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The descendants of Seth were called the
“sons of God” while the children of Cain were the “sons of
men.” Adam is called “the son of God” in Luke 3:38:
“Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the
son of Adam, which was the son of God.” The heads of the inhabitants
of the other created worlds in this universe (we’re not the only
beings which God created—but don’t tell Carl Sagan!), were called
to a heavenly council by God.
Satan (formerly Lucifer) had usurped
from Adam the position as head of this world, was the representative
from the earth, and was present at this council (see Job 1:6,7). Satan
is called “prince of this world” by Christ (John 12:31, 14:30,
16:11; see also Ephesians 6:12). A “prince” is the "head"
or representative of the territory he controls.
All people who believe in God’s word
are called “children of God.” The first chapter of Ephesians tells
us that all persons from this earth were "predestined" to be
adopted children of God and to obtain the “inheritance” which is
only found in Christ. Ephesians also mentions “children of
disobedience,” saying that they were followers of “the prince of the
power of the air,” who were filled with thoughts of “the lusts of
the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”
(Ephesians 2:2, 3).
The Bible makes a clear distinction
between two types of people on this earth. “Children of
disobedience” are slaves to Satan, led and controlled by him. “Sons
and daughters of God” are led by Christ to honor and obey the one true
God of the universe. Paul makes it clear that those who by faith follow
God, forsaking all their idols and keeping the com- mandments of God,
will be called “sons and daughters” of God (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
John says “he that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I [God] will be their God, and he shall be my
son.” Revelation 21:7. “Behold what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore
the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Behold, now are we
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see
Him as He is.” 1 John 3:1, 2.
As the “sons of God” (the children
of righteous Seth) mingled with the “sons of men” (the children of
Cain), they became corrupted through the association. And by
intermingling and intermarriage with the daughters of Cain (as Genesis
6:2 states), the sons of Seth (the “sons of God”) lost their
peculiar, holy character, forgot who God was, and united with their
wives in their idolatry. Satan still uses this method to divert the
minds of God’s people from the truth. That’s why Paul gave us the
counsel “be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians
6:14).
The Bible is clear that intermarriage
with unbelievers is dangerous. Every time God's people intermingled and
intermarried with people of the “world,”
they fell into sin. (See Numbers 25:1-3; Joshua 23:11-13; Judges 3:5-7;
1 Kings 11:1, 2, 6; 16:31; Ezra 9:1, 2, 12; 10:14)
We must live “in the world” but we
are not to be “of the world.” Jesus said: “If the world hate you,
ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world,
the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
John 15:18, 19.
Generally, our view of the meaning of
Jesus’ words to His disciples as they stood on the Mount of Olives is
too narrow: “As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the
Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that
Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took
them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew
24:37-39. We interpret “eating and drinking, and marrying and giving
in marriage” to mean that “life will be just going on as usual.”
But, at the time of Noah, “life as
usual” was commonly debased, degraded, and openly sinful. People gave
no thought to the coming judgment. They ridiculed Noah’s preaching,
refused repentance, and refused righteousness by faith. The inhabitants
of the world at the time the world was destroyed by flood were corrupted
through indulgence of perverted appetite. They worshipped selfish
indulgence—eating, drinking, and merry- making—and resorted to acts
of violence and crime if their desires and passions were interfered
with. War, crime, murder, was the order of the day. The whole land was
filled with violence, and the overwhelming majority were opposed to the
truth. Jesus said it will be just like this before “the coming of the
Son of Man.”
So, How Was It in the
Days of Noah?
The people of that day:
- Ignored the evidence God was
giving them.
- Hardened their hearts in continued
sin and rebellion—indulging all sinful
tendencies/inclinations/appetites until they became habits and the “natural” way of life for them.
- Pleasure-seeking was their
foremost thought—all they were interested in was how they could
they make themselves happy and feel good.
- They were in complete defiance of
God’s Laws (natural and moral) as evidenced in polygamy, murder,
etc., and in the amalgamation of man and beast (hybridization is
specifically condemned by God; see Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy
22:9-11; What about genetic manipulation and intermingling of
species genetically?)
- They worshipped idols made with
their hands (which is really self-worship).
- The people were caught up in crass
materialism, building bigger and finer houses to out-do their
neighbors (gold and silver were commonly used for building
materials), and in adorning the body with gold and jewelry
- They actively worked to derange
God’s created design through amalgamation, and through
congregating in cities (which worked to make their sinful
lifestyle easier through association and easy access). After the
flood, when God commanded Noah’s sons to disperse and repopulate
the earth, they congregated in cities requiring that God again
intervene by scattering them (see Genesis 11:1-8).
- Pre-flood persons found pleasure
and excitement in violent deeds (is this any different from today’s
absorption and fascination with violent movies, video games, and
violent sports?)
- Individuals were worshipped for
their violent ways—they became “men of renown” and were considered heroes and “giants” of society. Who
are today’s “heros” and rôle models; how many of our
children know all the names of the NWO wrestlers, but know nothing
of the Son of God? Who are the rôle models as evidenced by the
games and toys our children play with? Who do we emulate?
- People were totally indifferent
and disregarding of the value of life (both human and animal).
- Because of the majority’s
rejection of the word of God, there was a virtual extinction of
the truth from the world (only 8 people were found “righteous” and entered the ark).
- Righteous persons were regarded as
“the wild-eyed lunatic fringe,” were laughed at and
ridiculed for their unwillingness to participate in the sins of
the world.
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