SALVATION

“Now I saw Heaven opened and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True. In righteousness He judges and makes war on evil. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelations 19:11,16)

Rain pounded on the roof of the ark. Noah and his family huddled together against a wall on the third deck. Tears ran down their faces, but no one said a word. Since the first tidal wave, no human cries were heard outside the salvation boat. Several more giant waves had hit, rocking and shaking the ship. They knew their friends and family were gone. Forever.

Noah braved a peek out the small window and was astounded at what he saw.

The lowlands below were washed clean of houses or any sign of life. Birds flew in the sky and the din of bird cries filled the air, but no sign of life could Noah see on the land.

No animals, no people. The land was washed clean, as if life had never existed on the face of the earth.

The sea was encroaching on the land, and before his very eyes, it crawled to the base of the hills. Inside the ark all was silent; nothing moved no one made a sound. The floor Noah stood on shook mightily nearly knocking him off his feet. A might roar coming from the sea was growing louder.

Noah’s eyes perceived what he could not comprehend. A mighty wave, much higher than the first, was roaring towards land. The wall of dark water towered so high it blotted out all light causing the world to be like the darkness of night. It was like God’s entire wrath and vengeance was piled in that terrible wave as it bore down on earth.

Noah slammed the window shut and knelt on the floor with his family.

“God above have mercy on us, Your children!” Noah cried in a wavering voice.

The roar filled the air like nothing they had heard. We would say it sounded like a freight train bearing down on the boat. The earth shook. The ship creaked and groaned.

The water pounded against the side of the great ship and it tilted with loud screeches. Noah threw his arms around his family. Would it hold? Had they built it right? The giant boat rocked back and shuttered. Oh had God changed His mind and decided to wipe them off the earth also?

The shaking quit. As if on a cushion of air the huge ship began to move. It swayed from side to side like a cradle.

“It’s floating!” Someone said, “we’re moving.”

Before Noah had a chance to look out the window another wave rolled in. The boat rocked drastically, tipping way over to the side. Creaking and groaning it lurched back. Pallets and crates slid across the floor. The dogs crept in close to the family whimpering. The cat scudded into the dark corner. Below a sheep baaed and a bird screeched.

And so they rode the mighty waves. Sometimes the huge boat careened into the gullies and sometimes it climbed the tall mountainous waves. For 40 days and 40 nights it poured torrents of rain, geysers spurted from inside the earth and the flood waters rose higher and higher.

“Finally the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth. Rising more than 22 feet above the highest peaks!” (Gen. 7:17-19)

After the first few days, the waters calmed and the boat drifted on gentle swells. The ship was built to float and drift, the weight and shape keeping it steady in the water.

There was not a lot of time for the family to get bored since they had a whole boat load of animals to feed and water. Some of the larger ones slept but many needed daily care. All had been planned out well. The rain filled the cisterns with water, which was probably piped to the decks. I would think they carted hay and grain to the animals from the upper deck. The animals probably did not eat a lot, being sedentary and kept quiet by an instinct to be calm when in confinement. Many animals have that instinct still today.

One day Noah ventured a look out the window. His eyes widened as he stared at nothing! Nothing but water as far as he could see. Can you imagine what it would feel like to know you were the only living people on the face of the earth? To know that God had wiped out thousands of lives all because they refused Him?

“All living things on earth died! All animals—-all the people. Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. God wiped out every living thing on earth–people, livestock, small animals that curry along the ground and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed.

The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat.” (Gen. 7:21-23 NLT)

Jesus came into the world the first time not to judge but to save. Don’t be fooled! There will come a time when He will come with power and in glory. Like lightening flashing across the sky, from horizon to horizon, bright, blinding, continuous, He will come. With millions of angels, Jesus, the Conquering King will descend from Heaven. He will sit upon His glorious throne.

All nations will be gathered in His presence and He will separate the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at His right hand and the goats at His left.  He will judge. Just like the flood. The sinful, the ones who refuse Him will go into eternal punishment. But the righteous, His followers, will go into eternal life. (from Math. 24:27, 25:31-33, 46 NLT)

Jesus said, “You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad and its gate wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to Life is very narrow and the road is difficult and only a few find it.” (Math. 7:13-14 NLT)

God’s path is not always easy. The road is difficult, the way is steep, there is much training in this life to endure, but it is the way to eternal Life in Glory. The gate to life eternal with the Almighty King is narrow much like the door to the ark.

Friends, enter the narrow gate, walk through that small door into the ark of salvation. Accept Jesus as your savior and be saved. Walk on His roadway no matter how tough, no matter how steep the grade, keep to the course. “The one who endures to the end will be saved.”

So Jesus said speaking of the end times: “Nation will go to war against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

Then you will be arrested, persecuted and killed. You will be hated over the world because you are My followers. And many will turn away from Me to betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The good news about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world so that all nations will hear it. Then the end will come.” Mathew 24:7-14 NLT

Come Jesus Come!

(Does this sound familiar?  I wrote this three years ago and some these things were going on then, but now they are even more prevalent. This is happening now, my friends!  We are experiencing the birth pains, so it seems. The end may be near.  There is even more urgency now.  Please don’t wait to turn to Jesus.  He is your only hope, your ONLY salvation.  Believers, there is no longer a fence to walk.  We are either for Him or against Him.  There is NO middle ground.)