Lux Lucet

The prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on an are punished

• Proverbs 22:3

In the first two parts of this series, it has been my goal to set forth a few basic ideas. First, Western Civilization, our civilization, is in an advanced state of decay and likely to suffer significant financial and political shocks in the not too distant future. Western Civilization began with the Reformation in the 16th century and was built by the widespread preaching of and belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But the West has largely turned its back on Christ, and there is no reason to suppose that the Lord will spare it any more than he has spared other civilizations that have done likewise.

Second, I have argued that the coming difficulties, when they occur, should not come as a surprise to Christians. We have the Word of God at our disposal, and a wise application of its teaching to the world around us should open our eyes to the precarious state of our civilization. When disaster strikes, if we are just as surprised and confused as everyone else, this will reflect poorly on us, showing we do not take the Word of God seriously.

Third, not only is it prudent for Christians to prepare to survive what in my opinion are unavoidable and serious economic and political troubles, but that doing so honors God and puts us in a position to serve as a witness to his grace and goodness to those who badly need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Fourth, it has been my contention that Noah provides for us an ideal model prepping. Typical of God’s goodness is that he not only lets us know in clear terms what is right and what is wrong, but he also provides for us many examples of what happens to those who heed his Word, as well as those who do not. In Noah’s case, we how God acted through one believing individual to preserve the human race from complete destruction.

The Destruction of the Antediluvian World: Did God Permit it or Cause it?

Before delving into a look at Noah, it is worth asking about the destruction of the antediluvian (pre-flood) world: Did God permit its destruction or cause it? When questions arise about some terrible event or other – take 911 as a recent example – many Christians are tempted to defend the goodness and power of God by saying that he permitted, but did not cause, such and such a disaster.

This is usually done in an attempt to get out of an apparent dilemma proposed by those attacking Christianity. The secularist proposes that either God is not all-powerful, so that although he knew about the pending disaster, he was unable to stop it, or that he is not all good, since he caused an event that brought about so much suffering and death.

Christians afraid of impugning the character of God, shy away from asserting that God caused 911. In their minds this would make him responsible for evil. In like fashion, they are afraid of denying the power of God and saying that he could not stop the evil from taking place.

As a result, they punt and hope that by denying that God caused the evil but rather allowed it to take place, they have “gotten God off the hook,” as some like to say.

But such a dilemma is, in reality, no dilemma at all. For God himself does not shy away both from claiming that he is the cause of evil and at the same time asserting his holiness.

As to bringing about disasters, God many times in Scripture flatly says that he is going to bring about the destruction of a person, a city, or a whole nation. In the particular case in view, God asserts that he will destroy the whole earth. “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” (Genesis 6:7).

Note well, God does not say that he will permit the destruction of the world. He does not say he will allow it to take place. He emphatically says “I will destroy.” God caused the destruction of the world.

Such a statement likely will raise concerns among some. After all, if God caused the destruction of the whole world, how is it that anyone can claim that he is all good? If God is responsible for evil, then he certainly is not righteous.

But such a view has as one of its assumptions the idea that right and wrong somehow can be determined apart from God himself, that there is some standard of behavior over and above God which even he must obey. But God is sovereign. He is, to use a Latin turn of phrase, ex lex, above the law.

You and I are subject to the law of God. According to the definition of sin in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Sin is any want of conformity unto (this is a reference to the sin nature we have inherited from Adam) or transgression of the law of God.” Being subject to the law means that we are responsible for our sins. We cannot steal, murder or lie without having to answer to God for these actions. But God is not so bound. All his actions, including the destruction of the world if he so chooses, are by the very fact that he does them, good.

Although God was the cause of the destruction of the world by the flood in Noah’s day, he is not responsible for it. To say someone is responsible means that they are required to give an answer. I am required to answer to my boss for my work. A student must give account to his teacher for the material he is supposed to learn. But to whom must God answer? Certainly not to you and me. God answers no one for his actions. He is, therefore, not responsible for them.

History is not Random Events

In Chapter 2 of his magnificent work A Christian View of Men and Things, Gordon Clark discusses the philosophy of history. It may seem odd to some people that history would have a philosophy, but all historians have a point of view, a lens if you will, that causes them to interpret events in a particular way. For that matter, depending on the lens used by a particular historian, some events are considered worthy of attention, while others are ignored.

For example, why did the historian Luke – and the beloved physician was a historian, a chronicler of events – include a detailed account of the birth of Jesus Christ in his account of the life of Jesus Christ, while this same event was passed over by the great Roman and Greek historians of the age, who preferred instead to write about the rise and fall of empires or this or that Caesar? It was because Luke, moved by the Holy Spirit, considered the birth of a child to a working class Hebrew couple in a small town in an outlying province of the Roman Empire to be of far more importance than the deeds of the great men of the day.

Clark sums up the Christian view of history in three propositions:

1. God controls history.
   
2. God has not only controlled history so far, but he will bring it to its end and culmination.
   
3. God himself acts in history.
   

It is the great privilege of the believer to understand the truth of these three propositions, for in them is comfort and strength to stand even in the worst of circumstances. The Apostle Paul wrote that, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7), which many people have mistakenly taken to mean that Paul was endorsing irrationalism. Far from it. The correct understanding of Paul’s words is that the believer can have a peace about the tribulations of this life that is beyond what anyone in the world can have.

In his parting words in I Corinthians, Paul wrote, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (I Corinthians 16:13). I’ve always liked the Authorized Version’s translation of this verse, for “quit you like men” is exactly what the Greek verb andrizomai means. Paul literally tells the Corinthians to “act like men.” And the basis for their acting this way is not some false machismo, but rather confidence born from their faith in Christ Jesus.

When disasters come, Christians can take comfort in knowing that God is in charge. However bad things get, even if your name’s Noah and you’re facing the end of the world as you know it, you can know first, that God is in charge, and second, that his intentions are for your ultimate good. The worst events in this world are, in the end, blessing for those in Christ.

Noah Finds Grace in the Eyes of God

After all that, it seems best to say a few words about Noah, the main focus of our prepper study.

A careful reading of the Bible reveals a great deal about Noah, what sort of man he was. And it is worth noting that the Bible clearly mentions that Noah was a recipient of God’s grace.

So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:7, 8).

Noah’s standing before God was one of grace, not merit. The Bible does not say that everyone on earth was sinful except for Noah. Noah himself, being the tenth from Adam, was heir to Adam’s corrupt nature just the same as those people who were destroyed in the flood. Genesis 9:21 says of Noah that, “he was drunk and uncovered in his tent.” So Noah wasn’t perfect. Nevertheless, he was greatly used of God.

In this way, Noah’s life is really a picture of the Gospel. The world was facing imminent judgment, but God in his grace saved one family to preserve alive the human race and fulfill his promise, made in the Garden of Eden to the sinful couple, to send one who would crush the head of Satan.

A Preacher of Righteousness

A second important characteristic of Noah is that he was a righteous witness for God. The Apostle Peter calls Noah a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). This is an interesting description because the Bible does not record anything in the way of Noah preaching to the people of his day.

The Reformation Study Bible gives the following note on Peter’s comment,

This description of Noah is unique in Scripture, but is well-known in Jewish tradition. It refers either to exhortations that were not recorded in the Old Testament, or to Noah’s lifestyle that condemned sin and recommended righteous living to his contemporaries (Gen. 6:9).

Those Christians who live in the West in the early 21st century are in a position not unlike that of Noah. We are faced with a sinful, collapsing civilization headed for judgment. And as did Noah, we must speak out against the evils of our day and live in a way that is consistent with our words. But when we do so, we also must remember that we are, as was Noah, sinners saved by the grace of God. Our right standing before the Lord is not due to something inherent in us but to the unmerited favor he has shown to us, and not for any other reason.

Speaking of myself, I can tell you that, in all honesty, you would not want to know me apart from the grace of God. In fact, you likely would not even have the opportunity to know me. I battled severe depression for over 20 years and I firmly believe the only reason I did not take my own life was the grace God showed to me. Even in the depth of my own sin, he did not let go of me. He did not allow me to follow through on what were the logical implications of the mistaken beliefs I harbored for many years.

Noah had no reason to boast in his good works before God. Neither did the Apostle Paul. Paul, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, did not boast in this heritage. Educated by the famous rabbinical scholar Gamaliel, he did not boast in his scholarly credentials. In fact, he called his family heritage and education, as impressive as they were, loss. In one thing only did Paul boast: the cross of Christ. And if Noah and Paul did not boast in themselves or in their works, much less does anyone today have any reason to do so.

Conclusion

In summary, God did not permit the destruction of the antediluvian world, he actively brought it about. And further, he was righteous in doing so. History is not a random collection of events. God acts in history to bring about his purposes. And since those purposes involve, as they do, the ultimate blessing of his people, Christians have every reason to be confident no matter how bad the situation in the West may get. Noah’s standing before God was not due to his own merit, but to the grace of God alone. We today are to emulate Noah in preaching against the sins of our own time. But in doing so, we must remember that we are sinners saved by God’s grace.

[To be continued]