As in the Days of Noah
“The Times, They Are A-Changin’” wrote the modern-day prophetic and Nobel Laureate poet, Bob Dylan. America is certainly in a season of radical change. Yeshua warned us about the time leading up to His return. He told us that modern events and circumstances would be similar to events and circumstances in ancient days:For just as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.—Matthew 24:37–38Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.—Genesis 6:11–12The Hebrew word that is translated “corrupt” speaks of a dullness of heart and lack of spiritual vision. It applies to people who are unaware of the things that pertain to God. People in that state (then and today) are spiritually “flat”—no longer tuned in to God’s vision and His priorities. Does that sound familiar, like the day in which we live?God chose to flood the Earth in ancient times, but He made a provision for a future restoration, and He promised it to Noah. After the flood, the Lord provided a sign for Noah:And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the land.” —Genesis 9:12–13After a season on the ark (which pictures salvation through Yeshua), Noah sent out a raven and then a dove to look for dry land. The dove came back empty-beaked, and was dispatched a second time, returning to Noah with an olive branch:He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf.—Genesis 8:10–11I find interesting that the dove (Holy Spirit) did not return with the olive branch the first time out—just as Israel, in general, missed Yeshua—but the second time, the dove made a direct connection and returned with the olive branch. As Israel today connects with the “Jewishness” of the Gospel, we Believers wait for Yeshua’s second appearance!
The Spirit Connects Israel and the Church
The story of Noah employs three symbols that we see the Lord deploying again in our time—the rainbow, the dove, and the olive branch.
- Olive Branch —restoration of physical Israel and the Messianic remnant
- Rainbow —glorification of the international Church, as harvest comes to the Earth
- Dove —indwelling of the Holy Spirit to energize His end-time plan
Those three—Israel, the Church, and the Holy Spirit—represent God’s eternal destiny for us: past, present, and future. God will “gather all things together in Yeshua” (Ephesians 1:10).Israel is one of thecolors in the rainbowof nationsThe Church is graftedinto the Olive TreeThe Holy Spirit isbeing poured out onall fleshWhat was hidden since the beginning as a mystery in Scriptures is being openly revealed to our generation today (Acts 2:17), especially to those who walk His Land. Join us March 2018 for a tour of Israel.