The kingdom of God is coming when all human governments will be put down and Jesus Christ will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now, that’s our hope. If you don’t like the way things are going in the world right now, just hang on a while, before long, all of these governments will be put aside.

We’ve seen that several different times in the prophecies. It happens over and over again, that the thrones are going to be cast down, that the governments are coming down, and will be replaced with the government of Almighty God Himself, with Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But the most critical question is:  What does it take to enter the kingdom of God? For the answer to that question again we have to turn to the words of Jesus Christ Himself:

Now there was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (a leader, an authority) among the Jews, who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know and are certain that You have come from God [as] a Teacher; for no one can do these signs (these wonderworks, these miracles—and produce the proofs) that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. (John 3:1-3 AMP)

So, the Bible teaches us that the plan of salvation was accomplished by Jesus Christ on Calvary, and we must accept what He did there. We accept the work of Jesus Christ by obeying the gospel. Now, the gospel of the kingdom is the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, resulting in entering the kingdom of God. But, how do we obey the gospel? Paul tells us in tells us there the consequences of not obeying the gospel.

 [It is a fair decision] since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with distress and affliction those who distress and afflict you, and to [recompense] you who are so distressed and afflicted [by granting you] relief and rest along with us [your fellow sufferers] when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in a flame of fire, to deal out retribution (chastisement and vengeance) upon those who do not know or perceive or become acquainted with God, and [upon those] who ignore and refuse to obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 AMP)

Not knowing God is equivalent to not obeying the gospel. We are told the gospel is “the good news.” The Bible does describes this for us. Again the apostle Paul wrote, concerning the gospel:

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV)

In his letter to Timothy Paul continued to assert to him to preach this Gospel of the Kingdom. It was noted that in Paul’s day many believed that Jesus Christ was divine but not human—God but not man. So Paul firmly instructs, encourages and strengthens Timothy to preach that Jesus Christ is fully man- a descendant of King David and was fully raised from the dead:

Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.(2 Timothy 2:8-10 KJV)

So, the gospel isn’t just “the good news.” The good news is more than that. The good news is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The good news is that we can have eternal life. The gospel not only tells us that we can have eternal life, but how to have eternal life. And that gospel is that we have been redeemed and can be born again through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This gospel contains a central core of revealed truth that has been accepted and upheld by the general church throughout all generations, which may be summed up as follows: Jesus Christ is the divine, eternal Son of God, who became a member of the human race by a virgin birth. He led a sinless life, died on the cross as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of humanity, was buried, and rose again in bodily form from the grave on the third day. He ascended into heaven, whence He will return to earth in person to judge the living and the dead.

Everyone who repents of sin and trusts in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ receives forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. If you are willing to repent of your sins and become a member of God’s family, following, knowing, and serving Him as your Lord and Savior, then pray with me:

Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that You died for my sins, that You were buried, and that You rose again on the third day. I now repent of my sins and come to You for mercy and forgiveness. By faith in Your promise, I receive You personally as my Savior and confess You as my Lord. Come into my heart. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Give me eternal life and make me a child of God. Amen.

This is how we start the journey of entering the Kingdom of God.

Source of Image: Wikipedia

The second question that the disciples asked Jesus when He was giving His Olivet Discourse was: What will be the (one) sign of the end of the age? Matthew 24:14 tells us the answer:  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Jesus said that before the end of this age, the gospel of the kingdom must be preached then shall the end come.

John the Baptist was sent to proclaim to the world that “The Kingdom of Heaven” was at hand, and to point out the King. When the Lord Jesus began His public ministry, He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23 KJV). (See also Mark 1:14-15)

Therefore the Lord Jesus took up and continued the message of the kingdom and only adding to John the Baptist’s preaching of repentance the call to believe the Gospel—to have faith in the good tidings which He came to tell of the Kingdom of Heaven and of God. And from this time to the end of His ministry we find that the Gospel of the Kingdom was the continual subject of His teaching. Luke records that:

And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. (Luke 4:43 KJV) and after a few chapters we read that: Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. (Luke 8:1 NKJV)

We read that “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. (Luke 9:1-2 KJV). And having thus spent the years of His public ministry in publishing the good news of the Kingdom, He declared towards the end of it, as He was foretelling to His disciples the signs of the end of the age and of His coming. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

What is this Gospel of the Kingdom?

 In Matthew 10 Jesus sends out His twelve disciples  for the first time to preach , saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 10:5-7) When Adam and Eve sinned, God the Father promised a Deliverer. The Bible says:

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15 AMP)

Ages passed with a dim hope of a Savior, until God gave Abraham a promise that the Deliverer should arise from his posterity; saying, “And in your Seed [Christ] shall all the nations of the earth be blessed and [by Him] bless themselves, because you have heard and obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:18 AMP)

The promise pointed at the Messiah, and the grace of the gospel. Again time passed and David was raised up from amongst the descendants of Abraham, and of the predicted tribe of Judah, and to him the promise was made, “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. (2 Samuel 7:16 KJV)

David is saying in (Psalm 2:1-2 KJV) that the nations of the world are represented in rebellion against God and His Messiah. “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed” i.e. Messiah—Christ. And then the decree of the universal sovereignty of Messiah is proclaimed: “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession” (Psalm 2:7-8 KJV)

Then in (Psalm 22:1) David gave an accurate description of the suffering the Messiah would endure hundreds of years later. Jesus, the Messiah quoted this verse while hanging on the Cross carrying our burden of sin (Matthew 27:46) His Kingdom is again proclaimed as universal: “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee” (Psalm 22:27).

And, to fast forward over other passages, in Psalm 72: 5,7, 11,17 again we look forward to the endless reign of the Messiah, who alone can rule with perfect justice and whose citizens will enjoy perfect peace.

They shall fear Thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. All kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him. His Name shall endure for ever; and men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed”

Many years passed; and then Isaiah proclaimed in prophecy, “Behold a King shall reign in righteousness” (Isaiah 32:1) And Jeremiah contrasted the present corrupt leaders with the coming Messiah, the perfect King, Who would come from David’s line to reign over Israel. “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name whereby He shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

In Daniel we see a description of the time when human governments will be put down and the kingdom of God will be established. And Daniel was directed to explain the king’s dream, as a vision of earthly kingdoms which will be destroyed.

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”(Daniel 2:44-45 KJV)

And Zechariah sang, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee” (Zechariah 9:9 KJV) Another Scripture says “And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be -The LORD is one,” And His name one. (Zechariah 14:9 NKJV) The Bible says that this salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation and kingdom prepared for us:

The prophets, who prophesied of the grace (divine blessing) which was intended for you, searched and inquired earnestly about this salvation. They sought [to find out] to whom or when this was to come which the Spirit of Christ working within them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow [them].

It was then disclosed to them that the services they were rendering were not meant for themselves and their period of time, but for you. [It is these very] things which have now already been made known plainly to you by those who preached the good news (the Gospel) to you by the [same] Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Into these things [the very] angels long to look! (1 Peter 1:10-12 AMP)

Source of image: Wikipedia

One of the greatest intercessors in the Bible was the patriarch Abraham. Before the Lord decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he interceded that those two cities would be spared. Because of his intimate friendship with the Lord, he wasn’t left in dark on what the Lord intended to do. The Bible tells us that God asked “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” (Genesis 18:7)

When God told Abraham that He planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham asked God if He planned to destroy the righteous people along with the wicked to the point that he lowered the number of people to be spared from fifty righteous people to only ten.  Abraham persisted to drive the numbers lower; knowing only Lot and his relatives could be saved. Who knows if Abraham had continued to beseech the Lord one more time, may be the city would have been spared even if one righteous person was found there (see Genesis 18: 24-33).

Because of Abraham’s intercession, God sent angels to protect, direct, guide and deliver him. In the desperate days that we are living in now, we can expect God in his faithfulness to send angels on our behalf because the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations…. (2 Peter 2:9). The Bible also tells us angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14).

As Christians we have to plead in intercession for other people and our relatives on the basis of God’s mercy and love. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not (Lamentation 3:22). All of us are recipients of God’s mercy. If God did not extend His mercy and grace on us, withholding judgment, some of us would have perished long time ago. Even today God is holding up His justice because of His mercy and because a Savior died.

It is only by grace that we are saved, and that is why Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). No one was ever saved in any other way than by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone from the righteous Abel was saved looking forward to the cross, and everyone receives some degree of God’s grace, even the most sinful man like Hitler.

A.W Tozer wrote that “don’t imagine that when the Day of Judgment comes God will turn off His mercy.” It is the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, that leads us to repentance. (Romans 2:4) The apostle Peter reminds us:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)

The Lord said that the cities of Israel, Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom which were destroyed by God for their wickedness, would have repented of their sins long ago. The people of Bethsaida, Korazin, and Capernaum saw the Lord and experienced all these miracles but they didn’t believe, repent of their sins, and turn to God. So Jesus said that they would suffer even a greater judgment than Sodom because if these miracles were done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. (See Matthew 11: 20-24 NKJV)

Which means to whom more is given more is required. The West has been given a greater level of spiritual authority over other nations, so there will be no excuse on judgment day if they don’t repent and believe when there is still time. Leonard Ravenhill was right when he said,

Sodom had no Bibles, we have millions, Sodom had no Churches, we have thousands, Sodom had no preachers, we have ten thousand plus thousands, Sodom had no Bible schools, we have at least two hundred and fifty, Sodom had no prayer meetings, we have thousands, Sodom had no gospel broadcasts, as a nation we are richly blessed with Christian broadcasts. Sodom had histories of God’s judgements to warn it of danger. We have volumes of them. Sodom perished in spite of all these disadvantages.

America (or the West in general) is living only by the mercy of God. The only reason we are not smoking in the fire-wrath of a holy God is mercy—m-e-r-c-y, prolonged mercy….. One thing that and one thing alone that keeps us from complete decay in this hour –the Church, the true Church, the blood washed remnant (that has not bowed its knees to the Baal of materialism and that cannot be intimidated by the threats and scorn of scientific humanism)

After Abraham left off interceding, Sodom perished. While Abraham “stood yet before the Lord,” men had a representative before God. While Lot abode in Sodom (backslidden though he was), God still had a feeble representative with men….When Lot went out of Sodom and when Abraham made his final appeal; for the ten righteous men and found them not—then the fire of the Lord fell (Genesis 19:24).

Sodom perished because it had not a remnant. America (and the West) still has a remnant. We should remember Israel’s events and lessons are types and shadows of things to come in the church. In regards to both Israel and the Church, God is working towards restoration. This is what Peter is saying:

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:19-21).

We are to repent. God calls us to repent so that we can experience His presence. The only power to obey is in the presence of God and His voice speaking to us. And if we repent times of refreshing will come and God will restore all things, so that His name will be glorified and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).

Image credit: Abraham Sees Sodom in Flames: Wikipedia

When Jesus was teaching about His coming and the close of the age, He not only compared the close of this age with the days of Noah, but also with days of Lot.

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:26-30 NKJV)

In order to understand the time of Lot we may have to look in the Book of Genesis chapter 19 of get a clear picture of what the Lord Jesus was talking about:

That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground. “My lords,” he said, “come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up early in the morning and be on your way again.”“Oh no,” they replied. “We’ll just spend the night out here in the city square.”But Lot insisted, so at last they went home with him.

Lot prepared a feast for them, complete with fresh bread made without yeast, and they ate. But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”So Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. “Please, my brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing. Look, I have two virgin daughters.

Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.”“Stand back!” they shouted. “This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!” And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door. But the two angels reached out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door.

Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside. Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. “Do you have any other relatives here in the city?” they asked. “Get them out of this place—your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to destroy it.”So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, “Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking. (Genesis 19:1-14 NLT)

The city of Sodom derives from the English word sodomy which was applied to a particular form of sexual perversion. The story of this city reveals that Lot had to deal with the same kind of sins society faces today. The sinful practices of the people had influenced him to the point that he wasn’t able to take a stand.

When he finally decided to take stand against unrighteousness, it was almost impossible because he was no longer a true witness. This is evidenced by Lot’s compromise in giving up his two virgin daughters. “Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.”

What did he think? Possibly Lot thought the men who wanted to have sex with the angels would become disinterested and leave. Although it was a custom during those days to protect the guests at any cost, his proposal reveals how deeply sin had affected Lot and the city. Men desired homosexual relationships to the point that they did it openly, aggressively and were willing to resort to physical violence to get it.

In addition it encompassed the entire population both and young old. These men totally lacked common sense and they ignored all accepted moral behavior. No wonder this wickedness was so great that God had to destroy the whole city. Now how did the time of Lot differ from the time of Noah? Both of these times were similar, but in Lot’s time a special men desired sexual relationships with other men.

Lot was a nephew of Abraham who had come into a personal relationship with the Lord after observing God’s dealing with Abraham. The time came when he had to separate with Abraham, for the land could not support both of them if they stayed together. (Genesis 13:6) Therefore Abraham allowed Lot to choose where he would go.

Abraham’s choice was not based on the things of this world, but for eternal things, for he was (waiting expectantly and confidently) looking forward to the city which has fixed and firm foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10 AMP) Lot on the other hand, never looked beyond his present surroundings.

Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)  Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.  So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.  (Genesis 13:10 NLT)

It is said of the men of Sodom that they were sinners exceedingly because they were sinners before the Lord. But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord. (Genesis 13:13) This was in spite of the kindness He had shown them, for the land of Sodom was “like the garden of the Lord” prior to its destruction. Perhaps this is why Lot was drawn towards the wealth and fertility of Sodom, and he became blind to the wickedness of the city’s inhabitants.

After some time, the Lord sent two angels to proclaim that He was going to destroy the city. Lot by this time was sitting at Sodom’s city gate. (Genesis 19:1) The city gate was considered to be the meeting place for city officials to transact business and discuss current events. This would indicate that Lot held an important position in the community which has been cited as one reason why he didn’t want to leave.

The angels then asked Lot if he had “anyone else son-in-law, sons, daughters, and whomever you have in the city”—to take them out of the city before it was destroyed. (Genesis 19:12) So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiances, “Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking. (Genesis 19:14) When Lot told his sons-in-law to run from the wrath to come, they thought he had lost his mind.

Then the angels became insistent because Lot was still hesitant and the angels had to literally seize his hand and the hands of his wife and two unmarried daughters, to a place of safety for the Lord had mercy on them. (Genesis 19:16) But why was Lot double minded when it came to leaving the city? We have to understand that Sodom was a very beautiful place– well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord.

Like many of us, Lot did not want to leave the wealth, comfort and his position of authority which he probably enjoyed so much. In comparing the days of Noah and Lot, Jesus mentioned how people went about their daily business in these activities: eating drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—all these activities are lawful but the problem was people were so attached to these activities that they did not recognize what was going on morally.

The spirit of materialism was so strong that they no longer had any eternal consciousness. The Bible says that the real sin of Sodom was not homosexuality, but pride, abundance of food and indifference to the poor and the needy. Selfishness is the root cause of all other abominations. They tell us we are in a recession yet the rich are getting richer and richer and the poor are getting poorer, yet wealth is not destroyed but it is just transferred to the richest.

Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom; Pride, overabundance of food, prosperous ease, and idleness were hers and her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49 AMP)

Jesus said that “Beware!  Watch out. Be on guard against every kind of greed. Why? Because a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses. (See Luke 12:15-21) Greed, over abundance of food, and pride will always lead to perversion and then destruction.

The problem everywhere, whether in the West or in Africa is that we are putting our confidence in earthly things and not in God. We multiply increase, and hoard stuff but we are still unsatisfied. Why? Because nothing under the sun will satisfy us. We store up earthly treasures but we don’t work on our relationship with the Lord yet genuine rest is found in Him.

Compared to eternity we physically on this earth are only given a very brief moment of time to get our priorities in line. How tragic that most of us don’t grasp the importance of eternity. You wonder why so much our time is spent (if not all) on those things that are temporary! Most of our thoughts about life revolve around what we plan to do tomorrow or the day after.

About the only area in which there is any long range planning is the field of financial investments. However, we should look at life with eternity’s values in view! 100 years from now it will not matter whether you had a nice bank account, a portfolio of stocks or mutual funds, a savings account or a retirement account!

What will count for an eternity is: Did you develop a personal walk with Jesus Christ and secondly what motivated you to serve Him? If you are a Christian…. having accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and Lord… just honestly ask yourself this question: How much time do I devote to those things that are eternal?

The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it. Historians tell us that when Alexander the Great, discovered there were no more lands to conquer, he sat down and wept.

Continuing with His discourse as recorded by Matthew in chapter 24, Jesus said that as the age draws to a close, society will be like it was in the days of Noah. The fact that Jesus prophesied that,“As the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be,” it is important to understand what these days included. But before that we need to ask ourselves some important questions:

What were the distinctive features of these societies? How do we compare those days with the days of this modern world? Why did God send the judgment of the Flood in the days of Noah?

More than a historical narrative of what really happened, the events that led to the Flood are essential to understanding the prophetic implications of what the Lord Jesus says about His Second Coming.

For a description of those days, we have to look at the Book of Genesis. The sons of God described in this verse are the angels. These angelic beings came down and had sexual relations with the daughters of men and they bore children with them.

The Bible tells us that when this began to happen, God’s Spirit was grieved and He could not put up with humans for such a long time, so He set a definite lifespan of man for which is not more than 120 years (see Genesis 6:1-4). In verse 4 of Genesis 6, the New Living Translation says:

In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women; they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.

The word Nephilim derives from a Hebrew root- which means to fall. So Nephilim means the fallen ones or fallen apostates. The apostle Peter also tells us that:

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; (2 Peter 2:4-5 NKJV).

In the time of Noah there was this unnatural procreation between the occult realm and the human race and this is one of the main reasons that led to judgment of the Flood. In verse 5 of Genesis 6, The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.

The entire civilized world at that time had become totally evil  to the point that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually. The heart of man was exceedingly perverse and corrupt, and people had become unresponsive to the offer of God’s salvation through Enoch and then Noah.

Sexual immorality was rampart which resulted in sexual degradation and perversion.

Other distinctive features which we can’t discuss in detail were: the earth was full of corruption. “The earth was depraved and putrid in God’s sight, and the land was filled with violence (desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power) (Genesis 6:11 AMP). The earth was filled with violence “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence (Genesis 6:12 NKJV).

Noah must have managed one of the earliest recorded projects in the Bible – the building of the ark. He may not have completed  it to budget, but he certainly had to finish it by a specified time – before the flood and it must have met his performance criteria, as it successfully accommodated a pair of all the animals.

The Scriptures tell us that the purpose of the Flood was to judge and destroy the world by water on account of the evil wickedness of the world. This included all the cities and all the infrastructures (see Genesis 6:17-21).

Maybe when Noah was building the ark, some of his relatives might have said, “What are you going to do with the old homestead?” Noah says, “I don’t want it. The storm is coming.” He tells them the day of grace is closing, that worldly wealth is of no value, and that the ark is the only place of safety.

We must bear in mind that these railroads that we think so much of will soon go down. They only run for a time, not for eternity. The heavens will be on fire, and then what will property, honor, and position in society be worth?

All these animals entering the ark, two by two from the desert, the mountains and from the entire world guided by some unseen hand must have been a strange sight to the people. They might have asked their statesmen and wise men what it all meant.

Well the wise men might have told them there was no sign of a Flood, God is not going to destroy the world. Business is booming, people have a very good life, they are marrying, partying. Life is so good! Do you think if God was going to destroy the world, He would let us go on prospering as He has? There is no sign of a coming storm!

The Bible says God gave the world another seven days of grace.  “And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. (Genesis 7:10) Probably if people had repented during those seven days, God would have heard their cry. But there was no cry for repentance.

At long last, the last day, the last hour, the last minute, and the last second! God Almighty came down and shut the door Himself.

Once the Master of the house has risen and shut the door, the doom of the world is sealed, and the doom of that old world was sealed. A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them (Genesis 7:16).

When the door of salvation was shut, there was no hope. Their cry for mercy was too late. The day of grace was closed. The last day, hour, and minute had come and God had pleaded and invited them to come in, but they laughed and mocked. No one heeded the Lord’s clear warning to repent. Now it was too late. This is a very frightening scenario.

How would we compare Noah’s day with what is going on in our society today? People are drinking, they are marrying wives and being given in marriage not that these things are bad in themselves but we should not be occupied with only these activities that we forget to put our children in the ark.

Jesus said that when the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. Noah escaped not because he was blameless, he was justified by faith as we are, and he was saved because he responded to God’s mercy and grace.