God Judges
My family and I went to see the Ark Encounter in Kentucky last week. It was an amazing sight. I’ve read the Bible many times and the story of the flood many, many times. But when I read about the ark being 300 cubits, it’s really hard to envision how large that really is. But Ken Ham built the Ark Encounter to the dimensions of Noah’s ark in the Bible. The ark is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and it’s taller than a four story house. It is a massive structure. It is the largest wooden structure in the world. It is truly a wonder and I highly recommend seeing it if you get a chance.
On the inside of the Ark Encounter they have exhibits throughout the three levels. They show you how it would have been possible to store food and water along with Noah and his family as well as tens of thousands of animals. But one of the exhibits talked about the estimated number of people killed during the flood. Eight souls were saved, but the rest of mankind and the animals outside of the ark were utterly destroyed. The exhibit showed how based on just 1%, 1.1%, 1.2 % or 1.3% population growth at that time could easily have been 3 million people (or more).
Staggering Numbers
Now I’ve heard this statistic before and I have even posted about it online. But the numbers are staggering. People mistakenly think that God is all love because we are under God’s grace. But think about this statically small number of people who survived the great flood. Only eight people were saved while an estimated 3 million people perished. Eight out of 3 million. That’s a tiny, tiny fraction. Make no mistake, God judges. He judged the world back then and found it guilty; sparing only Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. God judged the Whole Rest of the World!
The Bible is very clear on what is going to happen at the end time. Listen to what the apostle Peter says it will be like in the last days and what the final end of earth will be: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Reserved Unto Fire
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? (2 Peter 3:3-12)
Ungodly People
First of all, Peter, says people will be ungodly in the last days. They will be selfish. They will live for the pleasures of the flesh. They will be scoffers. They will hate the truth when they hear it. Many people make fun of my friends and myself when we go out witnessing. I started street witnessing over seven years ago and back then a lot of people didn’t even want to admit that they were atheists. Now people proudly and loudly claim to be atheists (even though the Bible says that there is no such thing as an atheist because we all know that there is a Creator). People are becoming more vocal and even sometimes violent toward street witnessing.
Jesus also warned that the last days would be like the days of Noah. Violent times. Wickedness will be pervasive. Some people will claim to be Jesus. Other people will be killed for their faith in Christ. Again, that sure describes our current time. Especially think of Christians being viciously slaughtered by ISIS.
The apostle Peter also tells us that the earth will be burnt up in the end. He says that the earth is reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. The earth is going to be burned up along with ungodly men because of God’s judgment, because of God’s wrath over sinful man. God judged the world guilty in the days of Noah and He is going to judge the world guilty at the very end. Again, make no mistake, God judges!
Special Generation?
He flooded the world once before and He’s going to burn the earth up at the end. God judges sin. So if God judged the world in the past and He’s going to judge the world again in the future, what makes us think that He’s going to give people living today a free pass? What makes you think that God is going to let you skate? What makes you think that God will not judge you? Do you really naively think that our generation is some special generation that will escape God’s judgment?
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 states: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. God is going to take vengeance with flaming fire on all unrepentant sinners. On everyone who rejects the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is clear that the guilty will not be spared. The soul that sins, it shall die. Are you perfect? Have you never, ever sinned against God? Of course not. I’m not perfect. You are not perfect. None of us are. Only Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God was perfect. But the rest of us like sheep have all gone astray. None of us are righteous or right with God on our own. All of us are sinners. We are all under sin. No rebellious sinner who dies in their sin (in their state of rebellion) will be spared. All unbelievers are included in this massive group.
None Of Us Are Righteous
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Romans 3:10-12).
We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. None of us are righteous. We are all sinners and before you mistakenly think that God is all love and that He will overlook your sins, you need to know that there is a final judgment coming. There is day of Judgment.
Great White Throne of Judgment
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).
Compels Us To Share The Gospel
Folks, this is what compels us to share the Gospel with this lost and dying world. God judges! He judged the world with a worldwide flood. He’s going to burn up the earth in the end. On top of that, Judgment Day is coming where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Some of us willingly do this today. But those of you who wait until Judgment Day to bow your knee and confess with your tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord, will be too late. You will bow and confess, but Jesus will still have His servants cast you into the lake of fire and brimstone where you will suffer forever and ever. You will endure the torments of the damned for all of eternity.
The Final Judgment
You see, it is the final judgment. There are no reprieves. There are no second chances in Hell. There is no parole. One you are cast into that awful place, you will burn forever and it is no party place. People in Hell are suffering unimaginable pain and agony right now. They are gnashing their teeth. They are still spewing their hatred toward God, but they have no rest day or night. The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever.
We come out witnessing because we don’t want you to suffer the torments of the eternally damned. We don’t want to see you die in your sins as an unrepentant sinner. We don’t want you to die a guilty person and suffer the torments in Hell for all of eternity.
We Want You To Be Saved
No, we want you to be saved. We want to see you when we get to Heaven. We want you to receive everlasting life. Remember earlier I said that we are all guilty. None of us are right with God – on our own. We are all guilty criminals and we all deserve God’s wrath, God’s judgment over our sins forever and ever. We have all rebelled against God and we all deserve His righteous judgment.
But God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). You see, before God even created this earth, before the foundation was laid, He knew that we would all sin against Him. He knew that we’d all eat the poison fruit of sin. He knew that we’d lap sin in like a dog laps water. He knew this ahead of time, yet He still made us. He formed each and every one of us in our mother’s womb. He made us even though He knew that we’d rebel against Him.
God is merciful, loving and kind. He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Even though we all have fallen short of God’s glory, He made a way for us to get back in a right relationship with Him and that’ through Jesus Christ alone. Even though we have all broken the 10 Commandments, Jesus never did. He perfectly kept the commandments in His thoughts, words and actions. None of us have kept them.
The Only Savior
But Jesus did. That’s why He is the only Savior. He is the only perfect sacrifice. The Just for the unjust. The righteous for the unrighteous. The innocent in place of the guilty. You see, Jesus gives His righteousness and takes the sins of guilty sinners upon Himself. He bore our sins while He hung on the cruel cross. He bore God’s wrath, God’s judgment while He suffered, bled and died on the cross.
Then He rose victoriously from the grave three days later. Jesus defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. You can be saved today. You can be redeemed. You can be made righteous. You can be made whole. Jesus can take away all of your sins and He does this for each and every person who repents and puts their trust in Him. Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. Trust Him. Put your faith in Him. Trust Him just like you’d trust in a parachute before you jumped out of an airplane. The Bible says that we are to put on the Lord Jesus.
Put On The Lord Jesus
Do this tonight. Put on the Lord Jesus. Repent and surrender your life to Him. Then you will have no fear of God on Judgment Day because He will judge you as innocent if you repent and trust Jesus. He will see you innocent through the shed blood of the Innocent One. He will see you innocent through the innocence of Jesus. Why would you foolishly reject eternal life and suffer God’s judgment over your sins forever? Don’t do it. Repent and believe the Gospel because God judges. Don’t wait until Judgment Day when His judgment will be everlasting. Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Be saved today.
(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on August 12, 2016)