Days of Noah - The Wickedness of Man was Great in the Earth... Read more...

• The Wickedness of Man was Great in the Earth - The world before the flood was much like us today: they sinned daily against the Holy God of heaven. We read about God’s reaction to their sin in Genesis chapter 6 “it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart”. But consider this: our world today is populated by over 6 billion people (approaching 7 billion) compared to couple of millions population of the world of Noah’s day. By sheer numbers, the present generation of man is the most evil generation that has ever existed upon the earth. The sum of transgressions against God, in thought, word, and deed, in our day probably outweighs all the sins of mankind combined that have ever lived upon the face of the earth. Our evil generation is screaming unto the heavens (by their wickedness) to be destroyed. Rom 1:18-20 and 25 uncover the hideous fact that man fell into sin and rebelled against the very God Who had created man in His own likeness. Notice the emphasis that God is placing on “lies” and “changing the truth” in these verses as man attempts to promote his own ideas and lusts. Eph 4:18 underscores unsaved man’s spiritual depravity: “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart”. Though many today do not worship so-called “idols”, they are just as guilty for worshiping their own minds, or humanity, or education, or science, or fame or power, or money, or politics, or sports. In verse 26 of Rom 1, we learn that: “God gave them up unto vile affections” highlighting man’s evil inclination to delve into all manner of sexual perversion. In verse 27, God pinpoints the sin of homosexuality and lesbianism. In verses 29-31 God further lists 24 sins. Finally, in verse 32 God makes the point that man knows he deserves to be damned because he commits such sins; nonetheless, he not only persists in his sin, he also delights in the fact that others do as well.

Gen 6:5-6 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”

Rom 1:18-23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

Rom 1:24-17 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

Rom 1:28-31 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:”

• Unequally Yoked together with Unbelievers - In Gen 6:2, we learn: “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose”. The “sons of God” is referring to believers, the ones who are associated with the line of the faithful, the line of those who have identification with God Himself. The “daughters of men” is referring to unbelievers, women who were of the world, outside of that godly line, who did not follow Jehovah. It is actually saying that there were mixed, unequally yoked marriages. The people of God who saw that the “daughters of men” were very fair — they were beautiful outwardly — and they got mixed up in a relationship with them. As the divine institution that God established, marriage mirrors the spiritual union of Christ and His eternal church. That relationship is based upon God’s love and forgiveness. Human marriage was intended to pattern this  union between Christ and His bride, which gives no excuse for divorce, “What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”. The unequally-yoked marriages that were going on prior to the flood produced wickedness in the world to where the standard of God’s people was deteriorating until God warned Noah and gave instructions concerning the ark one hundred and twenty years prior to the flood and brought judgment. This is very similar to our day. Marriage in the present day is highly abused. The institution of marriage is broken and we have a very high divorce rate, couples living together and having children outside wedlock, same sex marriages, fornication and so on.

Gen 6:2-4 “That the sons of God [believers] saw the daughters of men [non-believers] that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 4There 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. And JEHOVAH 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.”

2 Cor 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”

Matt 19:4-6 “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

• Overcharged with the Cares of this Life - A very real and insidious problem of life on this sin-cursed earth is that we can became captivated by “... all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life ...”, according to 1 John 2:16-17. One hundred and twenty years prior to the flood, Noah was given instructions concerning the ark. Noah began to build the ark in obedience to God’s command, which was a warning to the people of the world of Noah’s day, yet they did not heed the warning. Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Pet 2:5). He was declaring the information that God had given him about the flood: “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 the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Heb 11:7). God has determined that mankind (of Noah’s day) has 7 days yet to live; and God made a decree, “Yet 7 days” until He would destroy everything living off of the earth. What was man’s reaction to this decree? Did mankind weep and howl? Did they put sackcloth on and repent in dust and ashes? No! We read about man’s reaction to Noah’s 120 years of preaching in Luke 17. Mankind continued to live as if they would be upon this earth for ever. There they were, busy about their business. When God told him, “Yet seven days”, He gave him the exact year, month, and day when the flood would come, Noah would have shared this information with the people of the world of his day. But their response was “eating and drinking” and that is normal life: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Let us compare this with the response of the Ninevites. When Jonah went into the city and he cried, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overturned”, the word got around. And from the king on down, they sat in sackcloth and ashes and fasted”. They fasted, which means that they abstained from eating and drinking. It was even commanded by the king, “Let not man or beast eat nor drink”. Of course, God uses this as a picture of a good response to a very serious warning of an approaching judgment. We, today, do not have to do that literally or physically. We do not have to tear our garments and put ashes on our heads and abstain from food and drink. But spiritually, it points to a brokenness in our hearts and minds, there should be a reaction where this has precedence, this has top priority. It should be constantly in our minds about ourself, if we are not saved, or about our family or our friends or how we can share the Gospel, and this is the point. When Christ returns as “a thief in the night”, this world will likewise be engaged in the various activities of living – eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, buying, selling, planting, building – in a physical sense as well as spiritually.

Luke 12:29-34 “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Luke 17:26-27 “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”

Luke 21:34 “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”