242. The Days of the Son of Man

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. And how was it in the days of Noah? Indeed, “The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

“And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’” Gen. 6:11-13.

There is an inherent responsibility in being a human. There is a God behind all things who sees everything. Every human being does his deeds before His face. It is humans who corrupt the earth. (See verse 12.)

Then these people complain about the evil times instead of complaining about their own ungodliness. Bosses stand against their workers and workers against their bosses. This results in violence, lockouts, and strikes, which lead to poverty and need. People are violent in their marriages, and they mercilessly break apart what should be holy here on earth. People divorce and re-marry. In this way they do violence against their children, who lose either their mother or father. Pitilessness reigns. And then people think that all this will go unpunished. What a miscalculation! What a folly!

We who have come to faith know how exactly God keeps account. He takes us back through our lives and allows us to see our way. And, as Zacchaeus, we must make retribution where we have wronged others—not only to God, but also to people. It will be difficult for these “violent” people to go back over their lives and see their works in God’s light. For every one will receive according to his works that have been done in the body—that is, everything they did when they were in their body. It will not be pleasant to look back on divorces and marriage break-ups, employers who paid unreasonably low wages, or workers who were discontent when their circumstances were quite reasonable. It will not be pleasant for leaders who have led people astray into corruption. Let us bear in mind the Day of Judgment—because it is nearer than you might think.

Enmity against Christianity increases daily, for Satan gains more power with each act of violence, and hearts are increasingly hardened. And who bears the responsibility? First and foremost, those who incite this violence, and thereafter, those who practice it. A servant in the church is not to be violent. Here we understand that “violence” is of Satan, and if the earth is full of it, then we have returned to the days of Noah, when all flesh had corrupted their way.

And a Christianity that is broken up in parties and enmity does not help the situation. It does not have the necessary power to bring faith to the world. The unity of the believers was to make the world believe, but we see nothing but hatred and division in every direction. So they think like this: “I think I will just stay where I am.”

In the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Matt. 24:38-39.

What does it mean that they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage? It means that they only sought earthly advantage. They never gave a thought to God’s laws and will in their conscience. They broke marriages and re-married others. Everything revolved around eating, drinking, and satisfying their lusts. The less well-off people suffered violence so that those who were rich could obtain everything they needed to satisfy their lusts.

As it was in the days of Noah, so it is now. But what do the Scriptures say? “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!

“Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days!

“Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

“You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.” James 5:1-5.

Can’t we see that James’s predictions are being fulfilled?

Isn’t the Lord of Sabaoth hearing the cries of the withheld wages of the laborers and the reapers? Isn’t the gold and silver corroded? For where there are riches, taxes are increasing, beggars are lining up at the door, and requests for donations come in by the thousands. In earlier days people respected the rich, but now all of that has largely fallen away. People quite simply reason in this way: he is rich, so he should give to others; he must be taxed more, etc. This is the day of vengeance over the rich because they have withheld the wages of the laborer.

But to us who believe, James says, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” Verses 7-8.

What does James want to say to us? He says we should not get involved in the strife between employers and employees or in God’s judgment over the rich in the last days, but rather we should live patiently and be satisfied with what we have. For the Lord is returning soon, and then we will reap what we have sown. The farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth, and so we must also wait patiently for the fruits that we have sown. The rich will reap what they have sown. Every person will reap what they have sown.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13.

One thing is needed in our day: the meekness of wisdom. How beautiful it is when things are done in the meekness of wisdom. This is princely conduct, which reflects a kingdom that is not of this world. For the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Verse 17.

But is that the wisdom that is practiced in our days? No, we see envy, bitterness, quarreling, bragging, boasting, evil desire, etc. All such wisdom is earthly, sensual, demonic. When these are the seeds that are sown, you can just imagine what the harvest will be.

Ungodly parents, who cannot even manage their own life are trying to raise children. You can just imagine what sort of seeds they sow in their children’s hearts. They prepare the way for the lawless one, and they teach their children to be even more ungodly than themselves. The fact is that children receive indelible impressions from their parents. The Düsseldorf murderer said publicly that the negative impressions from his home were the first things that led him off course. What a responsibility parents have! There are also religious people who are violent toward their children. I know children who were afraid to come home as long as their father was alive because of his hardness. And I was shocked to hear the son of an outstanding preacher of the Word, who was now a preacher himself, speaking from the pulpit about his travels in America. He told how his heart had become hardened by the treatment he received at home, but the gentle voice of God’s Spirit had been able to soften him.

See how difficult it is to be a forerunner, an example that others are drawn to. More often than not, people rely on their flesh to help them, forcing their children to be legalistic Christians. This awakens hatred and bitter resistance, which can last throughout their whole life.

When we consider all this, it makes it easier for us to understand how it will be when the Son of Man returns.

Then two will be out in the field, and one will be taken and the other left. Let us say that this field is the mission field or another religious field of work. Only one was taken when the Lord came. The other was far too cold and worldly. There was far too much Pharisee in him.

Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and the other left. The mill these two women were grinding at could be “the work for God’s cause.” But only one was taken up. The other was left behind.

Watch therefore! For you do not know which day the Lord is coming. For we live in the days of the Son of Man!