The Days of Noah . . . RETURN!
by Robert D Pace
Moses’ staff parts the Red Sea.
Manna falls in the desert for forty years.
Elijah calls down fire from heaven.
Joshua stops the sun.
Jesus walks on water and feeds thousands from a lunch basket.
An angel frees an apostle from prison.
Signs and wonders are marvels that stir the imagination and captivate the heart. As physical, visible, supernatural events, they are both enchanting and baffling. And whether signs and wonders are revered or repudiated, they cannot go unnoticed. The God that displayed such phenomena of Biblical days has reserved a cosmic crush of signs and wonders for the Endtime.
The Purpose of Signs and Wonders
What are signs and wonders? Why has God fashioned and flashed them upon the stage of humanity? And most importantly, what is the purpose of these marvels for the Endtime? In order to answer these questions, let’s begin by defining each of these words—signs and wonders:
The primary purpose of a sign is to dispense information. And information is dispensed in all areas of life. The U.S. Department of Transportation posts signs that read, “Curve Ahead,” “Merge,” “Stop,” or “Dead End.” Theme parks, restaurants, and beverage industries erect giant billboards to capture attention. In each case, the signage announces the opportunity to enjoy a special feature in life. Signs dispense information.
On the other hand, a wonder has a definition of its own. A wonder is an awe-striking act of God that arrests man’s attention! And the Bible is filled with wonders: Moses at the burning bush, the widow’s endless store of flour, Joshua’s halting of the sun and moon, and Christ raising Lazarus from death. Each of these miracles is classified as a wonder.
But when the two words signs and wonders are combined, they unite to formulate a decisive message: “Signs and wonders are awe-striking acts of God that arrest man’s attention and supply vital information.”
This explains God’s purpose for signs and wonders in the Bible and it explains his use for them at the Endtime. The Lord has a crucial message for man to acknowledge. It is a message accompanied by a wonder that says, Wake up! the Endtime has arrived! The Apocalypse is at hand, and the Return of Jesus Christ is near!
The world is not waiting for the appearance of prophecies, omens, and cosmic wonders. They have arrived! They are irrepressible and they will not cease until the Son of God appears in the skies.
Thousands of years ago, the Bible predicted the appearance of a generation that would be marked with signs and wonders. The miraculous will serve as the crowning feature of that generation. This is why it cannot be said that signs, wonders, and miracles are dispensational and they ceased with the New Testament Church. Nothing in the Bible supports that assertion!
God has always operated in supernatural ways. But this chapter deals with God unleashing an abundance of marvels upon the Endtime generation in a profound and unprecedented way!
The most notable historian of the early church was Luke, and he wrote freely of these marvels. But he also understood signs and wonders were not ends unto themselves. God never exercised his power for the sake of showing off his abilities. The signs and wonders of the Bible bore witness to a greater purpose: they always authenticated the plan of God or the way of God (Acts 14:1-3).
Thus, the Biblical precedent has been established. Signs and wonders are firmly established in the Kingdom of God and are here to stay. God will use these phenomena to send a freighted message to mankind. This is why Christians must discern their objective.
“What Is the Sign of Your Coming?”
I am only speculating, but I believe the apostles, fascinated with eschatology, had preplanned their inquiry in Matthew 24. They had likely determined to seize the perfect moment to get inside information regarding the timetable of the Apocalypse. The Apostles heard Jesus speak of the last days, but Jesus had never divulged the specific sign that would pinpoint the generation witnessing the end of the age and his return. His reserve had piqued their curiosity, so the apostles, in their cleverness, front-loaded their eschatological question. Knowing that God confirmed his major acts with Israel by sending signs and wonders, they launched their inquiry:
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”. . . . [Jesus answered,] “For 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 were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:37-39).
The sequence of events here is important. First, the Apostles were doctrinally armed. They knew the divine purpose of signs and wonders. Second, they presented a theologically loaded question: “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Third, Jesus provided a direct and precise answer: “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
This terse answer Jesus provided carries mysterious and monumental implications. In fact, his response to the apostles’ question includes perhaps the most intriguing prophecy he uttered regarding the Endtime! Jesus foretold a time when the phenomena and characteristics of Noah’s generation would reappear on Earth. And once all these traits appeared concurrently, they would arise with a superlative announcement: “The Day of the Lord is at hand! Man has stepped into the end of the age!”
(Transition) Now I want to explain the profound significance of this prophecy and why I believe it is the most intriguing of prophecies that mark man’s march into the last days.
Exclusivity of Christ’s Prophecy
The set of signs from Noah’s day can only reappear in one generation or the entire prophecy loses its meaning! To state it another way: The veracity of this entire prophecy hinges on one and only one generation experiencing the phenomena of Noah’s generation. This means the set of signs from Noah’s day cannot apply to the third, fifth, eleventh, or nineteenth century. From the foundation of the world, God predestined but one generation to re-experience the set of signs from Noah’s day. And this generation will witness the Apocalypse and Christ’s Return to Earth. It is here that Christ’s Noahic prophecy painted a giant bull’s-eye on the Apocalypse generation!
In order to understand the exclusivity of this prophecy and which generation it identifies, it must be determined which events from Noah’s day will reappear. But let me first issue a disclaimer and mention a sign from Noah’s day that has appeared in all generations. The most obvious connection Jesus makes between Noah’s generation and the last generation is found in verse 38: “Before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark.”
There is no question that Christ’s words have meaning when he says the Endtime generation, like Noah’s generation, will be “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (v. 38). This verse simply recognizes how people will engage in the normal activities of life. However, Christ’s words here have no prophetic or profound meaning in identifying a “last” generation that is “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,” since all generations experience these activities.
So what was Christ seeking to accomplish with this answer to the apostles’ theologically loaded question? Jesus wanted his apostles (and other Believers) to dig past the superficial and uncover a far more explicit answer. And I want to start with the most logical comparison Christ could have made from this prophecy. The most obvious correlation is this: Just as Noah’s generation experienced global, unbounded catastrophe, the last generation will be engulfed by universal, worldwide reckoning. And there will be no hiding places!
Global Judgment
Do you realize the world has never suffered global cataclysm since Noah’s day? Not even during the two World Wars. History shows there were passive nations disengaged from these wars. But once the veil of the Apocalypse falls, no corner of the earth will be free from disruption. Every square inch of this planet will be affected. And it will be in keeping with Noah’s day: global judgment! But how will this occur?
But how is this possible? Is there anything that could cause judgment to immediately engulf the entire planet? And the answer is, Yes! The Bible reveals the day is coming when God will sovereignly impugn the uniformity of the solar system and rattle the constellations. Once the heavens are shaken, the earth will reel with disasters. There are many scriptures that disclose this occurrence:
Isaiah 13:13 says, “I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts” (NASB). Notice the correlation here. Isaiah foresaw a disturbance happening in the heavens that will create cataclysm on the earth.
Haggai 2:6-7 states, “For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations.” (This will be a massive, tangible shaking of the Milky Way when the earth will be unhinged from its course and then wobble in the tent of heaven.)
Joel 3:16 says, “The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble” (NASB).
Job 9:6 says, “[The Lord] shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble.” Imagine that! The day is coming when the earth will be unhinged and displaced from its established course.
Christ said in Matthew 24:29, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” The word “heavens” (heavenly bodies, NIV) refers to the vaulted expanse of the sky, which is Earth’s Solar System.
Hebrews 12:25-26 says, “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’”
None of these Scriptures is symbolic! God anointed the ancient prophets of Scripture to forecast a solar disruption, almost inconceivable to the imagination. The magnitude of this disruption will traumatize the earth and transcend anything the Richter scale has measured.
I want to show you how Isaiah predicts a series of earthquakes rippling around the globe. The passage is found in Isaiah 24:18—20:
“For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut.”
Isaiah showed how the earth will be made to “tremble,” “[be] utterly broken,” “split apart,” and “violently shaken” to “stagger” and then “sway like a hut.”
Isaiah predicts a series of devastating earthquakes striking the globe to wreak unprecedented havoc. The consequences of these earthquakes that Jesus, Haggai, and Isaiah predict will be unimaginable as they will have an undulating effect throughout the earth!
Crude oil and gas pipelines will crack open.
Regional and national power grids will shut down.
Volcanoes will discharge.
And the coastlands will be ripped apart by the outbreak of hurricanes and tsunamis.
I want to especially note how people will respond to the disasters that will affect the coastlands of the world. And it comes from a familiar verse of Scripture that Christ quoted. In Luke 21:25 Jesus said: “And on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves.” When these earthquakes strike the world and in turn create tsunamis, it will take millions of lives. It is safe to predict that major cities situated along the coastlands could virtually disappear into the oceans.
This is the global reckoning that Jesus predicted for the generation that would witness his Return to Earth. It will coincide with the global reckoning that fell upon the people of Noah’s day.
Mega-Signs and Mega-Quakes
The terrors and portents of the Endtime will surpass all calamities known to man. That’s why Jesus said, “There will be great earthquakes . . . and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11). Jesus didn’t say “There will be earthquakes . . . and signs from heaven.” He purposely selected the adjective great to describe the omens of the Apocalypse. The Greek word is mega, which means “gigantic; enormous; massive; extreme.” Thus, Christ’s prophecy could appropriately be translated: “There will be mega-quakes . . . and mega-signs from heaven.”
Theologians teach that an earthquake is the surest sign of God’s judgment. And there is a reason for this. It is because earthquakes occur without warning and offer no time for preparation. In an instant, an earthquake arrives, impugns the earth, and disappears.
In March 2011, the world looked on as Japan suffered a torrential tsunami as an aftermath of a mammoth earthquake. Months later, seismologists discovered the earth’s axis shifted twenty-five centimeters and moved Japan’s coastland inland by eight feet! This is the consequence of one earthquake, measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale, cracking open the earth. Imagine what will happen when a series of ravaging earthquakes ripple around the globe according to Isaiah 24. As the prophet noted, the earth will “reel like a drunkard, [and] sway like a hut in the wind” (v. 20 NIV).
Does that not sound dreadful? Who wants to live during this season of Indignation? But these apocalerts do not come without meaning. God has designed these mega-quakes and mega-signs to announce the end of the age. And while these omens will rattle unbelievers, they will have a different effect upon the Christians. They will assure Believers that the Bible is true, God is in charge, and that their “redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). It is unbelievers that will be left unprotected and vulnerable to these calamities.
Now let’s examine what the Bible says will be occurring in the heavens during this period. And once again, we will examine this from the words Christ Jesus.
Solar Assault Upon the Earth
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25–26).
The Bible shows these solar disruptions will so overwhelm unbelievers that they will pass out and have panic attacks when they see them occurring. And please understand I am not sensationalizing this. The wording of verse 26 is precise. It documents people focusing on “what is coming on the world.” In other words, when man’s telescopes capture the luminaries breaking apart and soaring toward the earth, it will become headline news for media outlets. Hundreds of millions of people will see the cosmos unleashing its vengeance toward the earth. Panic and fear will grip man’s soul!
I can imagine how this news will break upon the masses. Astronomers will be interviewed by television and radio networks, as a means of verifying whether meteorites are heading toward Earth. I foresee NASA’s ability to calculate the time and place a meteorite will strike. Even your average citizen that has access to a nice telescope will be able to peer into the sky and see the fury descending. They will then feed their information onto the Internet and other communications outlets. And with truth irrepressible, the global population will be in a state of panic.
This is exactly what Jesus predicted. As the Living Word, Jesus foresaw people fainting with fear in reaction to a heaving cosmos. And it is interesting to compare Bible translations of Luke 21:26 to gain a clearer perspective of man’s reaction to this solar onslaught:
“People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken” (NIV).
“People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken” (NLT).
“Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” (KJV).
“Men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” (JB2000).
“Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved” (Douay-Rheims Bible).
“Men ready to die through fear and expectation of what is coming on the habitable earth, for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (DBT).
It does not matter which translation you consult, this prophecy is terrifying!
Solar Storms
Now let me mention solar storms. In recent years, scientists have written much about this phenomenon. Their findings conclude that a ninety-second solar flare could melt the world’s electrical grid and communication satellites hovering around the earth. This would obviously create power outages and technological blackouts, but that is just the start.
From bumper to bumper, modern automobiles are controlled by a computer. Even the accelerator, once controlled by a cable under the foot, is managed by computer circuitry. Imagine the consequences of a solar flare suddenly disrupting the function of vehicles on roadways around the globe. The carnage from this tangled web of wreckage would be unimaginable!
And can you envision the destruction solar flares would impose upon the aerospace industry! Planes that daily transport thousands of passengers, nuclear weapons, and secret projects would suffer untold catastrophes. And it should not astonish any student of God’s Word to know that the prophet Joel has acknowledged this probability. God says through his Prophet:
“I will show wonders in the heavens [possibly a solar flare or meteorite] and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke” (Joel 2:30).
Joel makes a graphic connection between the heavens and the earth in this verse. Something will happen in the heavens that elicits “blood and fire and columns of smoke” to heave from the earth. This prophecy could be fulfilled by a solar flare or a meteorite or an asteroid descending from the heavens and striking the earth. Whichever it might be, its results would be calamitous!
EMP (Electro-magnetic Pulse)
Could the Bible have forecasted an EMP? I think there is a good chance that Isaiah did. Listen to his words in Isaiah 47:5. “Sit in silence, go into darkness, queen city of the Babylonians.” In other words, an EMP attack would impact the nation’s electrical grid, electronic devices, vehicles with electronic systems, and electronic pumps. It would create literal “silence and darkness.” It would take months, perhaps a couple of years, to rebuild these systems.
Do you see what all these mega-signs of the Endtime do? When these events happen, Christians won’t need three prophecy teachers and a theologian to confirm whether God has sent the signs. These prophetic disasters will be self-interpreting to Believers and there will be no doubt that these tragedies portend the Endtime.
This is the very purpose for my writing my book, APOCALERT. It’s to show that God will not let mankind walk blindly into the Apocalypse and without due warning! He has provided a profuse presence of irrepressible prophetic forewarnings to rise up and shout, “APOCALERT! The Apocalypse is near, and it will engulf the globe!”
Thus, global judgment is an unmistakable sign that appeared in Noah’s day which will again appear in the last days. This means no place on Earth will be free from impunity. And at no other point in human history, other than Noah’s day, has this occurred.
(Transition) But there is another sign from Christ’s prophecy that correlates Noah’s day with the last generation.
The Reemergence of Strong Demonic Activity
The last generation, like Noah’s generation, will experience the reemergence of strong demonic activity. Genesis 6 provides an account of Noah’s generation: “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart” (vv. 5—6).
Moses, the writer of Genesis, portrays the earth as being exceedingly wicked. He describes man’s heart being totally defiled. In many ways, this describes today’s generation. Sins that were once concealed in shadows and dimly lit back alleys are now publically paraded. They are postured in every section of society. It pains me to say, but in recent years you and I have seen public displays of perversion that would have brought immediate arrest and imprisonment in our parents’ generation. But today, this perversion is politically protected from prosecution.
I want you to consider from a heavenly perspective the ramifications of the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriages. As far as God is concerned, this decision conferred “legal” rights for Satan and the forces of perversion to freely advance through American civilization. And with the forces of evil growing stronger it will weaken our nation at every point of vulnerability.
You don’t unleash a demon to have it go sit in “time out.” Jesus said they “roam” the world. He told his Apostles that Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour.” And folks, you and I are witnessing the presence of evil grow stronger every year. And all of this will reach a “tipping point.” Some day not far from now, we will witness demonized people manifesting in ways we have only heard about.
I foresee droves of incorrigible and uncontrollable demonized people roaming the streets and moving in packs.
I envision grocery stores being guarded by armed patrols. Architects will redesign food stores in efforts to prevent robbery. I also foresee the food-delivery system (trucks, railway, etc.) under constant marauding.
I see the presence of evil growing fierce in the halls of Congress, the Senate, and the White House. Christian politicians will find it nearly impossible to walk into certain congressional halls, chambers, and areas without a show of protection.
Demons are real! They have intellect, will, personality, and temperament. Most importantly, demons operate in a realm superior to the human dimension. People without Jesus Christ abiding in their life are vulnerable to these spirits! It is Christians that are Spirit-filled and abiding in Christ that will have authority over the demonic foes of the Endtime.
Here is what all this satanic surge is leading to: it concerns the mysterious creatures the Bible calls “the Nephilim.” Let’s turn to Genesis 6:1–4 and see what Moses wrote:
The Nephilim
When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
Who are these inexplicable creatures the Bible calls “the sons of God . . . the Nephilim . . . mighty men . . . [and] men of renown”? How did they get to Earth? And will they really return?
Genesis 6 is one of the most scrutinized passages in the “book of beginnings.” Despite its rigorous examination, there remains tremendous disagreement among theologians, teachers, and commentaries regarding the Nephilim. Through the years, it has been impossible to gain consensus and settle the theology of these beastly creatures. Notwithstanding, I shall mention the Nephilim because Jesus thought it was worthy to invoke the traits of Noah’s day upon the last days. As a reminder, here is what Jesus said, “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:37).
As numerous Bible scholars purport, I also believe the “sons of God” were “angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling” (Jude 6) and intermarried with the daughters of men. This crossbreeding produced the Nephilim—a hybrid race of beings that produced “mighty men who were of old, the men of renown” (Gen. 6:4).
This begs a question of utmost importance: Why did Satan mastermind a scheme for fallen angels to intermarry with the daughters of men?
The Nephilim Sought to Pollute Man’s DNA
One reason fallen angels consorted with women was to contaminate the bloodline of the human race. But what purpose did this serve? Well, had Satan succeeded in polluting the human genome, it would have prevented the Messiah from appearing as 100 percent man. And a genetically impaired Messiah would not have been able to atone for man’s sin. When this is understood, it provides the reason God handpicked Noah to perpetuate the human race. Here is what the Bible says about Noah in Genesis 6:9 as it ascribes his three distinct qualities:
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”
As Genesis 6:9 is read without regard to the Hebrew text, it seems to double-down on Noah being righteous and blameless. It seems to invoke a poetic Hebrew idiom that characterizes Noah as being highly esteemed. While Noah was a man of supreme moral virtue, this was not what the Bible emphasized in this double reference. The two words righteous and blameless have a qualitative difference.
When Genesis 6:9 says “Noah was a righteous man,” it identifies his moral purity. But when it says Noah was “blameless in his generation” it does not reference Noah’s moral purity. The phrase “blameless in his generation” speaks of his genetic purity. A study of the Hebrew text reveals that Noah was “whole, unimpaired, and without blemish in his generation.” In other words, God had preserved Noah’s flesh from Nephilim genetics and maintained pure humanoid DNA.
And this too helps clarify why God sent a flood upon Noah’s generation. The Lord not only destroyed a world system that was utterly plagued with sin, transgression, and iniquity, but he also eliminated the Nephilim that dared to pollute Christ’s humanity.
The Nephilim Sought to Dominate the World
However, there was another reason the Nephilim appeared. Genesis 6:4 describes the Nephilim as “mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.” When the fallen angels mixed their seed with humans, it produced powerful, legendary hybrids that lorded over mankind during Noah’s time.
It is easy to understand how Nephilim could have controlled the world when you investigate their characteristics. These creatures were highly intelligent, gigantic in height, and tremendous in muscularity. But most significantly, they were of a fierce and oppressive nature! Given time, with their intelligence and strength, the Nephilim would have dominated the world and controlled the destiny of all nations.
But notice also what Genesis 6:4 inserts about these beastly characters. It says, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those [Noah’s] days, and also afterward.” In some mysterious way, the Nephilim reappeared after the floodwaters of Noah’s day subsided. And their appearing afterward was yet another attempt to dominate the world.
Where does the Bible show the Nephilim reappearing? The first time they reemerge is nine hundred years after the Flood when they have found residence in, of all places, Canaan. Shortly after Israel escaped Egypt and passed through the Red Sea, Moses dispatched twelve spies into Canaan to survey the land. And here’s what they told Moses when they returned with their report:
We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them (Num. 13:31—33).
The Nephilim were dominating the land! They did this in Noah’s day and again nine hundred years later in Canaan. Fallen angels had once again intermarried with humans with the intent to dominate mankind and control our destiny. And that’s why the Nephilim will reappear in the last days. They will appear to devour and dominate.
I must be careful to share this as being my opinion. It would be wrong to express in dogmatic terms my opinion of the Nephilim returning. That would not be in keeping with a Christlike demeanor. And there are many uncertain mysteries of Scripture that must be approached in humility. This is just one of them.
While I do not have definitive insight as to how this prophetic mystery will unravel, the Bible furnishes enough evidence to presuppose its occurrence. Even the Prophet Daniel foresaw the Endtime pollution of human flesh.
In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a towering statue upon the earth. It had a head of gold, chest of silver, midsection of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. When Daniel interpreted the dream he knew these successive parts of the statue symbolized the kingdoms that would govern the world throughout the ages and to the end of time.
The most interesting aspect of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is how he envisioned the final world empire. In the dream, God symbolized this empire being comprised of a strange and flawed mixture of iron and clay. Verse 43 gives the description when it says, “As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.”
It appears Daniel foresaw demonic forces again entering a profane union with man during the last days. Could this happen with a literal consortium of fallen angels and humans? Or, might it occur in conjunction with modern science? Perhaps through genetic engineering?
Here is what is remarkably fascinating. In 1953, five thousand years after the Nephilim of Noah’s generation, scientists cracked the DNA code and began the decryption of man’s genetic structure. Amazingly enough, since the 1990s, geneticists have tinkered with man’s DNA and even engineered “designer babies.”
It is a known fact that geneticists have cloned animals. Have they secretly moved this biogenetic madness into the arena of humankind? I don’t know. However, one fact remains certain: Satan has never abandoned his plan to devour and dominate mankind. And it seems Satan’s last-ditch effort includes somehow defiling man’s genetic structure. When this happens, the demonized (Nephilim?) will literally roam the world, and men will be forced to confront these maddening agents of hell. It will be a time of cruelty and anarchy just like “the days of Noah”!
At this point in time, notice what collectively unfolds:
The Antichrist and his political madmen will govern much of the world.
The demonized will storm the earth.
Earthquakes will rattle the planet.
Meteorites will careen onto the land and into the seas.
Tsunamis will pound the coastlands.
Thus, the consequence of this cataclysm will cause many people to lose hope. Revelation 6:16 shows people calling for the rocks and mountains to crush them. The terrors of life will simply be too much for unbelievers to bear. But while the world will be in the vice of cruelty, Believers will not be without hope. Christ has a plan to alleviate their suffering, and this promise is disclosed by Jesus in Matthew 24.
The Days Will Be Shortened
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matt. 24:21—22).
Twice in the foregoing passage, Jesus says “those days will be cut short.” And yet, at first glance that seems like a metaphysical impossibility. That’s because this prophecy proposes that God will constrict time and shorten a twenty-four-hour day. Does this mean there will be a literal restriction of time where minutes will be removed from the hour, or hours will be removed from a day? Again, yes, this is what Jesus indicated!
When Jesus makes an outlandish declaration, it is not for Christians to assail or doubt. Jesus is giving Believers the opportunity to investigate the mystery and say, “Lord, I believe. Now explain how you will accomplish this.”
Some people have postulated that God will fulfill this prophecy and cut short the days by reducing the length of the seven-year Tribulation. But that cannot happen without doing violence to the Scriptures! The Bible has carefully measured Daniel’s “Seventy Weeks” and they must be fully completed.
If God does not reduce the length of the seven-year Tribulation, then how does he fulfill this prophecy? What is left for Christians to believe? It is this: When Jesus says the “days will be cut short,” he foretells an act of God that will shave off the hours from a day. And before you disregard this postulation or relegate it to the realm of science fiction, the astonishing fact is this: geophysical science entirely affirms this possibility! In fact, it has already happened! The days have been shortened. They just haven’t been shortened to the magnitude that Scripture forecasts.
Geophysicists have calculated that three earthquakes since 2004 have accelerated Earth’s spin and shortened our twenty-four-hour day by about ten microseconds. They have even explained how this has happened.
The planet is made to increase its spin when an earthquake pushes Earth’s mass closer to its rotation axis. The reality of this geocentric concept is easily illustrated by Olympic ice skaters. At some point in their routine, the ice skater glides to center rink, and with their arms wideout they gracefully begin spinning. However, as they slowly pull in their arms toward their body—their axis—their spin increases to a blazing, indiscernible speed.
Thus, if a series of global earthquakes shifted a large mass of land toward Earth’s rotation axis, the world could spin fast enough to shorten a day by several hours! And that would mercifully alleviate the torment of the last days and, thus, fulfill Christ’s prophecy (researched by Dr. Richard Gross, NASA geophysics scientist).
That is what the Bible’s irrepressible forewarnings are all about as it discloses prophecies, omens, and cosmic wonders. They are God’s apocalerts designed to grab man’s attention and shout, “The day of the Lord is at hand”! Our compassionate and loving Lord will not let mankind walk blindly into the Apocalypse.
And this leads to the next sign from Noah’s day that correlates with the Endtime generation. It asks the question, How did Noah’s generation respond to its reckoning wonders? Did people repent? Whatever that answer is, it has set the pattern for the last generation.
Noah’s Ark was seen in Noah’s day and I believe it will be discovered and seen again by the Endtime generation.
The Rejection of Supernatural Signs
In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away” (Matt. 24:38-39 NIV).
There is nothing unusual about people dining and marrying. That is a multi-generational distinction. The sign from Noah’s generation that points to the last generation is hidden in verse 39, which says, “They knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away” (NIV).
It is almost inconceivable that the people of that antediluvian dispensation could “know nothing about what would happen” to the world when they watched Noah build the ark for over one hundred years. But according to Jesus, the people of that ancient dispensation had no clue that the world would soon be destroyed, even though Noah preached, prophesied, and warned them the entire time he pieced together the ark.
Why was this so? Why were the people so blind? Was this gigantic ship being constructed invisible? Had God not given the people adequate warning of the Flood? Or did God provide the people of Noah’s generation with additional evidence, even astonishing evidence, that something catastrophic was on the horizon? The answer to that question lies in investigating a timeline of human history.
When you investigate a chronological timeline of history, you discover some of history’s most extraordinary men lived contemporaneously. And it could be that never in human history has a company of men so notable, and righteous, lived simultaneously. Further, not only were these godly men living concurrently, they each possessed personal knowledge of the coming Flood. This means that each of these God-fearing persons, profound in personage and unique in mission, was qualified to warn the world in no ordinary way of the coming global disaster. Thus, the testimony of these divinely selected men provided the world with all the “voice” it needed to warn sinful souls to forsake their evil deeds.
In the coming pages, I will provide the complete list of those that had personal knowledge of Noah’s coming Flood, and since these men are so special, I have designated them as the Superlative Ten. If this is your first time to explore this list, I believe you will be extremely surprised! The first person I’ll mention is Enoch.
Enoch, an Extraordinary Man
The remarkable aspect of Enoch regards his sudden disappearance from life and how God snatched him from Earth without succumbing to death! Hebrews 11:5 describes it with one sentence: “[Enoch] was not found, because God had taken him.” Don’t you wish the Holy Spirit had supplied more information on certain events of the Bible? It would be fascinating to have scenarios like Enoch’s mysterious disappearance more fully explained. But knowing the Bible is perfectly constructed, the omniscient Spirit anointed the Prophets to record all the information that is necessary for now. I don’t have any doubt that Heaven will allow Christians the opportunity to see replays of astonishing episodes of Biblical history. For example, you and I can look forward to watching Moses part the Red Sea; Elijah calling down fire; Shamgar, the farmer, defeating 600 Philistines with an oxgoad; and then watching all the events in Christ’s life. But for now, perhaps I can reconstruct how this particular event unfolded.
One day Enoch, a deeply devoted man of God, walked out before his audience, preached on the personal coming of the Messiah to Earth, concluded his message, and then suddenly disappeared. In actuality, this is what the Bible reveals about Enoch, because 3,000 years later the apostle Jude quoted the text of Enoch’s sermon when he wrote, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones” (Jude 14). And yet, though the crowds witnessed Enoch’s anointed preaching and rapturous disappearance into thin air, no one repented! They ignored everything!
Can you imagine going to the house of worship, listening to the choir, giving in the offering, pausing for a time of prayer, hearing a message on the Second Coming of Jesus, and then the evangelist vanishes on stage? It would seem people would stumble over themselves rushing to a place of repentance after witnessing such a demonstrable testimony. But according to Scripture, nobody repented after Enoch’s miraculous disappearance. And in accordance with Christ’s prophecy, the people of the Endtime generation will also harden their hearts toward the Gospel of Christ and refuse to repent.
There is more that I have to say about Enoch, but for now let’s investigate his son, Methuselah.
Methuselah, an Extraordinary Man
The Bible is clear to recognize Methuselah as being the longest-living man of history, having lived for 969 years!
There is a reason Enoch, in the fear of God, named his son Methuselah. It is because God warned Enoch of a worldwide catastrophe. Thus, God had an urgent message to convey to mankind. He wouldn’t allow mankind to walk blindly into its global fate. So, God transmitted this “Breaking News” to mankind by instructing Enoch to name his son Methuselah. The very name, Methuselah, contained a special meaning. Hebrew scholars have interpreted Methuselah’s name to mean “In the year of his death it shall be sent.” And when you study a timeline of Bible history, it reveals that the Noachian deluge descended during the 969th year of Methuselah’s life. In accordance with God’s irrepressible Word, the waters of the Flood burst forth days after his death!
Methuselah’s name issued a prophecy of catastrophe for 969 years, and each time someone from that ancient world recognized Methuselah in the public square they understood the meaning of his name. The Lord forced people to look at him and think, There is Methuselah. Enoch gave him that name because it means, “In the year of his death it shall be sent.” I wonder what it is?” Methuselah’s name gave people the opportunity to approach him and inquire about this enigmatic event that pertained to the year of his death. But did they? Perhaps many people did.
But additionally, God used Methuselah as a remarkable testimony of his wondrous grace. Through Methuselah, the longest-living man of history, the Lord disclosed his reluctance to judge mankind and allowed his wrath to linger for 969 years! And yet, while it is a marvel that Methuselah lived all those years, the most astonishing aspect of his life was his death. Methuselah’s death was a wakeup call to the living, but nobody woke up. Not one soul repented!
Noah, an Extraordinary Man
Of course, the third handpicked prophet that God chose to warn the world was Noah. And God gave Noah an astonishing miracle that people should have recognized as indisputable evidence that judgment was coming. Even today, people reading the Bible can easily overlook this miracle as it relates to Noah and the Flood.
Once the ark was constructed, Noah’s last assignment involved gathering the animals of the world into the ark. How do you think this happened? Did Noah bray for donkeys, chirp for birds, and whistle for dogs? Did he step to the door of the ark, raise his staff and have the animals stampede toward the ark? Not at all! The Bible shows that our God of design and order ordained one week for the animals to file into the ark and for Noah to guide them to their holding place (Gen. 7:4, 7-9). It was an orderly process.
Here is the remarkable aspect of this miracle: During this final week of ingathering, God forced the people of Noah’s day to watch him sovereignly direct the animals into the ark. For one week the ancients watched two giraffes, two hippopotamuses, two elephants, two lions, two moose, two buffalos climb aboard the ark. Even the animals discerned the voice of their Creator and knew to flee the coming wrath! Had Noah’s generation been rational, they would have understood that this unearthly sight was supernatural and that God was furnishing a sign of impending doom. But they ignored one of the most dramatic wonders of all time and wouldn’t repent.
You see, when people expel God from their thoughts; when they refuse to let his Word find residence in their heart; when they willfully choose to withstand and reject truth, it will always lead to spiritual blindness! People that love not truth are incapable of perceiving things that should be clearly perceived. What should be evident to them becomes obfuscated. And this is the disposition reappearing in the world today—especially in America. The discernment of the typical American has diminished because America has banned God from the classroom, disinvited him from the boardroom, and expelled him from the public square. The Bible is no longer revered and political correctness is venerated. And just like Noah’s generation, most people of the last generation will be oblivious to God’s warnings despite a crush of apocalyptic signs.
This explains Daniel’s characterization of the Endtime when he wrote, “None of the wicked shall understand” (Dan. 12:10). Daniel knew that people will be incapable of discerning the meaning of tsunamis, earthquakes, pandemic viruses, pestilences, meteors assaulting the earth, and the planet “swaying like a hut in the wind” (see Isa. 24:20) He knew the prophetic occurrences of the Endtime would be mysteries wrapped in riddles and unsaved people would be oblivious to their meaning. Just as the antediluvian generation of 5,000 years ago repudiated the testimony of its three witnesses—Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah—the testimony of the coming Two Witnesses of Revelation will soon be forgotten, despite the miraculous signs they work and even though God publically raptures their dead bodies from the streets of Jerusalem (Rev. 11:12).
The Superlative Ten
To this point, I have mentioned three of the ten uniquely righteous men, who lived contemporaneously, whom God used to warn the world of its wickedness prior to the Flood. However, this trio is but a fraction of the righteous messengers, also living simultaneously, that could testify to the coming Flood. It’s really profound when you see which Biblical characters (listed one-by-one in Genesis 5) had knowledge of the world’s destruction by the floodwaters.
As I researched who might comprise this list I wondered, Was it possible that even Adam, the beginning of mankind, had personal knowledge of the Flood? Would he have been able to warn the world of its destruction? As my intrigue intensified, I realized the key to the entire process was Enoch. That’s because Enoch named his son Methuselah, which again means, “In the year of his death it shall be sent.” Thus, it was not necessary for Adam to personally watch Noah construct the Ark in order to gain knowledge of the Flood. God, who always announces his major acts to mankind in advance, would use Enoch’s prophecy through his son Methuselah to furnish testimony of the global deluge. Amazingly enough, a time chart of humanity reveals that Adam’s life extended to the day Enoch named his son Methuselah; past Methuselah’s birth; and then overlapped Methuselah’s life by 243 years! For 243 years Adam and Methuselah had the opportunity to fellowship, share meals, and discuss the counsel of God as it regarded the world’s watery demise.
That means the complete list of notable figures that had foreknowledge of the Flood included: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and of course Noah (Gen. 5:1-31). What an incredible profile of righteous men that could testify to the coming judgment of God! And it certainly seems plausible that the people of that ancient world had the opportunity to inquire of these superlatives about Noah’s actions. They could approach these men, one-by-one, and ask: Are Noah’s actions born of God? Is his message of global judgment accurate? Is God truly speaking through Noah? And each of the superlatives could give credence to Noah’s actions and confirm his ministry. Through these ten righteous messengers, the people of that ancient world had all the testimony they needed to understand God’s inundating determination upon the earth. Yet, those woefully sinful people denied all the evidence that God had provided.
Mighty Men of God Shall Return!
Much of this chapter is based upon Christ’s salient prophetic comparison when he said, “As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:37). In other words, the two, and only two, generations experiencing global catastrophe will share numerous similarities. And there is a vital comparison that the Superlative Ten messengers also have with the Endtime. This incomparable company of men appearing in Noah’s day infers that God will also raise up a company of uniquely anointed servants to proclaim the Gospel and warn the Endtime generation of the Apocalypse. These messengers will have unparalleled wisdom, insight, and empowerment from the Holy Spirit. They will also stand out as superlatives among men. Just as the Nephilim appeared as giants of wickedness, these people will appear as giants of righteousness. And their message will fill the world with an irrepressible apocalyptic warning! While the Two Witnesses—Moses and Elijah—will possess an unparalleled anointing from the Holy Spirit they will not minister alone. God will use the Two Witnesses to recruit fearless messengers, disciple them, and make them into spiritual stalwarts. Could it be that God has chosen you to serve as one of his Endtime superlatives?
I am convinced that the Lord will ordain prophets and seers unlike any preceding generation has witnessed. They will be a rare breed of prophetic messengers that walk in tremendous fear of the Lord. They will also bring the fear of God back into the camp of God. Half-hearted and complacent Christians that practice sin will not consult these prophets and seers for a fair-weather word. The coming Day of Judgment will not give place for fanciful prophecies designed for financial gain. The Kingdom of God will be gripped by a holy reverence much like the New Testament church experienced.
A Timeframe of Christ’s Return
Now for one last piece of information regarding the signs and wonders of Noah’s day. And I have purposely saved the best for last as I present this next observation.
When you study the words of Jesus and the Apostles, it becomes apparent that they identified the generation that would witness the Second Coming. The Bible has given students of the Word clues and oracles and cryptic passages that foretell which generation will witness the Lord’s Return. And once again, Enoch is the center of this obscure oracle hidden in Scripture.
I want to be candid about this prophetic disclosure I am presenting. This is the most remarkable prophecy I have yet uncovered as it relates to isolating the timeframe of Christ’s Return. As I share this insight, I want to state unambiguously that no one knows the day or hour of our Lord’s Return. No one, under any circumstance, will ever decipher that divine mystery. But God has furnished a general timeframe that approximates Christ’s Second Coming. And that is what I want to investigate.
This encrypted prophecy is found in Jude 14 and Genesis 5. However, as a prophetic enigma, this mystery will not leap off the pages of Holy Writ the first time you read it. As an encrypted prophecy, it must be researched and contemplated. I will begin in Jude 14 where the first segment of this encoded message is found. Jude writes:
“It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.’”
That one verse of Scripture, stated in twenty-four words, contains the encoded message of which generation will witness Christ’s Return. Yet, as is the case with many mysteries, this enigma is only clarified once another piece of Scripture is presented. Thus, let’s continue reading from Genesis 5:24, where Moses writes, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”
What a remarkable passage! This verse shows how Enoch suddenly vanished after God snatched him from the earth. And with that piece of the puzzle inserted into this mystery, it starts revealing the picture of which generation will witness the Lord’s return to Earth. Let’s combine the two passages:
[Jude 14 says,] “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.’” [Then, after prophesying of the Lord’s Return, Genesis 5:24 says]: “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”
In other words, Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, walked out in public, preached a message of the Lord’s return and, then in full view of his audience, suddenly disappeared!
How do these two encrypted passages disclose which generation will witness Christ’s Second Coming? I trust you will see the answer when I insert the third piece of the puzzle into the picture.
The Bible says, “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Do you realize that when mankind entered the twenty-first century (AD 2000), mankind entered the seventh millennia from Adam? Six thousand years of human history have passed, and the seventh millennia—AD 2000—has appeared. That means, in God’s sight, this generation is only seven days removed from Adam! And just like Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who prophesied of the Lord’s Return and then disappeared, millions of seventh-millennia Christians are about to experience an Enoch-like, rapturous translation and leave this world!
If I have correctly appraised this scenario, it certainly appears that this generation stands on the precipice of Christ’s Return to Earth.
Final Thoughts
God has at last marched mankind to the edge of the Apocalypse. It has been an irrepressible march that has left no one behind. The hooves of the Four Horsemen have galloped to the threshold of this planet and their only hesitation awaits the breaking of seals and the blast of a trumpet. When that happens, the Apocalypse will officially begin.
What does this demand from Christians? It is not time to hoist the white flag of surrender. Daniel said this is the time when the righteous will “shine . . . like the stars” (Dan. 12:3). It is the climactic moment for Christians to rejoice in the promise of Jesus that says:
“When these things being to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28 NKJV).
Robert D Pace (Copyright 2012)