In our daily meditations at Group Bible Study, we are focusing our thoughts on the Second Coming of Christ and the Signs of the End Times. The Lord Jesus provided us with two historical examples of how the world would be before His Second Coming. In both cases, life seemed to go on normally; people were eating, drinking, planning for the long term, planting crops, building homes, and organizing weddings. However, suddenly, the day came when Lot and his family left Sodom with two angels, and Noah and his family entered the boat, which was then sealed shut. On the very day the righteous were saved, God's judgment was unleashed on those who refused to repent for their ungodly actions. There was no delay between Noah’s entering the ark and God's judgment. Here is what Jesus warned:
Life as Usual Before the Judgment
26“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:26-30; emphasis added).
Some people believe that Noah boarded the ark before the rain began, but this notion is inaccurate. Let’s examine what God’s Word states:
The "Same Day" Principle: Noah and the Ark
11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark (Genesis 7:11-13, emphasis added).
And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in (Genesis 17:16).
Sodom, Lot, and the Suddenness of the Rapture
Similarly, in Christ’s second example, there was no time between Lot leaving Sodom and the city’s judgment. In fact, the angels had to hurry those God had set apart as righteous (Genesis 19:15-17). The Lord did not instruct those left behind to return later to enter. No, my dear friends, there is no biblical truth in the Left Behind series of books; it is entirely fictional and misleading. Through these two examples, Jesus warns us that the rapture of God’s people and the outpouring of God's wrath are back-to-back events; the door of the ark was shut as soon as the righteous entered—there was no second chance once the rain began to fall. As soon as the catching up of God’s people (the rapture) occurs, the judgment and wrath of God will descend.
Preparing for the Great Tribulation
God will gather His people before the wrath of God is unleashed during the period Jesus warned us about, which He called the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:30-31). It will be a time of persecution for those who refuse to conform to the Antichrist’s one-world economic system, which involves receiving a mark on the wrist or forehead (Revelation 13:16). We must not compromise our faith but remain close to Christ during the unrestrained evil unleashed on Earth by the evil one. We are to live our lives untainted by the world system.
Living Untainted in an Unrestrained World
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27).
There will come a day when our God intervenes, and what an awesome day that will be for every one of us who has chosen to walk with Christ.
Practical Application—How to Live This Out
1. Audit Your "Normalcy"
In the days of Noah and Lot, people weren't necessarily doing "evil" things—they were doing normal things (eating, planting, building) but without any thought of God.
The Application: Ask yourself today, "Am I so busy building my life on earth that I’ve forgotten I’m a citizen of Heaven?" Set a recurring alarm on your phone for 12:00 PM just to stop and say a 30-second prayer of surrender to Jesus.
2. Practice Immediate Obedience
When the angels told Lot to move, he had to go immediately. When God told Noah to enter, he did so on the "very same day."
The Application: Don't delay a "God-nudge." If you feel prompted to pray for someone, call a friend, or repent of a specific habit, do it the moment you feel the conviction. Delay is the enemy of readiness.
3. Focus on Pure Religion (The James 1:27 Test)
We mentioned keeping oneself "unpolluted by the world."
The Application: This week, choose one "worldly" influence to fast from (perhaps the evening news or social media) and replace that time with an act of service. Visit a widow, help an orphan (or support a foster care ministry), or simply serve someone in your community who has no way of paying you back. Keith Thomas
Continue Your Journey…
To keep up with our daily meditations on the Second Coming of Christ, consider bookmarking the link below for all our free 3-minute Bible meditations in English:
The full study on this topic is titled, The Rapture and Day of the Lord. The video teaching of this topic is found at the following link: