12 - The Coming Catastrophe 2010

Jeffrey Kelly

TPC-Sermons

Genesis...The Beginnings 2010 • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

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We saw last time that the growing independence of the Cainite line (the descendants of Cain) came to a head in a man named Lamech and his family. A new age was about to dawn in science, art, philosophy, and religion. But at the same time, man’s moral and spiritual condition nose-dived into catastrophe and judgment.

The world of that day uncannily mirrors our world today. It was a time of great scientific, technological advancement, while at the same time a growing defiance and hostility toward God and the godly grew. As scripture says, they were “…always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.”—2 Tim. 3:7

As the Flood was headed their way, so God’s judgment is headed ours.

From the story of the first murder, the “Cainite” genealogy is tracked through 6 generations, ending with Lamech and his sons. From these sons various aspects of civilization developed.

The first son, Jabal, introduced and pioneered breeding and raising livestock, or cattle ranching (4:20).

Jubal, the second son, was a musician (4:21). His name means “joyful sound.” He was the father of all that handle the harp and the organ. Stringed instruments and wind instruments were his idea. The world without God that these men occupied needed distraction, ways to drown out the thought of God. Hence, along came Mr. Joyful Sound!

Lamech’s third son, Tubal, was big in technology, an instructor of every worker in brass and iron (4:22). He invented metallurgy, blazing the trail in smelting, extracting metal from the ground, and making things from them. Actually, Tubal launched the “industrial revolution” of his day.

These three brothers dominated the godless line of Cain. They founded an age of discovery and were the innovators of prosperity, pleasure and power.

What was so wrong with all of this? Wasn’t this a good life? Didn’t these three sons of Lamech make great contributions to life and living? Yes and no, because it was all life apart from God. Remember, this was the lineage that had “gone out from the presence of the Lord.”

In truth, this time period was one of moral disorder, as Lamech was the first man to introduce polygamy in marrying two wives. Polygamy became the order of the day.

And it was an age of militant defiance (4:23-24). The genealogy of Cain ends with what is called the “song of the sword,” which was a boast by Lamech that he “killed a man for wounding me” (4:23).

Lamech’s act of murder was different from Cain’s. Rather than mourn, he gloated in his song that he would be avenged “seventy times seven.”

Lamech’s song was the first song of scripture, and was riddled with independence, power, and vengefulness. He promised bitter vengeance on anyone that might hurt or attack him. This had become the spirit of the age. A rampage of evil had begun!

The Righteous Line

Having traced the line of Cain, Moses returns in his Genesis account to Adam and Eve, who were now the same as childless. Eve counted on her next son, Seth, to be a replacement for the murdered Abel. Out of Seth came the righteous line.

Seth had a son named Enosh, another Hebrew word meaning “mankind.” Interestingly, it says that in his days “men began to call on the name of the Lord” (4:26). Again, interestingly, when a “Sethite” died, the Bible makes mention of it over and over again—this one died, that one died. All throughout Genesis 5 we hear the tolling of the bell over the death of the righteous line.

4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters…and then he died.

6 Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.

9 Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.

14 Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.

20 Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.

And then suddenly, a break in the pattern occurs:

24 “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” This describes the first rapture or “catching away” of a righteous person.

But of the Cainites, not once are we told of even one of them dying. Of the Sethites the Bible says, “They lived” while on earth. But not once are we told that a Cainite “lived.” They were indeed “dead in trespasses and sins.” Their social innovations, their scientific developments, and all of their secular advancements only covered up the empty, hollow, meaningless sham of a godless life of rebellion.

The Great Apostasy

And so these two lines—the righteous line of Seth, and the godless line of Cain—went on for centuries. Yet things were slowly coming to a head for God. It would appear that the final straw is recorded in Genesis 6 beginning with verse 1:

“When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them…”

The first great hallmark of this age was a population explosion. “Men began to increase…” Along with this, a startling spiritual decay took place that ended in shameless depravity and strong delusion. This was the forbidden sexual liaison between women and fallen angelic beings—and to the rise of a hybrid race of “giants.”

“…the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose” (6:2).

The expression “the sons of God” is translated from “the sons of Elohim.” This expression is used only 4 times in other parts of the Bible. It occurs 3 times in Job (1:6; 2:1) where we read of “the sons of God” presenting themselves before God, Satan being among them. Clearly these “sons of God” are angels.

The Bible reveals that a host of angels had already followed Lucifer in the initial rebellion against God; now some of those fallen angels fell even lower. In open defiance of the limits set by God, they went after what Jude calls “strange flesh” (Jude 7), the flesh and blood daughters of the sons of men!

As a result of this profound depravity, a perversion of the human race took place. Born to these godless unions was a race of giants called Nephilim.

“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.”

This race of giants signify the height of wickedness, prodigies of evil, and an advanced form of demonism evident in the days prior to the flood.

God looked down on mankind at this point and sums them up in one ghastly verse: “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (6:5)

The word “IMAGINATION” comes from a Hebrew word relating to pottery. It means “to fashion as a potter.” This is striking in that it suggests that men fashioned evil philosophies like a pot; they formed obscene artifacts, eagerly espoused filthy causes, popularized vile sins, and shaped society according to their wickedness.

At this juncture let’s remember Jesus’ words, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the return of the Son of Man.”—Matt. 24:37 (italics mine)

What was God’s response to this rampant wickedness?

“The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”

“So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.’” (6:6-7).

All would have been lost but for one man:

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (vs.8).

God throughout history has always had His special man—a Moses, an Elijah, a Daniel. Before the Great Flood he had Noah. Even though the world was caving in around him, Noah towered above it all, a man of faith, a man that feared God, a man of awesome obedience.

Noah was a man energized by God. This divine energy manifested itself in three ways: First, he was forgiven. He “found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Grace in the Bible means “unmerited favor;” it is getting something we don’t deserve—Noah found grace.

Second, he was faithful. We are told that he was “a just man and perfect in his generations” and that he “walked with God.” Noah had entered fully into the salvation of God and the standing before God only available to the justified soul.

Clearly Noah had also received the power from God to live a godly life. He was “perfect” (without blemish) in a morally corrupt world.

And thirdly, Noah was fruitful. Though he had only three sons, it is from them that every man, woman and child on the planet has descended since the flood.

In Chapter 6: 11-12, God is seen reviewing the earth. “Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.”

Everywhere He looked He saw open, flagrant, public immorality and lawlessness. Vice and violence were the order of the day. The worst of sins were flaunted and applauded.

The very same thing is happening in our culture today. Old moral standards and religious restraints have been cast aside. Anyone who cries out or even faintly criticizes these things is maligned, mocked, ridiculed, threatened and condemned.

Those living in sexual perversion are not only applauded, but are promoted to high public office. The mayor of one of our great cities recently proclaimed a “gay pride week” to honor that lifestyle. There was scarcely a ripple of protest.

John Phillips writes of these times, “Corruption stalks everywhere with head lifted high. The sins that produced the Flood have risen again in the world and are fast reaching toward heaven.”

No wonder God finally said to Noah in 6:13, “The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

The word “end” comes from a Hebrew root meaning “to cut off.” God had reached the end of His patience. But He revealed the fact to Noah so that a way of escape might be provided for those who would take it.

Even in His wrath, God remembers His mercy.

Once God had His man, He revealed His plan. In order to prepare Noah for the flood, God gave him two commands. The first was to build an ark of sufficient size to hold himself, his family (6:18; eight persons total), one pair of every animal (6:19-20), and plenty of food for all (6:21). Noah did it (6:22).

God’s command to build the ark included the announcement that he was about to destroy “every creature that has the breath of life in it” (6:17). Noah and his family would be saved through the ark because God was establishing His covenant with them (6:18). This covenant would be ratified with Noah and his descendants after the floodwaters went down (9:9-10).

The second command given to Noah was to enter the ark with seven pairs of every clean animal (7:1-3). Noah did it (7: 5). Once again this command shows how clearly God’s message concerning the necessity of a blood sacrifice had been taught to the Antediluvian age (the age and people before the Flood). After the waters receded, Noah offered a burnt offering of clean animals to the Lord (8:20).

Noah’s ark and the basket that Moses was placed in as an infant (Exodus 2:3) are identified by the same term in Hebrew. This reveals important parallels between Noah and the baby Moses.

Both arks were made of wood covered in tar.

Both Moses and Noah were delivered from certain death by floating in the water.

Because Moses and Noah were saved, both preserved an entire people.

As adults, both received God’s covenant.

Moses, the writer of Genesis, clearly intended to tell his audience that, like Noah, he—and they—were beginning a new epoch in God’s redemptive history.