer His wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes 5:9). But only the righteous who are ready for the rapture will be saved from the punishment that is going to come upon the whole world. Only those who make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with Him, and only those who live holy and godly lives will be ready.
Therefore, we must obey the Lord, make our advance preparations both naturally and spiritually, come out from Babylon and be separate from the world, touch no unclean thing, be careful and always on the watch, pray, and be on guard.
Some may call this an escapist mentality, but this is the Scriptural pattern. Noah escaped just in time from the flood. Lot escaped just in time from the fiery catastrophe that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah. And Jesus said it would be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed (Lk 17:30). He said to pray that you may be able to escape all that is coming to pass and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man when He comes (Lk 21:36). Please make sure you are ready when Jesus comes. You have been warned.
Attribution Notice: Scriptures takes from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image of ark used according to Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only, and may be subject to copyright.
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Len Lacroix is the founder of
Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission.
www.dmiworld.org
