Noah – Light from the Word

The Everlasting Covenant (part 1)

Covenant, in its secular demand, binds and establishes a relationship between two parties. However, God’s covenant establishes a relationship with men through his obedience. His covenant is not bilateral, but unilateral. For He is the One Who initiated, and He is the One Who determines the principles of it. Men are subjected to His commands in order to be recipients of the blessings He offers through His covenant. When God covenanted with Adam, He instructed him not to eat of the certain fruit from the garden. To maintain the relationship with God Adam had to obey God’s covenant’s instruction. When Adam failed what the covenant demanded, he died spiritually, as God told him he would. However, right then, God’s covenant went as far as to promise a Savior to restore the human race into covenant with Him through His Son. Speaking to Satan, He said, And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He will bruise and tread you under underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel (Gen. 3: 15). God’s covenant was never annulled in spite of Adam’s disobedience, for He in His mercy, provided a way for the covenant relationship to exist between Him and men through the death of His Son.

God covenanted with Noah when He told Him to build an ark. He followed God’s orders and God promised him to establish His covenant (promise, pledge) of salvation with him when His wrath would pour over the entire earth. Noah and his family were delivered in the shelter of the ark God told him to make when he entered into the covenant relationship with God in obedience to the demand of the covenant (Gen. 6). God’s covenant with Abraham was a covenant of promise which was to continue through Abraham’s generation, that is, through his son Isaac, the son of the promise. For the covenant of promise to have affected, or to have bound to him, Abraham was to act in faith and in obedience. Abraham showed faithfulness to God’s covenant, when he satisfied the demand of the covenant in the sacrifice of his son, as he was told, believing that God would raise him from the dead, to fulfill His covenantal promise. Abraham found favor with God and the confirmation of the promise was then literate in God’s own words, I have sworn by Myself, that since you have done this and have not withheld or begrudged your son, your only son, in blessing I will bless you and in multiplying, I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed YAHSHUA will possess the gate of His enemies. And in your Seed (YAHSHUA) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed and [by Him] bless themselves, because you have heard and obeyed My voice (Gen. 22). We are recipients of this blessing because Abraham obeyed the demands of God’s covenant. Abraham’s blessings have a prophetic perspective, embracing the entire world.

In Exodus 19 we see God covenanting with Israel, a nation which He created to covenant with Him and thus bless it. When Israel arrived at the wilderness of Sinai, God appeared to them. Moses, as their mediator, received the instructions before they were to appear before God. God, then covenanted with Israel by saying, You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now, therefore, if you will obey My voice in truth and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own peculiar possession and treasure from among the above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. These are the words you shall speak to the Israelites. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord (vs. 3-8). There, the Lord gave the nation of Israel the Ten Commandments- the written covenant. Israel came to a mountain that was ablaze with fire and to gloom and darkness and a raging storm, with a blast of a trumpet and a voice whose words make the listeners beg that nothing more be said to them for they could not bear the command that was given; if even a wild animal touches the mountain it shall be stoned to death. In fact, so awful and terrifying was the sight that Moses s aid, I am terrified (Heb. 12:19-21). That was Israel’s experience when God covenanted with them.

The covenant God made with King David is a covenant comprised of promises. He covenanted with David by saying, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over My people Israel. I was with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like [that] of the great men of the earth. (II Sam. 7: 8-9). David’s subjected himself to the covenant saying, what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord God. Because of Your promise and as Your own heart dictates, You have done all these astounding things to make Your servants know and understand. Therefore, You are great, O Lord God; for none is like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all [You have made] our ears to hear… You have established for Yourself Your people Israel to be Your people forever, and You, Lord, became their God (II Sa. 7: 21-22,24).
Until YAHSHUA’S coming to earth, the nation of Israel was under the covenant of the law. But YAHSHUA came to fulfill it, since there was no one who could perfectly and accordingly to God’s demand, fulfill it. He came while the old covenant was in effect, and not only fulfilled the old covenant, but brought the new covenant with Him. This new covenant was predicted by Moses, Jeremiah, and Ez ekiel. (Deut. 29:4; Jer. 31:33; Ezekiel 36: 26-27). YAHSHUA was the mediator of the new covenant. His death carries the fulfillment and the basis of His promise. Before His death, He established the new covenant with those with Him and with those who would believe in Him: He took the cup after supper saying, This cup is the new testament or covenant [ratified] in My blood, which is shed for you (Luke 22:20). With His death, YAHSHUA made the first covenant obsolete. He did not abolish the law, but he fulfilled the law and taught us to observe the summary of the Law: love God with all our heart, soul and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves. That is the summary of the entire law because where there is love, there is no stealing, adultery, murder, coveting, etc. The old covenant was then replaced by the new: For if that first covenant had been without defect, there would have been no room for another one or an attempt to institute another one (Heb. 8:7).

YAHSHUA established the new covenant while He was shedding His blood when being beaten, when a crown of thorns was put on His head and when on the cross. As a Mediator, He connected us to God in the covenant of blood. His demands in His covenant are that we dwell in Him, bear fruit, abide in His love, keep His commandments, obey His instructions, and His principal commandment: love God, love one another, just as He loved us (John 15). The old covenant was written on a stone, but the new one was written in our hearts with the blood of YAHSHUA. The Prophet Jeremiah prophesized concerning this new covenant many years before the coming of YAHSHUA to establish it. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was their Husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God and they will be My people (Jer. 31:31-33).

Pages: 12

“Read This in my Word Everyday”

Were the words I heard right after I woke up from an afternoon nap. I tried remembering the dream I had that afternoon, to understand what were the words the Lord was telling me to read every day. But I did not remember the dream. However, a few minutes later the phrase, “As it was on Noah’s day” and its reference came to me. My husband and I have been reading this passage of Mathews 24: 37-46 together every day since a week ago. From the amplified Bible it reads: As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For just as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and be given in marriage, until the day when Noah went into the ark, and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away – so will be the coming of the Son of Man. At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left; two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Watch therefore for you do not know in what kind of a day your Lord is coming. But understand this: had the householder known what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be undermined and broken into. You also must be ready therefore, for the son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food and supplies at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing.

In another passage, the Lord YAHSHUA again warned the disciples about the things that are coming to the entire world and told them to “keep awake and watch at all times, praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man” (Luke 21: 36).

Pages: 12

The Lion Has Roared

(Amos 3:8)

When we see a lion roaming around, we come to the realization that he is, without a doubt, the king of the beasts, for his powerful appearance and uncompromisingly strength. None will escape his attack in the strength that he displays to bring its victim down. It is heartbreaking to watch the killing taking place, though. Fear of him is spread all around at the sound of his roaring heard five miles away. In a frightening moment at the dark of the night, one experiences the hair standing up in a chill of death. But that roaring is only expressing his right to the prey he is killing. The success he utters is not for sharing of the meal, but to warn all to stay away. Who cannot help but to feel the vibration of fear all over the spine at his roaring? Running a short distance at 50 mph, no one can escape his pursuit. Majestic and intimidating, the lion stands tall and non-afraid. Although, many of their care givers lost their lives at their claws and mouth, the lion has shown undisputable love toward their owners even when apart from them many years through their affection demonstrated to them. It is hard to believe how he can be so loving and at the same time so ferocious!

YAHSHUA , the “Lion of Judah” came from the tribe of Judah, the most privileged tribe of all the twelve tribes, because it was through this tribe that God chose to send His Son to the world. Therefore, it is through this tribe that the world has been blessed according to the blessing God promised Abraham at the ranges of Mount Moriah after testing him. Judah’s name means praise or thanksgiving. Although, Judah was not an ideal moral man, God’s sovereign purpose was accomplished through his descendants. In Genesis 49:8-10 Jacob, before he died, prophesized to all his sons, and of Judah he said, Judah, you are the one whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you; Judah, a lion’s cub! With the prey, my son, you have gone high up. He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, and like a lioness who dares provoke and rouse him? The scepter or leadership shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff between his feet, until Shiloh comes to Whom it belongs, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Jacob’s words echoed through the years and will continue to the day when YAHSHUA, the Lion from the tribe of Judah will come to reign and through Him the prophecy will be completely fulfilled. His voice is compared to the roar of a lion, powerful in times of His judgment. Amos 1:2 says, Jehovah roars out of Zion and He utters His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the head of Carmel withers. We see in the prophetic words of the Prophet Amos confirming and warning the people of the seriousness of God’s judgment. The lion hath roared; who will not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken; who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:8). Even nature in its frailty recognizes the voice of God! There is much to ponder at the sound of the Lord’s roaring. As nature trembles at the sound of His voice, men must realize the tone of judgment in God’s voice and mend his ways.

Pages: 12

Two by Two

(Genesis 6-7)

The beautiful relationship between God and man before sin entered into the Garden of Eden, was perfect and pure, for He had made man in His likeness -the only creation to have been created in the likeness of God Himself. He and not the animals could have a relationship with God in the level of understanding and through reasoning he could communicate with God. But Satan had to interfere by planting sin in the hearts of Eve and Adam. The Bible says when men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives of all they desired and chose…. There were giants on the earth in those days- and also afterward- when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they bore children to them…. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and the that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually… So the Lord said, I will destroy. Blot out and wipe away mankind from the face of the ground, whom I have created. Not only men, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air- for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them (Gen. 6: 1-7).

Pages: 12

Is God’s Mouth Muzzled Not to Speak to Us Today?

“My people perish for lack of knowledge.” These are words of profound and consequential meaning, as we read in Job 36: 12: But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword and die without knowledge. The rejection of knowledge is a dangerous attitude to have. For it is hearing, but not listening, hearing but not perceiving; hearing but not understanding; seeing but not discerning. It is being deaf and blind spiritually. For God speaks not only once, but more than once, even though men do not regard it (Job 33:14). The spirit of unbelief is very predominant in the world today in spite of all the information being available in every avenue of life. Words found in the book of Job 33:15 seals the matter that men hear God’s voice in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men while slumbering upon the bed. Then He opens the ears of men and seals their instruction. The Prophet Daniel experienced dreams and visions and interpretations by angels. The entire chapter seven of the book of Daniel reveals the three visions he had and the interpretations of them. Those visions served to warn the world of yesterday and of today’s what were and what is going to happen in the future because our God desired and desires that none of us should perish.

In the days of Noah, when evil had taken over the world of yesterday, God chose Noah the only just man found among all who lived then, to save him from the coming earth destruction. As it is consistent with God, He confined in Noah, His servant, the news. At the same time, Noah was to warn the people, so they would repent to be saved. For 120 years Noah faithfully warned the people. Unfortunately, they did not listen to take the message to heart and repent of their way of life. They continued living their lives as usual, until the flood took them by surprise. The message heard in those days, if mingled with faith, salvation would have come to more than just a few. As it was, all died, except Noah and his family, eight in all. The days of Noah are days in which constitutes signs of the coming of YAHSHUA. He said, As were in the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage, until the day when Noah went into the ark. And they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away – so will be the coming of the Son of Man (Matt. 24:37-39). The ark, Noah was building, constituted a testimony, and a sign confirming what God had spoken to him to warn the people of God’s coming judgement upon the earth. The message, however, was not received with faith, and they perished in their sins. God gave the people a time line of 120 years to be warned about His judgment. A long time so it seems; so, they were without excuse.

God has been speaking to men since the beginning of time; His message has been carried on one way or other, through His prophets of old and new. He spoke to Noah, He spoke to Abraham, He spoke to Moses, to Joshua, He spoke to all the prophets and gave them warning messages to give the people, for not desiring that people should perish, but have a chance to repent.

Pages: 12

Fear, The Harmful Way To One’s Doubt

Fear, is a thing that eats the emotion, destroys the body and mind, and ultimately controls the lives of those who feed on it. A spirit, the Bible calls it by name, is not given by God, but by the enemy of the soul. Through the spirit of fear, doubt takes over the mind and leads us to a hardening of the heart toward truth. A dangerous place to be, for it is there that we will lose the chance to repent, if we keep hardening our heart toward God. A dangerous wall made of lies, keeping truth unacceptable, blinding the eyes and hardening the heart.

The spirit of fear does not work alone; it has many other spirits working along with it. It is by the hearing that doubt penetrates the soul; it is seeing and not believing that the heart closes itself to truth. In the days of Noah before the flood, God gave that world 120 years to repent through the warning of judgement, for He is a compassionate God, not willing that men should perish. But the message Noah passed on to the people was to them as if a tale told children. Wherever there is truth, doubt is sure to hide in the heart and in the mind. The danger of doubt is the hardening of the heart. In Romans, Paul warns us concerning that. When God gives the doubter up in their doubt, for refusing to hear the truth, nothing will change that, but the repentant heart.

Fear, working its way to bring doubt in the heart of men, has led many to eternal destruction, because when our forefathers chose to accept the message from the serpent, doubt entered not only their hearts, but the entire world suffered the consequence. In choosing to believe Satan’s message, they forfeited God’s message and the world became Satan’s kingdom. We see the evidence of it all around us. Antagonism, hate, jealousy, envy and many more spirits permeating human as well as in the lives of the animals. For fear of the truth, doubt found an opened door to control the mind; for not wanting to believe truth, men rejected it. The spirit of unbelief attaches itself onto the spirit of doubt. Whenever we doubt God’s words, we manifest the spirit of unbelief residing in our mind. The disciple Thomas was rebuked by YAHSHUA when he doubted His resurrection. Because he saw he believed, he was not praised for that, but rebuked by our Lord YAHSHUA saying, reach out your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place [it] in My side. Do not be faithless and incredulous, but believe (John 20:27).

Pages: 12

Delivered From the Wrath To Come (Part 1)

(I Thessalonians 1:10)

The consistency of God in saving His people before judgment, is remarkable and reliable. We see it in Noah’s days, when God saw the condition of the inhabitants on the earth, how degenerate, debased and vicious it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction (Gen. 6:12). He was grieved of heart for having created men. But He saw that Noah was a just and righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God (Gen. 6:9). So, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (V. 8). God, in His mercy, always warns His servants before His judgment comes and, in those days, it was no different. He commanded Noah to build an ark for his salvation and that of his family, for God declared to him that He was going to bring judgment on the earth through a great flood, because of the wickedness of men. One hundred twenty years took for Noah to build the ark and warn the people. Time sufficient enough for people to repent of their wicked ways. In the year 1656 God sent judgment on the earth, 726 years after Adam died. Noah was then 600 hundred years old. He was born 126 years after Adam died, which was in the year 1056.

The earth was relatively young when God’s judgment fell upon it, but it was absolutely ripe for judgment, due to wickedness abounding. We cannot fathom what was going on in those days; it is beyond our understanding, when we read the accounts of Genesis six. When Satan rebelled against God, one third of the angels rebelled with him. Satan’s purpose was and always is to steal, to kill and destroy men. He started in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve followed him, he brought down the entire human race under his control. Therefore, we live in a cursed world under condemnation of sin, with the exception of those who have accepted YAHSHUA’S gift of salvation. One thing nonetheless, we can be sure: God did not destroy the righteous Noah with the wicked people of those days, neither will He do in the future. He spared Noah and his family for his righteousness. So, God was consistent and just in His act of judgment yesterday, and He is today and He will always be. David prayed, Gather me not with sinners and sweep me not away [with them], nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands is wickedness, and their right hands are full of bribes, but as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful and gracious to me (Psalm 26:9-11).

Pages: 12

What Will You Do When the End Comes?

(Jeremiah 5:31; Luke 21: 33-36)

The Prophet Jeremiah continually warned Judah of coming judgment and destruction with a calling for repentance. But Judah had nothing to do with Jeremiah’s warning; they remained in their heart of stubbornness. Their prophets prophesied falsely; their priests exercised their own rule and Israel loved to have it that way. The Prophet Jeremiah wept bitterly over Judah’s sins and judgement that was coming upon the nation. He said, But if you will not hear and obey, I will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive (Jer. 13:17). When Judah remained stubborn in their ways, Jeremiah asked the question: What will you do when the end comes? When destruction comes to whom will you turn to? What are your plans to escape your destruction? In the days of Noah, people heard the message of coming flood for several years, but they did not repent of their ways and were destroyed. Judgement came; they could not do anything to escape it. God gives men always a frame of time for them to change their ways in repentance and brokenness of heart before He sends judgment on them. In the past He has sent Patriarchs, Prophets and judges. Today We have His Word warning us of coming judgments and how to escape it.

Before the Apostle Paul was martyred, he gave Timothy a grim picture of the last days. He said that people will not tolerate sound doctrine but wanting to have their ears tickled they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. Does it not sound like today? Mega churches are full of people wanting to be entertained with words that bring good feelings. They emphasize good energy and positivism and prosperity. There are no teachings on conviction of sin and repentance “You are okay; I am okay.” That’s the theory that keeps them deceived and far from the truth. The word of God says that we have sinned and have come short of the glory of God; it says that our hearts are wicked above all things, but He invites us to repentance for forgiveness of our sins. Meanwhile the world turns its axes to destruction because of the men’s wickedness; they deafen their ears to sound doctrine, following a deluge of lies. Just like in the days of Jeremiah as a prophet, when he warned Judah of coming judgement. Instead of repenting and returning to God they ridiculed him and put him in prison. As a result, Judah was conquered and the temple destroyed. Many lives were lost many were taken to Babylon to captivity. It seems to me that we live in the days of Jeremiah when the abundance of false prophets is clouding the air with false teachings. They teach prosperity instead of repentance; they make their millions and continue to empty peoples’ pockets with their devious way of begging for more money. They live in mansions, they have private airplanes and disregard the financial, physical and spiritual needs of God’s people. They have blinded the eyes of those who are spiritually ignorant, leading them to worse deception. They falsely prophecy coming blessings instead of judgement. “What will they do when the end comes?”

Pages: 12

As Were The Days of Noah, The Days of Lot…

(Matt. 24:37-46; Luke 17: 26-30)

And [just] as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the time of the Son of Man; people ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, right up to the day when Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. So also as it was in the days of Lot. [People] ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heave and destroyed [them] all. That is the way it will be on the day that the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17: 26-30).

What does the days of Noah and the days of Lot exactly mean? Those days were defined by their increasing wickedness and God’s judgment that came upon them. The accounts of Noah’s days are described in Genesis chapter six. It reads, When men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives of all they desired and chose. Then the Lord said, My spirit shall not forever dwell and strive with man for he also is flesh; but his days shall yet be 120 years. There were giants on the earth in those days – and also afterward- when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually, and the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart. So the Lord said I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground- not only man, [But] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air- for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them (vs. 1-7).

Pages: 12

Picture of the Rapture

(Exodus 12)

The Lord’s deliverance of Israel before judgement fell on Egypt is a type of the rapture. In it we see the consistency of our God saving His people before judging nations. Israel had been in Egypt for 400- 430 years. From the time of famine in the land and their deliverance by their brother, Joseph, Israel never went back to Canaan. According to the words the Lord God spoke to Jacob, Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will there make of you a great nation; I will go down with you to Egypt and I will also surely bring you up again.. (Gen. 46:3-4). In obedience, Jacob moved to Egypt with his family of seventy total. That’s when the 430 years stated for Israel’s permanency in Egypt. Thirty years of freedom and 400 hundred years of slavery. That was to be fulfilled according to what God had told Abraham when covenanting with him (Gen.15:13). God said to Abram, Know positively that your descendants will be strangers dwelling as temporary residents in a land that is not theirs, and they will be slaves there and will be afflicted and oppressed for 400 years (Gen. 15:13).

Pages: 12