In my heart I would love for everyone to have my same hope and yet I find this morning looking at the judgment of God verses is protection in the storm. The protection in the sheltering arms of Jesus, and the judgment of all storms, and destruction in scripture. Noah in the continual Scripture Study at the bottom of the devotion would be the easy place to start or explain what God's judgment on the sinner is all about. God can use the storm for correction, but in this case of Noah, the separation of the righteous from the evil was very clear. Noah being righteous by faith built and ark because destruction of the wicked was coming. No one says it like that. No one said the wicked could change, no God said the wicked would be destroyed with the earth. He gave Noah 100 years to build the ark, and no one repented. Only eight were saved because they were the household of Noah.

A flood of destruction verses a flood/storm of going through it with the protection of God. Noah safe inside the ark with his family and two of every kind of animal. Noah obeyed God's word and was protected by God's word as God sealed the door of the ark. I can not imagine for Noah and his family going through the storm to be easy, unless God put them in some type of hibernation mode. I doubt the ship was sound proof and so the cries of the wicked had to have been heard. Yet God was protecting Noah and his family by their willingness to trust in him and build the ark and then to enter into the ark of safety for God to shut and seal the door.

Where does the journey begin and end when it comes to judgment and righteousness. The wicked perish but the justment of the righteous is protection in the storm, and to know the judgment of God because of the wicked that perished. What about the punishment of the righteous that bear the mark of God's correction in the storm of their life. As a New Testament believer we face storms under the protection of God or with the mark of Holy Spirit through God's correction. Jesus in his storm bore the mark of the insurrection, but not the mark of murder which he died for. His scares for the sins of Barabbas sin, but his Claim as King marked him by the human world laws. God's laws Christ never broke, only man's laws that took him to cross. He died for humanity because of who he truly was and is as King. As King he was worthy of death because the world followed another ruler. The judgment of the world placed on his shoulders and yet he would rise again to prove he could not be destroyed. The world can not rise again, those that died at the time of Noah are still dead, that died because of their wickness. As mayrters of faith Christians will never go to their death because of wickness, they go to their death because they are believers. Their crime maybe of human origin other then faith. Paul, Silas and Peter to name a few were persecuted because of the work God called them too. If healing took place and it disruptted the economics of anyone, it was causing a problem that really needed some light to shine on it. The person was now able to work, or do at least some monetary type work. The healing of false prophetess cause havaoc in Acts. Paul was stoned for speaking truth but rose again to continue preaching in another town he walked too. No government could shut the mouths fo the Apostles without them being killed.

In Nahum we see the judgment coming to Nineveh prophecy, we know Nineveh as eventually destroyed despite the fact so many years before God was able to send Jonah to preach salvation to it and the people repented in dust and sack cloths. Though Nineveh was peaceful for a time, wickedness returned, and God's judgment came again. Yet in this prophecy it speaks of the hope of the righteous. Lord is a strong hold in the day of trouble, The righteous have nothing to fear under the protection of the Almighty for he knows who is righteous and either takes them home to be with him or takes them through the storm like Noah. The battle of the storm for the righteous is to trust God's deliverance and the storm for the wicked is because of their lack of faith, there time maybe up or it could be a warning.

What is my point this AM, if your on the Lord's side Amen, if you on the wicked side, beware because God is going to send those to tell you of his mercy and you better repent. How lovely are those that bring the good news of salvation. We can bare the mark of the world like our Lord, or we can bare the mark of the world like the wicked after the judgment of God to never rise again tell the final judgment when the wicked will be cast into the eternal lake of fire along with hell. Meaning the destruction of the earth on fire and the saints watching from above with the protection of Lord upon them as they watch the destruction. Our sins made clear what we deserved at the sight of the wicked perish, knowing it could of been each of us that faced the time of destruction and God's wrath. Noah preached 100 years do you have mercy still on the wick. Noah tried to pull the perishing out no doubt, but they would of mocked him building an ark because God's told him a storm was coming.

Dear Heavenly Father, you made it clear destruction is for the wicked, if they repent not. and your salvation is for the sinner that repents and believes in you. You take the righteous through the storms, and are within the storm as their protector, but you did not bring the storm to harm the righteous only the wicked. Help us as believers to trust in you in the storm and not worry beyong our own testifying who is not saved, but rejoice in each sinner that repents and comes home to you. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Genesis 6:11-13 KJV
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Genesis 6:17-22 KJV
17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

1 Peter 3:20 KJV
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

2 Peter 3:6-18 KJV
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.