“I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.” (Genesis 6:17-19)

In the 1980’s a rock group by the name of R.E.M. sang a catchy song called, “It’s the End of the World As We Know It.”  

Could you imagine Noah singing a song like this?  I don’t think so.  God told him that he was going to send a huge flood to cover the earth, but God also told him to build an ark.  The future of humanity and the animal kingdom was going to be placed in that one box.  The ark meant the hope of rescue to Noah but also the reminder of death to come. 

Harold Camping predicted that the end of the world was going to come in 2011.  Many others are now misreading the Mayan calendar to predict that the end of the world will be in 2012.  This has caused many to have “end of the world” parties in their neighborhoods.  It has become a running joke.  Nobody takes it seriously any more.

God’s Word describes that there will be an end to this world.  Jesus predicted that he will come again in the clouds with his holy angels, but Jesus didn’t say when he will come. 

Noah built a boat out of wood to save his family.  God sent Jesus to die on a piece of wood to save us from our sins.  This wood of the cross has room for much more than eight people.  The cross is an ark of God’s grace and forgiveness that has enough room for all the people of the world.  God wants us all to come aboard through faith in what Jesus did for us.

When Christians just focus on the cross and resurrection of Jesus, they don’t worry themselves about when the end is coming or try to decipher everything that happens in the world.  They don’t panic.  They don’t try to build an ark, because the “ark” has been built by Jesus’ death for the sins of the world.  They just believe in God’s promise in Christ, and they want the world to take him seriously and believe.  It is a message of hope and salvation for all to hear. 

It is like the R.E.M. song goes, “It’s the end of the world as we know it” and trusting in Jesus, that’s just fine.

Graphic for Noah: Rainbow
The rainbow was God's symbol of his promise to Noah and all people that he would never destroy the earth again by a universal flood.  The rainbow is an abiding symbol of God's faithfulness.