Scoffer or Accepter?

Thousands of years ago, the Lord released the fountains of the deep and skies, flooding the entire earth, destroying all life which lived on land, except for that which He'd enclosed the doors for on the ark.  It was because the wickedness of man had become great on the earth and every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  The earth had become corrupt in God's sight.  Noah however found favor with God and He spared Noah along with his wife, his three sons and their wives.  Noah found favor with God because in God's plan the Deliverer from sin and corruption would come through him.


It began raining here in Western Washington on Saturday and it didn't let up until more than twenty-four hours later.  All the rain made for an interesting ride to church for me and Tim.  As we made our approach to the on ramp to the freeway, we realized all of a sudden that several vehicles were stopped in front of us.  The reason soon became very clear.  The roadway was completely submerged under water.  A compact car was stuck, right in the middle of the on ramp, water lapping up the sides at least three feet off the ground with two people inside.  Tim pulled over to decide what we should do.  Two 4x4 trucks were ahead of us.  One of the drivers jumped out to assist the people stuck in the submerged car.  The other driver jumped out of his rig and started directing traffic, motioning for the other stopped cars ahead of us to carefully make their way to the left of the submerged car.  The water was not so deep there making it so you could go around the submerged car and proceed on to the freeway.  Cars were starting to back up behind us.  Tim was worried that because we were on a curve, eventually someone would come around the curve, not knowing what lay ahead, and plow into all the stopped cars.  He jumped out, grabbed some flares, made his way back several hundred feet, laying down flares as he went.  As he walked back to our van, he called 911 to notify them of the situation.   By the time he returned to our van, the one 4x4 driver had pulled the submerged car out of the water with a tow rope and over to safety.  There was really nothing more we could do so we proceeded on, carefully making our way through about six inches of water for a hundred feet or so, before we were clear of the flooding and on to the freeway. 

It was still raining when we left church.  We made our way home on the back roads this time instead of the freeway.  In many places, what used to be pastures were now lakes.  In a couple of places the water was rushing over the roadway, just like a river, but passable.  One home was completely surrounded by the rushing current.  At one point the ditch had given way to the pounding water, threatening to undermine the roadway itself.  The power of the water was evident and in the amounts we were seeing, the forces could be potentially destructive.  The Lord will never again destroy all flesh with water but when we see local flooding we are reminded that the curse of sin has not yet been removed.  Praise God, some day it will be, but not before another judgment comes.   

The earth is once again filled with the sinfulness and violence of men.  The creation is worshipped over the Creator.  The Creator Himself is denied to exist.  Scoffers make the biblical accounts of creation and the flood and the first coming of Christ myth rather than truth.  Millions of babies have been murdered in the name of inconvenience for the mother.  Men lust after men and women after women.  The ugly list goes on and on.  

2 Peter 3:7 tells us the other judgment that is coming will be by fire.  This coming judgment is scoffed at as well, or just ignored.  As the ungodly were destroyed by water in Noah's day, the ungodly that fill the earth now will be destroyed by fire.  This judgment by fire is called the day of the Lord and I don't think we have thousands of years before it comes, nor even hundreds.  I think it could come in the next twenty years.      

There is good news for us.  The Lord is patient.  The Lord does not wish for any to perish.  The Lord does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked.  He didn't take pleasure at the death of those who were killed during Noah's time and He will not take pleasure in the death of the wicked during the day of the Lord.  He will execute His justice, however, because He does love justice and righteousness.  Jesus offers us His righteousness in exchange for our sin.  Jesus can be your solid ground - in this world that remains unsettled until creation is restored.  Jesus put on flesh two thousand years ago and bore the wrath of God for sin.  We can scoff at it and call it a myth, or we can turn from our sinfulness and accept Jesus sacrifice of sin on our behalf.  Scoffers will come under God's judgment and be separated from Him and suffer torment - for all of eternity.  Accepters will come into His presence and experience fullness of joy - for all eternity.  


Which do you choose to be?