Hidden In Plain Sight

What does your name mean? And why did your parents name you that? Was it because it just sounded cool? Or did it have some special meaning? A SECRET meaning?

Enoch, from the Book of Genesis in the Bible, was born around 4600 BC. He was the father of Methuselah and the great grandfather of Noah. Enoch was a prophet in his time and prophesied about a great flood that would be coming.

What's interesting is that Enoch named his son Methuselah which literally means "his death shall bring". Bring what? The flood.

The flood was preached for four generations - Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah. "His death shall bring" (Methuselah) meant that the flood would not come until Methuselah died. Guess what. The year Methuselah died, the flood came.

Here's a trivia question for you. The oldest man in the Bible was Methuselah, yet he died before his father did. How is that possible? Because Enoch did not die.

"When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." - Genesis 5:21-24

The Bible has so much information in it. Most of it we just gloss over as "boring." I have read the Bible eight times and never even stopped to think that Biblical names might carry actual meanings. Our pastor preached about those meanings on Sunday and offered this very interesting observation.

If you took all the ancient Hebrew names listed in Genesis 5 and wrote down their English translation, this is what you would have.

"man" - Adam

"appointed" - Seth

"mortal" - Enosh

"sorrow" - Kenan

"the blessed of God" - Mehaliel

"shall come down" - Jared

"teaching" - Enoch

"his death shall bring" - Methuselah

"despairing" - Lamech

"comfort, rest" - Noah

Now, string all those meanings together and see if you notice anything.

Man is appointed mortal sorrow: but The Blessed of God shall come down teaching. His death shall bring the despairing comfort, rest.

It's Jesus! It's the Gospel!

And if you think about it, don't we all need to get into The Ark named Jesus Christ in order to be saved from God's wrath?

Here's another trivia question for you. Who closed the door after everyone got on the ark? It wasn't Noah. It wasn't any of his sons.

"Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in." - Genesis 7:15-16

Get on The Ark of Jesus Christ today before the wrath of God comes and you go the way of all the earth.

Hidden Treasures in Genesis - Chuck Missler
Genesis 5

Rudderless

Do you know what Noah's Ark looks like? No one alive today has ever seen it. Lots of people have theories and educated guesses but no one really knows. Except God. And He had an amazing plan.

In Genesis we can read a description of it.

"13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks." - Genesis 5:13-16

That's it. That's the extent of the instruction manual. God told Noah the size of the ark but other than adding a door and some windows, Noah was left on his own to design and build it. It was basically a rectangular wooden box.

In God's instructions to Noah, do you notice anything that might be missing? The ark had no sail or rudder. How was Noah to sail the ship? That's just it. He wasn't supposed to SAIL the ship. It was an ark. So, what IS an ark?

There IS another "ark" in The Bible. The Ark of The Covenant. It too was designed by God and was also a rectangular wooden box.

10 “They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high." - Exodus 25:10-22

The Ark of The Covenant was used to carry the Ten Commandments and a few other things. This ark had handles on it so men could carry it. They carried it wherever God told them to.

That's the reason that Noah's Ark didn't have a sail or a rudder either. That was so Noah's Ark would go where God wanted it too. WITHOUT any input from man,

I have heard it said that Noah's Ark was a symbol for Jesus and the new covenant to come. If that is true, and I think it is, what item's did God intend to be put in the Jesus Ark?

Us. You and me.

Jesus is our Ark! Jesus was sent to earth to save all mankind. Jesus wasn't made of wood but He was designed to carry all mankind. He didn't have a sail or rudder either. But He always followed God and the will of His Father.

The key to our being saved is to get aboard the Ark - Jesus! We need to be "in Christ". It is only in Him that we can be saved from the flood of sin in this corrupt world.

Are you on board?

The Reality of Noah's Ark
Get On Board - Ark Noah