October 18, 2020 The End of the World Genesis 5-6 Study Guide Big Idea: Real faith involves obedience over time. Sin had entered the human race, and it didn’t take long for the corruption to Satan’s work from Genesis 3 spread and defile God’s creation. Like a cancerous tumor, evil infected civilization 1. Confuse – he wants to confuse us and brought death wherever it went.1 However, God is sovereign in all things and specifically regarding the truth -- “Did God really say…?” (3:1). “the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all 2. Distort – he always distorts the generations.” (Psalm 33:11) His plans are not frustrated by the foolish or sinful truth – he is the father pf lies. ways of mankind. 3. Pacify – he pacifies our conscience – Even in the darkest of days or the worst news days, we have the promise of the sin isn’t that big a deal. Lord’s return to encourage us and motivate us to be godly. And the first sign that 4. Beautify – he makes sin look good & God might actually do this was in the life of Enoch, who “walked with God, then attractive, not deadly – look what he was no more, because God took him away.” (Genesis 5:24) While almost all pleasure (or power, or prestige, or humans had turned away from God to evil and violence, Enoch chose to pursue possessions) you will have. God. He gives us hope in a dark and evil world that a person can do this and that God will be with us and keep His promise to take us to a much better place. You adulterous people, don’t you know Enoch was from Seth’s line which was far different from those in Cain’s line. In that friendship with the world means fact, Moses (the transcriber of Genesis) was making a point. And it becomes obvi- enmity against God? Therefore, anyone ous with the two sons of the same name — Lamech — one from Cain’s line and who chooses to be a friend of the world one from Seth’s line. Lamech Cain was the first to commit bigamy by marrying becomes an enemy of God. James 4:4 two wives. He also bragged about killing a young man who injured him. (Genesis 4:19,23) Not what you would call a godly man. Do not love the world or anything in the Lamech Seth, on the other hand, fathered Noah, who walked with God (Genesis world. If anyone loves the world, love 6:9) and was used by God to rescue the human race. Lamech’s main concern was for the Father is not in them. For every- that mankind find comfort and rest in the middle of a very wicked world. thing in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride Although Satan isn’t mentioned by name in Genesis, he was at work in the of life—comes not from the Father but garden and ever after to bring dishonor to God by deceiving and tempting man- from the world. The world and its de- kind toward evil. Lamech Cain’s children willingly followed his deception and sires pass away, but whoever does the temptation while Lamech Seth’s children pursued God. will of God lives forever. Q: What made the difference between Lamech Cain and Lamech Seth? 1 John 2:15-17 One of Satan’s most successful devices is compromise. If he can deceive God’s Do not be yoked together with unbeliev- people into abandoning their privileged position of separation from sin and com- ers. For what do righteousness and munion with God, then he can corrupt them and lead them into sin. He did this wickedness have in common? Or what often as was reported in the Old Testament. (see Numbers 25; Psalm 106:28-31, fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ 34-48; Judges 2) and Belial? Or what does a believ- Satan enticed the godly line of Seth (“the sons of God”) to mix with the ungodly er have in common with an unbeliever? line of Cain (“the daughters of Cain”) and thus abandon their devotion to the . Therefore, since we have these Lord. It’s the same temptation that Christians face today. promises, dear friends, let us purify • Be friendly with the world (James 4:4) ourselves from everything that contami- • Love the world (1 John 2:15-17) nates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. • Conform to the world (Romans 12:2) 2 Corinthians 6:14-5; 7:1 • Build relationships with the world (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1) • Which leads to being condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32) 1 Warren Wiersbe has some great comments about this passage. Some interpreters view 6:1-7 as an invasion of fallen angels who cohabited with women and produced a race of giants. But as interesting as the theory is, it creates more problems than it solves, not the least of which is the union of sexless spirit beings with flesh and blood humans. Even if such unions did occur, could there be offspring and why would they be giants? And how did these "giants" (Nephilim, "fallen ones") survive the flood (v. 4; Num. 13:31-33), or was there a second inva- sion of fallen angels after the flood? The term "sons of God" does refer to angels in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7, but these are unfallen angels faithfully serving God. Even if fallen angels could make them- selves appear in human bodies, why would they want to marry women and settle down on earth? Certainly their wives and neighbors would detect something different about them and this would create problems. Furthermore, the emphasis in Genesis 6 is on the sin of man and not the rebellion of angels. The word "man" is used nine times in verses 1-7, and God states clearly that the judgment was coming because of what humans had done. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth" (v. 5). The 120-year limit expressed in verse 3 probably refers to the years until the flood would come. God is longsuffering with lost sinners, but there comes a time when judgment must fall. During that "day of grace," Noah prepared the ark and gave witness that judgment was coming (2 Peter 2:5), the same message Enoch had given during his lifetime (Jude 14-15). God gave His message in the mouth of two witnesses, but the people wouldn't listen. The word "giants" in Genesis 6:4 (xjv) is a translation of the Hebrew word nephilim which means "fallen ones." Some who follow the "angel theory" of chap- ter 6 make the nephilim the fallen angels whose children became great leaders. As we've already seen, if these nephilim were angels with human bodies, then they either survived the flood (because the Hebrew spies saw them in Canaan; Num. [Jesus] said to them, “You are the ones 13:31-33), or there was a second invasion of "fallen angels" after the flood. Both who justify yourselves in the eyes of ideas seem incredible. others, but God knows your hearts. The most likely interpretation of Genesis 6:4 is that God saw the people of that What people value highly is detestable day as "fallen ones," while men saw these people as mighty leaders. Even today, in God’s sight. Luke 16:15 much of what is admired by the world is rejected by the Lord. (Luke 16:15)2 The conditions that resulted from these marriages were wickedness and violence that we universal and without precedent. Jesus Christ warned that the last days would exhibit the same disregard for God’s standards and concerns when he said: As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37-39 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. This is one of some thirty expressions in the Scriptures that express God's response using human emotions. God's creation had ceased to reflect His glory in almost every way (see Rev. 4:11), so he was no longer pleased or comforted by it. God stated, I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth . for I am grieved that I have made them. (6:6-7) God changed his previous manner of dealing with humanity, which had been one of patient endurance even when there was no positive response. Now he would deal with them in temporal judgment. 2 Noah was introduced in Genesis 5:29-32. He was in the line of Seth and There Goes the Neighborhood Enoch (the line of the godly), and he was chosen by God to be a redeemer of From Skip Heitzig’s book the human race (to allow for "the" seed to come). His provision of salvation would preserve the human race, although not most of preflood humanity.