“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7.
No truth of inspiration can be more clearly demonstrated than that God reveals his designs to his prophets, that men and nations may be prepared for their accomplishment. Before visiting with judgments, God has uniformly sent forth warnings sufficient to enable the believing to escape his wrath, and to condemn those who have not heeded the warning. This was the case before the flood. The wickedness of the world had become very great. Every imagination of the thoughts of the hearts of men was only evil. It would seem that they had forfeited all claims for consideration. Violence and corruption filled the earth, and the only way to eradicate evil was to destroy it with its workers. But before doing so, the world must be warned of the impending doom; and there was found one man who would engage in the work. Noah had faith in God, and preached for one hundred and twenty years the message of warning and salvation. His work also testified with his words.
“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.” Heb. 11:7.
At a later period, when the nations had again become sunken in idolatry and crime, and the destruction of wicked Sodom and Gomorrah was determined, the Lord said,—
“Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” Gen. 18:17, 18.
And due notice was given to righteous Lot, who, with his daughters, was preserved; and none, even in that guilty city, perished without due warning. Lot evidently warned the people; and in thus communing with them, was “vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.” 2 Peter 2:7, 8. His righteous life had been a rebuke to them; and we have every reason to believe that the holy example of Abraham in his worship of the true God was known to them. He had at one time been their saviour, and rescued their captives and spoil from the victorious enemy who was carrying them away. But when Lot warned his friends of the approaching doom, “he seemed as one that mocked.” Gen. 19:14. They, like the antediluvians, persisted in sin, and drank of the wrath of God.