And God Saw That The Wickedness
- Of Man Was Great In The Earth
- THE character of the people before the flood as given by the unerring pen of inspiration is explicit. And God said, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man for that he also is flesh. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." Here the faithful historian with an inspired pen draws the portrait of Noah's day, when we are told that the heart of man was deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.
The nature of man
unrenewed by grace
is not changed in
our day from what
it was in Noah's
time. Christ has
said a similar state
of things would
be prior to his
second coming as
existed before the
flood. In the days
of Noah men followed
the imagination
of their own hearts,
and the result was
unrestrained crime
and wickedness.
The same state of
things will exist
in this age of the
world. But will
not some of the
learned, the honored
of the world, accept
the message of warning
in these last days?
Will the world as
a majority perish
in the general impending
ruin? How was it
in Noah's day? as
it was then Christ
has said it should
be. Of that vast
population there
was only eight persons
who believed the
message of Noah
and obeyed God's
word. In the world
to day the majority
choose the broad
road to death because
the way of life
is too narrow for
them to walk in
with their dishonesty,
avarice, pride and
iniquity. Now, as
in the days of Noah,
the overwhelming
majority are opposed
to the saving truth
and are fascinated
with lying fables.
Many now are convicted,
and God's Spirit
is striving with
them, but they will
not heed the invitations
of mercy. Men who
make high profession
of wisdom and of
godliness transgress
the law of God without
compunctions of
conscience. One
marked feature of
Noah's day was the
intense worldliness
of the inhabitants.
They were eating
and drinking, planting
and building, marrying
and giving in marriage,
not that these things
were of themselves
sins, but they were,
although lawful
in themselves, carried
to a high degree
of intemperance.
The appetite was
indulged at the
expense of health
and reason. This
constant indulgence
of their sinful
desires corrupted
them and defiled
the earth under
them. The same evils
intensified exist
in our world to
day. Men are blind
to reason and the
result of indulging
perverted appetite.
The world is the
god of nine tenths
of professed Christians.
The indulgence of
appetite is carried
to the greatest
excess. Tobacco,
wine, liquor and
drugs are added
to the list of a
feverish stimulating
diet.
- They Are Not Living For The Future Life
- Professed followers of Christ are today eating and drinking with the drunken while their names stand in honored church records. The gratification of perverted appetite leads directly to the indulgence of unholy passions. Many feel under no moral obligation to curb the appetite or the base passions. They are slaves to perverted appetite. They are not living for the future life. They are rushing on as did the inhabitants of the world in Noah's day, living for this present existing world regardless that their deeds of the present every day life casts its shadow forward in the future, and the retribution will be in accordance with their works. They are as disobedient today in reference to God's laws as they were in Noah's time. While in the world they will not keep separate from its pollutions but will be of the world, notwithstanding God has expressly forbidden this union with the world.
As in Noah's day,
philosophers and
men of science see
nature's laws but
cannot carry their
wisdom higher and
see beyond these
laws nature's Lawgiver.
Wise worldly men
seek to practically
reason out or theorize
in regard to nature
without taking the
God of nature into
the account. Many
will resist God's
warnings and array
themselves against
his law because
their sinful life
cannot harmonize
with the pure principles
of God's moral government.
They consider it
too hard work to
reform their lives,
therefore they endeavor
to make the law
of God meet their
low standard of
morals. It was God's
purpose in sending
Noah to warn the
world that the people
should see their
sins and awaken
to a sense of their
crimes and great
wickedness and be
alarmed and fear
and repent that
God might pardon
and save them.
As the time of Christ's
second appearing
draws near, the
Lord sends his servants
with a warning message
to the world to
prepare for that
great event. As
the world have been
living in transgression
of the law of God,
in mercy he sends
a message of warning
to arouse their
attention and hold
before them the
law of God as a
mirror into which
they can look and
discover the defects
in their moral character.
If they will at
once make earnest
efforts to remedy
these defects, by
repentance toward
God and faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ,
they will be pardoned
through the merits
of his blood, for
this is the only
hope of the transgressor
of the law of God.
But as in the days
of Noah, there is
with the majority
a total disbelief
of the testimony
God has in mercy
sent to warn the
world of her coming
destruction.
- There Shall Come In The Last Days Scoffers
- When Noah proclaimed the solemn message, yet an hundred and twenty years the judgments of God in a flood of water should destroy the world and its inhabitants, men would not receive it, so it is at the present time. Those who warn the transgressors of law to repent and turn to their allegiance for the Lawgiver is coming to punish the disobedient, will plead and entreat and warn the majority in vain. Peter describes the attitude of the world in reference to the last message: "There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water; whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished; 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. 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. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 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."
The men of Noah's
time, in their philosophy
and worldly wisdom,
thought God could
not destroy the
world with a flood,
for the waters of
the ocean could
not be sufficient
for this. But God
made the philosophy
and science of men
foolishness when
the time had fully
come to execute
his word. The inspired
pen describes the
earth as standing
out of the water
and in the water.
God had his weapons
concealed in the
bowels of the earth
to compass her destruction.
And when the great
men and the wise
men had reasoned
before the world
of the impossibility
of its destruction
by water, and the
fears of the people
were quieted, and
all regarded Noah's
prophecy as the
veriest delusion,
and looked upon
Noah as a crazy
fanatic, God's time
had come. He hid
Noah and his family
in the ark, and
the rain began to
descend, slowly
at first; the jeers
and scoffings did
not cease for a
time, but soon the
waters from heaven
united with the
waters of the great
deep; the waters
under the earth
burst through the
earth's surface,
and the windows
of heaven were opened,
and man with all
his philosophy and
so called science,
finds that he had
not been able in
his worldly wisdom
to comprehend God.
He found too late
that his wisdom
was foolishness;
that the Lawgiver
is greater than
the laws of nature.
The hand of omnipotence
is at no loss for
ways and means to
accomplish his purposes.
He could reach into
the bowels of the
earth and call forth
his weapons, waters
there concealed,
to aid in the destruction
of the corrupt inhabitants
of the old world.
But let us all bear
in mind that those
who perished in
that awful judgment
had an offer of
escape.
The faithful Noah
had spoken to them
the words of God,
assuring them if
they would repent
of their sins and
believe the testimony
of warning they
might find a shelter
in the ark and be
saved from the destructive
storm that was soon
coming. As it was
in the days of Noah
so shall it be also
in the days of the
Son of man. Water
will never destroy
the earth again,
but the weapons
of God are concealed
in the bowels of
the earth which
he will draw forth
to unite with the
fire from heaven
to accomplish his
purpose in the destruction
of all those who
would not receive
the message of warning
and purify their
souls in obeying
the truth and being
obedient to the
laws of God. The
voice of warning
is now being heard
inviting the people
to escape and find
refuge, not in the
ark but in Jesus
Christ. How will
the warning be treated?
Christ tells us
just as it was received
in the days of Noah.
Thousands will deride
the message of mercy
and salvation, and
turn aside, one
to his merchandise,
another to his farm,
and give little
or no attention
to these things.
They will be occupied
with eating, drinking,
and dressing, planting
and building as
in the days of Noah,
as though no sound
of alarm had ever
saluted their ears.
- For Men Shall Be Lovers Of Their Own Selves
- The same reasoning will be heard today from worldly wise men, from the unfaithful watchmen in the pulpits, "My Lord delayeth his coming, all things remain as they were from the beginning. You have no need to be alarmed, there is to be a thousand years of temporal millennium before Christ will come. All the world will be converted. Peace, peace; you should pay no regard to these fanatics, who are only alarmists." The world generally will despise prophecy and abuse those who speak to them the words of God, rebuking their sins and calling them to repentance. Timothy writes: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. What a picture is here drawn by the apostle in regard to the days, just prior to the coming of the Son of man." The millennial glory that is predicted by the false shepherds of today does not harmonize with the words of the inspired apostle. The question is asked, When the Son of man cometh shall he find faith on the earth?
The deceived shepherds,
deceiving their
flocks in their
turn, are the ones
whose voices are
heard prophesying
the conversion of
the world crying
peace, and safety.
The inspired apostle
assures us we may
look for wickedness
to be continually
increasing as the
end approaches.
The description
given by Timothy
of the sins to be
found among those
who have a form
of godliness is
sufficient to place
the students of
the Bible on their
guard that they
be not deceived
in regard to the
true state of things
in our world by
the syren songs
of the sleepy shepherds
crying peace and
safety when destruction
is just ready to
burst upon the world.
While Satan is working
to quiet the fears
and consciences
of men, he is making
his last master
stroke to retain
his power over a
world which he sees
is about to pass
from his grasp--He
has come down in
great power working
with all deceivableness
of unrighteousness
in them that perish.
His lying wonders
will deceive many.
Philosophers and
men of science will
endeavor by their
reasoning to show
that the world cannot
be destroyed by
fire. They will
plead that it is
inconsistent with
the laws of nature.
But the God of nature,
the maker and controller
of nature, can use
the works of his
own hands to serve
his purpose. Those
who would be loyal
to the God of heaven
will not allow that
interpretation of
prophecy which will
do away the force
of the lesson God
designed the prophecy
should convey. As
the contemporaries
of Noah laughed
to scorn that which
they termed fear
and superstition
in the preacher
of righteousness,
so will the solemn
messages of warning
be ridiculed in
our day.
The Signs of
the Times - January
3, 1878.
Preparing For Eternity
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