I've spent a considerable amount of time in prayer, researching the comparison between
Jesus Christ's second coming and the days of Noah, and what I've discovered is eye-opening, to say the least. This isn't just another Bible story we can file away as biblical
history; it's a direct warning meant for us right now. The more I've dug into
these scriptures, the more urgent it becomes that we truly understand what
Jesus is telling us. This reflection comes from that study, and it's
something every single one of us needs to hear and take seriously. Please don't
skip this. What follows could change how you prepare your heart and the way you
live your life, not just for your journey through Advent leading up to
Christmas, but for eternity.
Scripture Foundation: Matthew 24:37-39 | Luke 17:26-27 | Genesis
6-9
When Jesus tells us that His second coming will be like the days of Noah, He's
not making a casual comparison. He's telling us something absolutely critical
about what's ahead. Noah's flood wasn't a natural disaster that caught a few
people off guard; it was divine judgment that swept away an entire
civilisation. Think of this: a whole world full of people, cities, families,
businesses, farms, and out of all of them, just one family gets rescued. Eight
people total. Not eight percent. Not eight thousand. Eight individual human
beings. The rest? Gone. Now we don't know exactly how many people were alive
back then, but even if it was a smaller population than today, the ratio is
staggering. It's like if your entire high school had only one student survive,
or if your whole city came down to one household. The numbers aren't there to
terrify us; they're there to jolt us awake. Because Jesus is saying, "Pay
attention. When I return, it's going to look exactly like that." Most
people won't be ready. Most people won't make it. And they won't see it coming
until it's too late.
The people in Noah's time had no idea what was coming. They were eating,
drinking, getting married, building their homes, and making their plans. Nothing
wrong with any of that. But here's the problem: they were doing all of this
without any thought of God or eternity. They lived like tomorrow was
guaranteed. They built their entire lives around things that don't last. When
the rain started falling, everything they thought was solid and secure just
collapsed. And that's exactly what Jesus is warning us about. It's not just
about physical destruction; it's about being caught completely unprepared to
meet God. They had built a world with no windows to heaven, and when heaven
broke through, they had nowhere to go.
Here's where the ark becomes so important. Noah spent decades building this
massive ship, and everyone around him must have thought he'd lost his mind. The
Bible tells us it hadn't even rained yet; the earth was watered by morning
mist. So, here's Noah building this enormous boat in the middle of dry land,
talking about a flood nobody could even imagine. For years, that ark stood
there as a warning they refused to take seriously. Now we have a new ark, the
Church. And just like in Noah's day, the world thinks we're crazy for clinging
to this ancient structure that seems to make less sense every year. But it's
still the only way to safety. You can't stand outside the ark and expect to
survive the flood. You can't reject the Church and expect to make it through
judgment. And Mary, the Mother of God, is like the ark too; her Immaculate
Heart is a place of refuge where she shelters her children and brings them to
her Son.
Look around at our world today, and you'll see the same pattern repeating. The
first thing the enemy always attacks is our identity. He did it with Eve in the
garden. He tried it with Jesus in the desert. And he's doing it to all of us
right now. If he can make you forget that you're a son or daughter of God, made
in His image, destined for heaven, if he can destroy that truth in your mind, then
he can convince you that you're anything else. We're watching our culture
embrace confusion about the most basic realities: male and female, right and
wrong, truth and lies. When a society forgets who it is, every kind of evil
becomes possible. We're not quite at the point where every thought is only evil
all the time, like it was in Noah's day, but we're heading in that direction.
And meanwhile, so many people are trying to sit on the fence, wanting a little
bit of Jesus and a little bit of the world. That doesn't work. The fence
belongs to the enemy. You're either all in with Christ, or you're not with Him
at all.
But here's the good news, and it's really good news. Advent comes right at this
moment as God's gift of mercy. This season isn't just about singing carols and
decorating trees. It's a grace-filled opportunity for serious change in our
lives. The Church teaches that when sin increases, grace increases even more.
And let me tell you, sin is definitely increasing. Which means grace is pouring
out like crazy right now. God raises up His greatest saints in the Church's
darkest times. Not because the darkness is good, but because His power shows up
most clearly when everything else is falling apart. So, this Advent, you can
actually say to God, "I want to be a saint. I want to be one of those
people who shine in the darkness." And He will fill you with so much
grace that you'll be amazed. You just have to cooperate with it. You
have to actually do something with the gifts God has given you.
The time to act is right now. We don't know when Jesus is coming back. We don't
even know if we'll be alive tomorrow. There's no guarantee of a last-minute
conversion on our deathbed. The door to the ark is open today, but it won't
stay open forever. So, what does entering the ark look like? Go to Confession
this week. Wash away your sins and start fresh. Pray every day, even if it's
just ten minutes. Cut off the things in your life that pull you away from God, the
sins you keep going back to, the habits that are slowly killing your soul. Stop
letting the world run your life. The world wants to keep you so busy during
Advent that you never pray, never think about God, never prepare your heart for
Christmas. And then the day arrives, and you're exhausted, frustrated, and
empty. Don't do that. Jesus received three gifts at His birth, and He's God.
Your kids don't need twenty presents under the tree. They need you. They need
memories, time together, family moments that point everyone toward heaven. When
Christmas morning comes, the greatest gift you can give Jesus is yourself, transformed,
renewed, ready to live as the saint He created you to be. The ark door is
open. But the time to choose is now. You’ve been blessed beyond your
imagination with “time” right now, to make things right with our Lord. Jesus’
arms are wide open, ready for you, just as the doors to the Church are. Enter,
and begin again, or at least return more frequently. Make yourself at home, in
His home, because it’s your home as well.
©2025 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
