“Pre-Flood Civilization”

Gen 4-5 and Selected

“In the Beginning…” series Part 5 of 10

Nehemiah 9:6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Review…

       God created “bara” and energized the entire universe

       Days of creation were literal 24 hr days NOT long periods of time

       Man placed in Eden, a paradise, the perfect environment

       God instituted the marriage covenant ~ between man & woman

       Adam disobeyed God plunging the entire human race into sin

       God provided redemption through His Son Jesus

1.  Population Explosion

Genesis 4:1-2 ¹ Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man." ² Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

Pre-flood life expectancy was 912 years (gen 5), why?

“Canopy effect” provided temperate climate while providing Hyperbaric pressure and also filtering of harmful radiation 200 miles from South pole, sub-tropical – Admiral Byrd: fossils, leaf impressions… Miles high and miles thick… ice canopy provided the earth w/ perfect climate The air we breathe is made up of 21 percent oxygen, 78 percent nitrogen and 1 percent carbon dioxide and all other gases. Greater pressure = more oxygen intake… good for skin grafts, wound healing, diabetes, cancer, anemia, etc… Filtering out harmful radiation… today high skin cancers caused by solar radiation, radiologist has shorter lifespan than other professional medical workers

Genetic purity with few accumulated mutant genes (good DNA) Mutant genes causes many types of cancers, epilepsy, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, even speeds up the aging clock… all result from sin/curse

 

Absence of disease producing organisms Bacterial toxins, widespread epidemics… typhus, plague, small pox, flu, malaria, pneumonia, tuberculosis… caused by microbes kills has killed millions

 

Tradition says: Adam & Eve had 33 sons and 27 daughters = 60

§  No wonder, they lived an average lifespan of 912 years… lots of baby making!

 

Estimated pre-flood population of 5-17 billion people (1656+ yrs)

§  Using Ussher’s dating… population experts - an average of 10 billion people

§  People, animals & plants, all became part of our present day “fossil fuels”…

 

2.  Technology Explosion

Genesis 4:20, 22 ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock… ²² Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.

 

Jabal “producer” – modern day Wal-Mart businessman

§  Study the meaning of names… K-Mart , nomads, raised domesticated livestock

 

Tubal-Cain “to flow” – produced metal tools, weapons, industry

§  It didn’t take millions of years to produce tools… we see it in God’s Word In the beginning

§  Worked with iron and bronze… eventually other metals… industrial revolution

 

How advanced was the pre-flood world? Electric dry cell batteries discovered – Baghdad Cut crystal lenses (electro-chemical process) – Egypt, Iraq Parts of a belt made of aluminum – China Large ancient concrete constructions – Bolivia Tektites, radio-active aluminum isotopes – Lebanon Various items found in underground coal & rock veins

 

We will be looking at actual pictures of “items” found deep in the earth – embedded in coal or rock veins… hammers, jewelry, cooking utensils, brass bell with a handle, gold chain, iron screws and nails, bell-shaped vessel with images of flowers and inlaid with silver, spoons, small metal cubes, even something that resembles our spark plug… (we’re told it takes 30-300 million years to form coal)

 

	Fascinating, Christians need to know the TRUTH then stand strong in it.
	“In the beginning God created” – go to His Word not to the secular humanist

 

 

3.  Cultural Explosion

Genesis 4:17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.

Genesis 4:21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.

We not only see population, technology but also a cultural explosion…

 

Cain defied God and built a city… gathering of people Instead of being a “restless wanderer” v14 he founded a city… masses of people Often living in close proximity of one another foster greater sinfulness

 

Jubal “joyful sound” – harp and flute, musical instruments (string/wind instruments) Secular music feeds the senses… the beginning of night clubs, entertainment industry

 

Affluent, prosperous, self-indulgent, “good life” society…

 

Entertain industry, inordinate devotion to pleasure & comfort Studying passages from throughout the Bible – the people “cast off all restraint” (Jude)

 

	Communicated with a common and written language Gen 5:1,11:1 Fostering the huge populous was a written common language… Ethnologue (references and catalogs know languages) lists 6,912 living languages in the world today… Before the flood/Babel there was one common language…
	No organized system of laws/gov’t for controlling human conduct Everyman did what was “right” in their own eyes… like today – moral relativism Do your own thing… if it feels good – do it… no system of laws or human gov’t…

 

But the people had the witness of nature (Rom 1:19-20), the witness of conscience (Rom 2:14-15), the promise of a redeemer (Gen 3:15), the knowledge of the sacrifice (Gen 4:4), the preaching of Enoch (Jude 1:14-15), the preaching of Noah (2Pet 2:5), the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Gen 6:3)… yet only 8 souls saved on the ark.

 

 

4.  Wickedness Explosion

Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

 

First murder, Cain killed his brother Abel – Gen 4:3-8

	First born son, Cain pre-mediated murder… (bloodless sacrifice – fruits of the soil) Jealousy
	Lived in the land of Nod “wandering”, east of Eden… where did Cain get his wife? sister or niece

 

Lamech had two wives Adah “ornament” and Zillah “seductress”

	Lamech, 1st polygamist… kill a young man for wounding him… 1st song recorded vs 23-24
	Adah, Zillah & Naamah (pleasant) – lust of the eyes, flesh & pride of life

 

Breakdown of family values, high divorce rates, immorality

Mt 24, Lu 17, Jude 14-16, etc… speak of high divorce rates, gross immorality, ungodly, grumblers, faultfinders, boastful, highly sinful people

 

Destructive false philosophies, satanic activity/occult practices

	Secular humanism prevalent today was in full operation before the flood also
	Human accomplishments and human boasting apart from God…rebellion against God
	Astrology, Zodiac signs, occultic practices, idol worship, etc… (Canaanites, Babel, etc)

 

Nephilim “fallen ones” cohabiting with women – Gen 6:1-4; Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7; Jude 1:6-7; 1Pet 3:18-22; 2Pet 2:4-5; 3:9; Num 13:33

	Satan not forgotten the seed of the woman… “Sons of God” – “bene’elohim” – angelic beings… fell with Satan, now attempting to completely corrupt the human race… whether it was demon possession or something else?  Grotesque, strange & terrible…
	Fallen angels, left heaven and went after “strange flesh”… so corrupted the human race
	God confined those angels in prison, who “sinned” during the time of the flood in Tartarus waiting the great judgment day… BUT the damage was done… the entire earth of billions of people highly sinful, corrupt and wicked before the Lord.

 

Earth filled with wickedness, evil, corruption, violence, rebellion, lawlessness, spiritual darkness – Gen 6:5,11,13 – just read these verses…

Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

Genesis 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence.

Genesis 6:13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

 

 

 

5.  Hope in the midst of despair… (God always has His witness – two Godly men)

Enoch – “walked with God… God took him…” Preacher (Jude 1:14-15)

Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

	The world became totally wicked… just before the flood (God’s tribulation judgment) Enoch was raptured out… Enoch symbolizes the church being raptured before the Trib.
	Are you walking with God?  Is your lifestyle pleasing to the Lord?

 

Noah – “found grace… righteous… blameless”

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

 

	The world devastated with ungodliness and shot through with sin…
	BUT Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord – unmerited favor…
	Noah acted on faith – fully trusting in and believing God in holy reverential fear… acted.

	The sin disease is devastating… God sent His Son to die for sin… repent and believe.
	The parallels of the preflood world to ours today are so similar… Jesus is coming
	I’m going to leave you with two verses to think about…
	Let God speak to your hearts…

Luke 17:26-27 ²⁶ "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

Matthew 24:44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Are you ready if Christ returns today?