Hi Friend,

For many people the story of Noah’s flood is disturbing.  Understanding the concept that a compassionate God concluded that every human except Noah and his family should die requires some soul searching.  Yet, that is what the Bible teaches.  There is no way to get around the fact that it happened, so we are left with the task of “wrestling” with the reality of why the world is the way it is.

How could a merciful God—who loves mankind—execute the vast majority of human beings?  We begin by understanding that this life is temporary.  Uncomfortable as it may be, all of us will eventually die.  My earliest firsthand experience with this idea was when a 7th grade classmate was killed in a hunting accident.  About the same time the history teacher described atomic weapons that brought an end to World War II.  Before that, the story of the Noachian Flood was just a cartoon narrative from a Sunday School lesson.  Then it became clear that men, women and even children were killed in the flood.  And God did it.

Living in a world where evil is so prevalent helps man appreciate the action God took to preserve goodness.  Only after coming to the painful conclusion that “good” is difficult to preserve—that evil can so easily overtake the world—could I realize the benefit of destroying evil.  Seeing the result of evil brought a deeper sense of gratitude that God was so concerned with preserving good that He was willing to destroy so many humans just to preserve what is virtuous.

Good is THAT important to God.

On the surface, dealing with what could have happened in life can seem fruitless.  However, if we are going to gain gratitude for what we have, sensible people must balance the meaningless “what if’s” from the profound.  By looking at the fractured relationships of other people you can develop a greater appreciation for the spouse God gave you—or maybe you are thankful God took you out of a previous relationship.  The same is true of nations.

Whatever fools may say, all cultures are not equal.  The Judeo-Christian culture is incomparably superior to the cultures that promoted slavery and refused to recognize private ownership, justice, or individual rights.  It is necessary to take an objective look at other cultures to enable us to develop a deep sense of thanksgiving for the values of Christianity.

During moments of contemplation, ask yourself, “What if the culture of Noah had not been preserved?”  What if the pagan religions that offered billions—yes, that many—humans in sacrifice to their evil gods had been allowed to dominate the world.  Could you live in that kind of world?  Neither you nor your children could have survived.

Driving home from church I frequently pass a van with the words SOS CUBA emblazoned across the back window.  Intrigued by the message, I stopped to ask the owner about the sign, and she broke down in tears to exclaim, “Our families are being slaughtered!”  Free men should thank God for defending civilized beings from extinction by the Hitlers, the Stalins, the Castros and countless other tyrants whose names are buried in tombs that are sealed until the righteous King shall return.

Sadly, the Noachian Flood is a precursor to one more major catastrophe.  Even Christians often fail to recognize that Jesus will return to the earth just in time to save mankind from utter destruction.  An evil force will encompass the world with such power that every good thing would be eliminated without intervention by God to save us.

In fact, Jesus told his disciples, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:22)

Thank God the days of destruction will be shortened.  Be grateful to the God who loves goodness so much that He will intervene to preserve it on the earth.

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien