Thursday, July 28, 2016

God's law immutable--in depth end-time-events study: Part 1



Part 1

GC chapter 25—God’s law immutable


            What we are going over in this particular study involves a lot of the subjects we have already studied some on, such as the studies of the law (Ten Commandments), the Sanctuary, the Heavenly Sanctuary, and the Prophecies concerning the beasts of Rev 13. Additional subjects involved in this study also include the Three Angels Message, and the Judgement. Each of these subjects are very fascinating, intertwined together, and applicable to our time.
            The majority of Quotes compiled herein are from the Great Controversy, Chapter 25 (God’s law immutable), and Prophets and Kings. I would recommend the reading of the first chapter/introduction to PK, as well as the whole of GC chapter 25 in personal study.


“The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament.” Revelation 11:19. The ark of God's testament is in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the sanctuary. In the ministration of the earthly tabernacle, which served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,” this apartment was opened only upon the great Day of Atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Therefore the announcement that the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His testament was seen points to the opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement. Those who by faith followed their great High Priest as He entered upon His ministry in the most holy place, beheld the ark of His testament. As they had studied the subject of the sanctuary they had come to understand the Saviour's change of ministration, and they saw that He was now officiating before the ark of God, pleading His blood in behalf of sinners. {GC 433.1}

            The events that took place in 1844, though known as a great disappointment, are a significant part of history and of the church. We know that 1844 marked the beginning of the “end Time,” and the beginning of Jesus ministry in the Most Holy place of the Heavenly Sanctuary (This we know by studying the 2300 day and 70 weeks prophecies). Though, because of a misunderstanding in the studying of the 2300 day prophecy by the people in 1844, the time was a disappointment. But there remained a number of people, a small number, who continued seeking after the truth and found greater light and truth involved with the Sanctuary message:

“The ark in the tabernacle on earth contained the two tables of stone, upon which were inscribed the precepts of the law of God. The ark was merely a receptacle for the tables of the law, and the presence of these divine precepts gave to it its value and sacredness. When the temple of God was opened in heaven, the ark of His testament was seen. Within the holy of holies, in the sanctuary in heaven, the divine law is sacredly enshrined—the law that was spoken by God Himself amid the thunders of Sinai and written with His own finger on the tables of stone. {GC 433.2}
The law of God in the sanctuary in heaven is the great original, of which the precepts inscribed upon the tables of stone and recorded by Moses in the Pentateuch were an unerring transcript. Those who arrived at an understanding of this important point were thus led to see the sacred, unchanging character of the divine law. They saw, as never before, the force of the Saviour's words: “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law.” Matthew 5:18. The law of God, being a revelation of His will, a transcript of His character, must forever endure, “as a faithful witness in heaven.” Not one command has been annulled; not a jot or tittle has been changed. Says the psalmist: “Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.” “All His commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever.” Psalm 119:89; 111:7, 8. {GC 434.1}

            The sincere one’s who continued studying and seeking after the truth after the awful great disappointment started to see the law of God in a different light, and it was showed them it’s great and everlasting importance.

In the very bosom of the Decalogue is the fourth commandment, as it was first proclaimed: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11. {GC 434.2}
            As was mentioned earlier, the law, written in stone by God’s hand, in the Ark of the Covenant in the literal Tabernacle among Israel, was just a transcript—a written or printed version of God’s law patterned precisely after the original law of God in Heaven. During the time following the beginning of the early Christian church started by the Apostles, 313 AD to be more precise, a change took place under the hand of Constantine. A new religion was created, and it was created to replace the true and pure form of Christianity. That “new” religion manifested into the Roman church (Catholicism). From that time forward, the Roman Church has taken that Transcript of God’s law and has changed it—predominantly the fourth commandment. The true Christians lost sight of the Original transcript of God’s law and began following after the changed version after Catholicism. There followed a time of awful spiritual conflict and darkness for many years afterward. For this reason, the “early” Christian church has kept Sunday worship, rather than God’s 7th Day Sabbath, all the way up into our time. (Note: God’s has always had a people that did keep the Correct Sabbath all through history through—the true law was preserved by His providence).
            However, in 1844 the truth of God’s law and that blasphemous change was uncovered to those few members of the Christian church who kept seeking truth. By the Holy Spirit, these truth seekers were converted into the truth and began making repair to that which had been broken for more than a 1000 years.
The Spirit of God impressed the hearts of those students of His word. The conviction was urged upon them that they had ignorantly transgressed this precept by disregarding the Creator's rest day. They began to examine the reasons for observing the first day of the week instead of the day which God had sanctified. They could find no evidence in the Scriptures that the fourth commandment had been abolished, or that the Sabbath had been changed; the blessing which first hallowed the seventh day had never been removed. They had been honestly seeking to know and to do God's will; now, as they saw themselves transgressors of His law, sorrow filled their hearts, and they manifested their loyalty to God by keeping His Sabbath holy. {GC 434.3}

            These diligent and faithful ones took hold of this truth in its entirety and diligently went about to obey what they knew as truth—this birthed the Seventh day Adventist Christians again.

“Many and earnest were the efforts made to overthrow their faith. None could fail to see that if the earthly sanctuary was a figure or pattern of the heavenly, the law deposited in the ark on earth was an exact transcript of the law in the ark in heaven; and that an acceptance of the truth concerning the heavenly sanctuary involved an acknowledgment of the claims of God's law and the obligation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Here was the secret of the bitter and determined opposition to the harmonious exposition of the Scriptures that revealed the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. Men sought to close the door which God had opened, and to open the door which He had closed. But “He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth,” had declared: “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.” Revelation 3:7, 8. Christ had opened the door, or ministration, of the most holy place, light was shining from that open door of the sanctuary in heaven, and the fourth commandment was shown to be included in the law which is there enshrined; what God had established, no man could overthrow. {GC 435.1}
                And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (Joh_8:32).” Amen?
The truth surely breaks the chains of Bondage. As the truth of the Sabbath brought joy and rejoicing to the Early Adventist Pioneers, so it can continue to bring joy unto those who are willing to hear it today. Yet, we see clearly, that there is evident retaliation against the true Sabbath—even amongst Christians. The true Sabbath is truth, and it is becoming more and more critical in these last days as we shall see further on in this study.

Friday, July 8, 2016

The Sinners need for Christ

“The sinners need of Christ”




What is the definition of a sinner?


A person who transgresses against divine law by committing an immoral act or actions.
Synonyms:

What is a sinner according to scripture?

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

So, if all have sinned, and 1 John 3:4  defines sin as: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” Then we are all sinners, are we not? But, as Romans 3:24 says, we may all be “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” therefore, we are all in need of Christ, Amen? We each, individually, need His saving grace.

To understand further our need of Christ, and all sinners need, we can go and look at how man was created to be, and how mankind has been deteriorated because of sin—the transgression of God’s divine law.

Let’s begin in the beginning.

Gen 1:26,27

So, God created Man in HIS Image, to have dominion over all the earth, and everything in and on the earth.

In Genesis 2:7 we read how God created Man.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Note: How was man created?
Formed from the dust of the ground
How was the rest of creation made?
God spake, and it was.

God created everything by speaking, and it was made except for Man. God purposed to form man in the Image of God with an intellect, a conscience and a well-balanced mind. He took time to form man with His own hands; the creation of man was intimate with God, thus men and women were created to have that close communion with God.


Ellen White says in Steps to Christ,

“Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan, and would have remained so forever had not God specially interposed. It was the tempter's purpose to thwart the divine plan in man's creation, and fill the earth with woe and desolation. And he would point to all this evil as the result of God's work in creating man.” Steps to Christ ~ 17.1

So, when God created Man, did He create them to be evil? Did God create Evil?
No, of course not. It is Satan's purpose to discredit creation as evil that is the result of God's work in creating—God did not create suffering or evil, but Lucifer, and other supreme beings created by God, made a conscious decision to do wrong—that is, they chose to rebel and violate God’s divine law, and sinned entered.
But God specially interposed.


“It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Job 14:4; Romans 8:7. Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.” Steps to Christ  (18).
Amen?

Despite Satan's work to destroy mankind, God Specially interposed. Even though that which He created rebelled against Him, He still provided a way of escape from the wages of sin:

           
Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

This brings us to the Plan of Salvation, What is the plan of Salvation?

Instead of abandoning us in this world with our sin or destroying this world and everything in it, God made a plan to bring hope to the world, a plan that could give human kind the hope of everlasting life if we so choose it. Sin is like a disease that has swept across the earth, destroying and deteriorating everything that it contacts; we can see this earth and all its contents scarred by sin, with disease and death all around. But God made a plan of salvation to save the people of the world from sin—and from the wages of sin.

The earthly sanctuary that was in Israel has a representation of the plan of Salvation:

Remember what the lamb represents?

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," John the Baptist said as he saw Jesus coming towards him (John 1:29). 
It is without a doubt who the Lamb of God is—Jesus is the Lamb of God, our Savior, the one who was innocent and holy, yet who took our reproach and sins upon Himself to pay the price of sin on our behalf. The whole illustration of the Ceremonies and furnishings of the sanctuary shadow the events of the cross—the whole of the plan of Salvation is focused around Christ as our Savior. That is why the message of the sanctuary is so important, both for new converts and those who have long been converted. Yet this topic, this illustration of hope and inspiration, is rarely taught in our churches today. Other denominations avoid the subject viewing it as holding little meaning, but even now our congregations are being deprived of the subject of the Sanctuary, and of the subject of Salvation. We must not forget who our Savior is and why, which is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Steps to Christ:
“But in vain are men's dreams of progress, in vain all efforts for the uplifting of humanity, if they neglect the one Source of hope and help for the fallen race. "Every good gift and every perfect gift" (James 1:17) is from God. There is no true excellence of character apart from Him. And the only way to God is Christ. He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6.

Amen?
We must recognize the true nature of sin in order to comprehend our essential need for Christ. Those who feel they may continue on in sin, in violation to God’s divine commandments, do NOT realize their true need for a Savior, and are thus perishing.
The true nature of sin should be recognized and abhorred by those seeking to live up to the light that they know. There should be a constant persevering attempt to overcome sin, for that is what Christ taught us, and which we can do only through Him.
Only through Jesus Christ can we be freed from the bondage of sin in this life, and be able to pass into that new life in Christ.


“The heart of God yearns over His earthly children with a love stronger than death. In giving up His Son, He has poured out to us all heaven in one gift. The Saviour’s life and death and intercession, the ministry of angels, the pleading of the Spirit, the Father working above and through all, the unceasing interest of heavenly beings,--all are enlisted in behalf of man's redemption.

            They are all there where we cannot see them, but they are all there working to help us. The whole hosts of heaven are ready and willing to assist us in fighting against the flesh—to help us conquer sin and worldliness. It is up to us to accept their aid—to surrender ourselves to God and dedicate to doing His will.
Oh, let us contemplate the amazing sacrifice that has been made for us! Let us try to appreciate the labor and energy that Heaven is expending to reclaim the lost, and bring them back to the Father's house. Motives stronger, and agencies more powerful, could never be brought into operation; the exceeding rewards for right-doing, the enjoyment of heaven, the society of the angels, the communion and love of God and His Son, the elevation and extension of all our powers throughout eternal ages—are these not mighty incentives and encouragements to urge us to give the heart's loving service to our Creator and Redeemer?

         
Once the sinner has made that conscious decision, in humble and contrite heart, to forsake the service of Satan and continuance in sin, then the peace of God and with the hosts of heaven we can be united with in the struggle against sin.

“And, on the other hand, the judgments of God pronounced against sin, the inevitable retribution, the degradation of our character, and the final destruction, are presented in God's word to warn us against the service of Satan.
Shall we not regard the mercy of God? What more could He do? Let us place ourselves in right relation to Him who has loved us with amazing love. Let us avail ourselves of the means provided for us that we may be transformed into His likeness, and be restored to fellowship with the ministering angels, to harmony and communion with the Father and the Son.

1Ti 2:3-6
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

            It is God’s desire that all would be saved, that all would come to Him, and that all would receive Christ as their Redeemer. The only thing holding the sinner back from this gift of eternal life is their own choice. My prayer and hope is that each of us would recognize our need for a Savior, and that we would each make that conscious, mental, and physical decision to accept Christ of whom we are in need of. And in our daily lives, I hope that we would also teach others their need for Christ as well. 

Friday, June 17, 2016

"Sin is the cause, Christ is the cure"


"We must recognize the true nature of sin in order to comprehend our essential need for Christ. Those who feel they may continue on in sin, in violation to God’s divine commandments, do NOT realize their true need for a Savior, and are thus perishing. 

The true nature of sin should be recognized and abhorred by those seeking to live up to the light that they know. There should be a constant persevering attempt to overcome sin, for that is what Christ taught us, and which we can do only through Him. 
Only through Jesus Christ can we be freed from the bondage of sin in this life, and be able to pass into that new life in Christ."

Friday, June 3, 2016

"To walk as Enoch walked"




“To walk as Enoch walked”

Let’s talk about Enoch:
How many years after creation was Enoch born?

Lineage from Adam to Enoch (Gen 5:1-18):
Adam begat Seth at 136, Seth begat Enos at 105, Enos begat Cainan at 90, Cainan begat Mahalaleel at 70, Mahalaleel begat Jared at 65, Jared live 162 years and begat Enoch.

Adam,
Seth,
Enos,
Cainan,
Mahalaleel,
Jared,
and Enoch.

Enoch was born 628 years—just 7 generations—after creation.
Note: Isn’t it amazing how scripture is so detailed and specific on chronology? By scripture alone we have a detailed record of History, time, events, of prophecy— both past and present—and of the story and instructions of redemption through Christ, the everlasting gospel.
So in scripture the chronology of the generations down to Jesus’ time is placed there for a specific reason. We have ample evidence to compare with historical records to see the credibility and truth of the bible. It truly is the sure word of God.

Seth was born in the Image of Adam—

“Seth was of more noble stature than Cain or Abel, and resembled Adam more closely than did his other sons. He was a worthy character, following in the steps of Abel. Yet he inherited no more natural goodness than did Cain… {PP 80.1}.”
Note: Which means Seth was born into the sinful nature of Man and not the sinless nature that Adam and Eve had been created in originally. Though we are born into the sinful nature, it does not mean we are born into sin. Being born into the sinful nature means that we are born into the distinguishing characteristics of thoughts, feelings, and actions that are inclined to sin, whether naturally, independently, or influenced from an external source, but not directly born into sin.
Christ was born from His heavenly Nature (of which was not tainted by the curse of sin) into the sinful nature of man—yet without sin. He was born into the same natural inclinations that we have to think, feel, and act in sin, but He overcame all those tendencies to sin to show us that in our feeble natures we can still be over-comers of sin through Jesus Christ.
 “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. But he received also the knowledge of the Redeemer and instruction in righteousness. By divine grace he served and honored God; and he labored, as Abel would have done, had he lived, to turn the minds of sinful men to revere and obey their Creator. {PP 80.1}”

  So, we have two individuals—Cain and Able. One of whom chose the path of rebelliousness and hatred, and one who chose faithfulness to God. Cain slew his brother because he saw that Able’s works were good and just and accepted by God. The wicked hatred and jealousy that Cain harbored in his heart became the same traits that his descendants lived in from generation to generation. Had Abel lived to continue his faithful labors, he would have worked to turn the minds of sinful men to God, but he was killed and his work unaccomplished. But God in His providence provided another child to Adam to carry forward the unfinished work. Though Satan may have conquered one of God’s faithful, God rose up another to continue forward—and his name was Seth.
Genesis 4:26
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

  From Adam to Able, and then to Seth, the same work of faithfulness and obedience to God was handed down from generation to generation in a world that was waxing continually evil, where the descendants of Cain were growing exceedingly wicked. Through each generation, the Lord was sustaining and sheltering His faithful few so they could continue to carry forward the work of turning “the minds of sinful men to revere and obey their Creator (PP 80.1).”

That same Spirit of faithfulness and service was instilled in each generation down to Enoch.
So, Enoch, as we mentioned at the start of our study, was born 628 years—or 7 generations—after creation. Very fascinating evidence we can review here, but let’s get down to the real importance of this subject.

Turn with me to Genesis chapter five, and let’s read verses 21, through 24:

Gen 5:21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
Gen 5:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

            There are only a few verses here that mention the life of Enoch, but the verses are concise and packed with meaning. If we understand the background of what was taking place in the world around this time, we can start to really understand the meaning of these verses. At the time that Enoch was born, Adam was still alive. Adam lived to be 930 years old; Enoch was born 628 years after when Adam’s time began. So Adam was still alive in Enoch’s day. However, from the time that Adam and Eve sinned, when sin entered the world, the world was being subjected under the curse of sin.

The Descendants of Cain were continuing in rebelliousness to God, while at the same time, the Faithful descendants of Seth continued to “Call upon the name of the LORD (Gen 4:26).”

“Abel had led a pastoral life, dwelling in tents or booths, and the descendants of Seth followed the same course, counting themselves “strangers and pilgrims on the earth,” seeking “a better country, that is, an heavenly.” Hebrews 11:13, 16. {PP 81.1}
For some time the two classes remained separate. The race of Cain, spreading from the place of their first settlement, dispersed over the plains and valleys where the children of Seth had dwelt; and the latter, in order to escape from their contaminating influence, withdrew to the mountains, and there made their home. So long as this separation continued, they maintained the worship of God in its purity. But in the lapse of time they ventured, little by little, to mingle with the inhabitants of the valleys. This association was productive of the worst results. “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, displeased the Lord by intermarrying with them. 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. (PP81.2).”

  There is a very important purpose for why God calls His people to “be ye separate,” and to “touch not the unclean thing (2 Cor 6:17).” The influence of the city and crowded place is toxic for raising up our young people into the truth, and is damaging to our own spiritual walk with the Lord. For this reason, because of the wickedness of Cain’s descendants, Seth and Enoch separated themselves from the influences of the wicked, likewise we can apply the same important principal to our lives, but we can get into more depth than just physical location. Music, movies, games, and people can all have the same influence on us that is contrary to our walk with God; and if we remain dabbling in such things as we know are unacceptable to God, we will, in time, be completely removed from His truth and faithfulness, and thereby from His favor, like the many worshippers of God who were beguiled into sin by their associations with evil doers.

“Of Enoch it is written that he lived sixty-five years, and begat a son. After that he walked with God three hundred years. During these earlier years 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. From the lips of Adam he had learned the dark story of the Fall, and the cheering one of God’s grace as seen in the promise; and he relied upon the Redeemer to come. But after the birth of his first son, Enoch reached a higher experience; he was drawn into a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own obligations and responsibility as a son of 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 of the wonderful love of God to men in the gift of His Son, and the confidence which the children of God may repose in their heavenly Father. The infinite, unfathomable love of God through Christ became the subject of his meditations day and night; and with all the fervor of his soul he sought to reveal that love to the people among whom he dwelt. {PP 84.3} “

“Enoch’s walk with God was not in a trance or vision, but in all the duties of his daily life. He did not become a hermit, shutting himself entirely from the world; for he had a work to do for God in the world. In the family and in his intercourse with men, as a husband and father, a friend, a citizen, he was the steadfast, unwavering servant of the Lord. {PP 85.1}
His heart was in harmony with God’s will; for “can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3. And this holy walk was continued for three hundred years. There are few Christians who would not be far more earnest and devoted if they knew that they had but a short time to live, or that the coming of Christ was about to take place. But Enoch’s faith waxed the stronger, his love became more ardent, with the lapse of centuries. {PP 85.2}
Enoch was a man of strong and highly cultivated mind and extensive knowledge; he was honored with special revelations from God; yet being in constant communion with Heaven, with a sense of the divine greatness and perfection ever before him, he was one of the humblest of men. The closer the connection with God, the deeper was the sense of his own weakness and imperfection. {PP 85.3}”

 “Distressed by the increasing wickedness of the ungodly, and fearing that their infidelity might lessen his reverence for God, Enoch avoided constant association with them, and spent much time in solitude, giving himself to meditation and prayer. Thus he waited before the Lord, seeking a clearer knowledge of His will, that he might perform it. To him prayer was as the breath of the soul; he lived in the very atmosphere of heaven. {PP 85.4}”

Though we are to be separate from the world, it does not mean we are to neglect the work that needs to be done in the world. As Enoch avoided constant association with the world, so we should as well, and spend much time in meditation and prayer upon the sacred precepts of scripture and worshipping the Lord. But we should also not neglect the duty of bringing the truth and proclaiming it to those in the world.


“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. By the spirit of prophecy 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 85.5}”

Even though Enoch had the future of the world revealed to him—even though he understood the great length of time before Christ would come, his faith and Love for God grew and waxed stronger. We see today how close we are to the final days of earth’s history. Should we not be seeking after a stronger faith and a deeper love for God considering our time is so much shorter? Indeed we should if we truly felt the shortness of time that we are really in.

“Enoch became a preacher of righteousness, making known to the people what God had revealed to him. Those who feared the Lord sought out this holy man, to share his instruction and his prayers. He labored publicly also, bearing God’s messages to all who would hear the words of warning. (PP 86.1).”
He was a fearless reprover of sin. While he preached the love of God in Christ to the 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 judgment would surely be visited upon the transgressor. It was the Spirit of Christ that spoke through Enoch; that Spirit is manifested, not alone in utterances of love, compassion, and entreaty; it is not smooth things only that are spoken by holy men. God puts into the heart and lips of His messenger’s truths to utter that are keen and cutting as a two-edged sword. {PP 86.2}”
The power of God that wrought with His servant was felt by those who heard. Some gave heed to the warning, and renounced their sins; but the multitudes mocked at the solemn message, and went on more boldly in their evil ways. 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. The antediluvian world rejected the warning words of him who walked with God. So will the last generation make light of the warnings of the Lord’s messengers. {PP 86.3}”
The wickedness of men had reached such a height that destruction was pronounced against them. As year after year passed on, deeper and deeper grew the tide of human guilt, darker and darker gathered the clouds of divine judgment. Yet Enoch, the witness of faith, held on his way, warning, pleading, entreating, striving to turn back the tide of guilt and to stay the bolts of vengeance. Though his warnings were disregarded by a sinful, pleasure-loving people, he had the testimony that God approved, and he continued to battle faithfully against the prevailing evil, until God removed him from a world of sin to the pure joys of heaven. {PP 87.1}”
The men of that generation had mocked the folly of him who sought not to gather gold or silver or to build up possessions here. But Enoch’s heart was upon eternal treasures. He had looked upon the celestial city. He had seen the King in His glory in the midst of Zion. His mind, his heart, his conversation, were in heaven. The greater the existing iniquity, the more earnest was his longing for the home of God. While still on earth, he dwelt, by faith, in the realms of light. {PP 87.2}
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8. For three hundred years Enoch had been seeking purity of soul, that he might be in harmony with Heaven. For three centuries he had walked with God. Day by day he had longed for a closer union; 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—the first from among men to enter there. {PP 87.3}”

That purity of soul, to be brought into Harmony with heaven, is what we need to be diligently seeking for in our hearts and lives. This is what made him able to “Walk with the Lord,” was his diligence, selflessness, earnestness, and faithfulness that brought him constantly into closer communion with Christ. This is the walk that we should be pursuing for ourselves, so that, like Enoch, we may walk with God in all that we do, say, think, and act. May we diligently seek for that Purity of soul as Enoch, so we can be brought into perfect harmony with Heaven.

“By the translation of Enoch the Lord designed to teach an important lesson. There was danger that men would yield to discouragement, because of the fearful results of Adam’s sin. Many were ready to exclaim, “What profit is it that we have feared the Lord and have kept His ordinances, since a heavy curse is resting upon the race, and death is the portion of us all?”[Is this not a question the resides in some modern day Christians today?] But the instructions which God gave to Adam, and which were repeated by Seth, and exemplified by Enoch [Which is the answer to the above question], 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. 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. He shows what He will do for those who keep His commandments. Men were taught that it is possible to obey the law of God; that even while living in the midst of the sinful and corrupt, they were able, by the grace of God, to resist temptation, and become pure and holy. They saw in his example the blessedness of such a life; and his translation was an evidence of the truth of his prophecy concerning the hereafter, with its award of joy and glory and immortal life to the obedient, and of condemnation, woe, and death to the transgressor. {PP 88.2}”

Conclusion:
“By faith Enoch “was translated that he should not see death; ... for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5. In the midst of a world by its iniquity doomed to destruction, Enoch lived a life of such close communion with God that he was not permitted to fall under the power of death. The godly character of this prophet represents the state of holiness which must be attained by those who shall be “redeemed from the earth” (Revelation 14:3) at the time of Christ’s Second Advent. Then, as in the world before the Flood, iniquity will prevail. Following the promptings of their corrupt hearts and the teachings of a deceptive philosophy, men will rebel against the authority of Heaven. But like Enoch, God’s people will seek for purity of heart and conformity to His will, until they shall reflect the likeness of Christ. Like Enoch, they will warn the world of the Lord’s second coming and of the judgments to be visited upon transgression, and by their holy conversation and example they will condemn the sins of the ungodly. As Enoch was translated to heaven before the destruction of the world by water, so the living righteous will be translated from the earth before its destruction by fire. Says the apostle: “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.” “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God;” “the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” “The dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. {PP 88.3}.“

Like Enoch, I want to seek purity of heart, I want to conform to God’s will, till I reflect the likeness of Christ. Like Enoch, I want to warn the world of the Lord’s soon coming, and of the judgements; and I pray that my conversation and example would be holy, to condemn the sins of the ungodly. I want to seek and strive for these things so I will be counted among God’s faithful people. And my greatest hope and prayer is that each of you would seek diligently for the very same things—to walk with God as Enoch walked.

Hebrews 11:5, and 6:

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.