As mentioned before, if you think of the Bible as a wagon wheel with sixty-six spokes, where Christ is the hub, you can appreciate that this book is literally, “all about Jesus Christ our LORD”.
PSALM 40:7
Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the volume of the book it is written of Me.
LUKE 24:44
Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
And in order to introduce the Messiah in our world, prophetic Scripture is laid out to properly and gloriously present Him and His Gospel. This is why no detail in the Scripture is inconsequential or irrelevant – at all. In fact, the more years we put into the study of the Scriptures, the more we recognize that JESUS is on every page!
We’ll pick up where we left off, with Noah and the ark.
The ARK, The RAPTURE, The TRIBULATION JUDGMENT
What do any of these things have to do with the Gospel, you might ask.
The Ark demonstrates GOD’s desire to save souls from Judgment – any and all who would repent and seek deliverance from the Flood was invited – but none accepted the invitation.
The rapture of the church is the culmination of what the Gospel affords for the saint. Salvation by means of justification in Christ from the penalty of sin is accomplished. Salvation by means of sanctification in Christ from the power of sin is ongoing until we leave this world and be with the LORD.
Salvation by means of glorification in Christ from the very presence of sin is yet ahead for the church but happens at the time of the rapture and ensures our deliverance from the coming judgment during the time of tribulation (just the same as Enoch).
One excellent observation about this barge-like structure that would house Noah, his family and the primary “kinds” of animals is how Bible readers today perceive Noah and the ark by analogy:
There are those who picture Noah and the ark enduring the time of the Flood Judgment as a type for the church. The ark, ascending up from the ground and floating on the top of the waves is seen as a kind of “rapture”.
Yet we already have a more accurate and apt analogy for the rapture: Enoch, who was taken up into heaven before the Flood even came (HEB 11:5)! So, if Enoch represents the church, what does the ark, or more precisely, the occupants represent?
First of all, what is promised to the church regarding the coming Judgment of GOD during the 70th Week of Daniel, (The seven year period of time commonly known as the time of Tribulation)?
REVELATION 3:10
"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:8-10
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
LUKE 21:36
"Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things [the time of tribulation described from vs. 8-11, 25-27] that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."
What is promised to the nation of Israel during this period of time that is also called “the time of Jacob’s Trouble” (check out the video by David Guzik; JER 30:7. The Hebrew word used for “trouble” is tsarah and can mean “tribulation”).
ZECHARIAH 13:8-9
8 And it shall come to pass in all the land," says the LORD, "That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; and each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"
Notice the wording used here: during the time of tribulation Israel will suffer the loss of two-thirds of their nation! This will be the most horrific time in all of Israel’s history. They never faced such a high level of destruction before, nor will they ever after this time (the LORD Jesus said so; MATT 24:21-22).
ENOCH And SHEM By ANALOGY
Enoch was delivered from the time of the Flood, translated off of the Earth! Noah and sons (and their wives) had to endure the Flood and go through this time rather than escape it. Yet they didn’t drown as did all other life on the planet, but were preserved by the ark (again, the ark can be thought of as a type of Christ, Who will keep His (Jewish elect (also referred to as a “remnant” REV 7:1-8 [and Gentiles, as a number beyond count will be saved during the tribulation time; REV 7:9]), representing a third of the population (ZECH 13:8-9).
This is an important point that must be made. Figuratively speaking, when Abraham paid homage to Melchizedek (“prince of peace and righteousness”, a type of Christ), Levi had not yet been born; he was still considered to be part of Abraham, and in that sense, Levi representing the Old Testament priesthood, also paid homage to Melchizedek, showing the superiority of His priesthood over the Levitical one).
HEBREWS 7:4-9
4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; 6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak,
Noah had three sons: Japheth, Ham and Shem, and Shem was the father of all the Semitic races, including Abram and his own descendants, that also happens to include Jacob! So, in a way Jacob aka Israel was in (the “loins of”) Shem and saved, just as his brothers and father (representing the Gentiles) were!
The contrast between the church and Israel and the Gentile nations (three distinct categories of humanity; 1 COR 10:32) by type is exquisite! Just as Enoch was translated before the Flood Judgment, but Jacob via Shem passed through the Flood Judgment on the ark, so too the church will be translated (raptured, harpazo in the Greek, rapiere in the Latin) before the time of Tribulation (also notice, Enoch didn’t get translated halfway through the Flood Judgment, but well beforehand) just as Israel (and any believers consisting of the Gentile nations) will go through this last seven year period before the coming again of the Messiah that they will receive the second time!
ARK-TYPICAL!
More about the ark: There was only one door, and in fact only one ark; likewise, there is only one Way to heaven (JOHN 14:6; ACTS 4:12). Anyone who wanted to board the ark and be saved from the Flood could come onboard. How many people could fit on this vessel about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high, along with all the necessary animals?
People mock the ark of Noah as something preposterous because it couldn’t possibly hold all of the animals required; but all the required animals were simply the kinds, not every individual species or breed. The canine family has dogs, wolves, foxes, hyaenas, jackals, dingoes and others but they all came from a single kind that diversified into all these other species. The same with all the other kinds of animals. As long as Noah had the primary kinds of animals (the mean average of them from largest to smallest amounted to something slightly larger than a sheep), that’s all that would be required (most species of animal by percentages are aquatic, so no need for the ark in their case)!
What about people? After all those animals, it wouldn’t leave a lot of room for people but suppose there were many that repented at the preaching of Noah and desired to board the ark. Would they be turned away because there was no more room? I find it entirely credible that GOD would authorize the building of another ark (as many as would be needed) to save those who repented and turned to the LORD for salvation.
But no one repented at the preaching of Noah, who warned of the great flood: water falling from the sky (what’s referred to today as rain), something never before seen – and channels of water gushing up Geiser-like from the earth.
Just as people scoff about the rapture of the church today, people no doubt ridiculed Noah for his preposterous warnings. No one was laughing however once the rain fell.
What also must be mentioned is the fact that when all was ready, GOD didn’t say “GO into the ark, you and all your household”, He said, “COME into the ark…” (GEN 7:1) which intimates that GOD, in a special way, was there in the ark, and beckoning Noah and kin to occupy with Him! Likewise, GOD will be with the believing remnant of Israel during the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.
As was mentioned previously in Part 2, when one considers the civil calendar of Israel and the religious calendar, we come to the determination that the same day that Noah was able to step foot out into the new world was the same day on the calendar that Christ resurrected from the dead!
Noah promptly builds an altar to the LORD and made sacrifices to Him, and the LORD responded with the following:
"…I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.” (GENESIS 8:21).
GOD is true to His Word! Never again will He destroy every living thing as He had done (by a global flood; great video (1 Hr. 47 min) by Kent Hovind). For the short answer, see this by GOTQUESTIONS: Was Noah’s flood global or local? The next time He does it, it’ll be by fire! His promise to never flood the Earth again to such global proportions was sealed by the Noahic Covenant and demonstrated by the rainbow (GEN 9:9-17).
2 PETER 3:5-7
5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
After the Flood, GOD authorizes the consumption of meat (GEN 9:3-4; up to that point, the environmental conditions of the planet allowed for a vegetarian diet, yet afterwards crucial nutritional elements contained in animal products apparently would need to be ingested, but not the blood!).
The very act of slaughtering an animal to consume and perpetuate life speaks of Christ, for He needed to be slain in order to provide for us spiritual life, just as animals are slain to provide for our physical life.
FROM MY THREE SONS
It was by the sons of Noah, Japeth, Ham and Shem that all the world was repopulated. So, inasmuch as we are all descended from Adam, we can also say that we are all descendent from one (or more due to intermarrying) of the three sons of Noah. Just as the genetic pool was robust and relatively free of mutations, diversification of ethnicities with all of their wondrous variety proliferated across the globe. The command to go forth and replenish the Earth was reissued by our Creator (GEN 9:7), and so they did – sort of…
In GENESIS 10 we have what’s been called The Table of Nations (check out this fascinating ten min video!). For a more detailed examination of all of this, watch the following video (1 hr.) by the late Dr. Chuck Missler with his exposition on GENESIS Ch. 9 and 10!
In dealing with prophecy, anywhere we read about a nation in prophecy, we need to be able to accurately identify that nation (and rightly apply the prophecy to them). Therefore, a competent understanding of these nations listed in GENESIS 10 and their descendants, and thereby the other nations that grew from them is a requirement.
Shem* is most significant to us biblically as he is the ancestor of Abram (later called Abraham) and his descendants, the nation of Israel.
A Pre-Jewish Genealogy: From Shem to Arphaxad (GEN 10:22), to Shelah (GEN 10:24), then Eber (GEN 10:21), and Peleg after him (GEN 10:25), followed by Reu (GEN 11:18), Serug (GEN 11:20), Nahor (GEN 11:22), Terah (GEN 11:24) who was the father of Abram (GEN 11:26).
The OLD NEW WORLD ORDER
GENESIS 10:6-10
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore, it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD." 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
GOD intended to establish His plan in bringing about the Gospel, and where Satan before attempted to sabotage that plan by polluting the human race, here Satan is establishing a counter-plan to interfere with GOD’s intentions.
GOD is building His order, Satan is building his – and whereas GOD’s order centers around Israel, particularly Jerusalem, Satan’s plan centers around Babylon, and specifically this Tower of Babel (a fascinating documentary that gets into the parallel course of these two orders is examined by The Fuel Project in KNOW YOUR ENEMY! 72 short videos that are worth your while!).
Nimrod became the One World leader, and being the son of Cush, he was most likely dark-skinned. He was a “mighty hunter” before the LORD, but in an oppositional sense (a perfect type for the antichrist and the Last Days New World Order). The same idea can be seen in GENESIS 4:
GENESIS 4:26
And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.
The Hebrew word for “call [upon]” is qara, meaning to “accost a person” from the root word meaning “encounter…in a hostile manner”.
Babel had a single Order that comprised of a one world religion and a one world state, united as a single governmental entity. However, in Israel the division of power was evident: the ruling line would be established through the tribe of Judah, the religious line through Levi, and never would the two become one (at least, not until the reign of the Messiah and His Holy New World Order!).
Of course, GOD ran interference with Satan’s One World Order by confusing the languages, thus dispersing the people, and regrouping them according to their language. This was when nations were born and ethnicities were developed in latter generations throughout time.
The strategy of the LORD was simple and effective; so long as the world “was one”, Satan had just one target to influence and corrupt. With the division of nations, there were multiple targets and some of them might well have decided to follow GOD rather than His adversary. There would be no way Satan could regain his universal influence as he had at Babel…
…not until the means was acquired to reunite the world into a cohesive whole, which we’ve been seeing in the last couple of centuries and most especially in the last several decades!
Inasmuch as Satan wants to inhibit (if not utterly destroy) the church and the Gospel commissioned to her, he will have his chance to rule and reign and completely abrogate GOD’s influence in the world (and again, experience the epic fail – more souls will be saved during the time of tribulation than at any other time in history! REV 7:9).
GOD’s Gospel wins at the end, Satan’s stratagems surrender to his Maker, the Almighty!
Then in GENESIS 11, starting at vs. 10, the attention is focused on the son of Noah, Shem and lays out his genealogy all the way to Abram, a crucial person that’s central to GOD’s Perfect Plan of the Gospel.
Which we will get into in the next article!
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