God has provided preachers of righteousness continuously from the time of Abel to the present. Although Adam and Eve lost fellowship with God after they sinned, they nevertheless instructed their offspring regarding the expiation of sin. Evidently Abel alone took his parent's counsel seriously, leading to God's acceptance of his sacrifice—and resulting in his death at the hand of his brother. God protected Enoch from death in order that he might serve as a teacher of Noah, providing the godly instruction which Methuselah (Noah's grandfather) and Lamech (Noah's father) failed to afford. Noah stepped out on Enoch's counsel, finding grace in God's eyes and become a preacher of righteousness in his own right. God's called-out ones cannot please God until they too become part of this great cloud of witnesses which reaches back all the way to Abel and continues to the present, when the world is rapidly approaching the levels of violence and sin which characterized Noah's day. Today, powerful men (symbolized by the Nephilim of the past,) men influenced by Satan, influence the thoughts of the carnal public. The Satanic demon influence which destroyed civilization in the time of Noah is casts its deadly spell over today's world. As God's people approach the Passover, they must realize that the horrendous war against evil can only be won by staying on the path with Christ. God's people can all be a part of that beacon of peace if they use the gifts God has given them.