<TITLE>06. Par 50-61</TITLE>L-50 Now, we all know that, the antediluvian world, it had not rained. And now, that didn't cope with the scientific thinkers of that day. His message was contrary. No doubt that smart scientists could have come to him and said, "Now, looky here, Mr. Noah. Now we got instruments that we can shoot the moon, and we can do all these scientific researches. And there is no water up there. And how is there going to come any water down from there, when there's no water up there to come down? You're foolish. You're doing something that there's nothing to. There's no water up there."

L-51 But Noah could say, "God said that it would rain, and that settles it. God said so." A hundred and twenty years, he was persistent in the face of the scientific world of his day, still claiming his message was right because it come from God. He had a goal to make. He had a message to take care of, and he was persistent in doing so. No matter what the rest of the world said, Noah heard from God. That's all that mattered to him. He had heard the Voice. He was sure it was God, and he was making ready something that seemed very silly to the world. But, yet, Noah knew that God would keep His Word.

L-52   Should that not be a lesson for us today, the hour? As Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man." A message that's silly, to the world. They don't understand it. But yet those who contacted the Holy Spirit, knows that He will return again.

L-53 I can see the people as they pitied poor old Noah, about how much fun he was missing, and of the world and the things that's going on. But Noah, still persistent, held right on.

L-54 One day God said to Noah, "All right, you've done your part now. Now come into the ark, you and your household." And the... Noticed the--the birds begin to fly in, and--and the animals begin to go in, by two-by-two. Noah and his family went in.

L-55   And there is always borderline believers, I call them; people that'll come to church, they'll enjoy a message maybe from the choir or from the singers, from the minister, or a testimony. They'll enjoy it, but, to come in and be part of it, they just won't do it. They like to listen, but they won't be part of it. They do not want to be identified with them. They want to stay off to one side. That's always been, and no doubt there was in that day.

L-56   Then when the ark door was closed, many of those people said, "Well, let's go up and stand around, now, if it comes to pass that, for instance, the old man was right. We all kind of thought that the old fellow was a little bit off, but I--I--I enjoyed listening at him preach, standing there in the door. And now we know that something closed that door. Now, he's a good old man. And if it would happen to be, some water come down up there, why, why, he'd take us in." You see, you don't want to trust...

L-57 You don't want to strain God's goodness. You want to be sure that you just come in while you got a chance to come in.

L-58 Then, the first thing you know, the first day. Look how God puts a strain on His people, sometime. I'd imagine, the first day, Noah said to his family, "All right, now we'll climb up into the upstairs. Now, in the morning, the skies are going to be dark. Never was dark before. We've never seen it. Rain is going to fall. Lightning will sweep across the skies." And the next morning up comes the sun. No sign. All day long, Noah and his family looked. Well, things went on just exactly the way they did.

L-59 I imagine the borderline believers said, "Aw, the old fellow was wrong." They went on back downtown, eating, drinking, and being merry.

L-60 I imagine, his family, what a strain it must have been on the man. But he didn't give up and start knocking on the door, and saying, "People, pry the door open. I was wrong." Why? He knew he had the truth, and he held on to it.

L-61 "If it didn't rain today, it will tomorrow." That's it. All right.


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