ARE YOU IN THE ARK?
By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth; and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with Him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.
The passage above is an excerpt from the story of Noah and the ark in Genesis chapter 6 and 7. In chapter 6 we are told that sin had multiplied on the earth so much that God decided to destroy the world completely and raise a different people. He was going to use Noah and his family as the remnant that he would use to rebuild the world. God gave Noah instructions to build an ark is enough to contain his own family and the animals. as he built the ark and gathered the animals, the people around laughed and ridiculed him and continued in their sin. Noah finished building the ark gathered his family and all the animals and they all entered the ark.
Not long after the rains came down and destroyed the whole earth, humans, animals, houses etc. today, we leave in a similar situation. Sin has multiplied so much. But instead of destroying the whole earth, God has made provision for the whole world to be saved. He sent his son to die to save the world. An ark has been provided from salvation through Jesus. When you accept the gift of salvation, you enter the ark and you will be saved when his world is destroyed and those in the ark spend eternity with God in heaven. Are you in the ark? To get into the ark you have to:
Accept that Jesus is the only way
John 14:6, Philippians 2:9-17
Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6
Believe that God will spend eternity with the saved in heaven
John14:2-3
Revelations 21:1-4
God loves you and wants you to be saved
John 3:16
Revelations 3:20
Accept the gift of salvation
Romans 10:9-10
Acts 16:31
John 14:6
Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me.
But other religious leaders have been able to boldly say he is the only way to God the father. If you check the history or background of other religion, Jesus is the first and only one who died and rose again, and still lives with the father in heaven pleading for God to give us more time to repent (romans 8:34)
Philippians 2:9-
wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every name should bow of things in the earth, and things under the earth should, and that tongue should confess that Jesus is the Lord, to the glory of God the father.
The name of Jesus is the only name that causes every human, principalities, powers, angels and the heavenly beings to bow and confess him as Lord of all.
Isaiah 9:16
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon him shoulder and his name shall be called, wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, prince of peace.
The verse above makes a list of all the things or rolls Jesus will play when he was born. This was said by prophet Isaiah many years before Jesus was born and it happen just as the prophet said. The fulfilment of the prophecy is another way of reinforcing the power and superiority of Jesus.
You can believe that God will spend eternity in heaven
John 14:2-3
In my father’s house are many mansions if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be. Jesus assures his disciples that there are many mansions in his father’s house (heaven). There is room enough for all. After he has prepared the place, he will come back for them, confirming that he will leave forever with God.
Revelations 21:1-4
And I saw a new heaven and the new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were pass away and there was no more sea. And john saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. ——-
You can read verse 4 from the bible. Revelations 21:1-3 are quoted to confirm that God will really live with us in heaven forever. He will be our God and all the pain and discomfort of the world like tears, sorrow, death, etc. will be no more.
Believe that God loves you and wants you to be saved.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
God loves mankind so much that even though sacrificing what He loved most was the only way of saving us from our sins, He willingly made the sacrifice. His great sacrifice has given us hope for a better life with Him in heaven.
Revelations 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and He with me.
God desires to have a close relationship with us because he loves us. He wants to come and live in your hearth through the Holy Spirit and relate closely with you (sup with you). This relationship begins when you accept the gift of salvation.
Accept the gift of salvation
Acts 16:31
And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
You can accept the gift of salvation by believing what Jesus did on the cross to save you. You seal your belief in Jesus by doing what Roman 10:9-10 says that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. If you believe and accept what the passage above says, say this prayer:
Dear Lord, I accept that I am a sinner, thank you for sending your son Jesus to die to save me from my sins. Please forgive me, and cleanse me from all sins. Be the Lord and master of my life. Amen.
If you cannot do this on your own contact the pastor in a bible believing church nearby to guide you.
Conclusion
It is important to carefully consider all the things that have been explained above. Heaven is real and hell is also real. Choose now to spend eternity with God in heaven by accepting the gift of salvation. Then you can get into the ark and be saved from the final destruction of the earth (Revelations 20)
References
2. Oxford English Minidictionary
