THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE

Because I feel that the return of Jesus to the earth to rapture believers is imminent, I have been writing invitational blogs for the last several months. These blogs were written to encourage and invite individuals who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to do so. Today’s blog, which shares the story of people who did not believe the message that would have saved their lives, follows in that pattern. So, let me share their story.

The first is the story of Noah, who lived at a time when God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of their heart was continually evil. Men filled the earth with corruption and violence, therefore their actions grieved God. He decided to destroy everyone and everything on earth that had the breath of life in them, which included men, beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the air.

There was one man whose name was Noah, who found grace in the eyes of God because he walked with God, was a just man, and perfect in his generation. God spoke to Noah and shared what He intended to do. He instructed Noah on how to build an ark, which he, his family, two of every sort of fowl, cattle, and creeping things would lodge in during the flooding of the earth.

Hebrews 11:7 states, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Also, 2 Peter 2:5 stated “God spared not the old world, but spared Noah the eighth person a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.” These scriptures revealed that, for decades, while following God’s instruction, Noah was a witness to his extended family, friends, and fellow citizens; however, they didn’t believe. I can only guess that they probably thought Noah was crazy until it started raining and there was no place of safety for them. Genesis 7 shared it rained for forty days and nights, and all flesh died that moved upon the earth. If only men had believed, repented, and turned to God, they would also have been saved.

Genesis 19 shares the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Prior to their destruction, God told Abraham He was going to destroy these places, and Abraham asked God not to destroy them if He found ten righteous people living in these prominent fortified cities. Unfortunately, there were not ten righteous individuals, so God sent two angels to Sodom to destroy it and Gomorrah. The angels went to Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who lived in Sodom, and told him, “Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.” Lot shared this information with his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters; however, they looked at him as though he had lost his senses.

The next morning, the angels told Lot, “Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. Lot hesitantly moved, and the angel grabbed the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and took them outside the city. Then they told them, “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. “

Genesis 19: 24-25 states, “The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.” Thus, Lot’s sons-in-law, who did not believe his warning, died in the fire, and his wife, who did not follow the instructions of the angels, looking back, became a pillar of salt.

Just as these individuals did not heed the message that could have saved their lives, I do not want you to follow in their footsteps. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I urge you not to hesitate in doing so, for it will be the best decision that you ever made. And happily, you will be able to say you were not like those who did not believe.