The Days of Noah

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37-39 NIV)

There are things we want to come back, and things we hope never do. I hope Covid never returns. And I’m glad Christmas comes back year after year. But there's one return we can absolutely count on—the return of Jesus Christ. And the question isn't whether He's coming back, but whether we're ready when He does.

A Return Unlike Any Other

When Jesus first came to earth, His arrival was marked by humility. Born in a stable, laid in a feeding trough, His entrance into the world went largely unnoticed by the powers and principalities of His day. A few shepherds, some wise men, and a handful of faithful believers recognized the significance of that holy night.

His second coming will be dramatically different.

Matthew 24 paints a vivid picture: Jesus will return in power and glory, appearing on the clouds where every eye will see Him. There will be no missing this moment. An archangel's shout will pierce the heavens. A trumpet blast will sound. Armies of angels will accompany the King of Kings as He returns in triumph. This won't be a quiet stable birth—this will be an unmistakable, world-shaking event.

The Sobering Comparison

Yet Jesus Himself made a startling comparison when describing the conditions surrounding His return. He likened it to the days of Noah—and that comparison should give us serious pause.

What were the days of Noah like? Genesis tells us that God saw the wickedness of humanity had become great on the earth, and that every inclination of human hearts was only evil all the time. The moral decay was so profound, the spiritual corruption so complete, that God grieved He had made mankind.

Yet in the midst of this darkness, life continued as usual. People ate and drank. They married and gave in marriage. They went about their daily routines completely unaware of—or indifferent to—the moral and spiritual decay surrounding them. They had normalized evil to such an extent that they couldn't even recognize it anymore.

Sound familiar?

When we look at our world today, we see the same patterns. Wickedness is celebrated. Truth is relative. What God calls sin is rebranded as liberation. And most people continue their routines, scrolling through their phones, planning their weekends, pursuing their careers, completely oblivious to the spiritual crisis enveloping our culture.

Rescue and Judgment

The days of Noah ended with both rescue and judgment. The flood came suddenly, sweeping away those who had refused to heed the warnings. Only Noah and his family—eight people who found favor with God—were saved in the ark.

The return of Christ will similarly bring both rescue and judgment.

For those who don't know Jesus, His return will be a moment of mourning. It will mark the end of any opportunity for salvation. It will mean standing before God's throne to give account. It will result in eternal separation from God—the ultimate tragedy of a life lived apart from its Creator.

But for those who belong to Jesus, His return will be pure joy. We will join Him for eternity. Whether He returns at the moment of our death to take us home, or whether we're alive when He comes in glory to gather His church, the result is the same: we get to be with Him forever.

The Call to Readiness

So what does all this mean for how we should live today? Jesus doesn't leave us guessing.

He tells us to keep watch and always be ready. He illustrates this with vivid imagery: two men working in a field—one taken home, one left behind. Two women grinding at the mill—one taken home, one left behind.

If a homeowner knew exactly when a thief was coming, wouldn't he keep watch? Of course he would. But we don't know the day or hour of Christ's return. No one can calculate it. No one can predict it. Therefore, we must always be ready.

But what does biblical readiness actually look like?

Four Pictures of Faithfulness

In the very next verses of Matthew, Jesus provides four parables that paint a clear picture:

The Faithful Servant continues feeding the household while his master is away, while the unfaithful servant mistreats others and faces severe consequences. (Matthew 24:45-51)

The Wise Virgins keep their lamps burning with extra oil, ready when the groom arrives, while the foolish virgins miss the moment because they weren't prepared. (Matthew 25:1-13)

The Good Stewards wisely invest what they've been given until the master returns, while the lazy servant buries his treasure and loses everything. (Matthew 25:14-30)

The Sheep spend their lives feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the sick, and visiting prisoners—ministering to "the least of these"—and receive the King's commendation. The Goats who neglect these acts of mercy face condemnation.

Notice the pattern? Biblical readiness isn't about decoding prophecies or stockpiling supplies for the apocalypse. It's not about creating elaborate end-times charts or predicting dates. It's about faithfully living as disciples of Jesus every single day.

Living Ready Today

The truth is, today could be the day. Death can come suddenly—a torn aorta, a car accident, an unexpected diagnosis. We're not guaranteed tomorrow. The question that should arrest our attention is this: Are you ready to meet Jesus face-to-face?

Readiness begins with surrender—giving your life completely to Christ, trusting in His death and resurrection for your salvation. But it doesn't end there.

Readiness means living faithfully as His disciple. It means loving God with all your heart and loving others as yourself. It means pursuing sanctification—allowing the Holy Spirit to transform you into the image of Christ. It means actively serving others, especially the vulnerable and marginalized.

Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Care for the sick. Visit the prisoner. Minister to "the least of these" as though you're serving Jesus Himself—because you are.

The Days We're Living In

The parallels between our time and the days of Noah are unmistakable. Moral decline is accelerating. Wickedness is widespread. And most people are going about their lives completely unaware of the spiritual realities surrounding them.

But you don't have to be caught off guard. You don't have to be swept away. You can be like Noah—someone who finds favor with God and is ready when judgment and rescue arrive.

The return of Christ isn't meant to terrify faithful believers; it's meant to motivate us to live with purpose and urgency. Every day is an opportunity to love well, serve faithfully, and point others to Jesus.

Don't wait. Don't delay. Surrender to Christ today, and then live every day as though it might be your last—because it very well could be. Let the certainty of His return shape how you live right now.

The days of Noah serve as both warning and reminder: judgment is coming, but so is rescue. The question is, which will you experience?