Lesson 12 Judgment is Set update 10-14-13

                                       Judgment is Set

                                            Genesis 6:1-5

We have been following the lines of two sons of the first man Adam, whose body was formed from the dust of the ground by Jehovah, the living and  true God. As we have seen, Adam’s firstborn son, Cain, refused to be dependent upon and responsible to Jehovah, the Creator and Redeemer of all, for eternal life, that one might have a deathless glorified body to live in forever.

Cain turned to his own way and went out of the presence of Jehovah Elohim and began building a city (Gen.4:16-17; see Jude11). Cain was beguiled and mentored by the evil one, the self-appointed god of this world (see 2 Cor.4:3-4; 1 Jn.3:10-12).

The other son, Seth, was begotten of Adam’s seed when Adam was 130 years old (Gen.5:3). Seth was chosen by Jehovah to be the progenitor of the people through whom would come the Anointed Son of God after the flesh. Seth was given by Jehovah to carry the seed to be passed down through the ages to Heli, the father of Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus’ humanity (see Gen.4:25; Lk.3:23-38). In Genesis 5 we have the record of the sons who carried the seed down through their generations to Noah and his generation, the tenth generation from Adam.

Through the names of the sons in both lines we are given to see the great difference between man going his own way and building for man’s glory, and the preaching of the righteousness of God through faith in God’s Anointed Son, that one be born again and go into God’s Kingdom of sons of God.

It is interesting to consider the longevity of the true prophets in the line of Seth. A record is given of each one having been begotten by a prophet of Jehovah, the God, and a record of his firstborn son, and the days he lived to raise a family, and age he died. Prophet after prophet died in a good old age, with the exception of the one - Enoch.

“Enoch walked with the God, and he was not, for the God took him (Gen.5:24). With the birth of Enoch’s son Methuselah, the God gave Enoch a prophecy of a judgment coming upon the affairs of men living on God’s earth. God did not give any timing of the judgment to Enoch, but that the prophecy be kept before man’s thinking, Enoch named his firstborn “he dies, it is sent” (Gen.5:21).

Enoch was 65 years old when Methuselah was born. Methuselah was 187 years old when he begot Lamech. Enoch lived 300 years after he begot Methuselah. So Enoch lived 113 years after Lamech was born before the God took him. Lamech was 182 years old when Noah was born. So Enoch preached until 69 years before the birth of Noah. Adam was 687 years old when Methuselah was born and Adam was 874 years old when Lamech was born. Adam died when Lamech was 56 years old.

Adam and Enoch and Methuselah and Lamech must have had many a discussion on the righteousness of God, of which each one preached, and on the absolute imperative of each person born in the flesh being born again a son of God to go into the Kingdom of God. Did they go to hear one another preach? Did they go out two by two? There also must have been much conversing on the subject of the coming judgment.

As we look for our blessed hope of the new glorified body of eternal life with our Lord’s coming to gather us, His Body, the Church, to Himself, we also look for the afterwards of a new heavens and new earth, wherein dwells righteousness (see Phil.3:20-21; 1 Thess.4:13-18; 2 Pet.3:13). Those first true prophets looked for the coming judgment, a deathwatch on a condemned city world, and afterwards a new beginning with a cleansed earth.

Was Methuselah healthy to the end, when it was his time to depart his earthly body? Was he like Moses and his eye was not dim, or his natural life force not abated? (see Deut.34:7). We are not told. His name was a forewarning of Jehovah’s disapproval of man’s thoughts and works, of man’s refusing to receive the gift of eternal life offered in His Covenant Son.

In the line of Adam’s firstborn Cain, the record begins with the death of Cain’s twin brother Abel by the hand of Cain, a bloody, brutal murder. The record ends with a song of murder. In Genesis 4 there is no record of the date of the birth or the date of the death of the false prophets. Nothing is said of dying. We do not know if any died or if all were kept alive for the judgment. The point being, in blotting out the living and true God, they did not live. They would not receive life eternal necessary to overcome the death of a lifeless, bloodless body that is no longer breathing. There was no eternal life with power to raise up the body out from the dead. They were born dead and remained dead (see Eph.2:1-3; Jn.8:24), and Jehovah took their breath away and blotted them out of the living (see Ex.32:33; Deut.29:16-20; Eccl.8:8; Ps.69:28; 109:13). And, as not being among the living, their name was not recorded in “The Book of Life,” and they will face another judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of time, after which they will be cast into the lake of fire, where they will forever be (see Rev.20:11-15).

There is no eternal value to men who will not receive eternal life, that their body live after death and live forevermore. After the Flood nothing more is said of the line of Adam’s son Cain. None were left to carry on a record.

Through the preaching of the righteousness of God through faith in His Covenant Son in whom is the one hope of eternal life, the Spirit of God has been convicting those of mankind to judge their own heart according to the word of God and overrule the lawlessness and enmity of the mind in going one’s own way (see Gen.6:3; Jn.15:26; 16:7-15).

Through the preaching of righteousness and through the conviction of the testimony of the Holy Spirit to the witness of the preaching, the long-suffering Jehovah had been giving man the opportunity to repent, to change his mind and turn around and disown himself as his own person and his own god and follow the Covenant Son in union with His death, burial and resurrection of his body to eternal life (see Mt.16:24-27).

Moses’ record is matter-of-fact and brief and to the point. Mankind was beginning to multiply on the face of the earth, the habitation provided him by his Creator God. Mankind is multiplying after his kind, bodies of human flesh, conceived and birthed of man’s seed, each bearing the image of the earthy body of the first man (see Gen.5:3; 1 Cor.15:47a, 49a).

Eternal life is given to each personal being. Each person is a soul of life of spirit being (Gen.2:7; Is.42:5; Zech.12:1). Jehovah Elohim shares His life of spirit with the soul. His life is eternal. The life of the body is in the blood (Gen.9:4; Lev.17:11, 14; Deut.12:23). The body is temporal and purposely so. Each personal being is given a choice to become a son of God (see Jn.1:9-13). No one is coerced. Eternal life for the body is a gift offered in God’s Covenant Son (Rom.5:12-21). The offer is made in the preaching of the gospel of the Anointed Son. In the gospel is the holy calling to become a son of God through obeying the truth and being born again through the incorruptible Seed, the Word of God, who lives and abides forever (2 Tim.1:9-10; 1 Pet.1:17-25).

As Adam through Noah were preaching the righteousness of God through faith in the coming Covenant Son, they had God’s record in the heavens as their basis for truth. They preached the word of God to be obeyed (see 1 Pet.1:9-12; 2 Pet.1:19-21; 3:1-6; Lk.1:70).

The heavens declare the glory of God and the record of the Eternal Covenant which God had made with Himself is recorded in the stellar heavens in “The Heavenly Revelation of the Son of the Eternal Covenant.” The gospel of the Covenant Son was written in the constellations of the heavens on day four of the Creation, so the truth could be made known to Adam, Jehovah’s first man, and his wife Eve, and to everyone born of Adam‘s seed (see Gen.1:14-19; Ps.19:1-6; 97:6).

The person and work of the coming Anointed Covenant Son of God is declared in the names of the signs and their decans, in the names and colors and the magnitude of the stars in the constellations of the signs and the decans (see Job 9:8-9; 38:31-33; Amos 5:8). All are figures of the true Anointed Son of God coming with righteousness for the soul and eternal life to raise the earthly body up out from the dead - deathless and glorified.

Mankind was multiplying in the Theocratic economy of Adam’s family in Eden, but mankind was also multiplying in the organized society of the world city being built by man to the glory of man. In the city men had replaced Jehovah, the God of the Covenant, with a “mighty one,” a so-called god of man’s imagination. There is only one living and true God - Jehovah, one Deity of three personal beings who purposed to make man in His image (Gen.1:26; see Is.45:5-46:5; Zech.14:9).

Though the truth was being preached in the Theocratic economy of Eden, we cannot conclude that everyone born in Eden, born of the seed of man in the image of the earthy, became regenerate through obedience to the truth. Not all became the righteousness of God through faith in God’s Anointed Son. Nor should it be thought that all those having been born in the organized civil society of the city of Enoch were ungodly. The location of birth did not determine righteousness or ungodliness. Faith in the Covenant Son determines righteousness.

Righteousness is a choice. It is a gift given through choosing to believe into the One who became sin for His creation of mankind, that man might become the righteousness of God in Him (see 2 Cor.5:21; Rom.5:22-26). Through those of mankind, male and female, who would choose the righteousness of God, God would have born sons of God, thus fulfilling His purpose for His creation of man - to have man in His image, after His likeness (see Gen.1:26-27; Jn.1:12-13; Gal.3:26; Heb.2:9-17).

“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 wives for themselves of all whom they chose” (Gen.6:1-2).

No explanation is given. There is nothing unusual about men choosing to take wives for themselves. Why make a point of this group? These sons of God are of another creation. Bene ha elohim is a term that Scripture uses only for the angelic creation who are sons of Elohim by right of creation. They are not men. Though it is not explicitly stated in Scripture, we take from what is said of angels they were all brought into being at one time, brought into being together, an angelic host of myriads of angels.

Some theologians have explained this intermarriage of the sons of God and the daughters of men as an invasion of human beings by fallen angels. They attribute the invasion to a ploy of Satan to contaminate the human race to keep the promised Seed of the woman from being born and of His then becoming the salvation of His creation of man.

In this union of these “sons of God” and these “daughters of men,” there would be no mixture of angelic nature with human nature to contaminate the human race. Angels and man are two creations of God to fulfill two purposes of God.

In Jehovah’s Covenant purpose, there is an earthly environment for mankind. A society of mankind requires a Theocratic universal government. For His government over the earth, Jehovah Elohim would need ministers.

Jehovah dwells in heaven. His ministers would dwell with Him. God created His ministers angel spirits (see Ps.104:4). God Himself is spirit in His very being (Jn.4:24). In His being, God is a soul, a personal being with intellect, emotions and will. The life or being of God is spirit. God does not have a body. Bodies are for the earth. In an environment of nature, a body is necessary. In heaven, a body is not necessary.

God brought His angel ministers into being as souls of spirit being, personal souls with intellect, emotions and will. The very life enabling the ministers to activate the intellect, emotions and will is spirit. God shared His life of spirit with the ministers, that they might have “being” - spirit being. They do not live in a natural realm so God did not create bodies with life for His ministers. In verse 4 of Psalm 104, we have Jehovah Elohim making His angels spirits and in verse 5 we have Him laying the foundation of the earth.

We read of the bene ha elohim in Job 1:6 and 2:1. In chapter 38 of Job Jehovah calls Job to account and questions Job concerning His creation and who brought forth the creation. In verse 7 Jehovah calls the angelic host “morning stars,” who sang together as they watched God lay the foundation of the earth. These are the newly created bene ha elohim, the sons of God. In Psalm 29:1 and 89:6 we find a synonymous term in the Hebrew, bene elim, also referring to angels. In Psalm 29 bene elim is translated “mighty ones” and in Psalm 89 translated “sons of the mighty.” In English translation, the fact of the reference being angels can be missed.

As for His creation of man, God formed a body. God put all of the elements for a body of human flesh in the earth when He created the earth. On the sixth day of ordering and arranging His creation of heaven and earth, Jehovah took the elements of the ground and formed a natural body for man. Jehovah Himself breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of the body He had formed and man became a soul of life - a living soul (Gen.2:7; 1 Cor.15:45a). Man came into being a soul with intellect and emotions and will. The life of the soul, that which enabled man to activate his intellect and emotions and will, is spirit. Man came “to be” a personal being who could think and desire and make decisions and choices.

God shared His life of “spirit” with His angel ministers and with His sons of man. Each one, God, the angels and sons of mankind, share a soul of spirit life. The Hebrew word “breath” is translated “spirit” in Proverbs 20:27: “The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah.” God made man a soul of spirit being that He might share with man the things of spirit being.

It is in the spirit of the very being of the soul where man can be given understanding of things beyond the natural seen and felt things of this world. In man’s very being of spirit life, the Holy Spirit can enlighten the eyes of the understanding to see the deep things of God that cannot be understood through the natural realm (see 1 Cor.2:9-13). Those who desire to be so enlightened will see and believe God.

Jehovah gave mankind a body for His purpose to have sons of God. Man is first born in the body of flesh of mankind - human flesh. The nature of man is in his body of flesh. The nature of man is human flesh as distinguished from creatures of other flesh (see 1 Cor.15:38-39). Creatures of other flesh are souls of flesh. They do not have spirit being, only flesh life in the blood. For man, God purposes another birth of the body. God’s purpose is for sons of God born in His image.

We speak of the natural man as “born such” or “inborn.” We speak of natural death of the body. We equate natural with the study of plants and animals and the earth and things of nature. Man’s nature is in his humanity. Angelic ministers do not have a nature. Therefore there could be no mixing of angelic nature with human nature. That is not the issue in Genesis 6.

There is the issue of the bodies for these sons of God. Being a creation of another order of spirit beings, these sons of God - angels - were not given bodies of flesh. They therefore do not marry, nor are they given in marriage, nor do they procreate (see Mt.22:29-30; Mk.12:24-25; Lk.20:34-36). As already stated, a flesh body is not necessary for one who dwells in heaven.

However, angelic beings could and did take bodies of men. In Genesis 18 we have on record of where two angels came with the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus to visit Abraham. They came in bodies of men. That is how Abraham saw them, as did Lot (Gen.18 & 19; see Dan.9:20-22; 10:4-21).

We recognize that the angels in Abraham’s day came to fulfill an earthly ministry of God’s government on earth. The angels of Genesis 6, however, took bodies of men to fulfill their own desire to have sons of human flesh. Men’s bodies have a reproductive system with seed to reproduce after its kind - human flesh.

Moses did not consider any explanation of the bene ha elohim necessary. As we can see from passages in the epistles of 2 Peter and Jude, the sons of Israel had understanding of the proving of the angelic host and, recorded for us of the Church in the book of Revelation, of one-third of them not keeping their first place. They did not keep to their created purpose as ministers to the heirs of salvation - the heirs of the earthly Kingdom - and they left their own habitation [dwelling] in heaven with their Creator (see Heb.1:6-14; 2 Pet.2:4-5; Jude 6; Rev.12:3-4).

As Moses did not see a need for any explanation, he simply began to give facts concerning happenings of “when it came to pass, men began multiplying upon the face of the earth.” Simple brief facts of the time of the judgment first prophesied by Enoch, who had the testimony that he pleased God. Enoch walked with the God in agreement and the God taught Enoch of coming events to the end of the Gentile dominion on the earth (Jude 14-15).

In Genesis 6:1, Moses’ first statement shares a very important happening. “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 whom they chose” (Gen.6:1-2).

The Hebrew word for “fair” or “beautiful,” as some English translations put it, has the literal meaning of “good.” In this particular passage the meaning of the Hebrew word is one of “abstract goodness.” What was it about these particular daughters of men that the sons of God in this particular company at this particular time saw as good? These particular daughters of men would give the bene ha elohim sons of human flesh.

After the statement of the fact of that one happening on earth at the time, Moses made mention of the coming judgment prophesied by the true prophets of Jehovah (see 2 Pet.3:2-6). In this way Moses connects these two happenings. Moses introduces these sons of God taking wives of the sons of men at the time he speaks of God setting a time for the judgment of the ungodly.

“And Jehovah said, ‘My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he also is flesh. Yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years’” (Gen.6:3).

The Hebrew word for “strive” is used in a legal sense. The term speaks of cross-examining the opponent to reveal his guilt. How was the Holy Spirit striving with man? How was the Holy Spirit seeking for men to judge their own heart and admit they were wrong to continue to go their own way and to not receive the eternal life offered them?

Through the preaching of the righteousness of God through faith in God’s coming Son of the Covenant, the Holy Spirit was bearing testimony to the truth of the witness of the true prophets of Jehovah (1 Pet.1:9-12; 2 Pet.1:19-21).

What was it man would see if he would judge himself by the gospel of the coming Son? That in one’s humanity one has only a body of human flesh, a temporal mortal body. If one does not receive the Gift of the Son sent with righteousness for the soul and eternal life for the body, the body of flesh will one day stop breathing, become lifeless and return to the dust of the ground to perish forever. The gospel of the coming Son makes clear: One must be born again. One must be born from above through obeying the truth, be born of the incorruptible Seed, who lives and abides forever (Jn.3:3-8; 1 Pet.1:17-25).

Jehovah, the living and true God, created man flesh for a purpose. He gave man a high calling to become a son of God and bear the image of the heavenly Lord forever. Having created man mortal flesh of humanity, with the life in the blood, if Jehovah takes man’s breath away, his body will become lifeless. Since mankind was refusing to receive the Gift of God’s Covenant Son, Jehovah set a deadline for the coming judgment, which would leave the bodies of the wicked, ungodly men lifeless.

Moses simply gives a brief record of certain happenings in those days when men began to multiply on the face of the earth. There is nothing mystical. Each statement is a simple straightforward fact for the record of those last days before the judgment of the Flood of waters, which took away the breath of men who chose to remain in mere flesh bodies.

Moses had one more fact to record before he returned to his subject of the sons of God who took wives of the daughters of men. “There were giants [nephilim] in the earth in those days” when the sons of God took wives of the daughters of men, “and also after that” (Gen.6:4a).

The nephilim were on the earth. The word “earth” is emphatic. Scripture does not say nephilim were “in the city,” the organized civil society of man building to his glory. Nor does it say “in Eden,” the Theocracy established in the righteous seed, but in the earth - in both places where men dwelt.

Who are these nephilim or giants who were on the earth in those days before the judgment of the Flood of waters and even afterwards? If there were giants after the Flood, they cannot be the progeny of the sons of God and the daughters of men. Those offspring of the union were among the men of flesh whose breath Jehovah took away. None survived to have sons for descendants.

First, “giants” is a very misleading term. “Giants” refers to “great stature physically.” The term is also used figuratively, as “giants of industry,” etc. If we link the term with the progeny of the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men, it would be used in the figurative sense. But Moses links the “giants” with the deadline given for the judgment and with the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men.

The clue is in the Hebrew word nephilim, mistranslated “giants.” The word nephilim comes from a primitive root “to fall.” In English, nephilim translates “fellers,” those who cause to fall. Here are fallen ones who fall upon others to cause them to fall (see Prov.4:16).

From what have they fallen? From the grace of God, from the high calling of man to become a son of God through the righteousness of God through faith in His Anointed Covenant Son, who was named Jesus at His birth, “Jehovah is salvation” (see Mt.1:18-25; Lk.1:31; 2:21) Through the new birth of the high calling, one makes his exodus out of the creation of flesh to be born again a son of God, a new creation raised up out from the dead to live forever in a body of eternal life.

Moses’ purpose in inserting the statement in the record concerning the nephilim between the first fact that the sons of God saw and took wives of the daughters of men, and the fact that the daughters of men bore children to them is to connect the nephilim with both the sons of God and the daughters of men.

In the order of his statements, Moses draws attention to a connection of “the nephilim,”men in human flesh who were preaching a false gospel and teaching occult practices, with both these sons of God and daughters of men who married one another. Though Moses did not so directly state, he gives us to understand that the nephilim were the connection between these daughters of men and these sons of God marrying and bearing the mighty men of renown, men of great reputation.

Put together, we understand that the nephilim were receiving their false teaching from these sons of God. The nephilim, in turn, having fallen from the grace of God in His having provided mankind eternal life for the body, and the nephilim having believed in the supernatural powers of the sons of God bought the lie, “You can become a god,” a perversion of the Covenant in the stellar heavens (see Rom.1:21-23).

These daughters of men in some way had become involved in the teachings of the false prophets and in this way became involved in the supernatural, which led to being involved with the supernatural realm of these sons of God by creation. Having received this “new light” of the mysteries of the supernatural realm, these daughters of men willingly chose to unite with these sons of God.

Why would these angels, these sons of God, desire to take bodies and marry women born of man? Taking a body in the likeness of the natural man would limit the powers of the angelic creation to the earth. A natural body requires the atmosphere surrounding the earth.

Though angels could take bodies of men, they must have permission from God. In taking mortal bodies of human flesh, these sons of God chose to leave their first place and the purpose of their having been brought into being. In choosing to become men of flesh, they would be limiting themselves to the tent of flesh, and thus, to the earth, to live as men in the flesh live.

It seems reasonable that God would have forewarned them of the consequences of their decision. God is always just. He had already forewarned of the coming judgment. In the judgment man’s flesh bodies would be left lifeless to perish. The spirit being, the soul of each one, would go to Sheol.

Did God forewarn these sons of God that they would share the same judgment of the men whose bodies they took? They too would be sent to the place of spirits who had departed the body?

We have two New Testament passages relating to this time before the Flood. In the early church there were ungodly false prophets causing men to fall from their high calling to become sons of God.

One passage is in Jude and the other in 2 Peter. Jude was the half brother of Jesus. They had the same mother (see Mt.13:55; Mk.6:3; Act.1:14; Gal.1:19). Peter was one of Jesus’ original twelve disciples, who spent four years with Jesus. He was considered the leader and spokesperson of the group and part of Jesus’ inner circle, with John and his brother James (Mt.10:1-4; 16:13-16; 17:1-3).

In his epistle, Jude wrote of ungodly men in his day, who secretly crept into church assemblies, “perverting the grace of God and denying the only Master, God, even our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4b, Jay Green, Greek-English Interlinear).

Here are fallen ones in the days of the early church, secretly preying on others to cause them to fall from the grace of God. Jude wrote, “From of old they were marked out to condemnation,” destruction.

Then Jude gives some examples of God destroying ungodly persons who would not believe Him. First the sons of Israel (Jude 5), God’s own people whom He had sent Moses to redeem and deliver out of the cruel bondage of Egypt. The ones who refused to believe in the righteousness of God through faith in His coming Covenant Son left their carcases in the wilderness of Sinai (see Heb.3:7-19).

Then Jude speaks of angels who did not keep their first place and deserted their dwelling place (Jude 6). Where was their dwelling place? With Jehovah Elohim in heaven. In Jude’s day these angels had been condemned to Tartarus and kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the Great Day, the Day of the Lord [Jehovah].

Jude’s third example is Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them (Jude 7). A little phrase, “in like manner as these,” connects those cities with the condemned angels. Sodom and Gomorrah in like manner committing fornication, and going away (from God’s design) after other flesh, were laid down as an example of undergoing the vengeance of everlasting fire.

The example made of Sodom and Gomorrah was long before death and Hades will be cast into the lake of fire forever (see Rev.20:14). The overthrow of those cities and all the plain took place when Jehovah rained upon them fire and brimstone from heaven (see Gen.18:1-19:29).

Jude makes clear the just judgment of Jehovah. God dealt with His own people who refused to believe into His Covenant Son the same as with the unbelieving angelic creation who would not keep their place and also with the wicked fornicators. The sin of each group was a hardhearted refusal to obey the will of their Master.

Jude also tied these with the “way of Cain.” “Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain” (Jude 11). Woe to those who continue to go their own way and refuse to repent and, with a change of mind, bow to the will of their Master-Creator and go His Way (see Prov.14:12; 16:25).

Peter also left us a record of these angels. In his second epistle Peter speaks of the false prophets among the people, God’s people Israel, causing Jehovah’s people to turn the grace of God to the use of their own unbridled lust, and deny their only Master, God. And even after that, nephilim, false teachers among the Body of Christ secretly bringing in destructive heresies and denying the Master who has bought them (2 Pet.2:1-3). Denying Christ Jesus, the Redeemer of the earthly body of human flesh, denying His salvation of eternal life for the body of flesh, the false dreamers destroy themselves.

Peter connects the angels delivered to chains of darkness with the false prophets and teachers. Peter is the one who tells us where they are chained, down in Tartarus, which has been translated “hell” in English Bible versions. And Peter connects those angels with the ancient world of Noah and the judgment of the Flood (see 2 Pet.2:4-22).

There could only be one reason for these sons of God taking bodies of human flesh to have sons in bodies of flesh. Why did they desire to have sons? What was the real motive? There was purpose in their desire.

“When the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men who were of old, men of renown” (Gen.6:4b).

Moses records that these sons of God in Genesis 6 took wives of the daughters of men who became men of renown, men of great reputation, known for their mighty works done to the glory of man to make a name for themselves. Moses does not list the works.

Could it be that these sons of God saw a way to have the kingdom of the earth for themselves? The bodies taken by the sons of God would only reproduce after their kind, bodies of human flesh. The son born would not be supernatural but, as the angelic creation possess knowledge beyond man’s natural capacity, they would be given that knowledge to possess. The sons of God would have taught their sons to do mighty exploits, a strategy to take the kingdom of this world for themselves.

Satan and his angels, with whom these sons of God had formerly defected, were mentoring men in the flesh to build a world city to take the kingdom of this world. It is a well-known fact that down through the history of man doing great things to the glory of man, men were in contact with demon forces (see Eph.6:12).

Were these sons of God traitors to the cause? With sons of their own who could be trained from birth, these sons of God with their descendants could take the kingdom from the world city.

Why would Jehovah Elohim permit these bene ha elohim to take bodies and marry daughters of men and have sons who could do great exploits? Jehovah Elohim would use it to His purpose.

God is no respecter of persons. Each personal being receives a just judgment, and the recompense is: each one receives his just reward. Each one receives that which he has stored up. Either the reward of his faith or the consequence of his unbelief (Rom.2:4-6; Gal.6:7-8).

With the union of these sons of God and these daughters of men, a third community of persons came to be dwelling on the earth. First there was the Theocracy established in Eden by Jehovah Elohim, His claim to the sovereignty of the earth. Then there was being built the organized civil society of godless men in the city of Enoch. And then this new godless community of these sons of God and the daughters of men and their progeny.

The next thing Moses records is, “And Jehovah saw the wickedness [evil] of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen.6:5).

In Scripture, “good” and “evil” are often put in juxtaposition. “Good” brings eternal life and eternal life brings good (see Deut.30:11-20). “Evil” brings death, and death in trespasses and sins brings the death of destruction, the perishing of the mortal body of the dust of the ground to return to the ground from where it came (Gen.3:19).

Life and death had been set before mankind as they were multiplying on the face of God’s earth. The righteousness of God through faith in the coming Anointed Covenant Son was being preached. The Holy Spirit was testifying to the justice and mercy of God. The testimony of the Holy Spirit was to the heart to reveal the truth and goodness of God’s judgment, that men might judge their own thoughts by God’s judgment and admit their guilt and repent and receive the eternal life offered in the Covenant Son. “Good” and “evil” are according to God’s judgment of righteousness and justice.

In the beginning God dealt with mankind collectively in His first man Adam. Through the proving of the first man, death through the sin entered the world. Death passed upon all, for all sinned (see Rom.5:12-14; 3:23). Man was proved to choose to serve himself. In the pride of his own self-will man turned to his own way to choose to know good and evil for himself apart from God’s judgment.

Man, born turned to his own way, must be turned around to go God’s Way and obey the truth to be born again through receiving the eternal life in the Son, that his mortal body might not perish but, in resurrection, be raised up out from the dead deathless and glorified (Jn.3:3-21).

As man was multiplying on the face of the earth, individually life and death was set before each one born of the flesh, flesh. There was the gospel of the coming Son, the Anointed Son of God’s Eternal Covenant written in the stellar heavens to be made known through righteous preachers of the righteousness of God and of the justice and mercy and goodness of Jehovah Elohim.

The light of the knowledge of the glory of God, which is seen in the face of the Covenant Son, was shined into each heart, that the eternal life in the Son be received and each one choose the “good” set before him (Jn.1:9; Tit.2:11; see Col.1:23b; 1 Tim.2:4-6). Yet men kept choosing the evil, that which God does not approve and therefore, He cannot accept, and that which ends in death. In the city, a world system was being built to keep men in the darkness of their death in trespasses and sins. The “world system” would keep the light of the knowledge of the glory of God from shining into the heart, lest man turn to God and receive eternal life and become a born son of God (2 Cor.4:3-4). And there were the nephilim with their demonic teachings.

God saw this great wickedness of man on His earth and He traced it to the source - the imagination of the thoughts of men’s hearts. The source of the wickedness was in man’s thinking, in the thoughts of his imagination. Men loved darkness rather than the light (see Jn.3:16-21). Their own plans and doing were more important to them than God’s righteousness and justice. They despised God’s gift of eternal life and they rejected His love. Man must be destroyed from the face of the earth. Man had chosen death over eternal life - evil over good. What a very grievous and sad ending.

This concludes our lesson.