“So God judges mankind in this chapter, doesn’t He?” Staci asked as she glanced down at her Bible on the table in front of her.

King regarded her for a moment. “Does He?”

She paused as she looked up at him. Then, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Is that a trick question? ‘Cause…the way I see it, God judged mankind and destroyed it with a flood. That sounds like a judgment to me.”

“Why don’t you read Genesis 6:1 - 8 for us, Staci?”

She nodded and read the passage. “‘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. And the LORD 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. There 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 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. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.’”

King paused. “There’s a lot to take in, isn’t there?”

Shiva whistled. “Yeah. The sons of God for one thing.”

“The giants,” Fronk replied. “And I don’t mean the New York Giants either.”

“God repenting is another curious aspect of this passage,” Fuller added.

Erin shrugged. “How can God repent? How can God be sorry?”

King nodded. “So as we can see, there is much to digest from this passage in the Genesis. We will take a little bit of time to sit here at this signpost along our journey through Route 66. We also come to our final comparison between the Cursed World and the Redeemed World. Let’s take a look at that first. Staci, please read Genesis 6:5 once more.”

Staci nodded. “‘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.’”

“What do you suppose the beginning of the comparison is by reading this verse?”

She paused in thought. “Well…that there is evil continually in the hearts of men.”

“So the comparison is…?” He looked around the table.

Fronk read Revelation 21:27. “‘And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.’” He looked up from his Bible. “Well, now…I would say that this comparison is that in the Redeemed World, there will be nothing that defiles it.”

King nodded. “Yes. Absolutely. This is all something to which we can offer praise and thanksgiving to God for. So upon the face of the planet Earth, man’s heart is continuously wicked. It is evil, and so God - as you were saying, Staci - sovereignly declares that He will destroy the humanity that He created.”

“But who are the sons of God?” Erin asked. “And the giants?”

King paused in thought. “Who are the sons of God…? Well, this is something that could be further researched, I’m sure. I honestly do not know who the sons of God are as referred to in Genesis 6:2, but there are several theories. One theory is that the sons of God are the descendants of Seth, the godly line of Adam. The daughters of men are then seen as the descendants of Cain.”

“There is a second theory,” Barrington began, “and that’s that the sons of God are actually angels who came to earth and had children with the daughters of men. This view is supported by Jude verse 6. ‘And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.’”

“Another theory revolves around the fact that ‘elohim’ literally means ‘powers’ and is, at times, used in the Bible to refer to powerful human rulers,” Fuller added. “And these giants could also fit these theories, as well. We may never know for certain. But the bottom line is a certainty. The wickedness of Man was great and God judged it by flooding the Earth.”

King smiled. “This leads us to my favorite verse. Verse 8. ‘But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’”

“Gravy,” Fronk replied with a grin.

“Now why did God save Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark?”

“Well, that’s easy,” Erin said. “He saved them because of grace.”

King nodded. “Whether spiritual of physical, salvation is always due to God’s favor. It is totally apart from anything that Man has to offer. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone…in Christ alone. That is all.” He turned to Lenox. “Would you care to read the next passage, Michael?

Lenox read Genesis 6:9 - 17. “‘These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.’” He smiled. “I really like that. I myself would like to be known as someone who walked with God.”

Fuller nodded. “You’re not the only one, I assure you.”

Lenox continued. “‘And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.’”

“This passage begins with the generations of Noah,” King said. “But then the Earth is filled with violence.”

“God supplied the reason He intended to destroy humanity,” Barrington replied.

“Not just intended, my brother, but did. God destroyed the Earth in one great universal flood. Everything that breathed…everything that lived was destroyed with the exception of Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark. But where we are at in our studies right now is that God is telling Noah what He intends to do and is also commanding him to build an ark. He is warning Noah that judgment is coming and the only way to find salvation from this judgment is by…what?”

“Turning to God,” Staci answered. “By accepting Him.”

King nodded. “Absolutely. That is much the same as today…As even before the Rapture occurred. We were warned that judgment was coming. We didn’t listen. Our Lord returned, took His Bride away, and we were left with the realization of the truth. Now, we know. Now, we are warning those who will listen. Judgment is coming still and this Earth will not be flooded, but it shall be burnt up and made anew.” He paused. “Now, let’s take a look at a Prophetic Promise. Albert, please read to us the final passage of Chapter 6.”

Barrington read Genesis 6:18 - 22. “‘But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.’”

Lenox nodded his head. “I can see the Prophetic Promise in this passage as clear as day. The Lord predicts the global flood that destroys all flesh from off the face of the planet. But because Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, He preserves a remnant, namely Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives, and two of every kind of animal.”

Lenox nodded his head. “I can see the Prophetic Promise in this passage as clear as day. The Lord predicts the global flood that destroys all flesh from off the face of the planet. But because Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, He preserves a remnant, namely Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives, and two of every kind of animal.”

“God has a contingency plan. The best kind of coverage anywhere is right from God.”

“Noah’s response to God,” King began, “in doing all that God had commanded him to do is a model of the proper response to God’s prophetic declaration. Before we move further into chapter 7 of Genesis, let’s talk about the message of the flood.”

“Why, I can help you with the message of the flood, my good man!” Fronk declared. “For this message, you see, begins with trinkets and truth.”

“Trinkets and truth?” Staci inquired.

“Yes, yes, that’s exactly right. You see, for the account of Noah and the ark is merely a quaint children’s story about an odd man who built an enormous boat.”

Erin scowled at him. “It is not just a story, children or otherwise.”

Lenox nodded his head in agreement. “I believe that every story in the Bible is an actual account of what happened. This includes the flood.”

Fronk held up a hand. “May I continue please? I do have a point.”

“Fine. Go ahead.”

Fronk cleared his throat. “Where was I?” He paused melodramatically. “Ah, yes! Anyway…Upon the ark’s completion, representatives from every species of the animal kingdom were drawn to Noah, and two-by-two he escorted them onto his untested vessel. The rain started, and this floating menagerie survived a great flood. After all was said and done, the happy cast of characters got to enjoy a spectacular rainbow before going their separate ways. In short, my silly friends, the story is often seen as little more than a delightful decorating scheme - cute pictures of Noah and the ark, place mats, and the ark-shaped cookie jars. Tragically - and here is the kicker - the timeless truths of this actual account often get lost among the trinkets that decorate our homes.”

King nodded in agreement. “The story of Noah and the ark is first of all a true story about the terrible depravity of men and women. According to the Scripture, human wickedness was rampant on the Earth. So much so that the Lord was ‘sorry’ and ‘grieved.’ ‘And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 1’ Here is a startling aspect of the account of the Flood, a rare glimpse of divine emotion and vulnerability. Our Creator was disappointed and wounded by sin.”

Fuller took it from there. “The Flood is also very much about God’s judgment. We just cannot soften the harsh realities of God’s severe verdict of the wicked people of Noah’s time. God clearly issued his verdict in plain language. ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.’ 2”

“You don’t think it was a harsh verdict?” Staci asked.

“Staci, are you calling God harsh?” Shiva asked.

Staci paled. “No, no. No, I’m not calling God mean or anything like that. I’m just trying to understand this thing about judgment.”

Fuller turned to her. “Is the Flood a harsh verdict? Not really. I don’t believe it is.”

“A holy God,” King began, “certainly can not condone sin, nor can He tolerate it. It has to be addressed. It has to be punished for God to remain the God of justice. So when we read the story of Noah, we often do forget the terrible, tragic loss of life. We tend to focus so much on the boat and those adorable animals, that we forget the great floodwaters beneath it. Below the rails of Noah’s ark were drowning sinners - real people who entered into a dreadful eternity apart from God.”

“It is so hard to imagine such a thing,” Shiva said, shaking his head. “And yet the Bible says it happened.”

Lenox paused. “So you have to think about it. There were many people in those days, and those people didn’t know God. Only Noah and his family did. They were the only ones saved when the Flood came.”

“But for those who seek Him,” Erin replied softly, “there is hope. Noah walked with God. He sought out for God. God saved him and his family.”

King nodded. “Yes. First, the tragedy…‘And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 3’ And then the triumph…‘And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 4’”

“The Flood is also a reminder, then,” Barrington said, “of God’s love and mercy.”

“‘But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD, 5’” Staci quoted.

“By selecting Noah and his family and saving them from judgment,” King pointed out, “God demonstrated amazing grace. Even though humanity deserved the full force of His wrath, God in His mercy provided salvation. So in conclusion of chapter 6, I would like to say that all in all, the true actual account of Noah and the ark is a wonderful precursor of the ultimate salvation God would one day provide in Christ.”

“Amen to that, brother!” Lenox agreed.

“Long after the floodwaters subsided, the human race would continue in its sinful rebellion. And God would continue to require the just penalty for sin: death. But the next time, instead of providing an ark, God would provide His own Son. By that act, He would open the door of salvation, for not only one family, but for all who would believe in Him.” He paused. “This brings us to chapter 7 of Genesis, the Flood.”

1 - Genesis 6:6
2 - Genesis 6:7
3 - Genesis 6:13
4 - Genesis 7:1
5 - Genesis 6:8