Atlanta Bible Baptist Church

Guest (Male): Take your Bibles and stand as we have scripture reading. Turn to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 24, verses 36 through 44. Verse 36: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." May the Lord add a blessing to the reading of His word. You may be seated.

Dr. John McNeal, Jr.: Thank you so very, very much. It's a pleasure, a blessing to be here. I hope that you have your Bible. I hope also that you have a pencil and a piece of paper, because we're going to cover some things that will bring you joy. I wish the whole world could be able to be here to be able to hear, not because I'm important, but because God is important.

I'd like for you to be able to turn your Bibles to the text this morning. I'm going to give you an assignment before we get into the Word. The assignment would be: I'd like for you to be able to study Genesis chapter 6, chapter 7, and also Leviticus chapter 20. Please write these down and you'll understand when I get to the message. Genesis chapter 6, chapter 7, and Leviticus chapter 20. As you look at these verses, I hope you and your families and your friends follow this; it's very important.

Starting first, I want you to be able now to look at Genesis chapter 1 and verse 31. Take your Bibles and turn there. Chapter 1 and verse 31. Verse 31: "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good." Perfect. Holy. Beautiful. Everything. No sin. Just perfection. That's the kind of world that God created. And also He created everything perfect.

But something happened. Jesus came to be able to straighten what had happened, and that's the fall of man. Jesus came to be able to put things back together. As He came, God became a baby, God became a teenager, and God became a man. This is Jesus, God. One fallen angel, Lucifer is his name, and what Lucifer did, he wanted to be God.

But you see, you cannot be created and be God. If you're going to be God, you're going to have to never been created. You have to always been and always will be. But Lucifer, one of the angels that God had created along with many others, decided he was going to be like God, not being created. But you know what happened? He became evil. And evil is sin.

God told him not to eat from the tree, but since he was going to be God—that is, he said, "I'm going to be like God, I'm going to be independent, I'm going to be just like God, I'm going to rule just like God"—we see God is all good and, of course, Lucifer then became all evil. He's a god, but he's not a glorified God; he's an evil god.

Now, Genesis chapter 6 points out that God wasn't pleased with Lucifer and what he had done. He had brought sin to the world, and God was going to do something about it. What did God do about it? He brought a universal flood on the earth. A flood. Every space on the earth in the world became filled with water from a flood. Not a dry place in the world. All the mountains were covered.

Everything was drowned. Only eight people were left from the world: Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. Only eight people. God drowned everything He had made up to that point. He destroyed it. He destroyed everything He made, saving eight people and those selected that God put in the ark. In chapter 6, you find that God told Noah, "I want you to build me an ark. I want you to build an ark, and I'm going to be able to let you be the beginning of another earth, another world."

And it happened. Eight souls. Today we have something like eight billion people; then you had billions, but we don't know how many billions. But now we have something like eight billion people in a new world that God created. In chapter 6, you're going to be able to see that God told Noah, "I want you to build me an ark, and I'm going to be able to save those in the ark."

The ark is a type of Christ. The ark is a type of Christ. The only way they could be saved would be in the ark. Now God said, "I'm going to raise up another world," and He did. In chapter 7, we can see that God created another world, and He told Noah, "You're going to be a part of that." Now the same devil that said he was going to be God, he also entered into the new world. Sin.

So what are we going to talk about then? What we're going to talk about is that the earth was corrupt. The earth was corrupt. What does corrupt mean? Sin infested. The earth was also corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. That's scripture. The reason God destroyed the first world was because it was corrupt. Sin infested. Rotten. Violent. And Jesus came to be able to straight it out.

Well, now, what kind of world was it? Look at this verse here. Turn to Matthew chapter 24, and I want you to look at verse 36. "But of that day and hour no one knows." This is God going to destroy the world that He gave after the flood, the new world. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

This is Jesus speaking now. They asked Him, "When will this world be destroyed that we are living in?" And He said, "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." What kind of world are we having now? Total corrupt. Violent. That's the day we're living in right now. The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. Our world is corrupt, and it's filled with violence and getting worse.

But notice what's going to happen. Leviticus tells us what kind of world it was. Turn, if you please, to Leviticus chapter 20. I want you to be able to look at verse 10, and I'm going to read a portion. "The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. The man who lies with his father's wife..."

As you read through this portion here, you'll find what the world was like. God had already said He did not want the world to be like this, but this is the kind of world it was. Look what it says here: "The man who lies with his father's wife has uncovered his father's nakedness. Both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them."

"And if a man lies with his daughter-in-law..." In other words, this is what the world had turned to. Abomination. And Satan, he doesn't want you to hear this. He gave pride to the world. Everything was corrupt. God said male and female, and of course, that had been changed to whatever they wanted. Bestiality. Having relationship with animals. I mean, it was corrupt. Everything.

Since it was corrupt, God said, "I'm going to give you a land with milk and honey, a kind of heaven on earth." But you know what happened? Satan intervened, and he justified corruption in the world that we're living in right now. God prepared a second ark. The first ark was Noah. The second ark is the Lord Jesus Christ. The first was a type, and Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the first ark.

Those eight people that were in the ark were saved. Those outside the ark were lost. Now the only way you can be saved today is in Jesus Christ. And if you're not in Jesus Christ, you're going to be destroyed by fire. This is what Jesus is saying here. They asked Him... now turn to Matthew 24. What you find here is He said, "Then Jesus went out and departed..." that's verse 1.

"Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see... do you not see?'" They were talking about how beautiful the cities were and this kind of thing. And Jesus said, "Can you see that this is not going to exist forever?" Assuredly I say unto you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.

This world is headed for destruction. That's what Jesus said. Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the signs of Your coming and the end of the age?" In other words, our time. How will you know when this world is on the way out?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, "Take heed that no one deceive you, for many shall come in my name saying, 'I am the Christ.'" You recently heard people saying, "I'm Christ." They're liars. "I'm God." There's only one God and one Son and one Holy Spirit. All three is God. One God. In this chapter here, it tells you what Jesus told the disciples.

Now if you look at verse 36 of the same chapter: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only." There are people saying Jesus is going to come this and that. No one knows when God says "it's enough" but God Himself. And when God says "it's over," it's over. Don't believe when someone says it's going to happen here and there. Only God knows when He's going to say it's enough.

You don't die until God says it's enough. Folk can predict anything else and do anything to you they want to do, but until God says "over," it's over. This is what He's saying here. Now look at verse 36 again. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." What connection?

"For as in the days of Noah, for as in the days before the flood, they were eating." We're eating today, aren't we? I mean, we're eating and drinking wine and all kind of liquor. We're having a good time, aren't we? We don't need God. We don't need Him in the school. We don't need God. We're having a wonderful time. But you don't realize, if you're not in Christ, you're going to be destroyed like those that were not in the ark.

Drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage. In other words, how many times can you marry and divorce? Marry a man, a man marrying a man, a woman marrying a woman. All this is what was happening before God destroyed the first world. And what's happening now? The same repeating. The same thing happening. Abomination.

"As the days before the flood, they were eating, they were drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark." This theme I want you to think about: Are you ready? If you're not in Jesus Christ, you're not ready. I'm not talking about being religious and coming to church; I'm talking about, are you ready? They had to be in the ark, then God closed the door.

He closed it. Noah had preached, "It's going to rain, it's going to..." and they didn't pay him any attention. But look, this thing that's called rain is not stopping. Maybe we better go and knock on the door. But what happened when they knocked on the door? God had the keys. He had locked it up. And the invitation to come to Jesus Christ is going to be locked up if you don't get in.

There's a passage in the scripture that talks about the rich man. He believed in prayer meetings, too late. He believed in evangelism, too. He said, "I've got five brothers like me. Send Lazarus that he might go and tell them." And God says, "No, they have the message, and if they're not accepting it, it's too late."

And this is exactly what we see here. Look what was happening. Noah entered the ark and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. All away. So also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Notice: "Then two men will be in the field." Two men. This emphasizes that God wanted two people to be together, male and female.

Two men. What they doing out in the field? Leviticus tells you what they were doing. Homosexuals. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. Leviticus tells you what that means. One will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

Jesus has been here. He died, He was buried, He rose. And He has preachers out telling you, "Get in Jesus, get in Jesus, get in Jesus." And that message is going to stop, and the door is going to be closed. That's the reason I want you to be able to read chapter 6 of Genesis, chapter 7, and become a soul-winning person. I mean, get everybody in as soon as you can.

You have no time of playing around. Notice: "Watch." Look at the word watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. And He gives an illustration here. You need to watch. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Old folks are having a wonderful time, aren't they? I mean, they're having a wonderful time. We don't need God. All we need is some more gold and silver, and we don't need God. We don't need Jesus. We don't need that death, burial, and resurrection thing. We don't need that. You don't? Six trillion years from now, you're going to be living. Six trillion, whatever that be.

You're going to be living. Either you're going to be living in bliss with God forever and ever, or you're going to be living in the burning lake of fire forever and ever. You're going to live. You're never going to die. You may change stations, but you're going to live. That's what He said, you better watch.

Those people you see that got drowned in the flood, they lost their lives on earth, but they're living now. Waiting in the lake of fire, and they'll be living forever and ever and ever because God is forever. So, are you ready? They talk about ISIS and killing folk and all these things taking place. Husband killing wives. You know what's taking place, don't you?

The world is corrupt, and it's getting worse. The earth was corrupt before God, filled with violence. Killing babies and children. Not just in Georgia, all over the world. And it's increasing. Now Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life. I would have to be able to teach a semester on this; I wish I had the time to be able to show you. I'm just giving an introduction, but I want you to be ready.

Ready. And if you're not saved, you're not ready. Joining the church, you're not ready. You can get ready in the church, but the church can't save you. Only Jesus Christ. You look at chapter 6 in Genesis. See what it says. The ark was specific. Turn back there; I want you to look at it just a little bit. Chapter 6. What you see here is a type of Jesus Christ.

"And it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives of themselves of all whom they chose." I wish I had the time to tell you what this means, but I better move on. "And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever.'"

What they were doing, God wasn't pleased. God said, "I'm not happy about what's taking place here." There were giants on the earth in those days and also afterward. The sons of God came into daughters of men and they bore children to them. Fallen angels. And we've got people today with technology and all kind of things trying to be able to reproduce mankind and make people. All that's what was happening. Look at verse 5.

"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth." The wickedness, great in the earth. "And that every intent of his thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." What folk are planning now? How to get rich and richer. Evil. How to take advantage of folk. They're not thinking about having to get in the ark.

"And the Lord was sorry, and the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." God was grieved for man. God made man and woman. Man and woman, and not man and man. Not woman and woman. That's abomination. God said it was abomination. It is abomination. And He was grieved in His heart.

"So the Lord said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Who got into the ark? Noah. He believed God, and his family. You know, when the Lord called me into the ministry, I made certain that I told my family about the Lord and kept on it.

That's my dad, that's my mother, grandmother, everybody I could be able to get to. I want them to be able to know the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what we should do. We should not rest until we've given the message. If they don't want it, that's them, but you need to be able to see to it that they get the message if you can.

"I made them, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." It tells you about the generations. Now look at chapter 7. "Then the Lord said to Noah, 'Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have found that you are righteous before me in this generation. You shall take with you seven each of clean animals.'"

God is getting ready to be able to straighten things out. Since man doesn't understand that another man is not a woman and another woman is not a man, I'm going to be able to give them a lesson. And God gave them the lesson. Seven clean, two clean. Clean meaning those doing God's will. I want you to finish it. I want you to be able to read it.

The Holy Spirit will be able to show you why God caused the flood and what He's about to do now. We don't know when God is going to come, but we know what's going to happen when He comes. He's going to clean house. So I ask the question: Are you ready? I am. I have received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I'm ready. I didn't say I'm ready to die; I'm ready.

I want to live as long as the Lord wants me to live, but I'm ready. I'm prepared. He is the only way. I know He's on the way. And you can know He's the only way. When you talk to your family or your friend, you stand up there and let them know. Say, "You can say what you want to say, but Jesus died for your sin, He was buried for your sin, He was raised for you, and you can reject Him if you want to, but you need to receive Him."

I want you to look at Leviticus a little bit. I don't want to be able to give you too much of it, but here's what God said. Chapter 20 and look at verse 11. "The man who lies with his father's wife..." Now, that was going on. "The man who lies with his father's wife has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death."

When you do evil things and nasty things and wicked things, you won't get away with it. "Their blood shall be upon them. If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed perversion; their blood shall be upon them. If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed abomination; they shall surely be put to death."

Read it. When they try to argue with you, say, "This is what God—I didn't say it; it's what God said." It's abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. "And if a man marry a woman and her mother..." That's terrible, isn't it? But that's what they were doing. Do you know all kind of things that happen in our world today?

Do you know things that happen that you don't even want to even talk about? But things that happen, God knows about it. And notice what He says: "They shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you. If a man mate with an animal..." Nothing wrong with having pets, as long as a pet is a pet, but a pet is never a partner.

I said a pet is never a what? A partner. No. You better read what the scripture said. You're not an animal. And these things were happening, and God saved them out of that. And things are happening all over the world. Nasty things are happening. This is a commentary. Leviticus is the commentary on this.

Sixty-six books and God has the answer of everything in here. And He backs it up. You can finish reading that. You say, "Well, that's in the Old Testament." Well, if you don't want to believe this, turn to Romans chapter 1. Don't do it now. Romans chapter 1 will tell you the same thing. Abomination. Jesus came to fulfill the law. He is the law.

Well, let me ask the question once more: Are you ready? You had what they had: time. God gave them time and God told Noah what to do. God had enough space in that ark for a lot of people. It just wasn't room for eight. It was three stories. A lot of folks could have got in there, but they didn't want to be in there.

And God let it be open for a period of time. Then when He shut the door—God shut the door—He had a window in the top of the ark. And even if they couldn't get out, they could look up and say, "I'm sorry, Lord." Lord would have been merciful, but they didn't do that. And every living person, everything that had life on earth, everything the scripture said, everything that had life died in the flood.

Every human being, every animal, everything. God cleaned house. And everything's going to be burned up, every human being, when Jesus comes back. Now the rapture's going to take place; that's a different situation. But I'm talking about this new heaven and new earth. God's going to have a new heaven and a new earth.

There's some other things between there, but I'm talking about: Are you ready? God's judgment. They were not, but at least eight people were ready. What does that say? Does it mean only eight people were saved? It's a type showing you few people pay attention. A lot of folk won't pay attention. Eight billion people in this world, many of them believing in everything but the Jesus Christ.

There are those trying to be Jesus, trying to say that they're Jesus, trying to be able to say they're God. But they're not. Only God is God. Only God can be God. So, in closing, are you ready? Jesus is not at fault. God is not at fault. If you go to hell, Jesus is not at fault. And it's not going to be over.

Some folk think, "When you're dead, you're done." Yeah, you're done, but God is not. And this train only goes one way. It doesn't turn around. Eternity doesn't turn around; it doesn't come to a place and stop. No. On and on and on and on and on and on. And where will you be? You'll either be in heaven, enjoying a life of glory, or you'll be in hell, suffering with no end.

I'm working on some things now about "before God." What was before God? Don't try to figure it out. Nothing was before God. Everything has a God, saving one being. That being is God; He's God. Everybody else, everything else has to have a God, but God doesn't have to have a God because He is God. I won't get into that.

In closing, Lord, it's not Your fault. You made all things good. You permitted it, but it's not Your fault. And we ask that we would obey. We would obey. Thank You for giving us Your gift, Your Son. Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is ready to be able to introduce us to God. Have Your way now. In Jesus' name, amen.