I have to admit – I chuckled a bit when I read comments that those of us who believe in a pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church are suffering from a mental deficiency and a form of escapism.
By that measure, then Noah must have suffered from this mental deficiency as well when he started building the Ark. While there is much argument over how long it took Noah to build the Ark, we do know that he and his family entered the Ark when he was 600 years old, and we know that he was 500 years old when his first son, Japtheth, was born (Genesis 5:32).
We also know that Noah’s second son, Shem, had his first son when he was 100 years old, and that was 2 years after the flood (Genesis 11:10). If we look at the instructions God gave Noah, He told Noah that “he, his wife, and his three sons and their wives” were to be brought aboard the Ark (Genesis 6:14-18). So, it is safe to say that it took Noah less than 98 years, and some have estimated closer to 75 years, for Noah to build that Ark. That is a very long time to hear all your neighbors laughing about you, mocking you, and telling everyone how crazy you are!
Let’s not forget about Lot and his family when the two angels showed up and told him to get out of Sodom and Gomorrah! Lot’s neighbors saw the two angels enter Lot’s home and wanted Lot to send them out so they could “know them.” From the history we know about Sodom and Gomorrah, it’s safe to say those neighbors weren’t looking for a friendly chat over a cup of coffee at the local diner (Genesis 19:1). Was Lot also suffering from this “escapism,” or was he listening to the message sent from God?
I think back on my own life experience and remember those days in 2008, preceding the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike. We were living on our boat, moored in a marina in Seabrook, TX. Barry was still running his trucking company, BMS Transport, and was on the road. We kept in touch over multiple phone calls to see what I should do if this hurricane stayed on the projected path. I still remember the phone call when Barry told me to pack up and get outta Dodge!
So, I packed up what I could, loaded my black Lab, Eli, in the back seat of the pick-up, and we headed north. Good thing I did, too, because the scene, after Barry was able to get back into Seabrook, was not a pretty one. Our 1956 Chris Craft Constellation, Miss M Pulsive, was a total wreck and sitting on the bottom. Even our little 20″ VIP was crushed up against the roof of the marina. Was that escapism that caused me to pack up and head north, out of the path of the destruction? If it was, I hope I still have that sense of escapism because that is what kept Eli and me from ending up on the sandy bottom of that marina with our boat. Of course, that wasn’t God telling me to pack up and head out – it was my husband.
I haven’t asked Barry who told him…
Studying God’s Word and listening to that still small voice and then heeding what it says is not escapism – it’s wisdom. I pray that we all keep studying, and seeing, and understanding the signs that are all around us today. God gave us those signs for a reason.
Susan Mouw, Author
The Road to the Cross
Go Set A Watchman
As In the Days of Noah
Website: roadtothecross.org