As time passed on, with no apparent change in nature, men whose hearts had at times trembled with fear, began to be reassured. They reasoned, as many reason now, that nature is above the God of nature, and that her laws are so firmly established that God Himself could not change them. Reasoning that if the message of Noah were correct, nature would be turned out of her course, they made that message, in the minds of the world, a delusion--a grand deception. They manifested their contempt for the warning of God by doing just as they had done before the warning was given. They continued their festivities and their gluttonous feasts; they ate and drank, planted and builded, laying their plans in reference to advantages they hoped to gain in the future; and they went to greater lengths in wickedness, and in defiant disregard of God's requirements, to testify that they had no fear of the Infinite One. They asserted that if there were any truth in what Noah had said, the men of renown--the wise, the prudent, the great men--would understand the matter.

Idet tiden gik, uden at der skete synlige forandringer i naturen, begyndte de mennesker, hvis hjerte for en tid havde skælvet af frygt, at føle sig sikre. De tænkte, som mange gør i dag, at naturen står over naturens Gud, og at dens love er så grundfæstede, at selv Gud ikke kan forandre dem. De ræsonnerede, at hvis Noas budskab var rigtigt, ville naturen komme ud af balance, og derfor gjorde de i verdens øjne budskabet til en illusion - et stort bedrag De viste deres foragt for Guds advarsel ved at gøre akkurat, som de havde gjort, før advarslen blev givet. De fortsatte med deres fester og deres frådseri. De spiste og drak, plantede og byggede og lagde planer med henblik på de fordele, de håbede at opnå i fremtiden. De gik videre i ondskab og trodsig ligegyldighed over for Guds krav for at vise, at de ikke frygtede den Evige. De hævdede, at hvis der var noget sandt i det, Noa havde sagt, ville berømte mænd, de vise, kloge og store mænd forstå det.