The Commercial Appeal

God still warns people to repent of sin

- Billy Graham Columnist

Q: Why did Jesus say that the world would become as in the days of Noah? I thought God said he would never again flood the earth. Is this a contradict­ion in the Bible?

G.F.

A: It is man and not the Bible that needs correcting. The sixth chapter of Genesis tells us that people of Noah’s day gloried in sin. They loved it. From the beginning of history, sin has been man’s biggest mystery. The Bible also tells us that we’re caught in a spiritual warfare between the forces of God on the one side and the forces of the devil on the other (see Ephesians 6:11-13).

The Apostle Paul stated that as the world drew to a close, this “mystery of iniquity” would be dominant (see 2 Thessaloni­ans 2:7). Every form of perversion that human history has ever thought about is being used today, including torture, rape, bodily mutilation, chemicals; those are the physical. What about the psychologi­cal impact? People are committing suicide. Weird and satanic crimes are being committed on a scale perhaps never known before. Much of entertainm­ent has become sick and perverted.

They cannot find satisfacti­on in all the pleasures that are put before them. There is a void inside that can only be filled by God.

There is a limit to God’s patience. The Lord said that He will not strive with man forever (see Genesis 6:3). Noah warned the people of God’s coming judgment and how to avoid it, but the world laughed at Noah. God told Noah to “come” into the ark and be saved. This is the first time in the Bible that the word “come” is used, and over 600 times throughout the Bible. Today God is still warning people to repent of sin, turn to Him, and “come” and receive Him by faith.

This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.

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