Noah -Israel Through Tribulation

Noah is a picture of Israel being saved during the tribulation. Noah’s name means to bring comfort and rest. So the very first thing to consider when looking at the pictures that are painted for us in the story of Noah is the meaning of his name. It is the Lord’s intention to comfort Israel and bring them into His Rest. In the first week of creation God designed the 7th day as a day of rest, with the promise that another day of rest is promised to the people of God. This day of rest is to take place during the 7000 year mark of history, after the great tribulation and during Yeshua’s Millennium reign here on earth.

God instructed Noah to build an ark which would protect Noah and his family during the judgment that was coming on the earth because of the wicked behavior of mankind. The Lord saw that Noah was righteous among his generation. They were few in number only 8 but it was Noah entire household. This family entered the ark and was protected during the terrible tribulation as the flood waters destroyed every living thing, except those on the ark.

Gen. 7: 1-7 "Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood."

This is a picture of Israel going through the great tribulation of 7 years that is prophesied to come upon the earth before the return of Christ. The wrath of God will come upon the earth for a second time according to the scriptures just as Enoch saw it to be. As God pours out His wrath upon the ungodly He will preserve for Himself the Household of God. Although His household may be small in numbers, as was Noah’s, God will provide protection and a way of escape for Israel just as He did for Noah and his family. Noah was saved from the waters of tribulation and Israel will be saved from the fires of tribulation that Jesus spoke of in Mathew 24.

The disciples of Jesus asked Him for a sign to look for that would tell them the time of His second coming. Jesus gave them many signs and after describing what to expect during the tribulation, and when to flea Israel, Jesus then links those days with the days of Noah. It is no accident, in my opinion that the tribulation is linked to Noah, our Lord just loves to paint word pictures for us. We just examined how Enoch was a word picture of the Rapture of the Bride of Christ, now we will look at the word picture that Jesus drew for us of Noah.

Matthew 24:37-38 "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark."

I believe this scripture to be a remez statement hinting at three very distinct but related hints of things to come. Jesus instructs His disciples on what to expect and how difficult it will be before His return, then He mentions Noah, which I believe to be a hint, that says, never-the-less there will be comfort and rest. Then Jesus draws His listener’s attention to the fact that when the Lord returns the condition of mankind will be the same as it was in the days of Noah before the flood.

The second hint is that the earth will be so corrupt and sinful that only a few righteous people will be found just as in Noah’s day only his family was saved from God’s wrath.

Finally, Jesus says that people will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until Noah entered the ark. To the western mind, we view this as life going on as usual. This is because we in the west have divorced ourselves from our Jewish roots. The Rabbi’s however say that there was an act that tipped the scales and initiated the flood waters. They say that although homosexuality was prevalent in Noah’s day, it was not until contracts of marriage were issued between two men or between two women that the wrath of God was initiated for judgment to come in the form of flood waters. I believe Jesus’ audience would have understood what He was referring to when He made the statement we have recorded in Mathew.

If the contracts of marriage between homosexuals are a sign of His Second Coming, then look around, currently we have 36 states that are issuing these contracts and a pending decision to make it mandatory in every state of the Union. We are living in the days that Jesus described to be just as in the days of Noah.

I have written an e-book on what the Bible has to say about homosexuality and why redefining marriage is such an affront to God. I labored over this work in order to answer the question: “Where in the Bible did Jesus condemn homosexuality?” The book is also an attempt to call the homosexual to repentance. We all have loved ones who because of their choice may separate themselves from God for all eternity. I love them too much to keep silent. I pray that they make another choice…choose Yeshua and walk in His ways!

A free copy of the book is available on the website.

http://www.sweetmanna.org/EbookTableOfContents.html