Scripture reading: I Peter 3:19-20
It was almost two thousand years since Adam, and humanity had increased greatly, mainly because of the longevity of mankind at that time, and the virility of the species to reproduce at a very old age. In two thousand years there were many millions of people in the earth.
Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, did not only multiply in numbers, but in spirit. It was easier for man to follow his sinful nature and do evil than to do good, thus the multiplication of evil was very great. The nature of Satan (the adversary of God), and the nature of the destroyer, were bred into the human mind and heart, so that the solution of his problems consistently was based upon violence. Violence is like a cancer which multiplies itself, so the order of the world institutions was violence, and blood begets blood.
It is evident from scripture that the stigma of Satan was against this people, and that the violence in the earth, though it seemed to have engulfed all of humanity, was chiefly directed against the people of God. The evidence of this presents itself clearly when we notice that near the end of these two thousand years only eight righteous were left. They had been multiplying equally with the unrighteous, and the knowledge of God was disseminated among them equally, yet after two thousand years of geometric increase, they had dwindled down to only eight.
God, the Almighty, JHVH (Yaweh), by His own laws, cannot take away man’s free will choice, BUT He can take away the life of anyone who takes away the free will choice of others. This then was the crisis of the time and God’s righteous judgment of that moment. HE OFFERED SALVATION TO THE WORLD IN DEATH rather than allow life to be destroyed from the earth by violent men.
I would venture to say that millions of people from Adam to the flood to Jesus were delivered out of hell the day Jesus rose from the dead. It was not only the thief on the cross who was delivered from Paradise (hell) that day, but every human being who had died before Christ, who could accept Him as Saviour, was saved and lifted from hell to heaven. Their crisis was over. They had waited two thousand years for deliverance, and though the Deliverer had to go to hell to save them, He did. He purchased His ticket by taking the place of the sinner, and paid for it by His death. Those therefore who died in the Flood were given a second chance of salvation and all men before Christ had to meet Him and settle the question of accepting Him or rejecting Him.
It is important to understand therefore, that Jesus Christ stands at the crossroads of humanity; those before Him had to decide whether He is Christ and accept Him as their Saviour and those after Him must come to the same MOMENT OF CRISIS and make their decision about Christ. There is however one difference with the two sets of people. Those before him did not have His Blood (Life) and presence with them to prevent them from going to hell, so that any man who accepts Him as Saviour will not have to go there, for now (once you get there) there is no release. This is God’s preventative medicine.
The flood, therefore, was the first crisis of world-wide proportions which brought mankind to the brink of extinction. In summarizing this first CRISIS we must emphasize that the Almighty had to destroy mankind to save him from the satanic destruction of eternal hell. Man, by his violent ways, was about to change God’s plan for the earth and every time that this is about to happen, God must intervene and arrest the progress of sin.
(Excerpt from The Omega Message, August 1987)
Thought for today: Jesus Christ stands at the crossroads of humanity; all men must come to the moment of crisis and settle the question of accepting Christ or rejecting Him.
Sonlight Devotional 