Well are you ready to get into YAH's Word today?
I am as well. I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Genesis chapter 6. We're going
to begin with verse 5 in just a moment and I've entitled this message today, "As in the Days of Noah"
so we're tracking along with the Torah portion today and the Torah portion is entitled, Noah
or Noah and so we're going to be talking about the events that transpired during the days
of Noah, during the days of the great flood and we're going to go into the future and we're
going to look at the events that will take place in the future at the time of Yeshua's return
and at the time of the judgment that's coming in the future and we're going to see that the
events that take place then are very similar to the events that took place during the days of
Noah. So let's begin Genesis chapter 6 and verse 5. "And YAH saw the wickedness of man was great in the
earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually," Can you
imagine that? So there was great wickedness in the earth and every inclination, every thought, every
imagination of the heart of man was only evil continually. He didn't have good thoughts. He wasn't
doing good things, his thoughts and imaginations were continually evil and YAH was sorry that
He had made man on the earth. I think about the creation week, you know, the six days of work that
Abba YAH did in Genesis chapter 1 and He labored each day, He was creating wonderful things and He
said, it's good - He saw it and He said it's good. But now it's not good because man had
spiraled down into such great depravity, and perversion, and evil, and wickedness, and now
He was sorry that He had made man on the earth. The bible says, "And He was grieved in His heart,
and YAH said, "I am going to wipe off man whom I have created from the face of the ground both
man and beast creeping creature and the birds of the heavens, for I am sorry," Or I regret. "that
I have made them."" So it's so much different than that first work week in Genesis 1. Now in Genesis
6, He's looking the earth is filled with evil men and they have defiled the earth because of
their atrocities, their abominations, their wickedness, their perversions, and now His heart
is grieved and He regrets having made men. Verse 8 "But Noah found favor in the eyes of YAH," Your bible
may say, grace. I like this translation better but Noah found favor in the eyes of YAH. Noah was a
different type of person, Noah was a righteous man. He lived rightly before YAH, he obeyed the voice of
YAH, he walked in the ways of YAH because of that he found favor in the eyes of YAH and YAH had a
plan, a plan of deliverance, a plan of salvation for Noah and his entire family. Verse 9 "This is
the genealogy of Noah, Noah was a righteous man," How are you a righteous man, that's when you
live rightly, when you obey the commandments, when you are a person who obeys and you do
not disobey. It says, "perfect in his generations." Noah walked with Elohim. You don't get to
walk with Elohim unless you walk in His ways. So Noah listened to the voice of Elohim, he obeyed
Elohim, he learned the ways of Elohim and he walked in the ways of Elohim and because of that he
walked with Elohim. Verse 10 "and Noah brought forth three sons, Shem, Ham, and Yapheth. And the earth was
corrupt before Elohim. And the earth was filled with violence and Elohim looked upon the earth
and saw that it was corrupt," He's not talking about the land specifically, he's talking about
mankind. Mankind had behaved so horribly with such great sin, and transgression, wickedness,
perversion that mankind had defiled the earth. Notice it says, "for all flesh (speaking of mankind)
had corrupted their way on the earth." They weren't walking in YAH's ways, they were doing what
was right in their own eyes. Verse 13 "And Elohim said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come
before me."" In other words, I have judged mankind. I have looked upon their wickedness, upon their
evil thoughts, and inclinations of their hearts and I have judged them, I have made a decision. He
cannot be a righteous judge unless He judges sin, unless He judges depravity and so He's
speaking to Noah and He says, the end of all flesh has come before me, I have judged
mankind. "for the earth is filled with violence through them and see I am going to destroy them
from the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood make rooms in the ark and cover it inside
and outside with a covering," Or pitch, or tar. And so, this tells us that even though Abba YAH
had judged mankind, He had a plan for Noah and his family. He had a plan for the righteous one and
his family and His plan was to bring deliverance, to bring salvation to the righteous one and
his family, He was going to do it through an ark. Then look at verse 17. It says, "And see, I
myself am bringing flood waters on the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath
of life from under the heavens all that is on the earth is to die," That's the judgment. "and I
shall establish my covenant with you." So we see that Abba YAH established a covenant with Noah. "And
you shall come into the ark," The ark of safety, the ark of salvation. You shall come in to my plan
of deliverance, to my plan of salvation for you and your family. It says, "you, and your sons, and your
wife, and your son's wives with you." And then look at Genesis chapter 7 verse 1, this is going to
show us a wonderful picture of Yeshua that Yeshua Himself is the ark of safety. When we believe upon
Yeshua, we enter into Him. In Him, the scripture says, we enter into the ark of salvation. When we believe
upon Him with a belief that produces obedience, we have the right to enter into Yeshua and
Yeshua is that ark, He's the ark of salvation, and then we rise up above the future judgment
that is to come. Genesis chapter 7 verse 1, "And YAH said to Noah, "Come into the ark you and
all your household because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.""
So there is a plan for the righteous one. If you're righteous in your generation Abba YAH
has a plan and His plan is deliverance, His plan is salvation and that salvation comes through
belief in Yeshua, a belief that produces obedience. And so notice here, it says, "you and your
household" so there's a thread throughout the entire bible of a promise of household
salvation. We see even with Sh'aul and Silas when they were thrown into the prison and
they were down in the bottom of the prison, their feet were in stocks, their backs were
bloodied, and they could have been complaining and murmuring against the Almighty for all that
had transpired but they weren't. Instead, they were praying and singing praises and Abba YAH sends an
earthquake and that earthquake shakes that prison, the stocks fall off, the doors open up. Abba YAH
brings a great deliverance and the prison keeper, he hears the testimony of Sha'ul and Silas,
he hears their prayers and their praise, he experiences the earthquake, he sees the deliverance
and it impacts him greatly, and so he asks what must I do to be saved, and Sha'ul says, believe upon
the Master Yeshua Messiah and you shall be saved, you and your household. There it is again. There's
a thread of a promise of household salvation that runs throughout the entire bible. And so, I
want to encourage you because many of you who are watching you have embraced Yeshua and His Torah
lifestyle and because of that you've been isolated, you've been cast off, you've been separated,
segmented, you feel all alone, even your own family doesn't have much to do with you - but I want to
encourage you, there is a thread of the promise of household salvation throughout the bible and I
would encourage you just to continue to let your light so shine. Let your light shine. The scripture
says that the command is a lamp and the Torah is a light. It says, let your light so shine that men
and women would see your good works as defined by the Torah, your obedience to the Torah, and have a
desire to greatly esteem your Father who's in the heavenlies. And if you'll live out this life, it's
a life of love, it's a life of obedience, it's a life of right living before Almighty YAH then your
family will see you and you can believe and hold on to this promise of household salvation, and over
time, I believe, as it says in the scripture that we all can have that hope and that belief that all of
our family members will not only know Yeshua but will embrace Him and His Torah lifestyle. So this
is just a word of encouragement for all of you at this time. It says, "come into the ark you and
all your household because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Of
all the clean beasts take with you seven pairs a male and his female and of the beast
that are unclean to a male and his female." Isn't it interesting that even Noah knew
about clean and unclean? This is before Mosheh. This is before the torah of Mosheh was
given and yet, Noah who was one of the ancients, he knew about clean and unclean animals.
Hallelujah. Verse 3 "and of the birds of the heavens seven pairs, male and female to
keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. For after seven more days I am sending rain
on the earth, forty days and forty nights it's going to rain and shall wipe from the face
of the earth all that stand that I created. And Noah did according to all that YAH
commanded him." Now that phrase is a given because the reason that Noah has been singled
out for the blessing, and for deliverance, and for salvation, is because he is a man who did according
to all that YAH commanded him, that was his habit. He was a righteous man who was a man of obedience
and so there's two camps in the world today, those who obey and those who disobey, so which camp are
you in? Verse six "Now Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters were on the earth and Noah
and his sons, and his wife, and his son's wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the
flood," Now look at verse 10. "and it came to be after seven days that the waters of the flood were
on the earth. In the 600th year of Noah's life in the second new moon (or the second new month) the
17th day of the moon (of the month) on that day all the foundations of the great deep were broken
up and the windows of the heavens were opened and the rain was on the earth 40 days and 40
nights." So this was a great, great, great flood. It was the judgment of Almighty YAH upon the
wickedness, and the abominations, and the cruelty, and the violence of mankind, and there was one
man in his family a righteous man who entered into the ark of safety, the ark of salvation, the
ark of deliverance and when the judgment came this man Noah and his family rose above the waters
of judgment. Hallelujah. What a wonderful picture of what we have in Yeshua who is our ark of salvation.
Look at verse 17. "and the flood was on the earth 40 days and the waters increased and lifted up
the ark and it rose high above the earth and the waters were mighty and greatly increased on the
earth and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters, and the waters were exceedingly mighty
on the earth and all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered. The waters became mighty,
15 cubits upward, and the mountains were covered and all flesh died," That's the judgment. "the
creeping creature on the earth, birds, and cattle, and beasts, and every swarming creature that
swarms on the earth and all mankind. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life,
all that was on the dry land died. So He wiped off all that stand which were on the face of the
ground both man and beast creeping creature and bird of the heavens and they were wiped off
from the earth and only Noah was left and those with him in the ark." In the ark of salvation. "And
the waters were mighty on the earth 150 days." Now, I want us to go over to First Peter chapter 3 and
we're going to pick up with verse 17 and I want to show you that the flood pictures Yeshua's work
of redemption in a wonderful and marvelous way. Verse 17 "For it is better if it is the desire of
Elohim to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." So it's better if you suffer because you're
righteous. It's better if you suffer for doing good than if you're punished for doing evil. Verse
18 "because even Messiah once suffered for sins," Not His own, that's the point. Abba YAH could
at any point exact judgment on mankind for the sins of mankind. Abba YAH could exact judgment and
bring every person to a place of perishing again but that wasn't His plan instead, He provided His
Son and His Son, Yeshua, lived perfectly. He was without sin. He was the sinless spotless Lamb of
YAH who came to take away the sin of the world and to taste our death, to suffer our
judgment. In other words, Yeshua suffered the flood waters of judgment, so to speak, for all
of us who deserved it. He says, "because even messiah once suffered for sins," He sure did. "the righteous
for the unrighteous," I call that the great exchange. He was righteous. Noah pictured Yeshua. Noah
was a righteous man, Yeshua was the ultimate righteous man because He never sinned, not once.
He's the righteous one and He suffered and died in our place those of us, which is all humanity,
loaded down with sins, He took our sins from us and He gave us His righteousness - that's the great
exchange. He took our sins from us and He gave us His righteousness. It says, "Because even
Messiah once suffered for sins the righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to
Elohim." That's how we got to Elohim because Yeshua is the ark of salvation, He's the
ark of safety. "having been put to death indeed in flesh but made alive in the Spirit," So if you
see it in the terms of the flood, Yeshua suffered the judgment waters of the flood, so to speak.
He died in the flesh, He suffered our judgment, and then He was raised from the dead, and
He was made alive in the Spirit because of His righteous act. Verse 19 "In which also he
went and proclaimed unto the spirits in prison who were disobedient at one time when the
patience of Elohim waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared in which a few
that is eight beings were saved through water," And so, what some people don't realize is
that Noah was a preacher, he was a proclaimer of teshuvah. He preached repentance to the people. He did all that he could do in preaching the Good
News of repentance to turn this situation around but the people were so wicked and the
imaginations of their hearts were so inclined to evil continually that they wouldn't hear
and they were in complete disobedience. It says that eight beings out of all mankind
were saved through water, now this is interesting. Verse 21 "which figure now also saves us," And that's
immersion, so the flood actually pictures water baptism. So Yeshua died in our place, He suffered
the flood waters of judgment that we deserved, He took our sin, He became sin, the scripture says
He that knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of
Elohim in Yeshua Messiah. His flesh died just like all of those sinners
during the time of Noah, their flesh died in the flood waters of judgment. Yeshua's flesh
died taking our judgment upon Himself but because of His righteous act of redemption, Abba YAH raised
Him from the dead. He became alive in the Spirit and the scripture says that we also die to our
flesh and we are buried with Him in immersion, so the sins of the flesh the old man dies when
we believe in Yeshua and we receive the promise of the Father, the indwelling Set-apart Spirit of
Abba YAH comes to live inside of us, the old man dies in the flood, in the water of immersion.
But it says we're raised with Yeshua to walk in newness of life, so we come up out of
that flood and we are made alive in the Spirit, and we are allowed to enter into the
ark of salvation and that ark is Yeshua. And when we're in Yeshua, then we rise up above the
coming judgment. What a wonderful, wonderful picture. It says, not a putting away of the filth of the
flesh so when you're water baptized you're not just taking a bath. "but the answer of a good
conscience toward Elohim," It's what you do. It's an act of obedience when you believe upon Yeshua.
"through the resurrection of Yeshua Messiah, who having gone into heaven is at the right hand of
Elohim, messengers (or angels) and authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him." So all the
angels are beneath Him, all authorities and powers are subjected to Yeshua and I want you to see that
Yeshua suffered the flood of judgment for our sins and not for His. So go with me over to Isaiah
chapter 53 and we'll pick up with verse 4. Now this is Isaiah speaking on behalf
of Israel but it applies directly to every person and when we believe upon Yeshua
then we're grafted in to Israel. It says, "Truly He Yeshua has borne our sicknesses and
carried our pains," Notice, they're our sicknesses and they're our pains. "yet we reckoned Him smitten
stricken by Elohim and afflicted," In other words the Jewish people reckoned Yeshua smitten and
stricken because of His own sins. In other words, He got what He deserved that Elohim was punishing
Him for His sins - in other words, He was taking His own judgment, the judgment that he deserved because
he was a sinner, but that's not true. Verse 5 says, "but He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our crookednesses, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him," What does
that mean? The punishment that brought peace to us was upon Him. "and by His stripes or His wounds we
are healed." Verse 6 says, "We all like sheep went astray," Who went astray? Did He go astray? No. "we all,
like sheep went astray, each one of us has turned to his own way," Doing what's right in our own eyes,
just like the people during the time of Noah. "and YAH has laid on Him the crookedness of us all." So
Yeshua suffered the flood waters of our judgment so that we could be declared
right through belief in Him, a belief that produces obedience and find
ourselves in Him in the ark of salvation rising above the coming judgment. Hallelujah. Now
here's a very interesting passage in Matthew chapter 12 starting with verse 38 and this is
going to tell us that Jonah, Jonah the prophet, you may say Jonah, is in a lot of ways a picture of
Yeshua. Now, we know that Yonah was running from the will of Abba that's certainly not a picture of
Yeshua, but what happened with Jonah when he was thrown into the deep and he was swallowed up by a
great fish and he was three days and three nights in the stomach of the great fish so also, Yeshua,
the Son of Adam would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, so let's read it.
"Then some of the Scribes and Pharisees answered saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." but
He answering, said to them, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and no sign shall be
given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in
the stomach of the great fish so shall the Son of Adam be three days and three nights in the heart
of the earth." So let's look into the story of Yonah and let's see how what Yonah experienced pictures
what Yeshua went through when He died on the tree, was buried, and was in the heart of the earth
for three days and three nights, and then was raised from the dead. Jonah chapter two
verse one. "And Jonah prayed to YAH His Elohim from the stomach of the fish and he said, "I called
to YAH because of my distress," "Think about the distress Yeshua went through. ""and He answered me
from the stomach of She'ol,"" This is a picture of Yeshua being in the heart of the earth. ""from the
stomach of She'ol I cried and you heard my voice. For you threw me into the deep,"" Remember
he suffered the judgment waters for us? "For you threw me into the deep
into the heart of the seas and the floods surrounded me," This is a picture of judgment.
"all your breakers and your waves passed over me." Billows of judgment, your breakers and your waves
passed over me. I suffered on behalf of mankind. "So I said, 'I have been driven away from your eyes,
would I ever look again toward you or Set- apart Hakal," Your Set-apart Temple. "waters encompass me,
unto life, the deep clothes around me weeds were wrapped around my head, I went down to the base of
the mountains," You remember we read that the waters went up so high it covered
over all the high mountains? "the earth with its bars were behind me
forever," Here it is. "but you brought up my life from the pit." Hallelujah. "O YAH my Elohim. When
my life fainted within me I remembered YAH and my prayer went up to you into your Set-apart Hekal, those observing false worthlessnesses," Idolatry, paganism, and the like.
"forsake their own loving-commitment but I slaughter to you with the voice
of thanksgiving, I pay what I have vowed. Deliverance is of YAH." Verse 10 "Then YAH spoke to
the fish and it vomited Yonah onto the dry land." So that's speaking of resurrection, the
scripture says it was Abba YAH who raised Yeshua from the dead. Hallelujah. And
now, let's go into the future and let's look at some verses that tell us that
Yeshua's return is as the days of Noah. So you've got to have a foundation in the Torah if you're
going to be able to interpret all of scripture correctly. So we see that what was started in
the book of Bereshith, the book of beginnings, continues all throughout the bible - what was
done in the past will be done again in the future. There's nothing new under the sun so
when you understand these principles then you can understand what's going to take place in
the future and you can walk in the light and not in the darkness. So we're going to go to Matthew
chapter 24 and pick up with verse 29, it says, "And immediately after the distress of those days," This is
talking about the great tribulation period or what's called the time of Jacob's trouble. "the sun
shall be darkened and the moon shall not give its light and the stars shall fall from the heaven
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken and then the sign of the Son
of Adam (speaking of Yeshua) shall appear in the heaven and then
all the tribes of the earth shall mourn and they shall see the Son of Adam coming
on the clouds of the heaven with power and much esteem and He shall send His messengers
(His angels) with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together His chosen ones,"
His bride, the righteous ones, the obedient ones. "from the four winds and from one end of the
heavens to the other." Now, look at verse 36. It says, "But concerning that day and the hour
no one knows not even the messengers or the angels of the heavens but my Father only," This is
Yeshua speaking. "and as the days of Noah," Isn't that interesting? Now, Yeshua is going to compare what's
going to happen in the future with what's already happened in the past. "and as the days of Noah so
also shall the coming of the Son of Adam be. For as they were in the days before the flood," Remember
Noah was preaching, he was proclaiming, he was trying to get the people to respond and perform
teshuvah, turn to the Master in obedience to repent get their hearts right. It says, "for as they were
in the days before the flood," They were eating, and drinking, and marrying, and giving in marriage.
They were just living but they weren't listening and they weren't turning to the Master. It says,
until the day that Noah entered into the ark. So Abba YAH was patient up until the day that
Noah and his family entered into the ark. "and they did not know until the flood came and
took them all away," They weren't paying attention. They were walking in darkness their, ears were
stopped up, their eyes were blind, their thoughts were evil. It says, "so also shall the coming of
the Son of Adam be," It's going to be the same way. Those of us who believe in Yeshua and who
walk in His Torah lifestyle, we're going to be preaching, we're going to be sharing the Good
News, we're going to be calling people to repent, we're going to be preaching teshuvah
to return to the Master in obedience, but there'll be many people whose eyes are
dim, whose ears are stopped up, whose hearts are hard and they're not listening,
they're doing what they want to do, they're doing what's right in their
own eyes. Maybe they have a form of religion that runs contrary to scripture but they believe
they're right and that's the way they like it. Well they're not listening and when
Yeshua comes it's going to be too late. Verse 40 "Then two shall be in the field
the one is taken and the one is left. Two women shall be grinding at the meal one
is taken and one is left. Watch therefore for you do not know what
hour your Master is coming and know this that if the master of the house had
known what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken
into. Because of this be ready too for the Son of Adam is coming at an hour when you do not expect
Him." And so, again, Yeshua uses this story in the Torah about Noah as a righteous man and how he
was saved by Elohim by entering into that ark of salvation and how the others were unrighteous
and wicked and wouldn't listen and wouldn't hear and they all perished in the waters of
the flood. So let's go a little further, let's go to 2nd Timothy chapter three, we'll pick
up with verse one - and I want you to see here that Sha'ul is prophesying about what men will be like
in the last days and you'll see that it's exactly the same as in the days of Noah. 2nd Timothy chapter
3 verse 1. "But know this that in the last days hard times shall come," Your bible may say "perilous".
Perilous times are coming, we need to know that and we need to prepare for that. We don't want to
be caught off guard. Difficult times are coming, perilous times are coming. Verse two "for men
shall be lovers of self," Self-focused, selfish, loving themselves, worshiping themselves.
"lovers of silver," Or lovers of money. "boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, thankless, wrongdoers, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control,
fierce, haters of good, betrayers, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of Elohim,
having a form of reverence but denying its power, turn away from these." When I think about what we're
going through here in this nation, even today - when I think about all of the violence, when I think
about the murder, when I think about the mayhem, when I think about the cities burning, when I think
about all of the lies that are spoken in politics, I can see these things. I can see that these
things are taking place even today, and so we're getting close. Second Timothy
chapter 3 and verse 13 says, "But evil men and imposters shall go on to the worse
leading astray and being led astray," So evil men and imposters will get worse and
worse, again, very much like in the days of Noah. They're going to lead people astray
and they're being led astray themselves. 2nd Timothy chapter four and verse three, it says,
"For there shall be a time when they shall not bear sound teaching," There's coming a time when you
can speak the truth in purity. I'm talking about the unadulterated truth and they're not hearing it,
they don't want to hear it. They refuse to hear it because the truth brings a challenge. They don't
want to be challenged, they like what they're doing, and there's coming a time, this
passage says that they shall not bear sound teaching. They're not hearing
it and this is also religious people. I think it's probably more religious people than
not because they don't want to hear sound teaching, they just want to hear what they want to hear.
"but according to their own desires," Remember they do what's right in their own eyes.
"they shall heap up for themselves teachers tickling the ear," They just want you to
tell them what they want you to tell them. "and they shall indeed turn their ears
away from the truth," I'm not hearing it. "and be turned aside to myths." And then, go with me over to 2nd Peter
chapter two, we'll pick up with verse 1. This all sounds very much like the days of Noah
but these are the things that are going to happen in the future and they're happening, many of
these things are happening even right now. 2nd Peter chapter 2 and verse 1 "But there also
came to be false prophets among the people as also among you there shall be false
teachers," So there's going to be false teachers. "who shall secretly bring in destructive
heresies and deny the Master who bought them bringing swift destruction on themselves
and many shall follow their destructive ways because of whom the way of
truth shall be evil spoken of." So because these false teachers are
bringing their destructive heresies they're going to cause the people to be led
away so that when the truth is spoken, people aren't going to hear it and the way
of truth is going to be evil spoken of. Verse 3 "And in greed with fabricated words they
shall use you for gain," In other words, they're just about the money. They're doing it for gain, for the
money. "from of old their judgment does not linger and their destruction does not slumber."
It's coming, the judgment's coming. "For if Elohim did not spare the messengers (or
the angels) who sinned but sent them to Tartaros and delivered them into chains of darkness to be
kept for judgment," Verse 5 "and did not spare the world of old but preserved Noah a proclaimer
of righteousness," That tells us that he was preaching the truth in those days. "and seven others
bringing in the flood on the world of the wicked, and having reduced to ashes the cities of
Sedom and Amorah condemned them to destruction having made them an example to those who afterward
would live wickedly, and rescued righteous lot," See, the righteous are always rescued. "who
was oppressed with the indecent behavior of the lawless for day after day that righteous man
dwelling among them tortured his righteous being by seeing and hearing their lawless works then,"
If Abba YAH did all of that. "then YAH knows how to rescue the reverent ones from trial from trial
from tribulation," He's not going to sweep us away to avoid all trouble, take us up to heaven, and
all of that - you know, that very popular doctrine amongst religion, but He's going to keep us safe
in the midst of the trial, He's going to keep us safe in the midst of the tribulation. He's going
to deliver us. It says, "and to keep the unrighteous unto the day of judgment to be punished." So there
is a day of judgment coming for all unrighteous people, for the righteous He's going to keep us
safe. We are in Yeshua. We are in the ark of safety. We are in the ark of salvation and as long as we
remain there, as long as we continue in our belief in Yeshua, a belief that produces obedience, then
when the judgment comes, we're going to rise above the judgment waters and be safe with Yeshua. Go
with me over to First Thessalonians chapter five, we'll pick up with verse one. This is going to
tell us that the day of YAH comes as a thief. It says, "Now brothers as to the times and
the seasons you do not need to be written to," In other words, you understand the times and
the seasons. "for you yourselves know very well that the day of YAH comes as a thief in the
night for when they say," Doesn't say when you say, you righteous ones. It says, "for when they say (the
world) peace and safety," In other words, they're just going on about life, they're saying
peace and safety, we're all just doing fine. "then suddenly, destruction comes upon them as
labor pains upon a pregnant woman and they shall not escape," Well this is exactly
what happened during the days of Noah. They were just going on about their business,
marrying, giving in marriage, eating, drinking, and then sudden destruction came upon them when
it started raining and then it was too late. Verse four "but you, brothers, are not in darkness so
that this day should overtake you as a thief," Because you are people of revelation, you are
people of the Word, you have the indwelling Set- apart Spirit of Abba YAH who teaches you all things,
who leads you in all truth, you have the Torah because the command is a lamp and the Torah
is a light. "for you are all sons of light and sons of the day, we are not of the night nor of
darkness so then we should not sleep as others do but we should watch and be sober for those who
sleep sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night but we who are of the day should
be sober putting on the breastplate of belief and love and as a helmet the
expectation of deliverance." There it is. As a helmet, we have the expectation of
deliverance. We expect to be delivered. Doesn't mean that we're going to be
taken out and never see any trouble, it means that we're going to be kept
safe in the midst of the trouble. We have an expectation of deliverance. "Because
Elohim did not appoint us to wrath," To His wrath. We're going to experience the wrath of Hasatan,
he's going to fight against the children of Elohim but we're not going to experience Elohim's
wrath, we're not going to experience Elohim's judgment, we're going to rise above Elohim's
judgment. It says, "but to obtain deliverance through our Master Yeshua Messiah who
died for us," He suffered our judgment. "so that we, whether awake whether we're alive or
asleep," Or whether we've died. "should live together with Him." Now let's go over and look
at a couple of other passages and this next one tells us about a flood of deception
that's coming. We've been talking about a flood or the flood the flood during Noah's day and the
flood that's coming of judgment in the future, but there's a flood of deception that's coming.
Second Thessalonians chapter two starting with verse one, "As to the coming of our Master Yeshua
Messiah and our gathering together to Him, we ask you brothers not to become easily
unsettled in mind or troubled either by spirit," Some evil spirit speaking to you. "or by
word," Something that people are saying. "or by letter," Some forgery that someone's written. "as
if from us as if the day of YAH has come already." All right so they were concerned
that the day of YAH had already come. Some of them were troubled and Sha'ul
was saying don't be troubled about that because it hadn't come. Verse 3 "Let no one
deceive you in any way because the falling away is to come first," The falling away of those
who claim to be believers in Yeshua, this is talking about religious people who will begin
to embrace popular culture, turn away from the bible and from the morality of scripture
and begin to embrace what modern culture says is right. There's going to be a great falling away
that's to come first. "and the man of lawlessness is to be revealed," So the men of lawlessness is
the anti-messiah and he's going to be revealed after the falling away takes place. The
mystery of lawlessness is already in effect and I believe that the falling away
is even taking place now, we can see it. "the son of destruction he's called, who opposes and
exalts himself above all that is called Elohim or that is worshipped so that he sits as Elohim in
the dwelling place of Elohim showing himself that he is Elohim." This is speaking of the abomination
of desolation written of by the prophet Dani'el and the anti-messiah is going to erect an image
of himself in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem when that takes place and he's going to demand
that everyone worships him. Verse 5 "Do you not remember that I told you this while I was still
with you? And now you know what restrains for him (the anti-messiah) to be revealed in his time." What
restrains the anti-messiah from being revealed? The falling away. We just read it. The falling
away must come first, that's the what. The what is the falling away must take place and
then the anti-messiah will be revealed. Verse 7 "For the secret of lawlessness is
already at work only until he who now restrains comes out of the midst," The one who's
restraining here, the he is the anti-messiah. What is he restraining? He's restraining
the coming of our Master Yeshua Messiah. so the one who restrains the coming of our Master
Yeshua Messiah, the anti-messiah, must come up out of the midst of the people, he must be revealed,
he must come up out of the midst of the people and then when he comes up out of the
midst of the people, the lawless one shall be revealed, you're going to be able to
see him. "whom the Master shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth," With the breath of His
mouth, with the word that comes out of His mouth. "and bring to naught with the manifestation of His
coming." So when Yeshua comes, He's going to bring to naught the anti-messiah, He's going to defeat
the anti-messiah, He's going to throw him and the false prophet into the lake of fire. Verse
9 "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan with all power and with all
signs and wonders of falsehood, these are lying signs and wonders that will deceive many
and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those perishing," In other words, deception
that will lead people to unrighteousness, with all deception that leads the masses to
unrighteousness - we're talking about those who are perishing, who will perish in the judgment that is
to come. Why? Because they did not receive the love of the truth. If you're unwilling to receive the
love of the truth, you're going to be deceived unto unrighteousness and then you'll perish. It
says, "because they did not receive the love of the truth in order for them to be saved." To be
saved, you have to receive the love of the truth, you have to believe in Yeshua
with a belief that produces obedience and then you can be in Him, in the ark of salvation,
and rise above the judgment. Verse 11 "For this reason, Elohim sends them a working of delusion," So
number one, Hasatan is going to send delusion, he's going to send deception and deceive people into
unrighteousness, but this says that because they would not receive a love of the truth Elohim
is going to send them a working of delusion for them to believe the falsehood. "In order that all should be judged
who did not believe the truth," So there comes a time if you refuse to believe the
truth, not only are you being deceived by Hasatan, but you receive from Elohim a working of delusion
so that you will believe the falsehood, so that you will be judged because you did not believe the
truth but have delighted in the unrighteousness. So there's a flood of deception, a flood of
of delusion that's coming upon the wicked, and there's a judgment that is coming. And we're
going to finally finish up with this passage that tells us that the final judgment is not a
judgment of water but it's a judgment of fire. As you recall in our Torah portion, you go back
and read the entire Torah portion, you know that Abba YAH made a covenant and His covenant was, His
promise was that He would no longer, never again, judge mankind, judge the earth with floodwaters and
He put His rainbow in the cloud as a sign of that covenant that He will never again judge the earth
with water with flood water. So this final judgment that is to come in the future is not one of water
but it's one of fire. 2nd Peter chapter 3 and verse 3 says, "Knowing this first that mockers shall come
in the last days with mocking," They're going to be mocking. "walking according to their own lusts
and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?"" They're mocking, He's not coming. They're walking
according to their own lust, they're just like the the men and women of the days of Noah and
they're mocking people who have belief and they're saying, where is the promise of His
coming? "for since the fathers fell asleep all continues as from the beginning of creation,"
Everything's the same, nothing's changed. "for they choose to have this hidden from them," So
they refuse to understand these principles. "that the heavens were of old and the earth standing
out of the water," We read about that in Genesis 1, the earth and the waters were separated, the earth
came up out of the water and in the water because of the flood in Genesis 6. "by the Word of Elohim,
through which the world at that time was destroyed being flooded with water and the present heavens
and the earth are treasured up by the same Word," So the present heavens and the earth are reserved
by the Word of Elohim, something's going to happen in the future. Notice it says, "being kept for fire,"
A fire judgment, there's a fire coming. Everybody needs to understand this. So unlike Noah today,
and I'm speaking through these cameras to anyone and everyone who will hear this message and
I am calling on people to perform teshuvah, to turn to the Master in obedience, to repent,
to get your hearts right, to begin obeying the scripture, why? Because there's a fire coming. I
can imagine Noah saying, there's a flood coming and all the people laughing at him and I'm saying,
there's a fire coming because that's what the scripture says right here - and the present heavens
and the earth are treasured up by the same Word, being kept for fire to a day of judgment and
destruction of wicked men. Wicked men are going to be judged and wicked men are going to be destroyed.
You can't live doing what's right in your own eyes. You have to believe upon Yeshua and obey the
scriptures if you're going to find yourself in the ark of salvation and rise above the
judgment that's coming. Verse 8 "But beloved ones, let not this one matter be hidden from you
that with YAH one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. YAH is not slow
in regard to His promise." In other words, don't get discouraged, He is coming. Yeshua is going to
return there will be a judgment. Yeshua's going to gather up His bride, He's going to gather
up those who follow Him, His righteous ones. "YAH is not slow in regard to the promise as
some count slowness," Those mockers, you know. "but it's patient toward us not wishing that
any should perish but that all should come to repentance," So He's patient, He's patiently waiting.
He's waiting, He wants us to continue to preach this word, to preach repentance and forgiveness of
sins to go into all the world and preach this Good News message of belief in Yeshua that produces
obedience. He doesn't want anyone to perish but that all should come to repentance. Verse 10 "but
the day of YAH shall come as a thief in the night in which the heavens shall pass away with a great
noise and the elements shall melt with intense heat," This is that judgment of fire. "and the earth
and the works that are in it shall be burned up. Seeing all these are to be destroyed
in this way." There's a fire coming. "What kind of people ought you to be
in set-apart behavior and reverence," In other words, don't you think
you ought to be obeying the bible if you know that all of these are going to be
destroyed by fire that there's a fire coming? "What kind of people ought you to be in set-apart
behavior," Not acting like the rest of the world, not saying that you believe but you don't obey. "What kind of people ought you to be in set-apart
behavior and reverence, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of Elohim," So we ought
to live every day like He's coming. "that day through which the heavens shall be destroyed
being set on fire and the elements melt with intense heat. But according to His
promise, we wait. We wait for a renewed heavens and a renewed earth in which righteousness dwells."
Oh it's coming, what a beautiful promise that is. We're going to have a new heaven and a new
earth and righteousness is going to dwell. "So then beloved ones, looking forward to this do
your utmost to be found by Him in peace spotless and blameless," In other words, be like Noah, be
one who is righteous, who is living rightly We're not children of the darkness.
We're not asleep. We're not walking in the darkness. We are children of the light. We
have the Torah, we have all of scripture, we have the indwelling Set-apart Spirit of Abba YAH teaching
us and leading us into all truth and understanding. It's time that we be prepared and empowered to
go and preach this message of teshuvah, to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in all the
nations as Yeshua said and then, the end will come. Hallelujah.
