But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Matthew 24:37-39 NKJV

As I read my Bible one morning, Jesus was telling His disciples about the signs of the end time.  He stressed to them the importance of being ready. Read Matthew 24.

I have read these verses so often about the end days being like the days of Noah.  This time I took a moment to imagine that time. Noah had received a word from God, instructing him to build an ark. It had never rained before and he was not on the water. So even though this command seemed so strange, Noah obeyed. 

I can imagine all of his neighbors calling him crazy.  He was probably ridiculed and maybe even harassed. But He obeyed. When the flood waters came, everyone else then realized that what Noah had been talking about was true. By then, it was too late for them to be saved.

I’ve seen people try to set dates of when the Lord will return. When the calendar was nearing 2000, not only did people think all computers were going to crash and the world would go dark, some said that would be the beginning of the tribulation. Other times through the years have also been marked, just like things seem to be pointing to His return now.

The truth is no one knows when Christ will return.  Not even Christ, Himself.

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. Matthew 24:36 NKJV

I’ve often thought that the world probably rolls their eyes and starts laughing every time they hear Christians talk about the coming of Christ.  But what I worry most about are us Christians who are starting to not believe it either. Sure, we read about it, and may agree with others when they talk about it, but we are not living like we believe.

Look at this verse again.

For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark. Matthew 24:38 NKJV

In other words, they were going about their daily lives, living how they wanted to live. Aren’t we all doing that? We go about our daily lives, working, planning our next vacation, looking forward to the next big purchase we can make, planning for retirement, etc. But how much time are we spending in God’s Word? How much are we seeking God’s presence?  To who all are we witnessing?

Read the next part of Matthew 24.  Jesus talked about the good servant who was faithfully carrying out his duties as a servant. The bad servant did not carry out his duties.  The Good Master returned suddenly to find one servant faithful and one servant partying. 

We could think of these months of social distancing and having to attend church virtually as the period of time when the Good Master in Matthew 24 was away. When He returns, will He find us faithfully studying His Word? Will He find us trying to be the servant who checks on their fellow man, helping where we can? Or will He find us not reading the Word, content to fill our fleshly desires and not thinking about anyone else around us?

Another thing about the Days of Noah. God was working right there in the midst of everyone.  God was instructing Noah how to build a massive structure. It had to have been visible for miles, or at least word of it had to have spread by gossip for miles. But the people still carried on with their daily lives.

We need to open our eyes. Look for the massive way in which God is trying to work in our midst right now. Let’s not miss seeing Him. Let’s be ready for His return.

Heavenly Father, I confess it’s easy to miss seeing You moving in our midst. I get complacent and focus on the things I have to do in my daily life. Forgive me for not focusing on You. Show me, Lord, how I can be that faithful servant working for You. Don’t let me miss seeing the wonders of Your hand.  Thank You, Father, for loving me and sending Your Son to die for me. May You find me busy doing Your work when You return.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.