The second angel’s message, Revelation 14:8.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Revelation 14:8 is the second angel’s message and tells us that Babylon has fallen. Many would say that Babylon fell already in the year 539 when King Cyrus of Medo-Persia conquered ancient Babylon. Of course, it is correct; it has also been documented by history. However, this is about typology once again. Old Babylon is the type, and therefore forms the pattern that a future event will repeat, and we call this the antitype. The antitype of old Babylon is the fallen church of the end times, which is also called Babylon.
In historical Babylon we find the type, or pattern, of what the end-time church (Babylon) will be like. Ancient Babylon had a large number of gods, and these were divided into the following classes: 1) primordial beings who have been from eternity, 2) seven major gods, 3) other important gods, 4) minor gods, 5) demigods and heroes, and finally 6) spirits and monsters.
These were:
1) Primordial beings; Abzu, Tiamat, Lahmu, Lahamu, Anshar, Kishar and Mummu.
2) Seven main gods divided into; a) four main gods; Anu, Enlil, Enki and Ninhursag, b) three heavenly gods; Inanna/Ishtar, Nanna/Sin and Utu/Shamash.
3) Other important gods; Adad, Dumuzid, Enkimdu, Ereshkigal, Kingu, Geshtinanna, Lahar, Marduk, Nergal and Ninurta.
4) Minor gods; Anunnaki, Asaruludu, Ashnan, Bel, Enbilulu, Isimud, Lahar, Mami/Nintu, Mamitu, Nabu, Namtar, Nanshe, Nidaba, Ningal, Ninkasi, Ninlil, Ninshubur, Ninsun, Nuska, Sarpanit, Uttu and Yahweh.
5) Demigods and heroes; Adapa, Enkidu, Enmerkar, Gilgamesh, Lugalbanda, Shamhat, Siduri, Atra-Hasis and Apkallu.
6) Spirits and monsters; Utukku, Lamassu/Shedu, Asakku, Edimmu, Siris, Anzû, Humbaba, Asag, Hanbi, Kur, Lamashtu, Pazuzu and Rabisu.
In addition to these, gods such as Baal, Astarte and Dagon were worshiped in Babylon. What is particularly interesting is that Yahweh is listed under minor gods!
If we follow the history from Babylon until today, we know that the following kingdoms that conquered the predecessors also took the gods of the occupied kingdom with them and in that way the pagan religions with their gods and the different philosophies were accumulated in the new kingdoms. As kingdoms came and went, through Babylon via Medo-Persia and Greece and into the Roman Empire. Today, we find all the pagan gods that the Roman Empire absorbed when they conquered Greece, in the Roman Church, in addition to the fact that there are constantly new minor gods, demigods and heroes in the form of the saints. There are now over 11,600 in this class.
The following is taken from http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/helgener. (Translated from Norwegian.) There are so many named saints and blessed in the Church, that it will take a long time before this overview is approximately complete. Nevertheless, there are (at the end of February 2011) just under 7,500 biographies in the overview, for just over 11,600 persons and martyr groups. These are sorted alphabetically and by commemoration day. (See also Babylon; Babel Babylon, part 1.)
As we see, the end-time Babylon has taken idolatry to a new level. Historical Babylon had a little over 70 different gods, while the end-time Babylon has expanded this to more than 11,600 gods and groups of gods. And it is precisely from here that Christianity has been given false teachings that have led many people to fall. This is the reason Babylon has fallen. Babylon therefore represents all the confusion surrounding God’s word.
If we go to Daniel 7:4-7 and Revelation 13:2 we find that a beast is described. This is the fourth beast in Daniel chapter 7, or the iron kingdom in Daniel 2, and this kingdom will be with us until Jesus returns. Daniel 7 describes the first beast as a lion in verse 4, the second beast as a bear in verse 5, the third beast as a leopard in verse 6, and the fourth beast as … dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly … in verse 7. John says in Revelation 13:2 that he sees a beast that looks like a leopard with feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. It is absolutely certain that this is the same beast that Daniel sees, and that is explained as Rome that has absorbed all the paganism that the lion Babylon, the bear Medo-Persia and the leopard Greece brought with them, and in this way Rome is also called Babylon in the new testament.
This is probably the reason why God raised up people like William Miller, James and Ellen White; just to name a few, to preach the truth for our time. Because, as with Jesus’ birth, the message of his second coming will not be left to the people’s spiritual leaders, but to the shepherds in the field. It is our task today to preach the eternal gospel that contains God’s infinite love, which came to light in Jesus’ death on the cross, and God’s judgment on sin.
Ellen G. White says in Early Writings the following: Near the close of the second angel’s message, I saw a great light from heaven shining upon the people of God. The rays of this light seemed bright as the sun. And I heard the voices of angels crying, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him! (Matthew 25;6) (page 238.1). This was the midnight cry, which was to give power to the second angel’s message. Angels were sent from heaven to arouse the discouraged saints and prepare them for the great work before them, (page 238.2).
As for Ellen G. White, I will add what I believe and think about her. When Jesus was about to begin his ministry on earth, God raised up a prophet, John the Baptist, about whom Jesus said in Luke 7:28. For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist … … That God should raise up a prophet when we were about to enter the end times is nothing but right and reasonable, and this is completely in line, but Amos 3:7: Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
I haven’t read nearly everything that Ellen G. White has written, but what I have read makes me realize that she was something far more than ‘an ordinary prophet’, she is the prophet who will lead God’s people into the last journey and guide the way that leads to the heavenly Canaan.
Babylon is another way of naming Rome, which we find in 1 Peter 5:13, and alludes to the papal power. It is originally the city of Babylon that is laid as a foundation, but over time, the various kingdoms have absorbed the idolatry from Babylon. Babylon also represents all the confusion, falsehood and paganism that has found its way into the various denominations.
Giving all peoples to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication must be understood as Babylon giving false teachings/dogmas to the whole world, which in this way becomes guilty of adultery against God and must therefore share Babylon’s punishment. Babylon must take its punishment for having seduced large parts of the world’s population, while those who accept Babylon’s teachings will be punished for this.
Further Ellen G. White says in Early Writings the following; Those entrusted with the cry made haste, and in the power of the Holy Spirit sounded the message, and aroused their discouraged brethren. This work did not stand in the wisdom and learning of men, but in the power of God, (page 238.2).
It is therefore the responsibility of God’s end-time church to proclaim to all people throughout the world that Babylon has fallen. The reason why Babylon has fallen is described as that she, Babylon, has made the whole world drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. So what does that mean? Babylon is a cover name for the Catholic Church, and this church has changed the times and law by moving the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday and this church has introduced many unbiblical traditions, invented by people who have had the aim of subjugating God’s people. Fornication, as we know, is to be unfaithful in some way. When a church is unfaithful, it is unfaithful to God by not following God’s Ten Commandments and His laws, but makes up its own commandments and laws and a myriad of demigods. Those who follow this false system have two options. Either they stay in Babylon, or they listen to God’s warning and get out of the confusion this church represent. Those who remain in Babylon after hearing the warning condemn themselves to eternal destruction, as the third angel’s message explains to us. Those who get out of Babylon and repent will be saved, and counted in God’s end-time church.
The third angel’s message, Revelation 14:9-11.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Revelation 14:9-11 is the third angel’s message and gives us an insight into the consequences that await the wicked if they do not turn around and worship God. Verse eight mentions fornication, and here we have the explanation of what kind of fornication it is. The worship that God alone is worthy is given to other powers, and here it is Babylon that receives this worship. This is what committing adultery in the biblical sense is.
We have defined the beast as the papal power, and here a new expression appears the image of the beast. The image of the beast alludes to the Sunday laws that the United States will stand behind, and which will be introduced throughout the world and enforced.
Many have said that it will be impossible to introduce a Sunday law that will apply to the whole world, and that will be followed up with rigid punishments for those who do not submit to such a law. Such an argument I think the whole world has refuted during the Corona pandemic in 2020 – 2022. This pandemic has been used to train the population to comply with laws and regulations not only locally or nationally, but also all over the world. Even a country as closed as North Korea followed the international «recommendations» and shut down parts or all of society over a period of time. We have been trained to follow the authorities’ requirements; When it was said «mask on», everyone put on the mask, when it was said one meter social distance, then everyone made sure that it was one meter to the nearest person who did not belong to the person’s cohort. Almost everyone in the world observed all rules and orders that came in connection with the pandemic.
Taking the vaccine was supposed to be voluntary, but as soon as the “voluntary” vaccination had started, new guidelines were presented, those who refused to be vaccinated were stigmatised, many lost their jobs because they did not want to take the «voluntary» vaccine. In several countries, you could not go to the bank, shops, restaurants or travel by public transport if you could not present a valid vaccination passport. That is how much volunteering is worth. In other words, everyone should be forced to take the first vaccine, the second vaccine, the third vaccine, and eventually everyone will be «offered» a fourth, fifth … …
This has shown the world leaders that their subjects, wherever they may be walking and living, are ready to be forced upon a Sunday law, and which shows that the world is ready to accept it. We have been through a training period, and the people of the world have passed with excellence.
What happened in connection with the ravages of Hurricane Katrina is a curiosity, but it shows us what is to come before long. US President George W. Bush (Jr.) issued a written decree that all denominations and houses of worship and all ethnic groups and languages in the United States should unite in prayer on September 3, to pray for the victims of the hurricane’s devastation in particular, and for the United States in general. It is commendable for the President of the United States to encourage people to pray, but as the supreme political and military leader of the United States, he violated the Constitution and disregarded the First Amendment by tying this to a special day when he made this a federal law, which he in reality did when he signed the document.
It is clear as crystal that the book of Revelation speaks of two conflicting signs, the mark of the beast and the seal of God. Revelation 7:2-3 tells us that God’s people are to be sealed before the tribulation period. The last great tribulation is the climax of the battle between Christ and Satan, and this is the tribulation that Daniel 12:1 prophesies about. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time, and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
At this time, man is put to his last test, and everyone must choose; either, they choose to follow God, or they choose the side of the beast. Only those who wholeheartedly choose God escape the final torments and experience the joy of Jesus’ second coming.
Now many will point the finger and say that this verse in Daniel 12:1 applies to the children of Daniel’s people. That is also correct. However, they forget a couple of important details. Firstly, Michael who will stand up, and who will deliver Daniel’s people, is none other than Jesus Christ. The time for when Mikael will stand up is, as we understand, the time just before He returns to deliver his people. Secondly, Daniel’s people were the Jews, but who are the children of the Jews in the biblical context if not the Christians? Remember that the first Christians were Jews. Christianity is thus a child of Judaism.
The mark of the beast is explained as Sunday observance. In the three angels’ messages, we find a direct connection to God’s fourth commandment, Exodus 20:8-11, which again refers back to Genesis 2:3 when God blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the week. The fourth commandment is God’s seal, or mark. The devil cannot be any worse, so he has also introduced his mark, and true to his habit, the devil has tried to be as close to the truth as possible, but at the same time has chosen what is diametrically opposed to what God has done. Because God chose the last day of the week – the Sabbath – as his mark, the devil chose the first day of the week – Sunday – as his mark.
To receive the mark of the beast in his forehead, or in his hand means, in short, to obey Sunday laws given by men, and to ignore God’s laws and commandments despite having the knowledge of this.
The consequences of worshiping the beast and accepting the image of the beast are also made known in these verses. This is what constitutes the wine of the wrath of God. This means that God himself will punish those who break God’s commandments, and the punishment is eternal death, which is the same as annihilation.
In verse 11, we find the expression forever and ever. There are many who misinterpret this expression and believe that it is an eternal punishment of the wicked. However, this does not harmonize with God’s attributes, which are love, grace and forgiveness. The wicked are punished, but not eternally. In Matthew 3:12 (and Luke 3:17) it is explained that it is the fire that is unquenchable. In other words, there is no one to put out the fire and in that way the fire is eternal. The fire only goes out when there is no more to burn, but the result lasts forever.
In Isaiah 58:12-14 we find someone called the repairer of the breach. This is directly connected to the Sabbath commandment, so it is reasonable to believe that it is God’s Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, our Saturday, is still God’s Sabbath, and must be maintained by the one who here repair the breach. James White once said of this scripture: The time has come to preach the Sabbath more fully.
Isaiah 58:12-14. And [they that shall be] of thee shall build the old waste places, thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].
In Revelation 14:12, we are given two characteristics of those who will preach the Sabbath completely. They are the same as Isaiah calls the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in, and this is. Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, and in Revelation 12:17 we find this about the same people: … … which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The patience of the saints in verse 12 consists in holding fast to God’s word and keeping watch over God’s commandments regardless of what is happening around them in the world. It is the small remnant of saints in the end times who are referred to in this verse. These constitute the pure church in the end times. When we see what the Greek word for hold (firmly) is translated into English, we see that it is not enough to keep God’s commandments, we must also keep watch over the commandments, preserve them, and hold them up. The Greek word that has been translated into English as keep is G5083 «têre’ô» (tay-reh’-o), and means a watch, guard, keep watch (over), keep in custody/custody, take care of, preserve, hold up, hold (fast on/at ), adhere to. It is the fourth commandment that is, and will be especially exposed to the wrath of the world as this commandment contains God’s seal, with which He will eventually mark His faithful remnant when the time is right. In other words, the Sabbath will be our mark of loyalty in the time ahead.
The parallel between the time before Jesus’ birth and the time we live in now is striking.
When Jesus was born, the scribes and Pharisees had every opportunity to see that the birth of Jesus was imminent. They knew both the law and the prophets, but they did not bother to study the prophecies that told that the Messiah would be born. The only thing they cared about was being respected and shown honour, and they only messed with their own and did not bother to study the prophecies, because they preferred to live in the dark. Only a few shepherds watching over their sheep thought that the Messiah would be born. It was to these shepherds that the angels appeared in the field outside Bethlehem.
In our day, almost all of Christendom is preoccupied with everything but the second coming of Jesus. Just as the scribes and Pharisees were concerned with everything other than Jesus’ first coming, today’s Christians are concerned with gaining recognition for their positions which largely go against what the Bible teaches. One is therefore more concerned with ecumenical cooperation, which consists of finding a minimum common multiple for one’s faith, and liberalizing the church so that as many as possible can find their place there without placing burdens on people, (read: using the Bible as a basis for his faith). We hear a clear echo from 1 Thessalonians 5:3: For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Ellen G. White says this in the Great Controversy page 314.2. Oh, what a lesson is this wonderful story of Bethlehem! How it rebukes our unbelief, our pride, and a self-sufficiency. How it warns us to beware, lest by our criminal indifference we also fail to discern the signs of the times, and therefore know not the day of our visitation.
However, there is a small remnant (a few shepherds) even in our day who really care to study the prophecies, and this small remnant will be given the light of life, and the truth of our time will be fully revealed to them.
Here are some characteristics of God’s true church in the end times. This church…
… Arose after the 1260 years that ended in 1798, Revelation 12:14 …
… Keep the commandments of God, Revelation 12:17: 14:12 …
… Has the testimony of Jesus Christ, Revelation 12:17…
… Which is the spirit of prophecy, Revelation 19:10 …
… Has the faith of Jesus, Revelation 14:12 …
… And preaches the eternal gospel, Revelation 14:6-11.
The tribulation period is related to the three angels’ messages, and the tribulation period is a short period just before Jesus returns. When the plan of salvation is about to end, tribulation will come upon the earth. It is now the latter rain will fall upon God’s people to give power to the loud cry of the third angel, to enable the saints to stand when the last seven plagues begin to fall.
The loud cry.
The loud cry in Revelation 18 is inextricably linked to the three angels’ messages. In these verses everyone is urged to leave Babylon. Charles Fitch, (American preacher 1805-1844, originally Presbyterian), once said. To come out of Babylon is to be converted to the true teaching of the Bible about Christ’s personal coming and kingdom. He could not understand how anyone could avoid the truth of Advent and at the same time remain a Christian. If you are a Christian, come out of Babylon! If you want to be considered as a Christian when Christ comes, get out of Babylon, NOW! Dare to believe in the Bible!
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues, Revelation 18:4.
The loud cry is inextricably linked to the three angels message in Revelation 14:6-12. And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come. And worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. It is also linked to the midnight cry in Matthew 25:6. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Cuando el llamado a salir de Babilonia se da nuevamente en el gran llanto, significa que muchos del pueblo de Dios todavía están en Babilonia. No hay duda de que Dios tiene personas fieles y sinceras que están en las denominaciones caídas que la Biblia llama Babilonia. Es nuestra tarea predicar el último mensaje de advertencia de tal manera que despierte a los que Dios llama mi pueblo en Apocalipsis 18,4, para hacerlos salir de Babilonia y buscar la iglesia de Dios en los últimos tiempos. Por lo tanto, es muy importante que el fuerte pregón, el mensaje de los tres ángeles y el clamor de medianoche sean predicados con poder y unción para que sean efectivos.
Primero debemos definir la palabra Babilonia. Babilonia se deriva de Babel, la primera ciudad construida por Nimrod (ver Génesis 10:9-12) después del diluvio. Aquí es donde la rebelión comenzó nuevamente después del diluvio cuando Nimrod se opuso a Dios al construir primero una ciudad. Dios dijo durante la creación que la gente debería llenar la tierra (Génesis 1.28), no vivir en grupos, y en segundo lugar comenzó a construir una torre que llegar hasta el cielo para poder escapar del próximo diluvio, a pesar de que Dios dijo que nunca más destruiría la tierra sino un diluvio (Génesis 9,11). Babel y más tarde Babilonia fue, es y siempre será un símbolo de la oposición a Dios, y es la designación de todas las denominaciones caídas que no siguen los diez mandamientos de Dios y Sus leyes. Sin embargo, hay algunos que sí, y aunque se mencionó poco antes lo repito aquí, y se caracterizan así:
When the call to leave Babylon is given again in the loud cry, it means that many of God’s people are still in Babylon. It is beyond doubt that God has faithful, sincere seeking people who are in the fallen denominations that the Bible calls Babylon. It is our task to preach the last warning message in such a way that it awakens those whom God calls my people in Revelation 18:4 to make them leave Babylon and seek God’s church in the end times. It is therefore very important that the loud cry, the three angels’ message and the midnight cry be preached with power and anointing in order for it to be effective.
First, we must define the word Babylon. Babylon is derived from Babel, the first city built by Nimrod (see Genesis 10:9-12) after the flood. This is where the rebellion started again after the flood when Nimrod opposed God by first building a city. God said during creation that people should replenish the earth (Genesis 1:28), not live in clusters, and secondly he began to build a tower that would reach all the way to heaven so they could escape the next flood – despite God saying that He would never again destroy the earth but a flood, (Genesis 9:11). Babel and later Babylon was, is and always will be a symbol of the opposition to God, and is the designation of all the fallen denominations that do not follow God’s Ten Commandments and His laws. However, there are some who do, and although it was mentioned just before I repeat it here, and they are characterized like this:
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
The background for the warnings:
Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God, mankind has been in opposition to God. We have no evidence of how long it took, but within a relatively few years the sin developed. God said that men should not eat from the tree of knowledge; … But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die, Genesis 2:17. From breaking this commandment, it was not long before sin had developed, and the next recorded sin was murder. The eldest son of Adam and Eve, Cain, killed his younger brother, Abel.
During the next approx. 1500 years, sin developed to such a degree that God felt compelled to do something about it before all people were completely immersed in sin. What Adam and Eve did when they ate from the fruit of the only tree they were not allowed to touch had now developed into a kind of ‘science’ where the people who lived up to a thousand years at the time kept thinking out more evil, which led to God said this in Genesis 6:3. … My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. In Genesis 6:5 we read the following: And God saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.
It is worth noting that the lifespan before the flood was up to a thousand years, and perhaps some lived longer. The oldest we know for sure was Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old. After the flood, life expectancy dropped drastically, and Abraham, who was born 352 years after the flood, lived to be 175 years old, his son Isaac 180 years, his grandson Jacob 147 years and his great-grandson Joseph 110 years. Today we cannot prove that anyone lives longer than 120 years.
Also when it comes to the lifespan of the first humans is also dismissed as fairy tales. No human being can live that long, say the critics, and claim that the way of calculating age was different at the time, for example that they counted months instead of years. This falls on its own unreasonableness. Let us look at a couple of verses that tell about the lifespan of the people in the book of Genesis.
Genesis 5:3-5. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth. And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters. And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. Here it says that Adam lived to be 930 years old. Nonsense, say the critics, it must be 930 months. 930 months becomes 77 years and 6 months. In itself a plausible explanation, but when it says that Adam had his third son Set when he was 130 years old, or as the critics believe 130 months it starts to jar. 130 months is 10 years and 10 months. It is perhaps possible that a boy can be father when he is almost 11 years old. But remember! Adam had two sons before Seth.
The most illustrative example is this; And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters, Genesis 11:12-13.
Arphaxad was 35 years old when he fathered Salah. Question for the critics: Are these literal years or should they be counted as months? If it is literal years, should we calculate Arphaxad’s lifespan literally or as months? It says that he lived to be 403 years old. If we count Arphaxad’s lifespan as 403 months, which is the same as 33 years and 7 months, was he then 2 years and 11 months when he first became a father? We have to interpret the year statements in the same way throughout all the texts that deal with people’s lifespans. Interpreting it in two different ways would be wrong.
Only one righteous person on earth.
When there was only one righteous man left on earth, Noah, God gave him the task of building a boat that would save the people who sought God and repented of their sinful life. While Noah was building the boat he also preached the eternal gospel, repent to God for now God will judge the world by flooding it with water, and the warning was followed up with a; only you who take refuge in the ark will be saved – the rest will perish in the waters. It is perhaps not so strange that they did not believe Noah’s warnings, it had never rained on this planet before the event we call the flood occurred (Genesis 2:5, 7:4).
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, Genesis 7:11.
It is truly astonishing that the people did not see what was going on. When God asked Noah and his family to enter the ark, all the different animals and birds came in pairs and took refuge in the ark. It should tell the unbelieving people something important, but they would not listen. However, it is exactly the same thing that is happening in our time, and through Jeremiah 5:21 God says to the fallen human race both in Old Testament times and in our time: Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:. Nothing has changed under heaven. The people are and become rebellious despite all the signs and miracles God has done throughout history.
What happened in the days of Noah is a picture of the end-time event we await when Jesus returns to redeem his people. All who have taken refuge in the end-time antitypical Noah’s ark – our Saviour Jesus Christ; will be saved when He returns. In contrast, when the ark was completed and God had asked Noah and his family, eight people in total, to enter the ark together with the animals God had asked Noah to bring, God waited seven days before He closed the door and let the rain flood down and the water from the depths breaks forth.
When God warns us as He has done for as long as humans have existed, there is good reason why He does so. God loves all people, no matter what they have done, how they have lived. All they need to do is turn to God, ask for forgiveness for their sins, and then live according to God’s commandments and laws.