Last Day Events: Chapter 8—The Cities Part 1

 The Original City Builders

Upon receiving the curse of God, Cain had withdrawn from his father's household. He had first chosen his occupation as a tiller of the soil, and he now founded a city, calling it after the name of his eldest son [Genesis 4:17]. He had gone out from the presence of the Lord, cast away the promise of the restored Eden, to seek his possessions and enjoyment in the earth under the curse of sin, thus standing at the head of that great class of men who worship the god of this world.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 81 (1890).

For a time the descendants of Noah continued to dwell among the mountains where the ark had rested. As their numbers increased, apostasy soon led to division. Those who desired to forget their Creator and to cast off the restraint of His law felt a constant annoyance from the teaching and example of their God-fearing associates, and after a time they decided to separate from the worshipers of God. Accordingly they journeyed to the plain of Shinar, on the banks of the river Euphrates....

Here they decided to build a city, and in it a tower of such stupendous height as should render it the wonder of the world [Genesis 11:2-4].—Patriarchs and Prophets, 118, 119 (1890).

The Cities Are Hotbeds of Vice

The pursuit of pleasure and amusement centers in the cities. Many parents who choose a city home for their children, thinking to give them greater advantages, meet with disappointment, and too late repent their terrible mistake. The cities of today are fast becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah. The many holidays encourage idleness. The exciting sports—theater-going, horse-racing, gambling, liquor-drinking, and reveling—stimulate every passion to intense activity. The youth are swept away by the popular current.—Christ's Object Lessons, 54 (1900).

Light has been given me that the cities will be filled with confusion, violence, and crime, and that these things will increase till the end of this earth's history.—Testimonies for the Church 7:84 (1902).

The world over, cities are becoming hotbeds of vice. On every hand are the sights and sounds of evil. Everywhere are enticements to sensuality and dissipation.—The Ministry of Healing, 363 (1905).