Jesus Christ used the example of Noah to reveal attitudes that would predominate near the end: "But as the days of Noah were,so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:37-39).

This is history and prophecy working together.The meaning is clear:The problem with people in Noah's day would prevail again just before Christ's second coming. Back then God seemed far away, virtually unconcerned about human activities on earth, and life appeared to go on as it always had.This is also the mind-set of the end time (2 Peter 3:3-6), with people unconcerned as to their true spiritual condition and blind to God's impending judgment.

The key to the example Christ gave is to understand that people can be so concerned about the cares of this life that they neglect to seek their Creator (Matthew 6:33; Luke 21:34-35). It happened before, and it is happening again.

The apostle Paul commented to Timothy about other ungodly attitudes and activities that would characterize the last days: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

This perfectly describes the dominant attitude and outlook of our age. Such attitudes will prevent the vast majority of humanity from believing God and the biblical warning signs until all havoc breaks loose. Like the people in Noah's time who laughed at him and ridiculed his building of an ark, the end of this age will come when the overwhelming majority is unprepared.