To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ... a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted,' so saith the wise man Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1. Now is the time for harvest. Soon, the harvest will be over. Jeremiah 8:20 reads: 'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved'.  When the harvest is past, and the summer is ended, are we going to be saved or not?

One day we had a distinguished-looking gentleman visit our church. He was a very interesting sort of fellow and an articulate one. He said he was a minister. After church, we had fellowship dinner with a modest vegetarian buffet spread before him. He had positive comments about vegetarianism, and he said he thoroughly enjoyed the meals. After dinner, we invited him and the other brethren to the house for more fellowship. We enjoyed the visit, and it seemed the time flew by very quickly. Before we realized it, it was eleven o'clock at night and time for him and the others to leave.

I'm sure that he learned a lot of new and strange things from us that day, and he had a lot of interesting experiences he shared with us in his labor for souls through the years. But he said something that I will never forget for I know it was not supported by Scripture. I don't know if you agree with him or not, but here's what he said (paraphrased):

"When the rain started pouring down in torrents (referring to the great Deluge), many of the people outside Noah's ark pounded on the door wanting to be let inside the ark. The door could not be opened, of course, because an angel had locked it. When the doomed people realized that the door of safety was not going to be opened for them, they knew they would perish in the flood just as Noah predicted it would happen.

"They remembered their taunts and mockery at Noah for building this strange monstrosity. They remembered that Noah, despite all their jesting and scoffing, continued to build the ark. He preached for 120 years pleading earnestly with them to turn from their wicked ways and look to God for salvation. But they didn't believe him, and his pleadings and solemn appeals dissipated in the wind.

"Now, they regretted not heeding the warnings from the preacher of righteousness. They regretted the fact that they had regarded Noah's preaching with indifference and disdain. They regretted mocking and laughing him to scorn. They repented of their sins, they asked forgiveness, they begged for their lives to be spared.

"A merciful, loving and patient God looked down from the heavens and heard their pitiful cry. He accepted their repentance and forgave them. Though they perished physically in the flood, spiritually, they were saved at the eleventh hour, and they would be in the Kingdom."

Is this really correct theology? This discourse will show that the Word of God does not substantiate this erroneous theology. There was no godly sorrow manifested by these hardened, wicked, incorrigible inhabitants. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 2 Cor 7:10.  The idea that the 'repentant' world-loving antediluvians were saved is man's way of wanting to believe that he could be saved IN his sins. Jesus came into the world to save us FROM our sins. Remember, the Bible has a definition for sin. Sin is the transgression of the law of God.  See 1 John 3:4. If our sins are not confessed, repented of, and put away, they will ultimately destroy us.

There is no question about God being loving, merciful and patient, but God has His limits. When the limits are reached, when the cup of iniquity is full, God has no choice but to do His strange acts of destruction of the wicked.

Contrary to what our minister friend had said, the wicked people in the antediluvian world were not candidates for heaven. Their probation had closed. The door of God's mercy was shut for they had slighted His mercy and abused His grace. At that point it was too late for repentance. If there was any repentance, it was a worldly repentance; it was like Judas' repentance. 'I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood' (Matt. 27:4),  he exclaimed, when he cast at the feet of the high priest the pieces of silver that had been the price of his Lord's betrayal. The harvest was past, the summer had ended and Judas, the inhabitants of the antediluvian world, and others who manifested worldy sorrow for sins were not saved.

"To our merciful God the act of punishment is a strange act. 'As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.' Eze. 33:11. . .  Yet He will 'by no means clear the guilty.' 'The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.' Ex. 34:6,7; Nahum 1:3.  By terrible things in righteousness He will vindicate the authority of His downtrodden law. The severity of the retribution awaiting the transgressor may be judged by the Lord's reluctance to execute justice. The nation with which He bears long, and which He will not smite until it has filled up the measure of its iniquity in God's account, will finally drink the cup of wrath unmixed with mercy." --The Faith I Live By, Page 338.

When the cup of iniquity is not yet full, and there is that small chance for turning to God, God is long-suffering and forbearing and would wait as long as it'd take for a people or a nation to turn to Him. This was the case with the Amorites; God spared them for a time because their cup of iniquity was not yet full. Let's read the scripture account of this in Gen 15:13-16.

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

"Of the Amorites, the Lord said, 'In the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.'  Although this nation was conspicuous because of its idolatry and corruption, it had not yet filled up the cup of its iniquity, and God would not give command for its utter destruction. The people were to see the divine power manifested in a marked manner, that they might be left without excuse. The compassionate Creator was willing to bear with their iniquity until the fourth generation. Then, if no change was seen for the better, His judgments were to fall upon them.

"With unerring accuracy, the Infinite One still kept an account with all nations. While His mercy is tendered, with calls to repentance, this account will remain open; but when the figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath commences. The account is closed. Divine patience ceases. There is no more pleading of mercy in their behalf. . .

"The crisis is fast approaching. The time for God's visitation has about come. Although loth to punish, nevertheless He will punish, and that speedily. Those who walk in the light will see signs of the approaching peril; but they are not to sit in quiet, unconcerned expectancy of the ruin, comforting themselves with the belief that God will shelter His people in the day of visitation. Far from it. They should realize that it is their duty to labor diligently to save others, looking with strong faith to God for help. 'The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.' James 5:16." --Christian Experience and Teachings, Page 186

"After God has done all that could be done to save men, if they still show by their lives that they slight offered mercy, death will be their portion; and it will be a dreadful death, for they will have to feel the agony that Christ felt upon the cross. They will then realize what they have lost--eternal life and the immortal inheritance." --The Faith I Live By, Page 338.

In 2 Peter 2:4-9 we read: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly. And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished."

The people in Noah's day and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because they were ungodly, they were lawless, they were wicked. They did not heed the warnings that a loving God gave them through His patriarchs and prophets. 'Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.' Amos 3:7.

Read the story of the Flood in Genesis, Chapters 6 and 7. Here's a graphic, heart-stopping portrayal of the destruction of the antediluvian world taken from the book, Patriarchs and Prophets:

"'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 the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.' Hebrews 11:7.  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. Every blow struck upon the ark was a witness to the people.

"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. During the time that elapsed before the coming of the Flood, their faith was tested, and they failed to endure the trial. 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; 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.

"Had the antediluvians believed the warning, and repented of their evil deeds, the Lord would have turned aside His wrath, as He afterward did from Nineveh. But by their obstinate resistance to the reproofs of conscience and the warnings of God's prophet, that generation filled up the measure of their iniquity, and became ripe for destruction.

"The period of their probation was about to expire. Noah had faithfully followed the instructions which he had received from God. The ark was finished in every part as the Lord had directed, and was stored with food for man and beast. And now the servant of God made his last solemn appeal to the people. With an agony of desire that words cannot express, he entreated them to seek a refuge while it might be found. 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 lo, birds were flocking from all directions, their numbers darkening the heavens, and in perfect order they passed to the ark. Animals obeyed the command of God, while men were disobedient. Guided by holy angels, they 'went in two and two unto Noah into the ark,'  and the clean beasts by sevens. 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. As the doomed race beheld the sun shining in its glory, and the earth clad in almost Eden beauty, they banished their rising fears by boisterous merriment, and by their deeds of violence they seemed to invite upon themselves the visitation of the already awakened wrath of God.

"God commanded Noah, 'Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.'  Noah's warnings had been rejected by the world, but his influence and example resulted in blessings to his family. As a reward for his faithfulness and integrity, God saved all the members of his family with him. What encouragement to parental fidelity!

"Mercy had ceased its pleadings for the guilty race. The beasts of the field and the birds of the air had entered the place of refuge. Noah and his household were within the ark, 'and the Lord shut him in.'  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 massive door, which it was impossible for those within to close, was slowly swung to its place by unseen hands. Noah was shut in, and the rejecters of God's mercy were shut out. 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. Then divine grace will no longer restrain the wicked, and Satan will have full control of those who have rejected mercy. They will endeavor to destroy God's people; but as Noah was shut into the ark, so the righteous will be shielded by divine power.

"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. It was a time of triumph to the world without. The apparent delay confirmed them in the belief that Noah's message was a delusion, and that the Flood would never come. Notwithstanding the solemn scenes which they had witnessed--the beasts and birds entering the ark, and the angel of God closing the door--they still continued their sport and revelry, even making a jest of these signal manifestations of God's power. They gathered in crowds about the ark, deriding its inmates with a daring violence which they had never ventured upon before.

"But upon the eighth day dark clouds overspread the heavens. There followed the muttering of thunder and the flash of lightning. 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?'  Darker and darker grew the heavens, and faster came the falling rain. The beasts were roaming about in the wildest terror, and their discordant cries seemed to moan out their own destiny and the fate of man. Then 'the fountains of the great deep'  were 'broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.'  Water appeared to come from the clouds in mighty cataracts. Rivers broke away from their boundaries, and overflowed the valleys. Jets of water burst from the earth with indescribable force, throwing massive rocks hundreds of feet into the air, and these, in falling, buried themselves deep in the ground.

"The people first beheld the destruction of the works of their own hands. Their splendid buildings, and the beautiful gardens and groves where they had placed their idols, were destroyed by lightning from heaven, and the ruins were scattered far and wide. The altars on which human sacrifices had been offered were torn down, and 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.

"As the violence of the storm increased, trees, buildings, rocks, and earth were hurled in every direction. The terror of man and beast was beyond description. Above the roar of the tempest was heard the wailing of a people that had despised the authority of God. Satan himself, who was compelled to remain in the midst of the warring elements, feared for his own existence. He had delighted to control so powerful a race, and desired them to live to practice their abominations and continue their rebellion against the Ruler of heaven. 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. Conscience was at last aroused to know that there is a God who ruleth in the heavens. They called upon Him earnestly, but His ear was not open to their cry. In that terrible hour they saw that the transgression of God's law had caused their ruin. Yet while, through fear of punishment, they acknowledged their sin, they felt no true contrition, no abhorrence of evil. They would have returned to their defiance of Heaven, had the judgment been removed. So when God's judgments shall fall upon the earth before its deluge by fire, the impenitent will know just where and what their sin is--the despising of His holy law. Yet they will have no more true repentance than did the old-world sinners.

"Some in their desperation endeavored to break into the ark, but the firm-made structure withstood their efforts. Some clung to the ark until they were borne away by the surging waters, or their hold was broken by collision with rocks and trees. The massive ark trembled in every fiber as it was beaten by the merciless winds and flung from billow to billow. The cries of the beasts within expressed their fear and pain. But amid the warring elements it continued to ride safely. Angels that excel in strength were commissioned to preserve it.

"The beasts, exposed to the tempest, rushed toward man, as though expecting help from him. Some of the people bound their children and themselves upon powerful animals, knowing that these were tenacious of life, and would climb to the highest points to escape the rising waters. Some fastened themselves to lofty trees on the summit of hills or mountains; but the trees were uprooted, and with their burden of living beings were hurled into the seething billows. One spot after another that promised safety was abandoned. As the waters rose higher and higher, the people fled for refuge to the loftiest mountains. Often man and beast would struggle together for a foothold, until both were swept away.

"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 opportunities which they had slighted! How they pleaded for one hour's probation, one more privilege of mercy, one call from the lips of Noah! But the sweet voice of mercy was no more to be heard by them. Love, no less than justice, demanded that God's judgments should put a check on sin. The avenging waters swept over the last retreat, and the despisers of God perished in the black depths.

"'By the word of God . . . 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.'  2 Peter 3:5-7. 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. The intense worldliness of that generation is equaled by that of the generation now living. Said Christ, '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.  God did not condemn the antediluvians for eating and drinking; He had given them the fruits of the earth in great abundance to supply their physical wants. Their sin consisted in taking these gifts without gratitude to the Giver, and debasing themselves by indulging appetite without restraint. It was lawful for them to marry. Marriage was in God's order; it was one of the first institutions which He established. He gave special directions concerning this ordinance, clothing it with sanctity and beauty; but these directions were forgotten, and marriage was perverted and made to minister to passion.

"A similar condition of things exists now. That which is lawful in itself is carried to excess. Appetite is indulged without restraint. Professed followers of Christ are today eating and drinking with the drunken, while their names stand in honored church records. Intemperance benumbs the moral and spiritual powers and prepares the way for indulgence of the lower passions. Multitudes feel under no moral obligation to curb their sensual desires, and they become the slaves of lust. Men are living for the pleasures of sense; for this world and this life alone. Extravagance pervades all circles of society. Integrity is sacrificed for luxury and display. They that make haste to be rich pervert justice and oppress the poor, and 'slaves and souls of men'  are still bought and sold. Fraud and bribery and theft stalk unrebuked in high places and in low. The issues of the press teem with records of murder--crimes so cold-blooded and causeless that it seems as though every instinct of humanity were blotted out. And these atrocities have become of so common occurrence that they hardly elicit a comment or awaken surprise. 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. The picture which Inspiration has given of the antediluvian world represents too truly the condition to which modern society is fast hastening. Even now, in the present century, and in professedly Christian lands, there are crimes daily perpetrated as black and terrible as those for which the old-world sinners were destroyed." --Patriarchs and Prophets, Pages 95-102.

"Watchfulness and vigilance are needed now as never before in the history of the race. The eye must be turned off from beholding vanity. Lawlessness, the prevailing spirit of the age, must be met with a decided rebuke. Let none feel that they are in no danger. As long as Satan lives, his efforts will be constant and untiring to make the world as wicked as before the Flood and as licentious as were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. The prayer may well be offered daily by those who have the fear of God before them, that He will preserve their hearts from evil desires and strengthen their souls to resist temptation. Those who in their self-confidence feel no need of watchfulness and unceasing prayer are near some humiliating fall. All who do not feel the importance of resolutely guarding their affections will be captivated by those who practice their arts to ensnare and lead astray the unwary. Men may have a knowledge of divine things and an ability to fill an important place in the work of God, yet, unless they cherish a simple faith in their Redeemer they will be ensnared and overcome by the enemy.

"It is because the duties of watchfulness and prayer have been so sadly neglected that there is so great a lack of moral power. This is why so many who have a form of godliness bring forth no corresponding works. A careless indifference, a carnal security concerning religious duties and eternal things, prevails to an alarming extent. The Word of God exhorts us to be found 'praying always . . . , and watching thereunto with all perseverance. . . .'  Here is the Christian's safeguard, his protection amid the perils that surround his pathway." --That I Might Know Him, Page 267.

"...The judgments of God are soon to be poured out upon the earth. 'Escape for thy life'  is the warning from the angels of God. Other voices are heard saying: 'Do not become excited; there is no cause for special alarm.'  Those who are at ease in Zion cry 'Peace and safety,'  while heaven declares that swift destruction is about to come upon the transgressor. The young, the frivolous, the pleasure loving, consider these warnings as idle tales and turn from them with a jest. Parents are inclined to think their children about right in the matter, and all sleep on at ease. Thus it was at the destruction of the old world and when Sodom and Gomorrah were consumed by fire. On the night prior to their destruction the cities of the plain rioted in pleasure. Lot was derided for his fears and warnings. But it was these scoffers that perished in the flames. That very night the door of mercy was forever closed to the wicked, careless inhabitants of Sodom." --Testimonies to the Church, Volume 5, Pages 234, 233.

"Today Christ is looking with sadness upon those whose characters He must at last refuse to acknowledge. Inflated with self-sufficiency, they hope that it will be well with their souls. But at the last great day, the mirror of detection reveals to them the evil that their hearts have practiced, and shows them at the same time the impossibility of reform. Every effort was made to bring them to repentance. But they refused to humble their hearts. Now the bitter lamentation is heard, 'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved' (cf. Jer. 8:20). . ." --The Upward Look, Page 305.

"It will not be long until the gathering storm will burst upon the world that is so asleep in sin. . . When the earth is reeling to and fro like a drunkard, when the heavens are shaking, and the great day of the Lord has come, who shall be able to stand? One object they behold in trembling agony from which they will try in vain to escape. 'Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him' (Rev. 1:7).  The unsaved utter wild imprecations to dumb nature--their god: 'Mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne' (Rev. 6:16)."

"Creation is loyal to her God, and deaf to the frenzied call. That unrequited love is now turned to wrath. Sinners who would not let Jesus take away their sins are rushing from place to place in search of a hiding place, crying, The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and our souls are not saved! . . ." --That I Might Know Him, Page 356.

The limits of God's forbearance were reached, their cup of iniquity was full to the brim. Thus, destruction of the wicked was inevitable. For these people, the harvest was past, the summer had ended and they were not saved.

"All earthly honor is perishable, all earthly treasures valueless when we are passing from this life. There will be nothing enduring but the heavenly treasure, and the favor of God will be more valuable than choice gold. There is time now to prepare for the future immortal life. It will not answer to neglect the preparation essential for our heavenly home. But many will be found wanting in that great day. The precious hours of probation will have passed by unimproved, and when it is too late the mournful cry will be heard, The harvest is passed, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved. When the righteous Judge shall proclaim the destiny of all fixed--'He which is filthy, let him be filthy still...and he that is holy, let him be holy still'--it will be a time when the most careless, the most trifling will come to their senses and discern that the truly wise were those who loved God and kept His commandments.

"Long have the gates stood ajar for you, long has the heavenly light been shining upon your path. Let it not be slighted, but gather up its precious rays to reflect upon others. Jesus loves us and we should love one another. We should be meek and lowly, pure and undefiled, and if we are thus we shall meet the approval of God here, and the blessed 'Well done'  when the Master comes." --Manuscript Release, Volume 19, Page 192.

"Come, my brother, come just as you are, sinful and polluted. Lay your burden of guilt on Jesus, and by faith claim His merits. Come now, while mercy lingers; come with confession, come with contrition of soul, and God will abundantly pardon. Do not dare to slight another opportunity. Listen to the voice of mercy that now pleads with you to arise from the dead that Christ may give you light. Every moment now seems to connect itself directly with the destinies of the unseen world. Then let not your pride and unbelief lead you to still further reject offered mercy. If you do you will be left to lament at the last: 'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.'" --Testimonies to the Church, Volume 5, Page 353.

"We are living in the closing scenes of this earth's history. Prophecy is fast fulfilling. The hours of probation are fast passing. We have no time--not a moment--to lose. Let us not be found sleeping on guard. Let no one say in his heart or by his works: 'My Lord delayeth His coming.'  Let the message of Christ's soon return sound forth in earnest words of warning. Let us persuade men and women everywhere to repent and flee from the wrath to come. Let us arouse them to immediate preparation, for we little know what is before us. Let ministers and lay members go forth into the ripening fields to tell the unconcerned and indifferent to seek the Lord while He may be found. The workers will find their harvest wherever they proclaim the forgotten truths of the Bible. They will find those who will accept the truth and will devote their lives to winning souls to Christ.

"The Lord is soon to come, and we must be prepared to meet Him in peace. Let us be determined to do all in our power to impart light to those around us. We are not to be sad, but cheerful, and we are to keep the Lord Jesus ever before us. He is soon coming, and we must be ready and waiting for His appearing. Oh, how glorious it will be to see Him and be welcomed as His redeemed ones! Long have we waited, but our hope is not to grow dim. If we can but see the King in His beauty we shall be forever blessed...We are nearing the time when Christ will come in power and great glory to take His ransomed ones to their eternal home." --Testimonies to the Church, Volume 8, Pages 252, 253.

"And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." Isaiah 25:9.

The long, long summer is ended; the harvest is past.

See related topic: The Punishment of the Wicked







Sowing in the Morning Midi