Over the millennia mankind has faced several crisis periods when the survival of the species was in doubt. In more contemporary times one thinks of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 when the world was brought to the brink of nuclear war between the former Soviet Union and the United States. Fortunately, wiser heads prevailed on both sides and the critical issues were resolved in the realm of diplomatic activity rather than nuclear conflict.

A historic moment of maximum jeopardy

Perhaps mankind's most critical past crisis occurred over 4,000 years ago. The biblical background of it is crucial to our understanding. Those ancient peoples were in the midst of a population explosion and the Bible records the on-the-spot assessment by the Creator Himself.

God was enormously displeased with the chaotic moral state of that ancient world. Those early peoples had strayed so far from their Creator's way that He pronounced the death sentence upon them. Clearly their crimes were capital in nature.

"And the LORD said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh [mortal, NIV]; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years'" (Genesis 6:3). Implicit in God's pronouncement was His longsuffering to provide sufficient time for a wholesale repentance, but it did not occur (see 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5).

The Bible is an unusual book in that it records the actual thoughts of the Creator God. He not only observed the wickedness of those ancient peoples, but He also knew of the continual succession of evil thoughts that dominated their minds and resulted in barbaric actions of murder and mayhem (Genesis 6:5).

So horrendous was the general state of mankind that "the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart" (verse 6, emphasis added throughout). The biblical picture we have of God is one of a caring Creator very concerned when we go badly wrong.

Does God suffer? Most certainly He does, and our bad behavior occasions that suffering.

"So the LORD said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth...for I am sorry that I have made them'" (verse 7). Remember men and women were made "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:26-27), rendering their ungodly conduct, their cunning chicanery, all the more blameworthy in our Creator's sight.

The grace of God in action

Fortunately for us all, God was still in direct communication with one man on earth-the patriarch Noah. He shared His thoughts with him: "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence" (Genesis 6:13). This was a time not so very different from our modern world. Today terrorism, war, civil conflict and domestic violence plague our lives.

Back then the Creator issued specific instructions to Noah on how to build an ark for the saving of his family and a sampling of the animal species. But why would God save Noah while destroying the rest of mankind? The Bible leaves us in no doubt as to the answer.

We need only to read how this patriarch reacted to these divine instructions. "Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did" (verse 22; compare Genesis 7:5). Noah prized obedience to his Creator. It was at the top level of his personal priorities. He habitually walked with God (Genesis 6:9).

"Then the LORD said to Noah, 'Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation'" (Genesis 7:1). Righteousness means obedience to God-keeping His commandments (see Psalm 119:172).

Now Noah wasn't perfect as later events showed. Nonetheless he found "grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:8). While walking with God as a way of life, he did stumble and fall occasionally as we all do. But he was soon back on his feet in real repentance.

On that momentous occasion in human history mankind was spared by the grace of God responding to the obedience of just one man. It was a defining moment for the entire cosmos and for what will surely come in future ages. Noah had successfully tunneled through mankind's first real moment of maximum jeopardy.

Learning from the past

During recent years the study of history has been downplayed in educational circles. Some people even seek to rewrite history according to their own biases and prejudices. But true knowledge of the past, particularly biblical history, is essential to wise and beneficial conduct (Romans 15:4).

Centuries after Noah's Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah became centers of gross immorality: "But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD" (Genesis 13:13). Later we learn that one of their prominent sins was practicing homosexuality (Genesis 19:1-5). Although sinful human behavior often impacts others in major ways, all sin is against God as King David indicated in Psalm 51.

So God decided on a surgical strike in order to prevent the problem from spreading, saving only righteous Lot and two of his daughters (2 Peter 2:7-8).

The Bible is very big on learning lessons from the lives of others-and avoiding their mistakes. The apostle Peter wrote: "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer" (1 Peter 4:15). We've all seen that those individuals who make mistakes of that nature usually wind up in prison, or worse.

This basic biblical principle applies nationally and regionally as well as individually. Learning lessons from ancient history is not precluded. Writing prophetically as well as historically, the apostle Paul stated: "Now these things [in Hebrew history] became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they [the ancient Israelites] also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them... Nor let us commit sexual immorality as some of them did... Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:6-11).

The great crisis to come

Both the great Flood of Noah and the dilemma of Lot presage a major world crisis yet to fully dawn on mankind. We should carefully note that Jesus Christ compared the days of Noah and Lot to world conditions signaling the great crisis that would precipitate His second coming to this earth (Luke 17:26-30). Then in His Olivet prophecy Christ said that in the end time the human condition would become so perilous that "unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be spared" (Matthew 24:22). Herein is another moment of maximum jeopardy which would surely imperil human survival.

Jesus also called this unique period of time "the days of vengeance" when all the major prophecies of the past would be fulfilled (Luke 21:22). Jeremiah called it "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7). The prophet Daniel predicted "a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation" (Daniel 12:1). Then hundreds of years later the apostle John quoted Jesus Christ's declaration of "the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world" (Revelation 3:10).

A careful study of the Scriptures shows that these critical biblical passages are speaking of the same basic period in future world history. Together they describe one last time of maximum jeopardy in the life of mankind. James Moffatt called this unique period "the crisis at the close" in his translation of the Bible.

The time of God's intervention

In ways small to us, sometimes unnoticed even by the recipients, God regularly intervenes in the lives of His true servants. But major public interventions on the national and world scene are relatively rare. One thinks of Noah's Flood, the Tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Exodus events and the first coming of Christ. Another big intervention is yet to occur.

Since Christ commissioned it to do so, God's Church has been warning and witnessing of the many events that will portend a major world crisis and Christ's return to this earth. That is one of the crucial purposes of this publication. Paul tells us that "Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:28). God will begin the process of delivering mankind as a whole at the time of the second coming.

But who will be responsible for saving us this time around? Thankfully more than one "Noah" will be present during this crucial period in human existence. Jesus Christ promised that "for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:22). That is, because of those who are called, chosen and faithful Christians, the world will be spared again. Mankind will pass through this coming world crisis to the other side. We will meet our moment of maximum jeopardy. God will save us from ourselves. We have His Word!

The carriers of the message

The Bible says that there will be an elect people on earth at this critical time in history. They are variously called the firstfruits of God, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a special people whose very presence will call forth Christ's intervention in world affairs to save mankind from itself.

These people compose God's Church. An important aspect of their basic mission is to warn the world of what is surely coming, often using the exact words of Jesus Christ: "There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21).

This is our future moment of maximum jeopardy, but God guarantees in His Word that mankind will come through it all. Human survival is sure! WNP