Author: Sophia
Do you know what age we are living in now? Are you able to sense the atmosphere of this age? This is Noah’s times. Perhaps you may ask: What is Noah’s times?
Noah is a prophet, translated as Nuh in <Quran>, known as Noah in <Torah> and <Injil>. When mention of Noah, you will remember the story about Noah’s ark. The age I am referring to is the times of Noah.
What kind of age is that?
Please look at these two verses from the <Quran>:
- Surah 53:52 And before them, the people of Noah, for that they were (all) most unjust and most insolent transgressors,
- Surah 51:46 So were the People of Noah before them for they wickedly transgressed.
1. The Scripture tells us that there are three characteristics during that period of time: most unjust, most insolent and wickedly transgressed.
By looking at the age we live in today, what can you see?
Let us read at a passage of the scripture from the <Torah>.
- Genesis 6:1-9 1Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
2. The above verses explain in detail the state of the people during those times: they are occupied with evil thoughts all day long!
Slowly examine and review your daily thoughts, what are you thinking most of the time? Is it your own concern or Allah’s concern? Are you thinking of your own interests or all of your thoughts are about the feeling and plight of others? Are you hoping to gain or are you willing to give? Are you getting along well with your classmates, colleagues, friends and family members? Why are there so much hurt and grief? It is not necessary to give many examples, we will know by just looking around our circle of life.
3. Jesus condemned this as a wicked, adulterous generation.
- <Injil> Luke 11:29 As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah
- <Injil> 2 Timothy 3:1-5 1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
Out of 19 sins mentioned above, we might have committed a few of them or perhaps we are still doing it?
The relationship between Noah’s age and our age:
From <Quran> 53:52 and 51:46, we can see that Allah destroyed Noah’s descendent, and the reasons are they were most unjust, most insolent and wickedly transgressed. When we see Prophet Isa sharply hit out at the sin of this age, what about our hearts?
- <Injil> Luke 17:26-30 26 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
Conclusion: Are you clear about this age? What are we going to do?
- <Injil> Luke 21: 34-36 34 “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
We have to beseech our Lord to perform a heart transplant surgery in us: to change our heart which is numb, follows blindly and worldly with a repentant heart which is new, sensitive and totally loves God and dependent on Him.
- <Injil> Ephesians 5:16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
How much time do we have? During Noah’s times, Allah waited for 120 years for the people to repent. Ultimately, only a few people who followed Noah were saved. And now, from the day of Prophet Isa, Allah has patiently waited for us for more than 2000 years, a heartfelt call reverberating in the ears: Oh People! Where are you?
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Note:
- All Al-Quran verses are sourced from English Translation of Al-Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, with thanks.
- All Injil and Torah verses are sourced from New American Standard Bible with Codes (1995), with thanks.