Genesis 4:17-26, 5 Along with the 6th Chapter of Patriarchs and Prophets
"Concerning the creation of Adam it is said, "In the likeness of God made He him;" but man, after the Fall, "Begat a son in his own likeness, after his image." While Adam was created sinless, in the likeness of God, Seth, like Cain inherited the fallen nature of his parents...he received also the knowledge of the Redeemer and instruction in righteousness." (PP 80). Sin as we know it was inherited, it became a part of our nature after the fall once they ate of the fruit, it tainted their DNA it seems. However, righteousness, and knowledge of God, can also be inherited through Christ.
"The faithful had worshiped God before; but as men increased, the distinction between the two classes became more marked. There was an open profession of loyalty to God on the part of one, as there was of contempt and disobedience on the part of the other." (PP 80). In yesterdays log, we saw how Cain and Abel would be the heads of two different classes for humanity, Disobedience, and Obedience. Seth, taking Abel's place became the head of the Obedient class. As generations go on, these two classes have become polarized.
"The Sabbath was honored by all the children of Adam that remained loyal to God. But Cain and his descendants did not respect the day upon which God had rested. They chose their own time for labor and for rest, regardless of Jehovah's express command." (PP 80). "Cain had withdrawn from his father's household." (PP 81). "He had gone out from the presence of the Lord, cast away the promise of the restored Eden, to seek his possessions and enjoyment in the earth under the curse of sin...the head of that great class of men who worshiped the god of this world (Satan)…which pertains to mere earthly and material progress, his descendants became distinguished. But they were regardless of God...To the crime and murder, in which Cain had led the way, Lamech, the fifth descent, added polygamy, and boastfully defiant, he acknowledged God, but only to draw from the avenging of Cain an assurance of his own safety." (PP 81). Cain was the father of all false religion in the world and kickstarted Satan's government system. Through Cain, Satan began to build his kingdom on earth and set up the performance government system.
"The race of Cain, spreading from the place of their first settlement, dispersed over the pains and valleys where the children of Seth had dwelt;...In order to escape from their contaminating influence, withdrew to the mountains, and there made their home." The descendants of Seth tried hard to avoid contamination of Cain's descendants, however it was proven too late.
""The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair." The children of Seth, attracted by the beauty of the daughters of Cain's descendants...Many of the worshipers of God were beguiled into sin by the allurements that were now constantly before them, and they lost their peculiar, holy character..."And they took them wives of all which they chose." The children of Seth went "in the way of Cain" (Jude 11);..."became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." (Romans 1:21). Therefore "God gave them over to a mind void of judgment." (Verse 28)." (PP 81). Here we see some of the children of Seth became contaminated like they've tried to avoid, thus the children of Seth also became apart of the ways of sin, the ways of Cain.
"Notwithstanding the wickedness of the antediluvian world, that age was not, as has often been supposed, an era of ignorance and barbarism...They possessed great physical and mental strength, and their advantages for acquiring both religious and scientific knowledge were unrivaled...their mental powers were early developed, and those who cherished the fear of God and lived in harmony with His will continued to increase in knowledge and wisdom throughout their life." (PP 82) The people of the antediluvian world were strong and fit, and actually not what we expected, because they lived so long, they reached maturity at an earlier age from their perspective, the same age as us today, but they got to experience and learn for a much longer period of time, CENTURIES. Imagine how wise they were being 800. let alone 300 years old.
"As the years of man have decreased, and his physical strength has diminished, so his mental capacities have lessened. There are men who now apply themselves to study during a period from twenty to fifty years, and the world is filled with admiration of their attainments. But how limited are these acquirements in comparison with those of men whose mental and physical powers were developing for centuries." (PP 82). The result of death, deterioration and weakening, this caused them to live shorter lives, and their mental abilities to deteriorate each generation.
"Adam had learned from the Creator the history of creation; he himself witnessed the events of nine centuries; and he imparted his knowledge to his descendants. The antediluvians were without books, they had no written records; but with their great physical and mental vigor, they had strong memories, able to grasp and to retain that which was communicated to them." (PP 83). The fact they could do this without taking notes and just purely absorb information is astonishing to me. I truly wonder as we continued to deteriorate, that they developed written records to accommodate to their deteriorating mental strength and shortened time on earth.
"At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise the glory of God was revealed, and hither came the first worshipers...It was here that Cain and Abel had brought their sacrifices, and God had condescended to communicate with them." (PP 83). Because this was the only place God to be close to them on earth, they made this their place of sacrifice and communication to the Father.
"Enoch had loved and feared God and had kept His commandments. He was one of the holy line, the preservers of the true faith, the progenitors of the promised seed...But after the birth of his first son, Enoch had reached a higher experience; he was drawn into a closer relationship with God...And as he saw the child's love for its father, its simple trust in his protection; as he felt the deep, yearning tenderness of his own heart for that first-born son, he learned a precious lesson from the wonderful love of God to men in the gift of His Son." (PP 84). I always thought of Enoch as that crazy old guy who was out casted, because he's not spoken about in the bible besides one sentence. Ellen even confirms this: "He did not become a hermit, shutting himself entirely from the world; for he had a work to do for God in the world." (PP 85). It's intriguing to see him have so much more to his character, and understanding why he was drawn up to heaven in the first place, his deep connection with the Father and understanding.
"Through holy angels God revealed to Enoch His purpose to destroy the world by a flood, and He also opened more fully to him the plan of redemption...He carried him down through the generations that should live after the Flood, and showed him the great events connected with the second coming of Christ and the end of the world." (PP 85). Imagine being so close to God that he shows you the entire history of the world and the events that will take place.
"He could not see the life just beyond the grave. He could not see the life of the just beyond the grave. in prophetic vision he was instructed concerning the death of Christ, and was shown His coming in glory, attended by all the holy angels, to ransom His people from the grave. he saw the corrupt state of the world when Christ should appear the second time...he saw the righteous crowned with glory and honor, and the wicked banished from the presence of the Lord, and destroyed by fire. (PP 85). you could think of Enoch as like one of the first prophets, a prophet in the antediluvian times. But instead of warning for one event, he warned about the entire history of the world that would unfold beyond their deaths.
"He was a fearless reprove of sin, While he preached the love of God in Christ to people of his time, and pleaded with them to forsake their evil ways, he rebuked the prevailing iniquity and warned the men of his generation that judgement would surely be visited upon the transgressor...Some gave heed to the warning, and renounced their sins; but the multitudes mocked at the solemn message...The servants of God are to bear a similar message to the world in the last days, and it will also be received with unbelief and mockery." (PP 86). Things are truly unchanging in our world, we have been persecuted even since before the flood, since Cain and Abel. This reminds me of something that happened today, I got a DM, calling me a cultist, and that my faith is a joke. I know that in those situations, it's good to never fire back, remain kind and walk away if you know it's not worth getting into the conversation. I know what my faith is, someone's words will not be able to shake them. I know better. They can try all they want. God won't kill them.
"Though his warnings were disregarded by a sinful, pleasure-loving people, he had the testimony that God approved" (PP 87). Like I said before, it doesn't matter what the people say, My approval comes from my Father. All you can do is love them.
"For 300 years Enoch had been seeking purity of soul...nearer and nearer had grown the communion, until God took him to Himself. He had stood at the threshold of the eternal world, only a step between him and the land of the blest; and now the portals opened, the walk with God, so long pursued on earth, continued, and he passed through the gates of the Holy City." (PP 87). Wow... they're lucky to have so much time to dedicate, unfortunately we have nowhere near as much time.. perhaps that's why only 2 people were able to reach heaven, because it requires so much time and dedication to be able to reach God with our hearts.
"Many were ready to exclaim, "What profit is it that we have feared the Lord and kept His ordinances, since a heavy curse is resting upon the race, and death is the portion of us all?" But the instructions which God gave to Adam, and which were repeated by Seth, and exemplified by Enoch, swept away the gloom and darkness, and gave hope to man, that as through Adam came death, so through the promised Redeemer would come life and immortality." (PP 88). "Satan was urging upon men the belief that there was no reward for the righteous or punishment for the wicked and that it was impossible for men to obey the divine statutes. But in the case of Enoch, God declares "that he is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6.) (PP 88). Satan tried so hard to make people give up, most definitely tried to make Enoch give up. However through Enoch God proved that there is a reward to seek through Him.
Monday, my college refunded me $1,300 of my tuition + extra, and I couldn't express how happy I was. for others, they might be grateful they have the money and find out what pleasures they want to use it for. However, my immediate first thought was "God has given me a wonderful gift. That I know is from Him". My parents were skeptical, but I was happy, I felt immediate relief. These gifts are reminders of what awaits us in Heaven, to show that our dedications aren't meaningless. That He's still there and making Himself known to us.
Isn't that lovely?