If you ask, many will tell you that prophecy is nothing more than a story told by superstitious people. How little do these people realize that, by saying so, they are actually fulfilling prophecy? Whether or not these are the end times can be debated, but what is not open to debate is that the signs of the end times as foretold in prophecy are certainly plain for all to see. It’s just that we do not know how to put the pieces together so that we may see. So, to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, let him hear and see; but to those who do not hear and see, let them be warned!
First, I am far from alone in my concern for this generation. Others are as aware of the season as I am, and we are all crying our warnings from the tops of the walls:
“Humanity had forgotten God so literally every man just did what they thought was right in their own eyes,” Kinley said of the days of Noah.
As for the current conditions, the author described what he sees as “pandemic unrestrained immorality” and “a falling away of the purity of faith.”
Kinley proceeded to describe how society’s current treatment of God mirrors the Bible’s depiction of the “end times” – a time-frame in Christian theology that precedes the Earth’s end.
While he said it’s impossible to judge when the end times might unfold, Kinley described the current conditions as matching those presented in the Bible, citing Matthew 24, among other references.
Sadly, too few actually know what the Bible says about the times of Noah, or what prophecy says about the second coming of Christ and the end of days. Sadder still is that this includes many who profess to be Christians. So this may be a good time to review:
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples that His return will catch people by complete surprise. We will be living our daily lives just as those in the time of Noah were doing before the flood came. But Jesus told His disciples much more than what is apparent in just these few words. His disciples understood the full content of this warning, but we have forgotten because we think we are too smart to actually think anymore. In truth, we are far less wise and infinitely more lazy than the people to whom Jesus was speaking. Otherwise, we would understand the full breadth of Christ’s prophetic warning.
To fully understand the Christ’s complete warning, we need to remember why God flooded the earth:
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
This means that everyone in the time of Noah had turned toward their own concerns. They refused to even acknowledge God, let alone obey the Lord’s commands. But understand, this does not mean that they did not acknowledge God with their lips; it means that, if they did, they spoke falsely. Though they may have claimed to have believed with their mouths, in their hearts they did not. This manifested itself in their actions. They had perverted the law so that they could make easy gain at the expense of the poor and the helpless. They worshiped false idols. They had no sexual restrain, and they sacrificed their children to false gods. In short, they were totally depraved. They sought after whatever they thought was right and rejected any moral claim others may have made against their actions. Now I wonder: how many see this in our society today? Because this is a perfect picture of who and what we are today: a modern incarnation of the generation of Noah.
But this is not where prophecy stops. Every time someone rejects God and denies His claim on themselves and this world, they fulfill prophecy. This is a sign of the prophecy of apostasy – the great falling away – as foretold by the Apostle, Paul:
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the [a]apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
Now, what does this prophecy mean when it speaks about the man of lawlessness and the son of destruction? Many believe this is speaking about a single end-time character known as ‘The Antichrist,’ but it is not. In fact, the Apostle John specifically tells us that the antichrist is whoever denies that Christ is the begotten Son of God; that He was crucified for the forgiveness of sin; and that He was resurrected and ascended into heaven. That person – whoever denies this to be true – that person is the antichrist. So Paul is telling us the same about the son of lawlessness and destruction. It is not a single person we are being told to watch for, but a spirit that will inhabit the hearts of men – just as in the days of Noah!
Now I ask you, are the headlines more or less full of stories about lawlessness and destruction today than they were just a decade ago? And is this nation more or less religious than it was just a decade or so ago? And are we – as a people – more or less morally restrained than we were a decade ago? If you answer those three questions truthfully, then you should also be able to see the signs of Noah in your answers.
The Oil for Your Lamp 
Joe,
My mother is particularly fond of Pope John Paul II’s book Crossing the Threshold because of it’s emphasis on cultural relativism, which is, as you hinted at in your post, a monumental problem in this day and age.
[In my limited understanding of the bible], I am aware that the Book of Revelations mentions that the coming of the anti-christ must occur before the return of christ. I am persuaded, given the wide spread lack of immorality and relativism, that perhaps the anti-christ will not manifest itself in a single human being, but rather, in the form of an omnipotent evil mindset, one capable of blinding entire nations of people — nations of previously GOOD people.
Lara, you are correct. In fact, the Apostle John specifically writes to tell the church to stop looking for a single person as “The Antichrist.” There is no such prophecy. rather, John tells us that ‘antichrist’ is a spirit that denies Christ is the risen Son of God, as well as the rest of the Trinity. So those who think that other prophecies about the coming military/political leader who will lead the final battle against Israel is this ‘Antichrist’ are mixing prophecies. The Bible does not support the idea of a single ‘Antichrist’ figure — unless someone wants to tell John, the Apostle whom Christ loved, that he does not know what he is talking about. Personally, I wouldn’t do that, especially since John is also the author of Revelation. 🙂