Corruption

Genesis 6:11-13

Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

Luke 17:26-27 AMPC

And just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the time of the Son of Man. People ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, right up to the day when Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Yesterday we were discussing the extent that the world has deteriorated, like most "oldies" like to do! We looked at the lack of integrity in Government and in the media and on and on.

Seriously though, when Jesus was explaining how it would be when He returns, He mentions the days of Noah.

How corruption and violence had filled the earth [as we can see from the verse at the start].

People just carried on with their everyday life oblivious to the fact that destruction was on the way. They thought no one was looking and no one cared. They ignored God, they didn't even believe in Him.

Only Noah listened to and followed God. So the Lord made a way of escape for Him.

But, Noah had to do some hard graft on order to be ready. That ark took a bit of building in order for him to be saved. He had to be scorned and laughed at by atheists.

Jesus too says we must be ready for the time is coming when God the Father will decide "enough is enough".

Don't be like those who were swept away because they failed to recognise the signs of the times.

Make preparations, be inside the ark of the Lord Jesus, in the secret place of His protection.

Psalm 91:1 AMPC

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].

Jesus told so many parables all with the same underlying message of being ready - He knew the all too familiar tactic of the evil one - to lull us into inactivity and indifference - distracting us with the insignificancies of routine chores.

There's a door of opportunity to put your "house" in order, get your heart right.

Heed the inner Voice prompting you - don't put it off...

God's going to be on a mission to finish off the sentence that Jesus left off when reading from the scroll...

Luke 4:16-21

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus stopped reading Isaiah 61:2 because... at the moment we are in the time of the Lord's favour... but it goes on to say "and the day of vengeance of our God".

There will be a time of judgement when Jesus returns - if we don't avail ourselves of Jesus' salvation at the Cross - then we will have to face the Lord's vengeance because He is the Judge of the whole Cosmos and things need to be put right.