Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
It is a true and time-proven statement, that in the spiritual realm, unbelief is infectious, and it often causes those who once believed in Jesus to recant their former positions. This is not a figment of our imagination; it is supported by factual evidences given in the scriptures.
Truths of God’s word that were once held dear and sacred are often surrendered by individuals, if and when the right set of circumstances converge. The devil knows this, and he works ingeniously to bring about a strong atmosphere of unbelief which in its turn produces a tsunami of opposition to the truth, which is then endorsed by the masses of people.
Indeed, after the dust has settled in the judgment, it will be discovered that the overwhelming majority of persons were at some point convicted in their consciences of specific truths, but for one reason or another the truth faded, conviction waned, and the result is a mind that became hardened in unbelief.
When we read the Bible, and correct interpretation is gleaned and we are convinced in our minds of the truth, we should believe it unto death. Sacred truth should be held onto tenaciously, for only thus can our minds be anchored on the Rock, and not on the shifting sand.
Not fear or favor, popular sentiment or dissent, not the gravitational pull of the masses, not seducers who may use philosophy, not persuasion, economic threats, or intimidation, not ostracization, not the forsaking of family, friends and brethren, and not even persuasion by former pastors or clergy must ever be allowed to shake our convictions of truth.
To put it plainly, persons must be prepared, if needs be to die for what we believe, for if we cannot stand for something we will fall for anything. Saying no to temptations on unbelief should not be a one-time occurrence. Ten, twenty, or thirty years from now the answer should still be no, for the Bible teaches us that our saying should be yea, yea or nay, nay. Let’s read:
Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine.
[Last Day Events pp 173>181] We are in the shaking time, the time when everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat. Soon God's people will be tested by fiery trials, and the great proportion of those who now appear to be genuine and true will prove to be base metal.
As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel's message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place.
The Bible gives us several examples of how unbelief can spread like a plague, even in those who are not fully convinced one way or another. One device the devil uses, and often with great success, is to corral multitudes into some course of action, by bringing the sheer numbers of people, or popular sentiment to bear against the truth.
When such devices are implemented, he doesn’t really care if persons do not understand the facts or truth in the matter. The primary concern is to get persons to go with the general flow, suggesting that if everybody is doing it, then it must be right.
That diabolical reasoning should raise red flags, for the very fact that everyone is subscribing to a belief means that something is most likely wrong with it in the overwhelming majority of cases. Therefore, the fact that something is popular is no grounds for it to be endorsed, or practiced by the peculiar people of God.
In most cases, where the multitudes of people are headed in one direction, God’s way is usually in the opposite direction. Sacred history has borne this out over and over again, hence the reason why the true Christian must never ever follow the crowd, just for the sake of going with the flow.
God’s ways are almost never with the flow, added to which the very nature of true Christianity causes its adherents to be swimming upstream. Therefore, the premise of going with the flow should always be an absolute non-starter for the Christian. Let’s read:
Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction and many there be which go in there at.
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.
Acts 19:29 And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.
30 And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.
31 And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.
32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused: and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.
John 6:25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Again, in the instance of the golden calf at Mt Sinai, there were multitudes on the side of evil while very few were on the side of right. Standing up for right would almost always put the true Christian at odds with the general flow, and that’s the reason why we are referred to as a peculiar people.
Just to sidetrack a bit into what we have beseeched you to study carefully in the book of Esther, we will discover in the days of Mordecai and Esther, even the secular folk understood that God’s people were not your average, run of the mill persons. We read:
Esther 3:8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people….
Thus, as the popular sentiment in favor of idolatry gained momentum at Mt Sinai, even those who had previously had good conviction of conscience, then reasoned away the truth on one pretext or another, and at the end of the day as the tsunami of unbelief swept over the multitudes, most of them ended up going with the flow. Let’s read:
Exodus 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what is become of him.
5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 316>317] Aaron feebly remonstrated with the people, but his wavering and timidity at the critical moment only rendered them the more determined. The tumult increased. A blind, unreasoning frenzy seemed to take possession of the multitude.
There were some who remained true to their covenant with God, but the greater part of the people joined in the apostasy. A few who ventured to denounce the proposed image making as idolatry, were set upon and roughly treated, and in the confusion and excitement they finally lost their lives.
There are several different reasons why the tsunami of unbelief sweeps so many individuals into the net, some of which we will address later, but the most prominent one by far is the gravitational pull of the masses of people, contrary to the truth.
There are persons who originally had no intention of not believing, but when they were bombarded with the sheer numbers of unbelievers, a magnetic pull was exerted, which often bypasses reason and sound judgement in favor of popular sentiment and the rest is history.
The same wave of unbelief gripped the multitudes in Noah’s day as he preached of a coming flood. It is true that rain had never fallen upon the earth up to that time. But, even when the unexplainable mystery of the animals going meekly into the ark, in exact order, occurred, popular sentiment against the evidence of their senses led most of them to reason away what they were actually seeing and a tsunami of unbelief swept about seven billion people into an eternity of eternal night. Let’s read:
Genesis 7: 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean and of fowls and of everything that creeps upon the earth.
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
The following are snippets of what transpired at the time of Noah’s preaching and the highlighted words are to be given special consideration, since they will both warn and encourage us not to succumb to the tide of unbelief that is soon going to overspread the land. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs And prophets pp 95] 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. All that he possessed, he invested in the ark.
As he began to construct that immense boat on dry ground, multitudes came from every direction to see the strange sight and to hear the earnest, fervent words of the singular preacher. Many at first appeared to receive the warning; yet they did not turn to God with true repentance. They were unwilling to renounce their sins.
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.
They resisted the invitations of mercy, and were soon among the boldest and most defiant scoffers; for none are so reckless and go to such lengths in sin as do those who have once had light, but have resisted the convicting Spirit of God. 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. They ceased to realize the holiness of His character, or the sacred, unchanging nature of His requirements. 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.
And they denied that His judgments were to be visited upon the earth. their minds had become so blinded by rejection of light that they really believed Noah's message to be a delusion. It was not multitudes or majorities that were on the side of right. The world was arrayed against God's justice and His laws, and Noah was regarded as a fanatic.
The world made merry at the folly of the deluded old man. Instead of humbling the heart before God, they continued their disobedience and wickedness, the same as though God had not spoken to them through His servant.
The book of Revelation warns us that a tsunami of unbelief, of epic proportions, is coming soon. In the thirteenth chapter of Revelation, we are warned of a coming one world religion that would begin in The United States and that will overspread, and engulf all countries and territories.
And as a direct result, every living person on earth will be forced to make a clear choice in the matter on pain of losing their economic freedoms on all levels. Comments that were made recently in the public square should alarm everyone, for although swift rebuke was made, it will be discovered that many are actually in agreement. Let’s read:
CNN, Paul LeBlanc, 11/15 21: Michael Flynn, former National Security adviser, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was later pardoned…wants to make it clear that in the United States, "If we are going to have one nation under God -- which we must -- we have to have one religion."
Flynn triggered a wave of backlash with his suggestion America should have one singular religion. "One nation under God, and one religion under God," he said. "I don't care what your ecumenical service is or what you are." The former national security advisor was most likely referring to Christianity as being the “one religion.”
There are several issues with that mode of thought which suggests that every American should become a Christian. The most immediate, and most pressing question would be: Which brand of Christianity will be chosen to take the lead? The Christianity which goes with the flow, or the peculiar Christianity of the Bible?
The next concern would be the issue of freedom of choice, and what measures will be taken to coerce persons who may beg to differ. The genius of true Christianity is that it allows persons of all different religious persuasions to live on the same street for it honors and preserves our God-given freedom to choose. Let’s read:
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Therefore, even though on the surface some folks seemed to be outraged at his statement, when we dig into the scriptures, we will find that many of the same persons who now appear to be angered by his suggestions may actually be drooling for such a plan to be implemented, especially some in Italy.
The mark of the beast as mentioned in the scripture is referring to a one world religion that will seek to force all persons to subscribe to a certain brand of Christianity that is anti-Christ in nature. And believe it or not this brand of Christianity is actually mostly popular among Christians of all denominations.
That’s the reason why Mr. Flynn’s statement is not so farfetched, for it is actually a reflection of what the Bible has predicted will certainly come to pass, right here in America, and will inevitably pan out to other countries worldwide. Indeed, there are many in high places who would love nothing more than to help in putting such a mandate in place right now.
However, we are cautioned in the scriptures not to play with fire, for those who presume to do so will get burned very badly, according to what is written. And if you will receive it, at least one of the plagues would be targeting a critical piece of infrastructure, which will essentially pull the carpet out from under our feet.
Thus, God is issuing the sternest warning against a move to mandate religion. We are already seeing how the issue of mandates is roiling many people, and if there is such great pushback against what is touted as being good for the nation, imagine what kind of national upheaval will occur when mandated religion takes center stage.
We are not left to wonder or guess what will be the result of such a move, for whereas Covid brought us to the edge of the cliff, this one will absolutely take us over the cliff, into an abyss from which there will be no return, this, according to the scriptures. Let’s read:
Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
[The Great Controversy pp 614] When he (Jesus) leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent.
The Spirit of God persistently resisted has been at last withdrawn. Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great, final trouble.
As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.
The same destructive power exercised by holy angels when God commands, will be exercised by evil angels when he permits. There are forces now ready, and only waiting the divine permission, to spread desolation everywhere.
Beware of succumbing to the tsunami of unbelief that is coming, which will seek to persuade people that God’s word will never come to pass. The same reasoning was put forth by the antediluvians until prophecy converged with reality, in the waters of the flood, which according to the Bible, swallowed the earth whole, to the tune of more than five miles high.
The truths and predictions of God’s word are sacred utterances given under the direct inspiration of God and cannot be neglected or dismissed by any except at great peril to our souls. Thus, the word of God to us this evening is as simple and straight forward as it gets:
Do not, under any circumstances let that genie out of the bottle, for it will take the world to a point of no return. In other words, mandated religion in America will be its downfall, and will result in its permanent undoing.
And to those who still sit in darkness as to the issue mentioned above, now is high time to make your move, in accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, for the close of human probation will come suddenly and unexpectedly, at a time when most people will not be looking for it.
We will end our study with passages of scripture, and words from the pen of inspiration that would encourage us to stand firm in what we believe, so as not to be swept away with the tsunami of unbelief that is scheduled to take the world by storm. Let’s read:
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
[The Great Controversy pp 491] The righteous and the wicked will still be living upon the earth in their mortal state—men will be planting and building, eating and drinking, all unconscious that the final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in the sanctuary above.
Silently, unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour which marks the fixing of every man's destiny, the final withdrawal of mercy's offer to guilty men. Perilous is the condition of those who, growing weary of their watch, turn to the attractions of the world.
While the man of business is absorbed in the pursuit of gain, while the pleasure-lover is seeking indulgence, while the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments, it may be in that hour the Judge of all the earth will pronounce the sentence, “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” [Daniel 5:27.]
Mark 13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning. 36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
God Bless!