“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 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 24:38, 39

In these compelling passages, Jesus discusses His return to the earth in the Second Coming. Read it carefully and you will come away with the conclusion that He doesn’t name one sinful thing. There is nothing wrong with eating, drinking, marrying, or giving in marriage! Then what is the big deal? Why describe the society that exists before His return in such innocent terms?

The answer is found in the phrase, “As the days of Noah were.” You see, the people of Noah’s day completely ignored God’s warnings of impending judgment for over 100 years! Jesus observed that life in that day went on as usual, unperturbed and unconcerned about Noah’s dire predictions. Caught up in living the life they wanted, they simply shut their ears to God’s call to repentance. In short, Noah’s generation was afflicted with intoxicating apathy.

Jesus predicted that the generation witnessing His return would be exactly the same way, as did Peter in his 2nd epistle. “Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?”—3: 3, 4

This same apathy seems to be creeping into our nation and world this very moment. Obsessively focused on life here and now, very little is said, even in our churches, about the world to come. I want to close with this thought: The churches that stay focused on Christ’s imminent return will be the most effective in changing lives and impacting our culture for God. Let’s tell the world He’s coming again, and lift up your eyes, your redemption draws near!

Pastor Jeff