Genesis 6 and 7 + Chapter 7 of Patriarchs and Prophets
"God bestowed upon these antediluvians many and rich gifts; but they used His bounties to glorify themselves, and turned them into a curse by fixing their affections upon the gifts instead of the Giver." (PP 90). "Not desiring to retain God in their knowledge, they soon came to deny His existence." (PP 90). "They glorified human genius, worshiped the works of their own hands, and taught their children to bow down to graven images". (PP 90). The people of this era had no interest in knowing who God is or acknowledging Him, taking advantage of His gifts and enjoying the pleasures of life instead of being grateful for the gifts of God.
"Men put God out of their knowledge and worshiped the creatures of their own imagination; and as the result, they became more and more debased." (PP 91). debased means reduced in quality, was it their imagination or them themselves reducing in quality, or both?
"It is a law of the human mind that by beholding we become changes. Man will rise no higher than his conceptions of truth, purity, and holiness". (PP 91). I think this is a confirmation that it is their imagination that is being reduced as they behold things of their own thoughts.
"God had given men His commandments as a rule of life, but His law was transgressed, and every conceivable sin was the result. The wickedness of men was open and daring, justice was trampled in the dust, and cries of the oppressed reached unto heaven." (PP 91). "Polygamy had been early introduced, (Lamech) contrary to the divine arrangement at the beginning". (PP 91). "Men chose to follow their own sinful desire; and as the result, crime and wretchedness rapidly increased. Neither the marriage relation nor the right of property were respected". (PP 91). "They delighted in destroying the life of animals; and the use of flesh for food rendered them still more cruel and bloodthirsty, until they came to regard human life with astonishing indifference." (PP 91). "The world was in its infancy; yet iniquity had become so deep and widespread that God could no longer bear with it....He said "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth." He declared this His Spirit should not always strive with the guilty race." (PP 92). "He would blot them from His creation, and would destroy the things which he had delighted to bless them". (PP 92). Here, I see a heartbroken God, wanting to bless His creations, but being met with mockery, denial, injustice, sin, and grief. He wanted to bless them, but they refused to take part in His blessing of life. They pushed Him away, which unfortunately would bring forth the flood.
"Enoch had repeated to his children what God had shown him in regard to the Flood, and Methuselah and his sons, who lived to hear the preaching of Noah, assisted in building the ark." (PP 92). Because of Enoch's preaching, allowed for some to be rescued from the flood, although not many were willing to listen, but some did make it onto the ark with Noah.
"While Noah was giving his warning message to the world, his works testified of his sincerity. It was thus that his faith was perfected and made evident. He gave the world an example of believing just what God says." (PP 95). "Every blown struck upon the ark was a witness to the people. May at first appeared to receive the warning; but they could not turn to God with true repentance." (PP 95). Every little thing you do for God is a witness to others, like with building the ark here, Noah's dedication and loyalty was a witness to others. Even then, some may not be willing to surrender with repentance.
"Overcome by the prevailing unbelief, they finally joined their former associates in rejecting the solemn message. Some were deeply convicted, and would have heeded the words of warning; but there were so many to jest and ridicule, that they partook of the same spirit, resisted the invitations of mercy, and were soon among the boldest and most defiant scoffers; (PP 95). "The men of that generation were not all, in the fullest acceptation of the term, idolaters. Many professed to be worshipers of God. They claimed that their idols were representations of the Deity, and that through them the people could obtain a clearer conception of the divine Being. This class were foremost in rejecting the preaching of Noah, As they endeavored to represent God by material objects, their minds were blinded to His majesty and power; (PP 95). Because there was so much power with Satan on the earth to tempt and trouble the minds of those who were curious of Noah, the seeds that were sown were choked up before they could choose to change paths. And for some, they limited their minds to worshiping 'god' through objects, limiting their ability to see the power of God.
"As sin became general, it appeared less and less sinful, and they finally declared that the divine law was no longer in force; that it was contrary to the character of God to punish transgression;...Had the men of that generation obeyed the divine law, they would have recognized the voice of God in the warning of His servant;" (PP 95). "The world was arrayed against God's justice and His laws, and Noah was regarded as a fanatic. Satan, when tempting Eve to disobey God, said to her, "Ye shall not surely die." (Genesis 3:4). Great men, worldly, honored, and wise men, repeated the same. "The threatening's of God," they said, "are for the purpose of intimidating, and will never be verified." (PP 96). Satan used the EXACT same trick to fool the whole world into rejecting the warning of Noah. "You shall not surely die." "Would God really flood the earth? But also, in thinking, they probably thought God Himself was going to flood it, but we know that it wasn't God directly, He was withdrawing His protection to allow the floods to flow.
"But Noah stood like a rock amid the tempest. Surrounded by popular contempt and ridicule, he distinguished himself by his holy integrity and unwavering faithfulness." (PP 96). Like Abel, The god of this world wasn't able to control Noah, and was angry. Trying to hit him with any ridicule and blow he could, but Noah never moved.
"The world before the Flood reasoned that for centuries the laws of nature had been fixed...Heretofore rain had never fallen; the earth had been watered by a mist or dew" (PP 96). The environment itself was holding back the violent wave of terror. However, even after the flood, this could mean that the world never went back to how it was before the flood happened, because the weather we have is severe and the environment is cruel. Like the scar of God withdrawing His protection could never be restored.
"As time passed on, with no apparent change in nature, men whose hearts had at time trembled with fear began to be reassured." (PP 97). "Reasoning that if the message of Noah were correct, nature would be turned out of her course, they made that message, in the minds of the world, a delusion, a grand deception." (PP 97).
HAHA FUNNY DELUSION REFEREN- ahem I mean..
"They asserted that if there were any truth in what Noah has said, the men of renown, the wise, the prudent, the great men would understand the matter." (PP 97). While their hearts were troubled, they never actually saw rain, and reasoned that it was impossible for rain to fall since it never happened, to them this was evidence against Noah's claims. Along with the idea that the laws of nature had 'fixed'.
"And now the servant of God made his last solemn appeal to the people...Again they rejected his words, and raised their voices in jest and scoffing. suddenly a silence fell upon the mocking throng. Beasts of every description, the fiercest as well as the most gentle were seen coming from mountain and forest and quietly making their way toward the ark. A noise as of a rushing wind was heard, and Io, birds, were flocking from all directions, their numbers darkening the heavens, and in perfect order they passed to the ark...The world looked on in wonder, some in fear. Philosophers were called upon to account for the singular occurrence, but in vain. It was a mystery which they could not fathom. But men had become so hardened by their persistent rejection of light that even this scene produced but a momentary impression." (PP 97). This reminds me of the scene in Prince of Egypt, where Moses turns the waters into blood before the Pharaoh, Pharaoh calls someone to explain what just happened, and he just scoffs at Noah. This feels like the exact same scenario. their hearts are so hard that they can't understand what's going on before them. They're in denial.
"A flash of dazzling light was seen, and a cloud of glory more vivid than the lightning descended from heaven and hovered before the entrance of the ark...The seal of heaven was on that door; God had shut it, and God alone could open it. So when Christ shall cease His intercession for guilty men, before His coming in the clouds of heaven, the door of mercy will be shut." (PP 82). Like God puts the seal on our foreheads in the end times, God put a seal on the door to protect Noah, the seal of God is Gods protection.
"For seven days after Noah and his family entered the ark, there appeared no sign of the coming storm. During this period their faith was tested...The apparent delay confirmed them in the belief that Noah's message was a delusion, and that the Flood would never come...They gathered in crowds about the ark, deriding its inmates with a daring violence which they had never ventured upon before." (PP 98). God was making sure Noah was ready to go through what was about to happen, Noah had all his trust in what God had said. The people below were vessels of Satan, trying to plant doubt and anxiety into his mind that "You shall not surely die." But this time, with the added violence, Satan was getting impatient and angry, he wanted Noah gone. But Noah had the seal.
"Soon large drops of rain began to fall. The world had never witnessed anything like this, and the hearts of men were struck with fear. All were secretly inquiring, "Can it be that Noah was in the right, and that the world is doomed to destruction?"...The worshipers were made to tremble at the power of the living God, and to know that it was their corruption and idolatry which had called down their destruction." (PP 99). They pushed God away, and pursued their own desires, this was the cause of the flood. And now they have to go through so much agony that they didn't need to go through.
"Satan himself, who was compelled to remain in the midst of the warring elements, feared for his own existence...He now uttered imprecations against God, charging Him with injustice and cruelty. Many of the people like Satan, blasphemed God, and had they been able, they would have torn Him from the throne of power. Others were frantic with fear, stretching their hands toward the ark and pleading for admittance. But their entreaties were in vain." (PP 99). The people who wanted to be saved, weren't interested in God, they were only interested in saving themselves and continue to live in pleasure. Satan was still empowering people to blaspheme God in their final moments. Nobody who truly wanted to be with God was out in those waters.
"From the highest peaks men looked abroad upon a shoreless ocean. The solemn warnings of God's servant no longer seemed a subject for ridicule and scorning. How those doomed sinners longed for the opportunity which they had slighted." (PP 101) They wish they had another opportunity, while God gave them as many opportunities as He could give them before it was too late.
"Another storm is coming. The earth will again be swept by the desolating wrath of God, and sin and sinners will be destroyed...The sins that called for vengeance upon the antediluvian world exist today. The fear of God is banished from the hearts of men, and His law is treated with indifference and contempt." (PP 101). ""As in the days that were before the Flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the Flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:38, 39....Their sin consisted in taking these gifts without gratitude to the Giver...Marriage was in God's order; it was one of the first institutions which he established...but these directions were forgotten, and marriage was perverted and made to minister to passion." (PP101). These days will become our days as history repeats itself. The world will fall into the same sin and have to be cleansed.
"Men are living for the pleasures of sense; for this world and this life alone. Extravagance pervades all circles of society." (PP 101). "The spirit of anarchy is permeating all nations, and the outbreaks that from time to time excite the horror of the world are but indications of the pent-up fires of passion and lawlessness that, having once escaped control, will fill the earth with woe and desolation." (PP 101). "As the time of Christ's second appearing draws near, the Lord sends His servants with a warning to the world to prepare for that great event...He in mercy calls them to obey its sacred precepts...But many feel that it requires to great a sacrifice to put away sin. Because their life does not harmonize with the pure principles of God's moral government, they reject His warnings and deny the authority of His law." (PP 102). This is our world today that Ellen is describing, it's literally history repeating itself. Our world is becoming like the days of Noah. We are to prepare for what is coming like Noah did.
"Of the vast population of the earth before the Flood, only eight souls believe and obeyed God's word through Noah. For a hundred and twenty years the preacher of righteousness warned the world of the coming destruction, but his message was rejected and despised. So it will be now." (PP 102). After 120 years, only 8 people were repentant. Regardless of how big or small the harvest is, it is good that these 8 were willing to repent.
"There is no cause for alarm," they cry. "Before Christ shall come, all the world is to be converted, and righteousness is to reign for a thousand years. Peace, peace! all things continue as they were from the beginning. Let none be disturbed by the exciting message of these alarmists." But this doctrine of the millennium does not harmonize with the teachings of Christ and His apostles. Jesus asked the significant question, "When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8...He declares that the state of the world will be as in the days of Noah." (PP 102). This is the days of Ellen that she's talking about, people are denying the warning of the advent message in these days, and today, they're denying more of the messages that God gives out.
"In Noah's day philosophers declared that it was impossible for the world to be destroyed by water; so now there are men of science who endeavor to show that the world cannot be destroyed by fire." (PP 103). I cannot make it anymore clear how exact this is with the days of Noah.
"When the reasoning of philosophy has banished the fear of God's judgements; when religious teachers are pointing forward to long ages of peace and prosperity, and the world are absorbed in their rounds of business and pleasure, planting and building, feasting and merrymaking, rejecting God's warnings and mocking His messengers, then it is that sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:3." (PP 103). As they continue to ignore the message, the deeper the hole their digging beneath them. They won't be able to escape the fires, but all we can do is warn, we cannot force them to accept the warning.
Daily life stuff: I did my presentation today in class, I think it went well, I'm glad for the class to be over, the exams shouldn't be hard with me being online. They had a snow day today with the winter storm, and we're going to get another huge winter storm tonight. I'm not worried though.