If numbers
were truly the basis upon which the fruitfulness of a ministry should
be gauged, Noah would, at first glance, have been judged an abysmal
failure. Even as he and his sons built the Ark, Noah faithfully
proclaimed the message of My impending judgment. For many decades
he warned all who approached him of their imminent peril.
How do you
think they responded? It had never before rained on the earth, for
up to then the ground had been watered by dew. These people had
never experienced rain; yet Noah was warning them that I was about
to inundate the entire earth and destroy every living thing. His
listeners laughed at him, but he did not stop preaching to them.
They mocked him, threw stones at him, and told him he was crazy.
He was the laughingstock of the neighborhood. The partially finished
Ark was treated like a tourist attraction. People came from far
and wide to stare at “Noah’s Folly”, not realizing
that the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. Still,
Noah was undeterred. He was even willing to endure reproach for
My Name’s sake.
Those wicked
people were so engrossed in enjoying their sins that they refused
to believe in Me. They traded in their spouses for new ones when
they tired of them, just like sinners do today. They ridiculed Noah
and his sons for their fidelity to their own wives. That same spirit
of wickedness is at work in this unbelieving generation, despite
the widespread proclamation of the Gospel. I said in My Word: The
way to life is NARROW, and few there are who find it.
After tirelessly
preaching to multitudes for so many years, how many people went
aboard the Ark with Noah? Only seven. His own brothers, sisters,
and extended family dismissed him as a crank, and found his zeal
a bit embarrassing. They also drowned in the Flood.
Was his preaching
in vain? No. I still remember various people floating on debris
in the water or clinging to tree branches as they awaited the end.
Others spent their final moments on the highest hilltops, as water
swirled about their ankles and sheets of rain furiously tore at
their clothing. They had resigned themselves to the fact that they
had been disobedient to My exhortation to repent, and would lose
their earthly lives. There were many last- minute repentances among
those who had grudgingly seen the sense of Noah’s preaching,
but, fearful of losing their so-called friends, had not embraced
his message by faith. These had vacillated and decided they did
not want to give up their accustomed life-styles for My sake. They
had lived out their long lives in rebellion against Me, but wanted
to at least make their peace with Me before dying. Thousands of
years later, My Son preached the glad story of redemption to these
souls in Abraham’s Bosom, the abode of the righteous dead.
After He paid the ransom for their sins on Calvary, He led these
captives upward to the Heavenly City. My mercy toward men is unspeakably
great.
Following
the Rapture of the Church, there will be many conversions among
those who remember the testimony of their friends or family who
were taken. The harvest is sometimes delayed, but it comes nonetheless.