Have you ever wondered why God does not stop all the injustice in our world? When it comes to answering the difficult questions of faith, Christian theology often skips to the fall of man to explain all injustice in the world, which it does, of course, however, there is a covenant reason why God does not destroy terrorist, murderers, actions of unjust nations, end-all war, stop all abortions; racism, social injustice, it is the Noahic covenant. The fact is, God is taking action, His action is simple, He is remembering His covenant promise to not destroy the earth because of wickedness and violence.
Today, those who reject the idea of a Creator will often use a question to seemingly justify their rejection and suppression of Biblical truth; “why would a just and loving God allows all the horrible injustices in the world and not take action?” Their premise is answered by the Noahic covenant-God’s promise to not destroy the earth again by a flood. Why is this? The Noahic covenant suspends God from taking action against the wickedness of man as he did at the flood. However, once the level of wickedness in our time is comparable to that of the time of Noah, God will judge all injustice in the world, this begins at the second advent of Christ.
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The Beginner's Bible All Aboard with Noah! Zondervan
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Youth group teenagers today grow up with apocalyptic images of the flood narrative being lost to pictures of smiling cartoon Sunday school Noah leading animals two by two into a large ship, all smiles with a rainbow across the sky as they all exit the ark. This imagery is a suppression of the truth, the point of the entire flood narrative is that God did and will again destroy wickedness in apocalyptic fashion and if mankind does not accept the provision God offers for salvation, there is no place to escape His imminent wrath and judgment. The New Covenant offers that salvation to this present generation through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus. But, how do you answer the question of why does a just God still allow injustice in our world? The answer; He made a covenant called the Noahic covenant, or Everlasting Covenant promising to never again destroy mankind by a global flood, in essence the answer to their question is simple-God is keeping his promise, the promise of the Noahic covenant. The evidence he is keeping it? We are still here, however, the kingdom is at hand and the Noahic covenant is an Old Testament first person warning to us from God.
The basics; immediately following the receding flood, God blesses Noah and his sons and gave them a command “…Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” (Gen. 9:1) God establishes a covenant with Noah, and for all future generations of mankind. There are 11 observable aspects of this covenant in Genesis 9:1-16 revealed by a careful exegetical study of the Biblical text, 1-6 are for man to obey, the last 5 (7-11) are promises from God to man:
1. Procreation - “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth…” (v.1) Repeated in (v. 7)
2. Dominion over animals - “and the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every living beasts of the earth…” (v.2)
3. Meat added to the diet – “Every moving thing shall be food for you…” (v. 3)
4. No eating blood of animals - “but you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood” (v. 4)
5. No killing his fellow man – “Surely for your lifeblood, I will demand a reckoning…”
6. God will require man or beast to pay with his life if they shed man’s blood. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.” (v. 6)
7. The first covenant God establishes with man; with Noah and all future generations – “And as for Me, behold, I establish with you and your descendants after you…” (v.8)
8. God promises – “never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood…” (v.11)
9. God gives a sign in the clouds, the rainbow as a symbolic reminder of his promise – “I set my rainbow in the cloud…” (v. 12)
10. God promises to remember his covenant – “and I will remember My covenant…” (v.15)
11. The covenant is everlasting; this covenant is still in effect – “the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (v.16)
The 11 aspects of the covenant are detailed in Genesis 9:1-16, the eternal aspect is overlooked and often ignored today. Historically, it is important is to realize that the Noahic covenant is far more than just God putting a rainbow in the sky. According to John Murray, there are 5 main characteristics of the Noahic covenant that are extremely relevant to this present age. The 5 characteristics of the covenant are:
1“1. It is God’s covenant in that it is conceived, devised, determined, established, and dispensed by God Himself. ‘And I, behold, I am establishing my covenant with you… 2. It is universal in scope, a covenant not only with Noah but with his seed after him and
with every living creature….“the covenant is not contingent upon an intelligent appreciation
of the covenant… 3. It is an unconditional covenant, there is no way for it to be annulled by human unfaithfulness,… 4. The covenant is intensely and pervasively monergistic… Even what is said regarding the bow in the cloud has Godward reference. God will see it to remember the everlasting covenant... 5. It is an everlasting covenant. All flesh will not again be cut off by the waters of the flood...”
Murray observed God’s promise made in the Noahic covenant is a 2“dispensation of forbearance and goodness.” However, that same immutable promise prevents him from bringing destruction on mankind for his wickedness in the past; it also keeps him from bringing an immediate universal judgment on the earth right now. This answers why he does not presently intervene on behalf of those being unjustly and unmercifully killed. If anything, God is merciful, slow to wrath and keeps his covenant promises (items 7 to 11) even though mankind has been breaking his commands (especially the everlasting covenant) ever since, (items 1-6).
The contrast of the rainbow in the sky, God’s covenant promise is the proceeding
apocalyptic imagery of the global flood narrative of Genesis 8. Michael Parsons in his journal “The apocalyptic Luther: His Noahic self-understanding” identified that during the European reformation warning of imminent judgment was a major part of preaching. 3“…suggests that its main element, it's most salient feature is the expectancy of the imminent end of history.” The main thrust in presenting this imagery honestly and accurately is to 4“warn the evildoers and to console the righteous, and it seeks definite insight into God’s plan for the world.” The church has watered down in their Sunday school materials a kid-friendly attitude in approaching this particular Biblical narrative, it would seem that modern Christianity in the West is ignoring the one aspect of God’s nature that is sobering; God did in fact completely wipe out everyone on the entire planet (in one day) because of their wickedness. Every child, baby, infant, mother, father, animal, bird, no one escaped the judgment of the flood except for the animals in the ark with Noah and his family. Downplaying, minimizing, focusing on the other aspects of the flood narrative especially suppressing the terrible wrath of God contributes to when 80% of children who grow up in church go off to college, no longer return to church after their first semester. The good news is not as important when there is no bad news. Many children grew up on nice Sunday school stories focusing on aspects of the stories that are trivial at best. One example is the materials offered by David C. Cook, it is probably one of the most popular providers of Sunday School materials in North America, here is what this organization offers as an activity to teach this Biblical narrative:
5“Activity
There are many creative activities you can do with your children to give a hands-on grasp of the concepts you want them to learn from the Noah narrative.
For younger children, skim through magazines and cut out all the different animals you see and glue them onto your child’s drawing of an ark. Ask questions that provoke wonder such as: “I wonder how God made all the animals come to Noah and the ark?” or “I wonder how everyone lived on the ark for a year together?” You could talk about the weather with the older kids, learning how clouds and rain and flooding happens. Search the Weather Channel’s website for some good information.”
The focus of the flood narrative for us today must be the Noahic covenant, God has given instruction to mankind, and man has been disobedient to God’s commands. Missing that focus would be like telling the gospel story and leaving out the crucifixion. G. Davies identified the importance of the Noahic covenant to the entire message of the Bible.
6“Although widely neglected, the covenant with Noah is a vital part of the broader metanarrative of the Bible since its unconditional promises form the basis for the story (salvation history) which follows, it establishes the universal parameters of that story (including the animals and the earth as well as all of humanity), and it anticipates the conclusion of the story.”
Davies identified the Noahic covenant is the metanarrative (the story that explains the rest of the story.) Possibly, it is a major missing element of modern Christian apologetics, certainly ignoring the most visual sign from God to mankind in this the present age is inconceivably irresponsible.
Pride Movement
The sign of the covenant (the bow) is presumptively and arrogantly used as the symbol of a spiritual apostasy by those who ignore their Creator and worship the creation. The symbol of the covenant is the rainbow, culturally today the rainbow is universally recognized symbol of gay pride, the ultimate rejection of the Noahic covenant, God’s law, the laws of nature, and the most important of all, honoring the Creator. How exactly does this presumptively arrogant use of the rainbow by gay pride break the covenant?
1. Procreation - “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth…” (Gen. 9:1). Homosexual relations cannot possibly procreate and fill the earth. Secondly, it is also, unnatural, and an abomination before the Lord. “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” (Lev. 18:22) This practice ushers in the wrath of God on those who reject their Creator. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18)
2. The covenant sign itself is falsely represented to associate with the gay pride movement. A news article by Forrest Wickham explains how the gay pride movement adopted a rainbow flag and what it represents to them.
7“In 1978, San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed what is believed to be the first modern gay pride flag by combining eight stripes, each a different color with its own symbolism: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for the human spirit.”
Wickham did concede at the least to acknowledge, “Of course, rainbows and rainbow flags carry significance outside the LGBT community. The rainbow is an important symbol in the Bible, representing a promise of peace from God to Noah,”
to the dismay of many hippies who used it for protesting the war in the ’60s, the word for rainbow;
8“is the same Hebrew word used for the bow weapon. There is no word for "rainbow" in the Hebrew, the actual word used is ‘bow’ and it is the image of a weapon.”
Tom Wells makes a very important observation about aspects of covenants, 9“The point is that a covenant given by God is imposed on men. It is entirely from God.” To take a covenant sign and ignore this reality is simply the outcome of a reprobate mind. A mind that does not acknowledge God; deliberately rejecting Him, His Word, and turning his warning into a justification of a reprobate lifestyle this is the ultimate blasphemy of our age. Put it in a different context, imagine the Nazi swastika used as a symbol for the American Disabilities act, it truly is that nonsensical and arrogantly outrageous.
James Waller identified 10“ The 20th century can sadly be dubbed ‘The Age of Genocide.’
In those 100 years, 60 million human beings lost their lives through mass killings and genocide.” If there is anything that should alarm mankind of his impending judgment by the Creator, it is those startling numbers. However, it is much worse than that, according to the data mankind globally is murdering 43.8 million unborn humans every year.11 The apocalyptic number of premeditated termination of unborn human beings equates to 1 holocaust every 2.5 months. Globally (conservatively) approximately 1 Billion humans are destroyed every 23 years. Adding those numbers add up is rather disturbing, globally mankind is aborting a number every year and a half equal to all the deaths caused by all war in the entire 100 years of the 20th century.
The End is Near
The question that must be asked, how much longer will God tolerate this wicked murdering generation withholding his righteous judgment? The New Testament prophecies tell us that the last days will be like the days of Noah. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matt. 24:37) What were those days like? “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.” (Gen. 6:11) It is reasonable to conclude, mankind has arrived, the earth is again filled with violence. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5) It is also reasonable to conclude that the wickedness of man is nearing on par now as it was in the time of Noah.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta in her famous Noble Lecture speech declared that abortion is the greatest threat to world peace. The text of her speech reveals the deep and troubling aspects of how abortion is the greatest of all transgressions against humanity - if a mother is willing to murder her own child, could there be a greater example of mankind breaking the everlasting covenant to not shed the blood of his fellow man?
12“I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion because it is a direct war, a direct killing - direct murder by the mother herself. And we read in the Scripture, for God says very clearly: Even if a mother could forget her child - I will not forget you - I have carved you in the palm of my hand. We are carved in the palm of His hand, so close to Him that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God. And that is what strikes me most, the beginning of that sentence, that even if a mother could forget something impossible - but even if she could forget - I will not forget you. And today the greatest means - the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion. And we who are standing here - our parents wanted us. We would not be here if our parents would do that to us. Our children, we want them, we love them, but what of the millions. Many people are very, very concerned with the children in India, with the children in Africa where quite a number die, maybe of malnutrition, of hunger and so on, but millions are dying deliberately by the will of the mother. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today. Because if a mother can kill her own child - what is left for me to kill you and you kill me - there is nothing between.”
The Judgment
The finality of this age will usher in the wrath of God as a result of mankind breaking the everlasting covenant with God. This is revealed in the prophecy about the tribulation period in Isaiah. Man has broken the everlasting covenant instead of filling the earth through monogamous covenant marriage - he has instead shed the blood of his unborn and unwanted children.
The judgment of the tribulation will be of the same proportion of apocalyptic imagery as the flood, even more so when you consider this period is going to last seven years, not the 40 days of the Genesis flood.
“Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.” (Isa. 24:1-5)
The church must return to proclaiming the complete message, just like in the days of Noah, God is coming back to judge the world and punish sin, if you reject the provision of salvation from that judgment (the gospel) you will not escape His terrible wrath.
Brent Sandy explains why we must tell the story of both destruction and blessing.
13“When a parent says to a child, “I am going to lock you in your room and throw away the key away,”…what is the intention? To get the child’s attention? To warn of serious consequences? To arouse fear? To threaten? If the child takes the statement at face value, he or she will have a reason for fear. Of course, the parent might try the opposite approach: “if you are good, I’ll buy you an ice-cream cone taller than the Empire State Building!”
Sandy’s example is a demonstration of how nonsensical it would be to have parents who never teach their children respect and personal responsibility by having a healthy reverential fear of authority. The same goes for the church, it is nonsensical to ignore preaching impending judgment. The good-news bad-news balance of the Biblical narrative must be reclaimed in this present age, as it is this generation that has arrived closest to the perilous times of Noah. The covenant sign must be returned to represent its original meaning, to remind mankind of the past global judgment of God by the flood, and that He promises to not destroy the earth by a flood. Seeing that sign in the sky should cause a man to ask the question, if not a flood, how? “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” (2 Peter 3:10) Next time it will be by fire! Dorothy Jean Jonaitis's article “Unmasking Apocalyptic Preaching”14 made a very important observation that people come to God in times of crisis; September 11, 2001, saw a great influx of people filling the pews. Without a crisis or impending disaster or in this case impending Divine judgment, what is the relevancy of the gospel?
With the current level of humans killing humans, especially mothers killing their unborn
children, the world should be on notice, the King is coming very soon to judge the living and the dead. “but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:5) Frances Schaeffer tells why God takes this so seriously, 15“God commands capital punishment simply because of the unique value of that which the murderer has killed. Man continues after the Fall to be in the image of God, and that makes murder heinous indeed.”
Answering the difficult questions of faith will require putting away the popular self-help sermons of the 21st-century post-modern era church, dusting off the hymnals of the persecuted saints of the reformation and proclaiming to a very wicked generation that The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent because the time of judgment is near. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 3:23)
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1 John Murray, The Covenant of Grace, (London: The Tyndale Press, 1953), 12.
2 Murray, The Covenant, 13.
3 Michael Parsons, The Apocalyptic Luther: His Noahic Self-Understanding, (Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 44.4 December 2001), 627.
4 Parson, The Apocalyptic, 627.
5 David C. Cook, Noah, (Elgin, IL: davidccook.com) accessed August 6, 2014. http://www.davidccook.com/BooksKids/biggodstory/resources/2_noah.pdf
6 G. I. Davies, "Tyndale Bulletin 60 (2009)." Zeitschrift Für Die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 122, no. 3 (2010): 452, Accessed August 5, 2014). http://search.proquest.com/docview/1115478662?accountid=12085.
7 Forrest Wickham, “A Marriage Rainbow”, Slate, June 26, 2013, accessed August 5, 2014. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/slate_fare/2006/08/about_us.html
8 John Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids: MI, Zondervan, 2001), 345.
9 Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel, New Covenant Theology: Description, Definition, Defense, (Frederick: Md.: New Covenant Media, 2002), 5.
10 James Waller, Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing, (New York: NY, Oxford University Press, 2007), 737.
11 “Facts on Induced Abortion Worldwide,” Guttmacher Institute, January 2012, accessed August 4, 2014, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_IAW.htmL
12 Mother Teresa, Nobel Lecture, Nobel Peace Prize, December 11, 1979, Accessed August 6, 2014. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-lecture.html
13 Brent Sandy, Plowshares & Prunning Hooks, (Downers Grove: IL, IVP Adademic, 2002),77.
14 Dorothy Jean Jonaitis, "Unmasking Apocalyptic Preaching: Cosmic Drama of Hope." Order No. 3041403, Aquinas Institute of Theology, 2002. In PROQUESTMS ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text, http://search.proquest.com/docview/276251819?accountid=12085.
15 Francis Schaeffer, Genesis in Space and Time, (Downers Grove: IL, Intervarsity Press, 1972), 146
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