THE AUTHENTICITY OF NOAH'S ARK AND ITS SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS (PART II)
Plain
In the previous issue of Living
Water we discussed the authenticity of Noah's Ark.
Through the study of seven major scientific discoveries, we have proven
that the Ark
and the global flood recorded in the Bible are veritable and true.
All important events written in
the Bible contain precious spiritual teachings for future generations to learn
and take warning. The Lord Jesus said,
"As were 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 giving in marriage, until the day when
Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them
all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man." (Mt 24:37-39).
Obviously, before the day of Jesus' second coming to consume the world with
fire, God will choose His church and entrust them with the similar mission
given to Noah, to build the spiritual Ark - the "Ship of Salvation"
for all who wish to enter to obtain salvation.
Therefore, Noah's Ark prefigures the TrueChurch
in the last days.
GOD'S DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS
"Noah did this; he did all
that God commanded him. "- Gen 6:22
-
God created the universe according
to His almighty power and wisdom. There
are specific patterns for all creation.
All structures that God commanded man to build has His exact dimensions
such as the Tabernacle erected by Moses (Ex 39:32,42,43) or the Holy Temple
built by Solomon (I Chr 28:11-19). All were constructed completely according to
God's blueprint which, consequently obtained God's favor and blessings. It is because of Noah's complete submission
to God that he and his family could clench salvation. He built the Ark
precisely according to God's design and measurements, never realizing the Ark became the most
stable ship of the world and preserved the life of his entire family. Therefore, the TrueChurch
in the last days must conform perfectly to God's Word, the Holy Bible (Eph
2:20), especially regarding the essential doctrine of salvation which is
irrevocable. God will measure us by His
rod and standard (Rev 11:1) and judge us by His Word (Jn
12:47,48).
If any Church or individual does
not comply with the will of God, condemnation and loss of eternal life will be
inevitable (Mt 7:21-23; Gal 1:6-10).
ONLY ONE ARK
Although there were many people in
Noah's generation, God commanded Noah to build only one Ark (Gen 6:14). It became the unique ship of salvation. Hence, the True Church of God in the last
days will also be unique, just as the pre-figuration is pointed out in the
scriptures -- only one body (Eph 4:4); the only mountain of the Lord's house
which shall be exalted above all hills (Is 2:2-3); the only bride, dove and the
undefiled one of the Lord (Rev 19:7-8; Song 6:8-9); and one family, one nation
(Eph 2:19). Therefore, we must seek with
all our hearts the True Church where we will find the original faith of the
Apostolic times - The Perfect Gospel, the Holy Spirit, and miracles and wonders
(Rom 15:18). We should bravely enter
into this Ark of the last days to receive the
salvation provided by God, to be born again of water and the Holy Spirit (jn 3:5), and eventually be delivered to the HeavenlyKingdom when Jesus comes again.
GOD IS IN THE ARK
"And Jehovah said to Noah, you and all your house come into the Ark; for thee have I seen righteous before
me in this generation. "-Gen 7:1
KJV-
When the construction of the Ark was finished, God commanded Noah and his family to
"come", not "go,, into the Ark. Evidently, God is already in the Ark and abides
there. For this very reason, the Ark was sustained
peacefully about 371 days and all the living creatures in it healthily
survived.
If a church will perfectly obey
God and construct according to His measurements, God will surely abide with
her. Everyone who believes will
experience God's abundant grace such as the mighty power of healing, casting
out of demons (Mk 16:17,18,20; Acts 5:12-16), and the
manifestation of the fullness of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). If a church does not have the abidance of God
and the believer has no experience of the spiritual power, she will be no
different from worldly organizations.
The worship is but a formality and social activity. There is no benefit
towards the growth of spirituality or eternal life.
THE UPPER WINDOW
"A window shalt
thou make to the Ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the Arkshalt
thou set in the side thereo.1',- with lower, second,
and third stories shalt thou make it. " -Gen 6:16 KJV-
The upper window was the only
passage through which light and air entered the Ark, and also was the sole direction of hope
for Noah's family in the holocaust of the global flood.
Though Daniel lived in the sinful
society of Babylon,
his spirit coined with God intimately through the window of prayer three times
a day (Daniel 6:10,11) in order to build up an
incomparable, excellent spirit and virtue (Dan 5:11,12). Through his daily spiritual fellowship with
God, he obtained knowledge and wisdom from above and became a powerful witness for God in the
Babylonian and Persian Empires. The fact
that his window opened toward Jerusalem
indicates his self-awareness of' status, never to forget that he was a saint of
the holy city and a son of' God. Hence,
he must maintain the spiritual quality of God's son in the sinful world. It also revealed that his hope was to return
to the holy city to worship and serve God, behold His beauty, and enjoy
abundant blessings in the temple
of God.
All those who enter the Ark of the last days
separate themselves totally from the sins of' the world, without fellowship or
any desire for it. They desire to
commune closely with God in their daily lives through the spiritual window, by
which comes holiness, wisdom, and power (Col
3:1,3; Jas 5:16; Lk
24:49). To them, the world has lost all
its attraction of' wealth, pleasure, and glory.
The heavenly inheritance becomes their only hope and consolation (Gal
6:14; Heb 11:13-16).
THE "ONE FAMILY" IN THE ARK
According to the estimate of the
scientists, in the available capacity of 1.4 million cubic feet of the Ark, there dwelt
approximately 75,000 animals and birds.
Various kinds of birds and creatures lived together with humans for
about a year's time. Amazingly, an
atmosphere of total harmony filled the whole Ark, reminiscent of that in the Garden of
Eden. The beastiality
of all kinds of animals and birds seemed to be entirely subdued. Ferocious, devouring and poisonous natures
all vanished. Each of them obeyed the
guidance of God and came to Noah willingly (Gen 7:8,9),
just as the animals and the birds in the Garden of Eden were brought before the
Son of God, Adam, to be named and managed (Gen 2:19).
Today, all who have truly entered
the Ark of
the last day and received the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy
Spirit have already submitted themselves to the words of God (I Pet 1:22,23). They have taken
off their old nature, and put on a new one.
Their mind and character have been thoroughly transformed. They have nailed to the cross all
fornication, impurities, passion, evil desires and covetousness, anger, malice,
slander, and foul talk (Col
3:5-10). Hence, the entire spiritual TrueChurch
becomes a peaceful, cooperative, holy, and loving family. The paradise-like setting fulfills the prophesies of Isaiah, "The wolf shall dwell with
the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and lion
and the fatting together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young
shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The sucking child shall play over the hole of
the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Is 11:6-9).
NOAH - THE RIGHTEOUS MAN
Noah was one of the three
remarkable righteous persons in the Old Testament (Ezek 14:14). Though he lived in a morally decadent and
wicked generation, he was able to stand strong in the tide and sustain his
immovable and unchangeable faith, maintaining his simplicity and purity toward
God. Not only did he share an intimate
relationship with God and obey His will, but even more he had an extraordinary
faith in God (Heb 11:7).
At about 500 years of age God
commanded Noah to build an Ark. The Bible does not record any further
revelation from God until he was 600 years old when he had accomplished the
great task of building the Ark. Within this hundred
years of time, he did not receive any encouragement or approval from God. Noah lived through the years of hardship
merely by his strong faith. He endured
the severe mocking (it and gradually finished the huge Ark.
He also stored up all kinds of provision, sufficient to maintain a
year's needs for all the living creatures in the Ark (Gen 6:21). Aside from these heavy works, Noah went
everywhere to preach the words of righteousness and warn the people of' the
world to repent and enter the Ark
(11 Pet 2:5). These works of' faith was
produced by his full conviction that every word of God will be fulfilled. try
this kind of strong faith, he was able to overcome all obstacles and
difficulties of the world, to fulfill God's will, and carry out Successfully
God's commission (I Pet 5:8,9: 1 Jn 5:4). Today, everyone who desires to build the Ark of the last day and
to preach the perfect Gospel must equip himself with Noah's spirit and his
excellent faith in order to accomplish the noble task entrusted by God.
THE LAST SEVEN DAYS
In God's forbearance of 120 years,
Noah unceasingly preached the word of righteousness until the Ark was finally completed. Unfortunately, besides Noah's family, there
were none willing to repent and enter the Ark. Yet, God still showed His mercy to the world
and gave them seven days as a final grace period (Gen 7:4), hoping they would
awaken and return to Him at the last moment.
But the people of the world hardened their hearts and rejected God's
love and sought self-destruction. Hence,
we must pay special attention to the final grace period of God. Paul said, "Or do you presume upon the
riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God's kindness is meant
to lead you to repentance?" (Rom 2:4,5).
In Matthew Chapter 24, the Lord
Jesus has clearly indicated that in the last generation before His second
coming, there will appear ten major signs in the world. Up to 1948, nine of the signs had already
been fulfilled. Isn't the present world
barely surviving "The Last Seven Days" of God and waiting for the
final sign - the Great Tribulation (an all-out nuclear war)? Regarding this devastating catastrophe Jesus
says, "And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be
saved (in the physical sense); but for the sake of the elect those days will be
shortened." (Mt 24:22) Immediately after the great tribulation, the grace
period of God will be over. The power of
heaven will be shaken, the Son of Man will come with the clouds, and the elect
ones will resurrect and be transformed.
They shall be taken up to meet the Lord in the air. Then, God will destroy the world with fire
(Mt 24:29-31; 11 Pet 3:10-12) and judge all mankind (Rev 20:11-15). Therefore, we must prepare ourselves positively
to meet God (Jas 4:12), to do His will, to lead a holy and godly life, to be
zealous, to love God and our fellowman, to preach the Gospel and save lost
souls
GOD SHUT THE DOOR OF THE ARK
The door of the Ark was shut by God Himself (Gen 7:16). In reality, only by God's mighty power can
the door of the Ark be perfectly sealed, so
that no water might enter the Ark
during the flood (Gen 7:24; 8:3). Jesus
says, "I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will
go in and out and find pasture." (Jn 10:9) The
way to eternal life was paved by the blood and the life of the Lord Jesus, and
He appointed the Ark of the last day - the TrueChurch
- as an institution of salvation for all mankind where the elected ones may
fulfill the requirements to enter the HeavenlyKingdom. Therefore, we should enter the Ark without delay while the door of salvation is still
wide open (Is 55:6; 2 Cor 6:1,2)
and preserve ourselves always in this Ark
(Jn 15:4-6; Ps 122:2). No one is able to open the door which has
been shut by God (Rev 3:7). On that day,
there will be many people like those in Noah's generation who witnessed the
global catastrophe. Even though they
repented bitterly, they could find no chance to be saved.
May we learn from these spiritual
implications of Noah's Ark
and obtain edification and growth in spirituality. Amen.
