As people awoke that fateful day of the Deluge, most of them thought it just was going to be another average day. Jesus said that in the same way, most people will be oblivious to His return. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37–39)
I grew up in a small community. The two major industries were logging and commercial fishing. Determining whether the seas would be stormy or smooth, people would say, “Red sky in the morning, sailors’ warning. Red sky at night, sailors’ delight.” Similarly, looking at the clouds or feeling the chill in the air, you’ve accurately said, “It looks like rain.” or “It feels like snow.”
The people of Jesus’ day probably had ways to forecast the weather, too, but He rebuked them for discerning the weather but not the state of the world around them. He said, “Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?” (Luke 12:56)
Today, meteorologists use all sorts of fancy instruments and charts to forecast the weather. Is there a reliable tool to discern the moral conditions around us? The Bible. It tells us that all the crime and greed that is tearing our world apart is because people are in rebellion to God’s will. We may be more technologically advanced than previous generations, but our sin nature hasn’t changed one iota. Before we come to Christ, all of us want to be in charge of our lives rather than submit to God. Once we accept Jesus, we still have the old nature, but He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us follow God’s will.
King Solomon, a wise and wealthy man, wrote the book of Ecclesiastes to document the fruitlessness of trying to find the meaning of life in the works of our hands. Knowledge, building projects, partying, accumulating wealth, and recreation do not permanently satisfy the human soul. Only Jesus can give lasting purpose and value to our lives and fill the emptiness inside. Using his intellect and wealth to try different things, Solomon’s conclusion was, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
You might disagree with Solomon, and look for a temporary purpose for your life, but only a personal relationship with Jesus will satisfy the human soul. Someday, all the works of man’s hands will melt. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10) Only the works done in the name of the Lord will last.
Solomon went onto say, God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14) Jesus already took the full brunt of that judgment when He died for your sin. He overcame death and is alive today. When you choose to submit to Him, life will take on a whole new perspective.
The signs of the times are meant to remind us that we need Jesus to lead our lives.
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