Is it true that the end is nearly here? Jesus said that there is an open door and no man can shut it, and once He shuts it, no one can open it (Revelation 3:8).

There are many galaxies in the universe and our earth may seem insignificant. However, the Creator has taken a special interest in our planet and has stated, “The end of all flesh is come before Me.” Genesis 6:13

“The great controversy is nearing its end. Probation’s hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. The judgments of God are in the land. “The picture which Inspiration has given of the antediluvian world represents too truly the condition to which modern society is fast hastening.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 102

To declare the “end” of a situation or activity, is a significant decision. Throughout history this decision has brought many tears to millions and joy to others.

I remember my classmate told me how he divorced his wife: “I declare the end of my love to you as my wife” was his sentence. No effort could stop this since it came from his heart. He made a firm decision. It surprised many but it brought tears to different family members.

We need to be careful. The world has never been wholly destroyed since the flood. In the days of Noah “God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” Genesis 6:13

“God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And so, the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.” Genesis 6:5, 7, 11–12, 17

According to the dictionary, the word “end” means finish, conclude, close, complete, terminate, wind up, crown. These are strong words to refer to humanity. Even the animals and plants, will see their final end. In Noah’s time, “one hundred and twenty years of probation was granted to the inhabitants of the world, and Noah was to live through that generation.” –The Signs of the Times, April 18, 1895. “The world was in its infancy; yet iniquity had become so deep and widespread that God could no longer bear with it; and He said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.’” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 92

All that was corrupt drowned in the flood, but this was not the end of mankind. Noah had a close relationship with the Lord and he and his family were saved.  They knew they were only pilgrims on earth (Hebrews 11:13).

Today we are also given a warning. “A crisis is before us, such as the world has never witnessed. The program of coming events is in the hands of our Maker. The Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations, as well as the concerns of His church, in His own charge.” –Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 120–121

“We should be awake to discern the signs of the times, and to give warning to the people.” –The Signs of the Times, June 24, 1889

There is much more to the story of Noah. It is not just a story of a man who built an ark to save his family and all the animals from the flood. We can learn lessons from Noah that will help us to run the race of life successfully.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7

“While Noah was giving his warning message to the world, his works testified of his sincerity. . . . He gave the world an example of believing just what God says. All that he possessed, he invested in the ark. As he began to construct that immense boat on dry ground, multitudes came from every direction to see the strange sight and to hear the earnest, fervent words of the singular preacher. Every blow struck upon the ark was a witness to the people.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 95

Noah had a close relationship with God. His faith was very strong and he was obedient. He listened and obeyed.  Many people likely told him over and over again that he was foolish to be building such a huge boat. Noah had an unshakeable faith in order to endure all the harsh scoffing that he faced.

Here is what we can learn from Noah:

  • He warned the world that the end of the world was coming. Today it is our duty to warn the world of the second coming of Jesus, which will put an end to this world.
  • He built an ark and was saved with his family members by entering into the ark. We are also called to enter the ark of safety (Jesus Christ and His church) and warn our fellow men to enter also—our families, neighbours and friends. We have to point them to the true church, to Christ, the Lamb of God. We are to be a channel by which others are blessed and saved.
  • He lived in a wicked time and experienced the end of the world. We are also living in very wicked times. We will soon, very soon experience the end of the world.
  • He had walked with God by faith. Each step of our life is to be done also by walking with God by faith.
  • He was blameless and righteous. This is expected of us today if we wish to escape and find grace as did Noah.
  • He believed the prophecy, trusting the unseen. We need to believe prophecy trusting the unseen.
  • He was obedient throughout the process. He submitted to God’s will before, during, and after the building. We must also obey also at all times. We need to persevere and not abandon the work until its completion.
  • He was rewarded with righteousness by God because of his faith. We too will be rewarded if faithful.

“God in His providence set forth Noah as a representative of what true faith would do. It was because he had faith in God, because he was a man of prayer, that he was a man of power.” –The Signs of the Times, April 18, 1895

“Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9. It is important to consider that the words “just” and “perfect” do not mean “sinless.”  Noah was a man.  He was not an angel or any other type of divine being.  He was born with a sinful human nature just like you and me.  He struggled with sin and made mistakes in his life, but “he walked with God.” Noah had a close relationship with God.  He talked to God and God talked to him.

What about you? Are you ready to be firm like Noah within your family and in your neighbourhood? Or is the corruption around you pressing you so much that you yield? “But Noah stood like a rock amid the tempest. He was surrounded by every species of wickedness and moral corruption; but amid popular contempt and ridicule, amid universal wickedness and disobedience, he distinguished himself by his holy integrity and unwavering faithfulness. While the world around him were disregarding God, and were indulging in all manner of extravagant dissipation which led to violence and crimes of every kind, the faithful preacher of righteousness declared to that generation that a flood of water was to deluge the world because of the unsurpassed wickedness of its inhabitants. He warned them to repent and believe, and find refuge in the ark.” –Reflecting Christ, p. 322

The end of this earth is nearer than ever before. We are standing before the gates of our eternal home: the heavenly Canaan. We are to, “build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:12

God will call a people at the end of time to repair the broken principles. “The end is near, probation is closing.”—Messages to Young People, 89–90. “The terrible reports we hear of murders and robberies, of railway accidents and deeds of violence, tell the story that the end of all things is at hand. Now, just now, we need to be preparing for the Lord’s second coming.” – Last Day Events p. 23

Marriage

One of the institutions corrupted in the days of Noah and is very corrupt today is the institution of marriage. Vile practices are legalized; there are laws in many developed

countries allowing people of the same sex to marry. (Romans 1:24–28, 32)

These laws change what God established from the beginning of creation in regard to marriage; without realizing it, nations are returning to the same situation as was dominant before the great flood of Noah’s day.

Countries which in past decades were opposed to divorce now approve it, and it is sad to see that there are many religious groups that support it today. Globally, the statistics show that a couple breaks up every three minutes, and most marriage breakups occur within the first six years after the wedding. It is estimated that 60 percent of divorces involve children of that age or younger. This is very sad.

The true church of God does not espouse these errors.

Today’s Eating and Drinking

There is nothing wrong with eating and drinking, but it is excessive pleasure—eating and drinking, that is condemned. Today, people are focused only on eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying, and giving in marriage as they were in the days of Noah.

As God’s people, we must lift up the principles of health reform, for we live in a time of great intemperance.

It is taking its toll on millions of lives each day and we must sound the alarm, as did Noah, for intemperance made it impossible for the antediluvians to understand the message that God gave to Noah.  “Those who eat and work intemperately and irrationally, talk and act irrationally. It is not necessary to drink alcoholic liquors in order to be intemperate. The sin of intemperate eating–eating too frequently, too much, and of rich, unwholesome food–destroys the healthy action of the digestive organs, affects the brain, and perverts the judgment, preventing rational, calm, healthy thinking and acting.” –Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, p. 155

“Gluttony and intemperance lie at the foundation of the great moral depravity in our world. Satan is aware of this and he is constantly tempting men and women to indulge the taste at the expense of health and even life itself. Eating, drinking, and dressing are made the aim of life with the world. Just such a state of things existed before the flood. And this state of dissipation is one of the marked evidences of the soon close of this earth’s history.” –Letter 34, 1875

Violence and Moral Corruption Today

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. . . . The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” Genesis 6:13, 11–12. In the news around the world today you see a lot of corruption. Much of the judgments of God will come upon the earth because of the increasing corruption. We are today warned that “very soon the wickedness of the world will have reached its limit and, as in the days of Noah, God will pour out His judgments.” –Last Day Events, p. 23

“In the days of Noah the overwhelming majority was opposed to the truth, and enamored with a tissue of falsehoods. The land was filled with violence. War, crime, murder, was the order of the day. Just so will it be before Christ’s second coming.” –The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1090

On October 3, 2002, the World Health Organization released the first comprehensive report on violence, which is considered a worldwide public health issue. Each year, more than 1.6 million people worldwide die violently. Public health experts say these statistics are only the tip of the iceberg, since most of the violent acts are committed behind closed doors and go unrecorded. The report says that deaths and disabilities caused by violence make it one of the main public health problems of our time.

Violence is a major cause of death for people aged 15–44 and is responsible for 14 percent of deaths among males and 7 percent among females. On any given day, 1,424 people are killed in acts of homicide—almost one person every minute. Roughly one person commits suicide every 40 seconds. About 35 people die every hour as a direct result of armed conflict. It is estimated that in the twentieth century, 191 million people died as a result of direct or indirect conflict, and well over half of them were civilians.

“The terrible reports we hear of murders and robberies, of railway accidents and deeds of violence, tell the story that the end of all things is at hand. Now, just now, we need to be preparing for the Lord’s second coming.” –Last Day Events, p. 23

Christ said that as it was in the days of Noah, when the earth was filled with violence and corrupted by crime, so it will be when the Son of man is revealed.

The Religious World

The religious world, also, is to be terribly shaken, for the end of all things is at hand. We see terrible changes all around us and religious bodies are not prepared. Many things are accepted by many churches today which is contrary to godly principles: polygamy, homosexuality, and other immoralities. Dress and fashion is not seen as an offense to God. Eating and drinking whatever one chooses is encouraged by religious leaders, alcohol, tobacco, flesh meats, stimulants and narcotic foods, tea, coffee, chocolate and other harmful foods show that not all churches are following godly principles. Only one church is rebuking sin and defending the broken law and is holding up the standard of truth today and preparing the people to stand before the terrible day of Jehovah ahead.

“Transgression has almost reached its limit. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. The end is very near. We who know the truth should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise.”—Last Day Events p. 41

Obedience is a Choice

Obedience is a choice.  Noah chose to build the ark.  God did not force him.  His faith and obedience was proof that he loved God. Noah never questioned God, but simply obeyed and did exactly as God directed.

“The world, full of rioting, full of godless pleasure, is asleep, asleep in carnal security. Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They laugh at warnings. The proud boast is made, ‘All things continue as they were from the beginning.’ When the scorner, the rejecter of truth, has become presumptuous; when the routine of work in the various money-making lines is carried on without regard to principle; when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but his Bible, Christ comes as a thief.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 635

Today we can see much injustice, pain, evil, and suffering. We want to be with Jesus one day, to be able to embrace our loved ones that death has taken from us. We want to enter through the gates of New Jerusalem. Yes, the time has come; the great deceptions that seduce the world, the bloody wars and violence that continue, the financial and social crises that affect our society, the hunger and disease that so many are suffering from, and the many earthquakes shaking many parts of the world with increasing intensity are God’s clock telling us that the time has come for deliverance when God will wipe away our tears.

We see God’s judgments on both land and sea. We are not granted a second probation. Today, there is still a little time left to surrender all to Jesus. An hour, day, or year that is past will never return. While we have life, there is still opportunity to seek God while He can be found. Seek Him today, my dear brother and sister. Jesus intercedes for you. He is standing at your heart’s door. Open it, for He grants full salvation. Trust Him as your Saviour.

Will you be like the antediluvians? “They refused to listen to the words of Noah; they mocked at his message. Righteous men lived in that generation. Before the destruction of the antediluvian world, Enoch bore his testimony unflinchingly.” –The Review and Herald, August 2, 1898. “It is sinful to be indifferent to the signs which are to precede the second coming of Christ.” –The Acts of Apostles, p. 260

“By faith Noah. . . . condemned the world.” Hebrews 11:7.  Because of Noah’s faith and obedience to do exactly what God had asked of him, the rest of the world was condemned to die. They were condemned them because of their unbelief.  Noah stood alone.  He stood firm in his belief and in his conviction that God would do what He said He was going to do. The rest of the world drowned in the great flood.

Is this different from your duty today? To “condemn the rest of the world” does not mean to judge but to warn and rebuke, calling sin by its proper name. Tell the people their transgressions. If you do not give the warning, you are in danger of being lost. “Everything around him was in confusion. On all sides was sin and wickedness, disregard of God and His holy law; but he was to live among men, and not be a partaker of their wicked works, but to be an example of righteousness, and faith, and entire obedience to God. . . . He was a faithful preacher of righteousness, exemplifying to the world what a man’s life could be. . . . Nearly the whole world was against Noah.” –Signs of the Times, April 18, 1895

Is your faith like Noah’s? I encourage you to stand firm in your faith in Christ today. Do not let the unbelief of the world around you shake your faith. Noah ran a good race and he and his family received God’s blessing.  They lived. The waters receded and they were the only people left alive.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God?

Ask yourself, if you had lived in the time of Noah, would you have been as trusting and obedient to all that the Lord commanded, as Noah was?

May the Lord strengthen us to live in faith. “Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God–candidates for heaven.” –Maranatha, p. 240.  Amen.

Victor Shumbusho
DR Congo