HOW WAS IT? Part 1
Over the next few days, we will examine the conditions on earth across a span of 400 years taken from the writings of J.C. Ryle, late Bishop of Liverpool:
"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all." Luke 17:26-27
Let us look at the whole history of mankind as respects religion, as we have it given in the Bible. Let us go through the whole four thousand years, over which the history of the Bible reaches. Let us find, if we can, one single period of time at which godly people were many, and ungodly people were few.
How was it in the days of Noah? The earth we are told expressly was “filled with violence.” The imagination of man’s heart was only “evil continually.” (Gen. vi. 5, 12.) “All flesh had corrupted his way.” The loss of paradise was forgotten. The warnings of God, by Noah’s month, were despised. And at length, when the flood came on the world and drowned every living thing, there were but eight people who had faith enough to flee for refuge to the ark! And were there many saved in those days? Let any honest reader of the Bible give an answer to that question. There can be no doubt what the answer must be.
Bishop J.C. Ryle, Old Paths.
NOTE: Do you believe the nature of man's heart has changed since that day? Has there ever been a time, in your recollection, when evil has grown so gross and prevalent? I think not! We are told in Holy Scripture that knowledge will be increased phenomenally in the last days and that evil will grow to equal that of the days of Noah. In our fathers' day, steam power was a modern innovation and carriages were drawn by horses. There were no cell phones and TV was unheard not even a dream. In our fathers' day, human life was precious, abortion was out of the question and marriage between any other than one man and one woman was preposterous. What think yo now, my friend? (Bp J. Ogles)
