It was Too Late

Back in the days of Noah folks were living life as usual, eating, drinking, getting married, raising families, buying and selling goods and ignoring the reason Noah and his family were preparing, in obedience to the instructions given by YHWH the Creator. Those other folk kept on keepin' on right up until the Noah Family entered the ark. The others did not really care to understand what was going on, that is until the flood hit, and then it was too late to enter the ark, too late to be saved. Yah had shut the door and locked it.

This scenario comes to light again when His Son shares the parable of the wedding feast.

Matthew 22:3 ~ He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fatlings have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, and another to his business.…

The symbolism is also revealed in the parable of the 10 Virgins (invited to the banquet as guests) of which 5 ran out of oil and went to buy more.  While they were gone, the doors to the banquet hall were shut and no one else could enter. It was too late.

Matthew 25:10- And while they (the foolish ones) went to buy more pure olive oil for their lamps, the Bridegroom came, those who were ready entered with him into the banquet hall. And the door was locked. 

We have been called to this banquet, the one prepared by the Father for His Son. We are invited guests, not the bride, and we've been given plenty of time to get ready to attend.

Let us be properly prepared to Meet the Bridegroom- to be full of the Ruach haKodesh = The Spirit of Truth = prior to the return of Y'shua.  If we are full of His Spirit (pure olive oil) we will not wander off in search of who-knows-what. We shall enter into the banquet hall with him before the door is shut and locked. After that it will be too late.

 

We have been told the signs to watch for that occur before the return of Messiah so that we will prepare before it's too late to be saved from the coming flood of Wrath of Yahweh, which is contained in the final 7 Bowls of Plagues.

Five Years to Build the Ark

What!?

I always thought it took at least one hundred years, maybe even 120 years - that's what the Bible says.

Yeah, but, wait.... there's more. 

We read in Genesis 5:28 that Lamech was 182 years old when his son Noah was born and that he died 595 years later.

In the writings found in the book of Jasher, page 14, we read that Noah was 595 years old when Lamech, his father died. It was then that Yah said to Noah and Methuselah to remind all people of everything He had spoken to them in the days gone by and to turn from their evil ways, but the people did not listen. That is when Yah told Noah that the end of all flesh has come before Him on account of their evil deeds and He would destroy the earth. He instructed Noah how to and where to build a large ark; what to use and how to store provisions etc.... By this time Noah's sons are grown and willing and able to help fulfill this command of Yah.  

Genesis 6:3 ~ Yah said, My breath shall not abide in man forever, since he too is flesh, let the days allowed him be one hundred and twenty years.

This is when Yah started the 120 year countdown to the Flood.  Noah started building the ark 115 years later, after his father died, and finishing when he was 600 years old. In Genesis 7:6 we read that Noah was 600 years old when the Flood came. He had the ark built and provisioned during those remaining five years.

Noah was in his 500th year when he began children and lived another 350 years after the flood (all the days of Noah came to 950 years then he died - Genesis 9:29). He was 502 years old when Shem was born.

In Genesis 11:10 we read that Shem was 100 years old when he begat a son, and this was two years after the flood... that would make him 97 years old when he boarded the ark. Japheth was Noah's first born, a year or two older than Shem and Ham was the youngest.

Genesis 9:24 ~ When Noah woke up from his wine and learned what his youngest son had done to him.... (Ham saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers)

The call from Yah to repent went out 120 years prior to the flood gates opening. With the onset of the final 5 years those same unrepentant ones watched the building of the ark and still didn't get it ... and none of them turned from their evil ways. Oh, but when the rains started falling and the springs started flowing and the waters started rising - all things they had been told beforehand - now they start crying out to Noah to let them come into the ark, after Yah had already closed and sealed the door. It was too late for them to be saved.

Does this ring a bell with any of you? We too have been told the signs of the time of the end. We have been invited to the feast and we best be prepared to arrive before the doors are shut and locked, because then it will be too late to be saved. There will be those crying out to Messiah who will say, go away from me - I never knew you.

It dawned on me that Noah and Methuselah were the two end time witnesses of their day. They gave testimony for 120 years prior to the end of life as they knew it, preaching the Word of Yahweh and reminding people of what was and what was to be.

On His Path of Righteousness

Love is the key to unlocking the door to understanding Scriptures and gaining knowledge so as to keep moving along His Path of Righteousness.

It is written:

John 14:15 - Y'shua said if you love me keep my commands. 14:21- He who has and keeps my commandments is he who loves me and will be loved by my Father. 15:10 - If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I have kept the commandments of my Father (Torah) and I abide in His love.

And when Y'shua said that love was behind the two most important commands, he wasn't talking about an end game. Quite the contrary. Loving YHWH and our fellowman sets us on His Path.  If we think that 'love' is all we need and there's nothing more to do, then we haven't gained understanding and fall short of wisdom.  It is our love of the truth that saves us from the coming strong delusion.

In Matthew 22 we read that Yah's Instructions (Torah) and the (writings of the) prophets hold onto these two commandments: 

1. Love Master Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, soul, might and mind 
2. Love your neighbor as yourself 

Earlier, we have read in Deuteronomy 6:5 and in Leviticus 19:18

1. You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and all your soul and with all your might
2. Do not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself.

You see, those "two great commands" do not replace anything nor everything the Father commanded - they come straight from the Old Testament, the part referred to as Torah. If you love Yah with your entire being then it should be no problem for you to get on His Path and begin to learn, understand and follow His Instructions. If you love your fellowman as yourself, you will treat him with the same respect as you would like to be treated. You should have no problem walking together, following the Instructions YHWH Elohim who comes first in all things.

Mark 12:29 - Y'shua said the 1st Commandment is 'Shema (hear and obey) O Israel! Master YHWH is one - Love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind and strength. The 2nd is like it - Love your neighbor as yourself' (Leviticus 19:18)

Using the excuse that we are all on different parts of the path doesn't cut it anymore.  Moses and Aaron led that mixed multitude on Yah's path for 40 years. They were all on the same path and only two of the original multitude made it into the promised land: Caleb and Joshua.  Read it again and get some understanding of why we cannot sit still in our perceived comfort zones and reject those who are trying to reach out and help us get through the rough parts.  If I have traveled ahead of you and learned a way through some twists and turns, wouldn't it make sense that I would, out of love for my fellowman, help those who are navigating that same part of the path? 

From 1 Corinthians 10... all our fathers were under the cloud, and they passed through the sea, and they were all immersed by Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink... from the spiritual rock that attended them and that rock was the Mashiyach. But with a multitude of them, Elohim was not pleased. These things are an example for us so that we won't covet after evil things as they did. Neither should we serve idols as some of them did nor commit sexual sin. Neither let us tempt the Mashiyach as some of them tempted and serpents destroyed them. (Numbers 21:4) Nor should we complain as some of them did and they perished by the destroyer. All these things that befell them were for an example to us and they are written for our instruction on whom the end of the world has come; Flee from idolatry... do not associate with demons... we cannot partake at the table of our Master Y'shua and sit at the table of demons.

A path exists because of the many who have walked before us. The above Scripture quote proves His path began a long time ago.  We should continue to travel this path without staying in one place for very long.  If one is not moving then the path does not seem to be there, becoming overgrown with confusion planted by Satan, and many rabbit trails and stumbling blocks appear.  Just as those who traveled the wilderness for 40 years, our Creator is testing us to reveal what is in our hearts, whether we will obey Him or not.  That sort of puts an end to another comfort zone excuse used to justify one's behavior, doing as one will regardless, defending their actions by saying: He knows whats in my heart.

Deuteronomy 8: You shall faithfully observe all the Instruction that I enjoin upon you today, that you may thrive and increase and be able to posses the land that YHWH Elohim promised on oath to your fathers. Remember the long way that YHWH your Elohim has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, that He might test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts: whether you would keep His commandments or not....

Romans 2:5 - But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when Yah's righteous judgment will be revealed.

All of our Father's Instructions are recorded in the the first five books of Scriptures: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. This is His Owner's Manual provided for His Creation. Sure, it takes some study time to even begin to understand what was going on back in those days and to learn that it still applies to us today; just as any owner's manual needs to be read a few times before the instructions make sense, become clear.

Nothing was done away with when Y'shua came on the scene, in fact, he clarifies and even raises the standard a few times, but he did not put an end to what the Father started.

Isaiah 29:9

Act stupid and be stupefied! Act blind and be blinded! (They are drunk but not from wine, they stagger but not from liquor.) For YHWH has spread over you a spirit of deep sleep, and has shut the eyes of the prophets, and covered the heads of the seers; so that all prophecy has been like the words of a sealed document. 29:13 Because that people has approached, honoring Me with words but has kept its heart far from Me, and its worship of Me has been a commandment of men, learned by rote- truly, I shall further baffle that people and the wisdom of its wise shall fail, and the prudence of its prudent shall vanish. (this prophecy tells of the coming strong deception/delusion)

Definition of 'rote':

• the use of memory usually with little intelligence
• mechanical or unthinking routine or repetition

If you have recently come out of 'churchianity' or any of the myriads of doctrines and false teachings perpetrated by man inspired by Satan, do not be afraid to continue on YHWH's Path of Righteous Living. Get both your feet on the path and walk as His Son walked: in love and in truth, obeying the commands of the Father.  Do not hesitate to take the hand held out to you by the desire of fellow Set Apart believers to help you get out of that rut of a comfort zone.  Be thankful that you are one of the few who hear and actually recognize the Good Shepherd's voice calling out to bring us together as one flock.  Imagine what it was like during the days of Noah, as he was building the ark and no one believed his reasons, they kept living life as normal and then came the flood. YHWH shut the door to the ark and sealed it. It was too late for anyone else to enter and be saved. Compare this scenario with the folks being invited to the banquet, awaiting the return of Messiah, but no one is preparing for it.  They are out shopping for more lamp oil when he returns and the doors to the banquet hall were shut and locked.  It's too late for anyone else to enter and be saved from the flood of wrath to come.

It is written:

1 John 5

Whoever believes that Y'shua is the Anointed One is born of Elohim. And whoever loves the Father also loves him who is begotten of Him. And by this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and follow His Commandments. For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep His Commandments: and His Commandments are not burdensome. Whoever is born of Elohim overcomes the world: and this is the victory that our Faith overcomes the world. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Y'shua is the Son of Elohim... Y'shua came by the water and blood... and the Spirit testifies because the Spirit is Truth. And there are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water and the blood - and these three are in union.

YHWH will Tell Us What to Do

Quote:

Noah is an example of a man who was told of impending danger and did what he was told. He was not concerned about how he might look to his neighbors. He did not put together a committee to discuss the issues. He did not even send the ark plans down to the closest engineer to see if the boat would be sea worthy or if changes should be made in its design. Noah simply acted on what he was told to do. He proved out his faith by putting it into action.

In the Book of Matthew, Y'shua tells us that there will be another day similar to those Mr. And Mrs. Noah faced. They would be days evil men and women following after every manner of sinful way they could devise. It would be a time in which man’s heart would grow so black and hard toward his Creator that judgment and annihilation would be the only way out. It would be a time to once again start over. The time spoken of would not be with another flood though, but rather with a time of great tribulation. This time it would not be a sudden event, but rather one in which man could have time to think about his actions. 

Noah reminds me that day by day I need to be consistent, and to put into action that which I believe. One man can make a difference to those around him if he never loses sight of what he has been called to do. His life is a reason to put our feet on the floor every morning with purpose and to know that we are given another day, not for ourselves, but to move one step closer to fulfilling His purposes for our lives. 

Noah did not see the concept of faith and preparation being two separate issues. Instead he seems to agree that faith without works is a rather useless thing. Noah did not hear the voice of Yahweh and decide to simply pray about it, but instead when he heard that voice he went to his workshop and began cutting the first board.

We can all be very thankful that Noah was not of the mindset that to prepare was a lack of faith. The earth would have been flooded, just as Yah had promised, but instead of Noah and his family living to tell about it, no matter how righteous they were, their lack of putting faith into action would have made them no more than another meal for some very full fish.