I would like you to take the Word of God, please, and turn with me to the Gospel according to Luke. This is where we'll begin, if you have your Bible open, to the 17th chapter of the Gospel according to Luke, and we'll begin with verse 22. Luke chapter 17, beginning with verse 22. Are we nearing the end of this age? I imagine most people who say they're Bible believers would answer yes to that question, that we're nearing the end of this age. What do you think? Well, the Word of God says, beginning in the 22nd verse of Luke 17, And He said unto the disciples, The days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here, or see there. Go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning that lighteth out of the one part unto heaven shineth unto the other part unto heaven, so shall also the Son of Man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation, and as it was in the days of Noah, So shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed." If you're gonna have to marking things in your Bible, I want you to notice in this 26th verse of the 17th chapter, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. This is one of the records we have of this particular passage. I want you to turn with me to the Gospel according to Matthew, and we get a parallel account of this passage. In Matthew chapter 24, we have what we call the beginning of the Olivet Discourse. And the Lord describes for us here future events. We come to the 32nd verse and the Bible says, now learn a parable of the fig tree. When his branches yet tender and put forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Verse 37, but as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Again, in verse 37, as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. He's coming again. No doubt about it, he's coming again. I hope you have a rock-ribbed conviction driven a mile deep in your soul that Jesus Christ is coming again, that you really believe that, that he's coming again. Now, remember this. The Bible says very clearly, as our Lord speaks in verse 36, but of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. There are lots of folks who are trying to frighten people with information about the second coming of Christ that's not valid because it's not biblical. Every test must be put to the test of the Bible. And if it doesn't stand the test of the word of God, We shouldn't give it much attention at all. Just let it pass. Because it's the word of God that we rely upon. It's the word of God, the Bible says of itself, that liveth and abideth forever. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but his words will not pass away. They will not pass away. I want you to look at something in the book of Acts, in the first chapter. As our Lord gives us this word in Acts chapter one, in verse eight, he says, but you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight. And notice verses 10 and 11. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, you men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which has taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you've seen him go into heaven. Now I've said to you in a previous message that we're living in a day with the spirit of antichrist. Antichrist. against Christ instead of Christ and anyone who embodies that doctrine or spirit, we could say, is an antichrist. But there is a personality that will step on the stage of human history. The world will refer to that person as a savior. We know that person to be an imitation of the true Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. But the world is preparing for the antichrist. No doubt about it. The end of Christ and the false prophet. We've talked about this. And my personal position concerning the return of the Lord can be called the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return of the Lord. And I hope that you'll be able to explain what that means as we've talked and preached about it, taught it. I believe Jesus is coming at any moment. We believe in the imminent return of our Lord. He's coming without signs, without signs. There's no sign that has to be given for the Lord to return for his church. He's coming in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. The Bible describes that for us. If you'll turn over to what Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, I want you to look at it just for a moment with me. And here again, just the description, the biblical description that God gives us concerning the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. You have your Bible in the first Thessalonians chapter four in verse 13. The Bible says, but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. The word prevent means go before. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." And the Bible does not say in the 18th verse, take this and scare everybody to death. But it does say, wherefore comfort one another with these words. These are the comforting words of Christ. He's coming again. There's nothing pessimistic, nothing pessimistic, nothing frightening for the Christian about the coming of the Lord Jesus. It is the most certain thing we know of in the whole wide world. It is more certain than death because some people will be alive and never die when Jesus comes again. He's coming for his own. Are you one of his own? How many of you believe you're one of his own? Would you raise your hand? You really believe that? You're one of his own? Can you imagine in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the trumpet will sound, the Lord will come. Those of us who are alive and remain, we're here, we'll be caught up to be with him, changed in a moment. In other words, quicker than I can smack my hands or blink my eyes in a moment. All the saved are caught up to be with the Lord. He's not coming to the earth. He's coming to the clouds and we're caught up to be with him. The earth goes on. Mankind moves on. As a matter of fact, lots of folks will rejoice that these narrow-minded, bigoted, hard-headed Christians who insist there's only one way of salvation are gone. They're gone. Not only will those of us who know the Lord be gone, but those who have died in the Lord will have their bodies resurrected, be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The Bible tells us the way this is going to happen. That resurrected body caught up, reunited with our loved ones. I'll meet my mother, I'll meet my father, I'll meet my stepfather in the clouds. The next time I see mother in the clouds. The next time I see my dad, who died knowing the Lord, I'll see him in the clouds. Think of that. And what a wonderful life he made for my mother, the last years of her life. I'll see him in the clouds. This is not some figment of my imagination. This is the word of God. It's just as real as John 3, 16 is real. He's coming again. He's coming again. Then the tribulation will begin on this earth. The last three and a half years of it, the great tribulation. Catastrophic, chaotic things will begin to take place. Things that we know the Bible tells us about are gonna happen on the earth. Now, those things will happen during that seven-year period before the Lord comes in glory with his saints to execute judgment and his feet will touch the earth. The battle or battles of Armageddon will conclude. The Lord, of course, will be victorious and he'll reign in his kingdom for 1,000 years on this earth and those of us who are saved will reign with him. He's coming again. But what about this idea of the days of Noah? Would you go back there to Matthew chapter 24? What does it mean? What does it mean? Are we to go, now this may disturb some of you, are we to go back to Genesis chapter four and Genesis chapter five and Genesis chapter six and see what the Bible says happened in the days of Noah? I've heard a lot of preaching about that, a lot. And by the way, I admire every bit of it, I really do. But if I had talked about rapid education, increased knowledge, speed and travel, if I gathered together seven or eight things that most people talk about that were going on in the days of Noah, I think some people could say with every passing generation, these things were increasing and things were happening. Is that what he means? I really think there's more to it than that. I really do. Let's establish something here again in our lives. All of us believe in it, but let's nail it down again. That's biblical authority. Biblical authority. Will you say that with me? Biblical authority. Where do we get our authority? From the Bible. The full and final authority in our lives is the Word of God. We say as Baptist people the sole authority, the only authority for faith and practice is the Word of God. Biblical authority. Any attack, any attack on that Biblical authority anywhere in the Bible story is an attack on all the authority of Scripture. Any attack anywhere is an attack on all of it. It's like someone comes into my house and say, well, I'm not gonna hurt you, but I'm gonna hurt your wife. No, you can't hurt my wife without hurting me. I'm not gonna do anything terrible to you or your wife, I'm gonna just do something bad to your children. I say, wait a minute, you got it all wrong. You can't hurt or attack one of my children without attacking me. It's all together, it's all one. That's like someone say, I'm gonna cut your hand off. You'll live, but I'm gonna cut your hand off. Wait a minute, that's my body. It's all one thing. Let's be careful about that now, that kind of talk. Well, if people start peeking around the scripture, start peeking around the scripture and say, let's just say, well, you know, I don't have to believe in historical Adam or I don't have to believe in a global flood or, wait a minute, wait a minute. Any attack on scripture is an attack on all of scripture. and is also an attack on the deity of Christ. Let me show you something I believe we could get from this, one thing we could get from this. Notice the Lord talks about Noah, Noah. Have your Bible open again there to Matthew chapter 24? He says in verse 37, but as the days of Noah were, that's Jesus speaking. He's talking here about the days of Noah and what the Bible says about the days of Noah. That's a global flood. The days of Noah. He's saying to us, here is the verification for you. Here is authority for you. What the Bible says about Noah, I affirm to be true. The days of Noah. Let me give you a verse to write down somewhere in the margin of your Bible next to this passage. And I just want you to hear this. In Genesis chapter seven, verse 19, would you write that verse reference down? The Bible says, and the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered. All the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. A global flood. Jesus Christ affirms that record. He affirms that record. Now before the flood, look what God tells us happened. In Genesis chapter five, the Bible says, begin with verse 21, and Enoch lived 60 and five years and begat Methuselah and Enoch walked with God after begat Methuselah 300 years and begat sons and daughters. Verse 23 of Genesis five. And all the days of Enoch were 365 years and Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him. Before the judgment, before the flood, before the death of every living thing on earth except what was in that ark, before all of that, Enoch was removed. That's a beautiful type or picture for us of God's children, the church. This is the church age being removed, called out before judgment. I don't believe that we are destined for that wrath. We have tribulation. Jesus Christ said that we would have tribulation in this world, but not the great tribulation. And so don't let anyone frighten you about something if it doesn't line up with the Bible. They say, what if a good guy, a good lady, somebody I've got a lot of respect for has a different opinion about it? Well, that just makes you have to dig deeper and find out what you believe God says in his word and how he speaks to you when you compare scripture with scripture and come to understand the scripture. But we're talking about the authority of the Bible now. Jesus makes reference to that flood and verifies that what God says about it is true. I want you to look at the gospel according to Mark. Here's another place that the world likes to attack. In Mark chapter 10, just one of the references, there are many who call themselves Christians who say, I don't have to believe in a historical Adam. and the account of creation given to us in the Bible. But this is what the Lord Jesus says. The Lord Jesus says in Mark chapter 10 in verse six, from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. That's what God says. And if you say, well, I'm not sure about an historical Adam. Well, you know, you wanna attack the authority of scripture? If you do, watch out when you're digging around the foundation of creation. you're gonna shake up a whole lot of other things. Not only attacking the authority of scripture, but you're dealing with the deity of Christ. What he says is true. What he says is true. So we find the flood, we find creation. Have you ever heard made fun of, someone make fun of Jonah? Look with me, please. The Lord says there's one thing, and a record of it we can find in the gospel according to Luke. There's one thing, he tells us, that is going to be his sign, his sign, that gives, if you might allow me, authenticity, truthfulness to every other thing he says. He's gonna rise from the dead. And in the gospel record given in Luke, the Bible tells us in Luke chapter 11, beginning with verse 29, when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, this is an evil generation. They seek a sign and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah, the prophet. Now the Lord is saying, Jonah, the prophet. He goes on, for as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South shall rise up in judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, a greater than Jonah's here. He went on to say in scripture, as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, the son of man would be three days and three nights in your earth. So the critics come, in my day, starting as a preacher, my preacher said, they're modernists. That's what they called them, modernists. And I remember Brother Hagin sitting me down. I went off to college, that little Methodist college, a junior college, to start everything. I had a Bible teacher, never had a Bible course in my life. It's the only Bible course I ever had in college. I went on to the University of Tennessee and graduated with a degree in education, then went to seminary. But the Bible teacher said, I'm gonna tell you now, this miracle business is something for another generation. I remember her saying one time, she was a well-known lady. By the way, she got saved later and repented for everything she had said like that and apologized to her classes. Interesting, isn't it? She talked one day in class, I can remember sitting there and she said, the Sea of Reeds was not a deep thing. They waded through it all. You know, we didn't have enough sense to ask how'd all those Egyptians die in knee-deep water, but she was laden on, laden on. I came back and said to Brother Hagin, you know, there's some new stuff, Brother Hagin, they found out since you were in school. How silly. That's why we ought to be patient with young men, even some young preachers. And I said, I had a Bible teacher tell me in class just the other day that even that guy that was healed of his blindness and the Lord spit in the dirt and you know, they found out now that there's a chemical element in the spittle of man mixed with the chemical element of the mud and when you combine that, there's a combustion that takes place and it produces a healing cream and that's how he got, and he said, Clarence, sit down right there, right there in that chair, sit down. You know, and I knew I was in for it. His word to me was, you're not gonna be a modernist. That was his word for it, you know, modernist. You're not gonna be a modernist. You ever heard that word? That's another generation, you know, modernist. Those are people who came up with things they picked apart in the Bible. Couldn't believe all the scripture. That's why we went on a battle about inerrancy and believing the verbally, plenarily inspired word of God. Every word of it is true and all of it is true. But that's in every generation. That's in every generation. When a man or a woman who says he or she is a Christian, some even Bible teachers, some even professors in Christian colleges start denying the account of creation and the global flood, the story of Jonah, it won't be long before they're losing all emphasis on the second coming of Christ, the deity of Christ, his power to save. And all they'll spend their lives doing is making the world a better place from which to go to hell. Oh beloved, that's not it at all. Look at the opening part of this gospel record in Matthew chapter 24 in this Olivet Discourse. On your own you can read this, but the Bible says in Matthew chapter 24 beginning with verse 1, and Jesus went out and departed from the temple and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, see you not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately saying, now notice, they're going to ask three questions. Three questions. And from verse four all the way through verse 44. He's gonna be answering things. Here are the questions. Number one, tell us when shall these things be? In other words, the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Explain that to us. How can this massive structure that was still under enlargement in their day, when could that possibly happen? and it happened with the destruction of Jerusalem. Question number two, and what shall be the sign of thy coming? And he's gonna deal with the tribulation, he's gonna deal with what we really believe to be the second coming of Christ, when he comes in glory, not the rapture, but the Lord's coming in glory. And then there's a third question here, he says, and the end of the world, if you pardon me, the end of the age, this age, this grace, this Holy Spirit time, this church age. And the Lord speaks to them. Now with that in mind, look again at what he says about Jonah and Noah and Lot and creation. We can believe what he says. He said in verse 37 of Matthew 24, but as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Now I ask you, what do you see here? For as the days and the days that were before the flood, what are they doing? They were eating, always eating. Drinking, always drinking. Marrying, yes. Giving in marriage, yes. until the day that Noah entered into the ark and knew not. What's the message for us? The world was marching on with every normal behavior, with absolutely no regard for God or the things of God or the coming judgment. And suddenly, and suddenly, it happened. May I say to you, suddenly, in a moment, it happens. This fig tree story tells us is a beginning of something. He says there's something you can see in the beginning of something. It's not necessarily about a fig tree. It's what we learn from the fig tree. Look at verse 32. Now learn a parable of the fig tree. Now they knew this is where it happened. They lived around this type of vegetation and plant life. When his branches yet tender and put forth leaves, you know something, you know that summer's nigh. So likewise, this is what we're gonna learn, likewise. When you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. We're dealing here in main part with Israel in this, as that fig tree, not the church. Not the rapture. At any moment, the Lord could come again. He talks about the days of Lot. Look at it, please. He says, as we move on here, verse 39, I knew not until the flood came and took them away. So shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good men of the house had known in what watch the thief would have come, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready For in such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man cometh." The record in Luke adds the word concerning lot. Verse 28 of Luke 17, likewise also as it was in the days of lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. They went about their business, careless, neglecting God, caring nothing for the Lord. Lot's day was a day of chaos, marital anarchy. Every order about what God designed broken down. And you and I are beginning to see an order breaking down. And the absurd has become the normal. What was once against the law in our generation is not only lawful, it's sort of the thing the world says is in style and promotes. They're not changed and moved. by all this anarchy, but the Lord's coming again. And when He comes again, this earth, this earth will be reckless in chaos. We can begin to see some of that happening even now, preparing the way. God help us. So what are we to do? I think this is the most important thing I can give you. If you turn to the book of Acts, to the book of Acts, this is God's program. The Bible says in this wonderful meeting conducted in Acts chapter 15 concerning the gospel to Gentiles, these words are given in Acts chapter 15, and they deserve a full treatment, so I'm just gonna give you just a word about it here. In Acts chapter 15 and verse 13, the Bible says, and after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me. Simeon, or Simon Peter, hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. Now if you want to know what God is doing in the world today, this is it. It's not all he's going to do, but this is it. This is the church age. This is the age of grace. This is the age of the Holy Spirit. This is what we're doing. This is what God is doing and we're to get in on what God is doing. We don't have to invent our own ministry. We just have to find out what God's mission in the world is and just get involved in God's mission. What is God's mission? He's taking out a people for his name. Preaching the gospel, getting the message out, going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature. Now that's not all he's going to do. He's gathering a bride and the heavenly bridegroom is coming. The rapture will take place. We'll be called to be with him. Then other things will unfold. He goes on here in verse 15 of Acts 15. And to this agree the words of the prophets as is written. After this, after this taking out a people for his name, after this, I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down. I will build again the ruins thereof and I will set it up that the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. So it doesn't all end when we're gone with Jesus, but we're here taking out a bride. He's working, taking out a bride, and we're working with him, taking out a bride. Let me show you something I think extremely interesting. If you look in the book of 2 Peter with me just a moment, in 2 Peter chapter two, 2 Peter chapter two, If someone says, well what was Noah doing? We mentioned the days of Noah, what was Noah doing? The Bible tells us beginning with the last verse in chapter 1 of 2 Peter, for the prophets that came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But they were false prophets also among the people even as There shall be false teachers among you who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetous shall they with vain words make merchandise of you whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment, and spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person. Notice please, a preacher of righteousness. Bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly. I want you to mark that, a preacher of righteousness. What was Noah doing? He said, he was building an ark. I was preaching the word of God. With every sound of the hammer, no doubt he was preaching, but he was also preaching. Preaching. I can imagine his days were filled with work for all those years, but in the evening and nights, he was preaching. He was a preacher of righteousness, a preacher of righteousness, a preacher of righteousness. So what are we to do? What do we learn from this? The Lord is coming again. What he says is true. He's coming again. He could come at any moment. And what are we to do? Truth of God, we're to be preachers of righteousness, recognizing any moment before we get out our next word, the trumpet could sound and the Lord would come. Our opportunity to serve Him in this age would be over and we'd be caught up to be with the Lord. And if you're somewhere and beside you there's an unsaved person, you're leaving, that person is staying to go through the tribulation and the great tribulation. This is what we learn in the Word of God. And we don't delight in saying, this whole world's gonna go through the great tribulation. No, no. We need to be faithfully trying to get everybody we can the message of the gospel to them. So they'll come to know Christ as Savior. and labor with the Lord as he's taking out a people for his name. How many of you are already in on that? You're one of his people. You have his name. He's coming for you. As in the days of Noah, so shall also be the coming of the Son of Man. Let's pray, baby. Father, guide and help us now to act upon what we hear For those among us who are lost, may they tremble in their lost condition and cry out for thy mercy and get saved before they're left behind. And for those of us who have grown indifferent to preaching the gospel and witnessing, oh Lord, stir our hearts. Stir our hearts. Help us to get lined up with Thee. For some who might have gotten a little shaky on the authority of Thy Word, may we have a new burst of energy, a deepened conviction about Thy precious Word and the authority of Thy Word, knowing Thy Word is true. May God help us.