Year 2 Class 11 Session B Notes The Preflood World Now Adam knew his wife and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. (Genesis 4:1) The Hebrew text indicates that Even may have seen here firstborn son as the promised seed. In this way Cain is a type of Antichrist, who will deceive many into thinking he is the one to whom worship is due. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. Genesis 4:2 in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock (Genesis 4:3-4) A sacrificial system is now in place. Cain and Abel are to bring their offerings to a designated place. Cain s offering was bloodless and therefore unacceptable: Without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Hebrews 9:22 and it came to pass that when they were in the field, that Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him. (Genesis 4:8) Cain s jealousy got the better of him and he slew his brother in cold blood. Cain had a choice in the matter; he could have done otherwise (4:7). And [God] said What have you done? The voice of your brother s blood cries out to Me from the ground. (Genesis 4:10) This may be a reference to the generations that would have been born had Abel not been slain. According to the Lord Jesus, Abel was a prophetic voice on the earth before the flood. The ungodly always detest God s message and messangers. That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. Luke 11:50-51 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. Genesis 4:16 Where did Cain get his wife? Answer: He must have married one of his sisters. He must have had many of them. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters. Genesis 5:3-4
The Mystery of Aging No one knows what causes the human clock to wind down. As scientists begin to probe our life- sustaining mechanisms, which are intricate, interlocking, and involve the very molecules that build our bodies, speculation abounds. Explaining the complexities of our own experience of aging is a long way off. says James Fozard of the National Institute on Aging. National Geographic Aging: New Answers to Old Questions, Nov. 1997, p. 15 And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. Genesis 4:16-17 The level of technology seen in some ancient cities/artifacts conflicts with the predictions of the evolution story to such a degree that we commonly refer to them as ancient mysteries. Plenty of books have been written concerning such mysteries. many new discoveries have been made about the extend and complexity of the societies that existed in the time before recorded history. The most distant past of the human species becomes more crowded year by year. And views about where and when the first cities appeared are undergoing radical revision. The World s Last Mysteries, Reader s Digest Assoc., 1978, p. 142 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his father s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. Genesis 4:20-21 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. Genesis 4:22 Such verses refute the notion of a stone- age. Near original man was a capable rancher, musician, and metallurgist. The New Testament affirms the historicity of the Genesis record and its literal interpretation: Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. Jude 14-15 And the LORD said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years. (Genesis 6:3) There is something ominous about the verse. Many see it as a warning that the flood would come upon the earth in 120 years if the people continued along their current moral trajectory. There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward (Genesis 6:4). There is plenty of evidence indicating that men of enormous stature once lived.
If humans varied as much in height, the smallest would be two feet tall and the tallest would measure some 31 feet. National Geographic, Feb. 2012 Who were the Son s of God? And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4) Three Common Interpretations of these Passages: 1. Sons of God are fallen angelic beings that had children with human women. Their children were the giants. 2. Sons of God are the descendants of Seth. These men married the descendants of Cain (daughters of men). 3. Sons of God are fallen angelic beings who possessed men. These demon- possessed men married and had children. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5 No Preflood Government (The death penalty for murder was only handed down after the flood) Whoso sheddeth man s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man. Genesis 9:6 Without swift punishment people will increase in wickedness: Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart in the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Ecclesiastes 8:11 Unrestrained demonic influence in the preflood world: The Bible indicates that before the flood especially wicked demons were in the earth. Apparently at the time of the flood these creatures were incarcerated in the abyss. Jesus may have served notice on them after his crucifixion:
He went and preached to the spirit s in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared 2 Peter 3:18-20 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Jude 6 Jesus asked him, saying, What is your name? And he said, Legion, because many demons has entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the Abyss. Luke 8:30-31 Revelation 9 describes the release of these creatures to plague the world in the end times. Preflood Animal Violence And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Genesis 9:2 This implies that before the flood the fear and dread of human was not upon the animals. Carnivorous creatures, which are now typically afraid of man, may have attacked man openly and without fear. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:8 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9 Noah may not have been the most upright man in biblical history. Nevertheless, compared to the darkness in which he lived, he shined very brightly. We must strive to do likewise: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world Philippians 2:15 [God] spared not the old world, but spared Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. 2 Peter 2:5 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 which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Hebrews 11:7 What a lesson for us. Noah took God at His word. Today we have a tremendous advantage over Noah. We can see evidence from science, archaeology, astronomy, anthropology and history,
that the Bible is reliable. Noah had no such external evidences. Nevertheless, Noah believed God. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. Genesis 6:14 God wanted the ark to be water- tight. This is analogous to the church or to an individual Christian life, where sin and wickedness must be prevented from entering. We are not alone in this. Jude writes: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)