I would like to talk to you about the oldest man that ever lived. Who was the oldest man who ever lived? Well, it was not Methuselah! He was the oldest man that ever died. Methuselahs father, Enoch was the oldest man that ever lived! He must be 6000 years old by now, because he is still alive in Heaven. Genesis 5:24 says, Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Enoch was the first man who did not have to die. Enoch was taken alive to heaven, just like we will be when Jesus comes, to be with God. The first person to be translated from this world. One day when Enoch was 65, he retired from being fatherless. This great preacher had a little baby boy. Now wouldnt that be exciting to be 65 and have a new baby in the house? Whew! It was up to Enoch to name his new son. I believe that the name was chosen after Enoch consulted with God because he chose METHUSELAH! What a nice name. In the 16th to 18th centuries, it was a very popular name. In Bible days, a name was very important, because you only had one of them, usually. That name must glorify God. Enoch took great pains to select the proper name for his son. You parents should pray before you choose a name for your baby. Dont you go out and select some name thats so weird that somebodyll say, What did you say your name is? How do you spell that! That poor child has to live with that name until hes old enough to change it. He will have to live with that name all his life. Choose a nice name. Children with good names seem to get better grades in school and fit better into life. METHU means Death or one dying. SELAH means It shall come The name of this baby boy was: When He dies, it shall come. Since Enoch was a man who walked with God, we can assume that God suggested this name. It meant that something will happen when this boy dies. God was saying to Enoch and to the entire world: Do you see that baby? This world will last only as long as he lives and no longer. Because when he dies, it will come. Now they didnt know what was coming, but eventually they were told that a flood was coming. And God wanted them to get ready. Noahs flood did not strike this world without warning because way back, 969 years before, they were given the warning that lasted the whole time. God sent the warning 969 years ahead of time! Eventually Enoch was taken to heaven. Methuselah was left. He got older and older through the years. Seven hundred years old. Finally outlived his own father. He got older and older and his hair, white with the snow of time and his back all stooped over loaded down with the weight of years. Everybody knew that time was short. He was a walking sermon. Everybody knew that when he died, the world would be destroyed. Not until Noah came along did they actually know how this would happen. Noah said it would happen with the power of water. He preached for a hundred and twenty years stating how this would take place. Noah, by the way, was Methuselahs grandson. Notice Hebrews 11:7... By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear, built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. So here in one verse he has the word faith mentioned three times. Faith is a very important thing. Faith is what caused Noah to build that ark. And today, we need faith. Otherwise everything we do will be in vain. Noah got busy building an ark. White bearded Methuselah must have hobbled over to see his grandson building that ark. But the wicked disregarded Noah (Matthew 25:37-39). They gorged themselves with food, they drank until they were drunk, they mocked Noah, and partied day and night. They were not ready at all. While they ignored Gods warning and mocked Noah. Every now and then they would have noticed the oldest living human being come along on his cane, tottering along the road. 960 years old! 967 years old!! A walking Ripleys Believe it or Not! The undefeated title holder for the Guinness World Records! Someone might say, Who is that man? Another would say, That is Methuselah. He has already outlived Father Adam. Adam lived to be 930 years old. He has already outlived father Jarrad. Jarrad lived to be 962. Hes got the record. Hes the oldest man alive. He cant last much longer. Maybe Noah is right. The older he gets the shorter our time is. And Methuselah wouldnt even have to lift a finger or make a sound. Methuselah wouldnt even have to open a Bible. His very presence preached a sermon. All he had to do was walk by and people knew by looking at him that time was short. And I think we should be wide awake to the things we see with our eyes, because if youre really looking - time is short! Jesus is coming. One day, after Noah had preached 120 years, he finished the ark. Word got around that Methuselah could not walk any more and wasnt expected to live. Finally he died. It was the year of the flood. Some scholars say that possibly it was the very week prior to the flood. He was taken away from the evil to come. He was laid to rest. His dad died five years before he did. He outlived his father. He outlived Jarrad by seven years. He was the oldest man and he was laid to rest. He was taken away before the time. And I believe many people will be laid to rest away before the final days to come. Just like he was laid to rest. He didnt have to go through that flood. WHEN HE DIES, IT SHALL COME! Methuselah! Destruction is coming! This world is about to end. And Jesus will come in the clouds of glory to receive His people (see Matthew 24:15-31). Matthew 24:30-31, At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, all nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect. Why was Methuselah the oldest human and not Adam? Record breaking 969 years! Why? Because God gave the sinners of that time an extended probation in which to repent before the flood. Today weve reached beyond the year 2000. God should have come long before this. We are living on borrowed time. If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, do so now. The time is coming when the door of mercy will swing shut. Get into the ark of safety now while God is calling.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 11:47:37 +0000
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