The Gospel in the Old Testamentনমুনা

One thing that I find fascinating is children’s pictures of Noah on the ark. They always show a nice old man on a small boat with a few smiling animals surrounding him. I don’t think there is anything wrong with such pictures at all, but they do not give a very accurate picture of what happened during the days of the Flood.

The Flood caused massive global destruction. Rain poured on the Earth for 40 straight days. The water continued to rise for 150 days. Some Bible scholars suggest that the language in Genesis 7:11 indicates volcanic eruptions. The Flood was enough to kill every human being and every land-dwelling animal not sheltered within the ark.

The Gospel Message is contained within the story of the Flood. The people of Earth had sinned against God, and their sin came with a consequence. God decided to destroy the Earth because of the sin of Mankind.

But God provided a means of Salvation for Noah and his family. In an act of mercy, God instructed Noah to build a huge ark, 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. When the ark was built, God called the animals to Noah to go onto the ark. And before it began to rain, God had Noah and his family come onboard. Then God closed the door, and the rain began.

Just like in Noah’s day, we still live in a sin-broken world. And there is a punishment for our sin. That punishment is an eternal separation from God in a place called Hell. Just as in the days of Noah, however, God desired to show us mercy. So He provided us a means of Salvation from the coming Judgment. When Jesus died on the Cross and rose from the grave, He became the only way to Salvation.

Just as Noah could not have saved himself (he could never have conceived the idea of the ark, or brought all the animals onboard, or closed the door), in the same way, we could never save ourselves from our sin. But God has opened the Door of Salvation to us. And one day, just as He closed the door of the ark, God will close the Door of Salvation as well. When Jesus returns, we will no longer have the ability to choose to trust in Him for Salvation. So we as believers must be about the business of telling as many people as possible about the coming Judgment and leading them to the Ark of our Salvation, Jesus Himself.

Do you know Jesus today? If today was your last day on Earth, can you say for sure that you have walked through that Door of Salvation? If not, why not be saved today? If so, who are you reaching out to? Ready or not, the Judgment is coming.