16 The Necessity of the Flood (part 1)

Why would a loving God destroy the whole earth with a flood?

In the last post we looked at how Satan's adversarial role developed. With God's pronouncement of judgment for sin and His declaration that the seed of the woman would one day crush the head of serpent's seed, Satan has determined to destroy the woman's seed in order to prolong His reign as prince and power of the air.

It is reasonable to expect that any movement of God to secure that the seed of the woman comes into existence will be met with Satanic opposition. As we move through human history, we can see exactly this. Satan's insanity will cause him to exert every effort to corrupt or kill the seed of the woman. 

Satan is a created being. He is counted among those that the Holy Spirit calls 'sons of God'. For instance, in Job 1:6-7, we read this:

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."

Who are these Sons of God spoken of in the Bible? 

Although the following information may appear to be a bit dry and academic, it is important information to know if we are to understand who the Spirit of God is describing. So, please bear with it:

The Hebrew phrase translated 'sons of God' is ‘bene Elohim’ . It is used 5 times to describe angelic beings. (Genesis 6:2,4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). In the Greek New Testament portion of the Bible, the term 'sons of God' is used 6 times to describe those who, through faith in Jesus Christ, are born again.

So we see that in every case that 'sons of God' is used throughout the Bible it describes a direct creation of God. In the Old Testament it speaks of angels and in the New Testament it speaks of those who are a 'new creation' of God (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15).

The term 'Son of God' is used 47 times in the Bible. Only one of those time it is used in the Old Testament (Daniel 3:25). Each time the term 'Son of God' is used it refers exclusively to the second person of the Godhead, God's unique, uncreated Son, Jesus Christ. (Although the term 'son of God' is used in the English translation of Luke 3:38, to describe Adam, who is also a direct creation of God. Nevertheless, the words 'son of' are not in the original text. They are supplied by the translators)

This information is important to know because of the strange incident that the Holy Spirit describes in Genesis 6. It is one of Satan's efforts to corrupt the human gene pool and thereby prevent the 'seed of the woman' from being born.

"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 which they chose." 

Genesis 6:1-2 KJV

In the New Testament book of Jude, verses 6 and 7, This angelic sin that is identified by a failure to stay in their domain and characterized as going after ‘strange flesh’. Jude compares the incident of the sin of Genesis 6 to be like the homosexuality of Sodom and Gomorrah described in Genesis 18. 

The Spirit of God shows us the standard for sexuality in Genesis 2:24. is that of a mature male and female (man and woman) becoming one flesh. When societies  promote perversions of God’s standard, God’s judgment is inevitable. 

Several times in the scriptures we read about the angels ability to take on the form of men. This 'shape-shifting' ability was well recognized among the Hebrew as is attested to by the writer to the Hebrews:

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."  Hebrews 13:2 KJV

So, it seems that this ability was abused in Genesis 6 where there was consensual union between the daughters of men and angels who took the form of men. These angels invaded the human realm and impregnated human women as part of demonic plan to prevent the seed of the woman from being born. 

Both Jude (1:6) and the apostle Peter (2 Peter 2:4) speak of God placing these angels in chains awaiting judgment: Peter calls them angels that were cast into hell because of their sin in the pre flood world of the ungodly. 

Why are some fallen angels jailed and some are not?

There are many Christians that understandably oppose this interpretation of Genesis 6. It is contrary to our normal way of thinking and causes us to consider a realm in which our limited senses have no power to interpret. 

Yet that position leaves no answer for this question: “Why are some angels jailed and some are not jailed?” This angel view of Genesis 6 provides an answer as to the conditions necessary for the Lord to declare His judgment on those angels that sinned in their attempt to corrupt the human gene pool. 

God likewise marks the end of His patience with mankind in these words:

"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. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them." 

Genesis 6:5-7 KJV

God is extremely patient and not willing that any should perish. Yet this incident reveals that even though His love is infinite, His infinite goodness demands justice upon any who are willfully treasonous against their Creator.

Yet the Lord is faithful to His Word, so He made a way for His Seed to be preserved. God raised up a faithful man named Noah who 'was perfect in his generations'.  This does not mean that Noah was a perfect man but that he, his wife and their three sons had not accepted this demonic incursion into their gene pool. 

The Lord directed Noah and his sons to build an ark large enough to preserve themselves, their wives and selected animal pairs through the world wide flood of God's judgment upon an evil world. 

You and I are also subject to that same judgment upon our treasonous hearts against our Creator. We have all doubted God's goodness and self righteously claimed our own goodness. We have each embraced a way of life prescribed by demons. We refuse to have 'this Jesus' reign over us.

Jesus predicted this reaction when He told a story of a landowner that was rejected by his tenants: "But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this [man] to reign over us." - Luke 19:14 KJV

This prediction was fulfilled when the Jewish leaders rejected Christ's offer of the Kingdom for Israel. Instead, they demanded from the Roman authorities that they crucify Jesus:

"But they cried out, Away with [him], away with [him], crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." - John 19:15 KJV

How about you, dear reader? Are you rejecting God's rule over your life by rejecting His anointed King, Christ Jesus? Have you crucified God's anointed in your heart?

Nevertheless this same Jesus that you have rejected can become your ark of salvation through the flood of God's judgment against this present evil world. If you are willing, receive Jesus Christ as God's anointed King and trust that He has paid the price for your sin. Whosoever will do this is born again as a new creation direct from the hand of God.

"But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 

Romans 5:8

In the next post, we will look a little further at this demonic incursion among mankind.

smc