genesis part four book of beginnings god as creator man made in god ’ s image (“i am ”,...

GENESISGENESIS

• PART FOUR

BOOK OF BEGINNINGS GOD AS CREATOR MAN MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE (“I AM”, OMNISCIENT, CREATOR, WORK,

COMMUNICATION, LOVE, SOVEREIGN,HOLINESS, FAMILY)

GENESISGENESIS

PART FOUR

BOOK OF BEGINNINGS

GOD AS CREATOR

MAN MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE(“I AM”, OMNISCIENT, CREATOR, WORK,

COMMUNICATION, LOVE, SOVEREIGN,HOLINESS, FAMILY)

EDEN

TWO TREES SERPENT – SATAN TEMPTATION THE FALL CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL

GOD’S RESPONSE

PROVIDES A COVERING (CLOTHING)

PROMISE OF A REDEEMER – ONE OF EVE’S DESCENDANTS

OTHER CULTURES

GREEK: Apollo, Hercules, Achilles

EGYPT: Horus

INDIA: Krishna

MEXICO: Teotl

SCANDINAVIA: Thor, Yggasdral (Tree of Life)

CAIN AND ABEL

Biblical Principle: “First the natural, then the spiritual” (1 Cor 15:46).

OFFERINGS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD

CAIN KILLED ABEL, HIS BROTHER

CAIN’S PUNISHMENT

CAIN’S DESCENDANTS

CAIN AND ABEL

ABEL AS A TYPE OF CHRIST

• Abel was a shepherd who presented his offering to God.

• Abel’s offering was a firstborn animal, and accepted by God.

• He was hated by his brother through no fault of his own.

• He did not die a natural death, but met with violent death at the hand of his brother.

• After his death, his blood cried out to God.

SETH

Abel’s death hammered home to Adam and Eve the full implication of their own sin. The one they thought would be the Messiah, the Redeemer who would clean up their mess, was not to be.

When Eve gave birth (at age 130 – Genesis 5:3) to another son, she named him Seth [substitute] for she thought that this might be the Messiah.

ADAM’S GENEALOGY

• ADAM (Hebrew: ruddy, red, rosy – from the soil from which he was made).

• ADAM – a man in God’s image – was a good copy of his maker/father.

• His son was born in his image – tarnished copies of a damaged father.

• Adam’s descendants were imperfect, mortal, sinful and corrupt.

ADAM

130 WHEN SETH WAS BORN

920 WHEN HE DIED

Fourth oldest man ever to live.

SETH

Hebrew: “Substitute”

Eve possibly believing Seth to be the promised Messiah.

(Hebrew “Messiah” = Greek “Christ”)

SETH

105 YEARS OLD WHEN ENOS WAS BORN

912 WHEN HE DIED (112 years after Adam)

ENOS

Hebrew: “Mortal” or “Frail”

During his lifetime mankind began to call on God – probably out of desperation for the growing wickedness.

ENOS

90 WHEN CAINAN WAS BORN


CAINAN

Hebrew: “Acquisition” or “Possessing”

70 WHEN MAHALALEEL WAS BORN


MAHALALEEL

Hebrew: “Who is like God” or “The praise of God”

65 WHEN JARED WAS BORN


JARED

Hebrew: “Will descend”

162 WHEN ENOCH WAS BORN


Second oldest man ever to live.

ENOCH

Hebrew: “Teaching”

• One of two people who the Bible records as having “walked with God” – other is Noah.

• One of two people who went to heaven without dying – other is Elijah.

ENOCH

The only man of whom it is recorded that he pleased God (Hebrews 11:5).

One of a small group of antediluvians who denounced the wickedness of the evil people around him (Jude 14, 15).

What caused him to be so different?

ENOCH

65 WHEN METHUSELAH WAS BORN After this, he walked with God for 300 years.

365 WHEN TAKEN BY GOD INTO HEAVEN (57 years after Adam’s death)

Enoch symbolises those of the church who are still living when Jesus returns in judgement on the earth – they will be taken up [alive] to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).

METHUSELAH

Hebrew: “When he dies, it will happen” or,“He shall bring it by his death”

No doubt Enoch was warned by God that He would destroy the world – and He would do it when Enoch’s little baby died!

METHUSELAH

187 WHEN LAMECH WAS BORN

It seems he had serious doubts about the merits of having children.

243 WHEN ADAM DIED!

Adam’s story could have been told to Methuselah, who passed it on to Noah.

METHUSELAH

969 WHEN HE DIED (the oldest man ever to live)

A testimony of God’s grace, allowing man ample time to repent.

He died in the year 1656 (after Adam).

LAMECH

Hebrew: “Destruction”

182 WHEN NOAH WAS BORN

Also a very long time before a child appears.

777 WHEN HE DIED, IN THE YEAR 1651, five years before his son Methuselah. He is the only antediluvian to die before his son.

NOAH

Hebrew: “Rest” or “Comfort”

Born in 1056 AA, 126 after Adam’s death and when Methuselah was 369.

500 years old when Japheth is born.

Later Shem, and finally Ham, are also born.

NOAH

600 YEARS OLD WHEN THE FLOOD CAME, IN THE YEAR 1656.

METHUSELAH DIED IN 1656.

It is possible that the flood started the day Methuselah died.

ANTEDILUVIAN AGES

Some critics believe that these 900+ ages are not true years, as we know them, and believe that every 9 or 10 of their years equals only 1 of ours.

This would mean that children were born to men who were less than 10 years old!

Enos – about 9

Cainan – about 7

Enoch – about 6 or 7

ANTEDILUVIAN AGESName As Recorded Equivalent to 100

Age at death Age when 1st son born Age at death Age when 1st son born

Adam 930 130 103 14

Seth 912 105 102 12

Enos 905 90 101 10

Cainan 910 70 101 8

Mahalaleel 895 65 99 7

Jared 962 162 107 18

Enoch - 65 - 7

Methuselah 969 187 108 21

Lamech 777 182 86 20

AVERAGE 908 123 100 14

AGES OF THE PATRIARCHS

Year born Year diedAge when child born

Age when died Scripture(s)

Adam 0 930 130 930 Gen 5:3, 5

Seth 130 1042 105 912 Gen 5:6, 8

Enos 235 1140 90 905 Gen 5:9, 11

Cainan 325 1235 70 910 Gen 5:12, 14

Mahalaleel 395 1290 65 895 Gen 5:15, 17

Jared 460 1422 162 962 Gen 5:18, 20

Enoch 622 987 65 365 Gen 5:21, 23

Methuselah 687 1656 187 969 Gen 5:25, 27

Lamech 874 1651 182 777 Gen 5:28, 31

Noah 1056 2006 502 950 Gen 5:32, 9:29, 11:10

Shem 1558 2158 100 600 Gen 11:10, 11

Arphaxad 1658 2096 35 438 Gen 11:12, 13

Salah 1693 2126 30 433 Gen 11:14, 15

Eber 1723 2196 43 473 Gen 11:16, 17

Peleg 1766 2005 30 239 Gen 11:18, 19

Reu 1796 2035 32 239 Gen 11:20, 21

Serug 1828 2058 30 230 Gen 11:22, 23

Nahor 1858 2006 29 148 Gen 11:24, 25

Terah 1887 2092 130 205 Gen 11:26, 32, 12:4, Acts 7:4

Abraham 2017 2192 100 175 Gen 21:5, 25:7

Isaac 2117 2297 60 180 Gen 25:26, 35:28

Jacob 2177 2324 91 147 Gen 41:29, 30, 46, 45:6, 47:28

Joseph 2268 2378 33.5 110 Gen 41:50, 48:5, 50:26

AGES OF THE PATRIARCHS

CHRIST IN ADAM’S GENEALOGY

1 Chronicles 1:1-4, when read as a sentence translated into English:

“A man in God’s image, a substitute, mortal, an acquisition, none other than God, will descend, teaching, and will bring by his death, destruction, and rest to the weary.”

ANTEDILUVIANS CIVILISATION

CLIMATE

•Very different from today.

•A covering of water above was separated from the water below (oceans) by a division of the atmosphere.

•The water above may have been in vapour form (clouds) or in solid form (ice crystals).

•Possible that the sun and moon had never been seen – their first mention is in Genesis 15.(Genesis 1 mentions two “great lights”.)

ANTEDILUVIAN CIVILISATION

CLIMATE

•This water covering above the atmosphere would have created a tropical earth all over the earth – a permanent greenhouse effect where plants grew very quickly.

•Some animals have been found at the North Pole, frozen by a sudden catastrophe while eating, with food in their mouths and stomach that is tropical in origin.


CLIMATE

Experiments done in a simulated environment produced the following results:

•Some reptiles lived up to 13 times longer.

•Wounds and cuts healed faster.

•Animals grew to a much larger size at maturity.


THE PEOPLE

With such a climate comes increased longevity, with the following consequences;

•Overpopulation: lifespan of 900+ yearsestimate of population in 1656 years is 4 billion

•Knowledge: long time (over 900 years) to learn; one language and culture; produces extremely intelligent, civilised society


LEGENDS

Many legends from ancient past deal with mighty heroes who were “immortal”, eg. Atlantis.

These could have been distortions of the real people carried through the flood by the survivors (Noah’s family).


SONS OF GOD

There are 2 schools of thought:

•Righteous descendants of Seth.

•Fallen Angels (cf Job 1:6, 2:1).

Offspring were giants.

Fallen angels’ sin is linked to Sodom andGomorrah (Jude 6, 7) and to Noah’s flood(1 Peter 2:4-7).

This is part of Satan’s plan to stop the Messiah.

NOAH

Noah “found grace” in God’s eyes(Genesis 6:8).

This comes shortly after we are told that the entire earth is corrupt (Genesis 6:5) – so much so that God chooses to destroy every living creature.

NOAH

Noah was “perfect”.

Hebrew “tamim” means “without blemish” or “uncontaminated”.

NOAH

• Noah walked with God!

• No doubt he knew about the prophecy of Enoch, his great grandfather, and the reason for Methuselah’s name, and also his own name (“will bring rest and comfort”).

• Then God spoke to Noah and faith was his response (Hebrews 11:7).

NOAH

• Noah trusted God in the most difficult times.

• When he was 500 he started a family.

• Japheth, then Ham, then Shem.

• Shem is often mentioned first because it is through his line that the Messiah is traced.

NOAH

How long did it take Noah to build the ark?

Some believe 100 years. He was 500 when his three sons are mentioned (Genesis 5:32),

And then God told him to build an ark(Genesis 6:10-14).

He was 600 years old when the flood came (Genesis 7:6).

NOAH

How long did it take Noah to build the ark?

Some believe 120 years. God says He will give man a further 120 years to repent (Genesis 6:3).

100 or 120? It was a long time and a huge undertaking!

THE ARK

Dimensions of the ark (Genesis 6:14-16):300 cubits (135m) long50 cubits (22,5m) wide30 cubits (13,5m) high

Three decks: floor area about 10 000m2.

Fully loaded – displaced about 14 000 tons of water.

Window: 50cm x 50cm in the roof.

Door: built in the side.

THE ARK

Made of “gopher” wood – a wood of uncertain meaning.

Contained many “cages” or “rooms”.

Had to be sealed inside and outside with a waterproofing pitch.

Hebrew for “sealed” (Genesis 6:15) is “kapher”, which means “cover” and which in every other place in the OT is translated “make atonement”.

THE ARK

HOUSING THE ANIMALS

•Birds, “cattle” and creeping things which breathed air (Genesis 6:20) were to enter the ark.

•Two of the unclean (male and female), and

•Seven (or seven pairs) of the clean (Genesis 7:2)

•Seven (or seven pairs) of the birds (Genesis 7:3).

•The reason for 7 of the clean was that these were used for sacrifice and would, after the flood, be used as food.

THE ARK

FOOD

Noah was instructed to take enough food into the ark (Genesis 7:21) – for his family and the animals. This implies he knew approximately how long they would be in the ark.

Genesis 8:1: “God ‘remembered’ Noah and the animals” implies “cared for”, which may have involved a type of hibernation for many of the animals.

THE ARK

THE ANIMALS

•Noah did not have to hunt down the animals. When the ark was finished, God sent them all to him (Genesis 6:20, 7:8-9).

•It is possible that at that stage there was just one continent, and that our present continents formed during or shortly after the flood.

THE ARK

CARRYING CAPACITY

•Approximately 522 railway stock cars.

•US taxonomist Ernst Mayr lists 17 600 species (i.e. about 35 000 animals) of reptiles, birds, insects and mammals required to be saved.

•Average size, so Mayr claims, is about that of a sheep.

•These could be accommodated in 146 railway trucks, leaving ample space for food, exercise, living room, etc.

WHY AN ARK?

•Why did God go to such elaborate means to destroy mankind?

•Why not use a simpler ‘quick fix’ method?

WHY AN ARK?

1.Taking a long time gave mankind more time to repent.

By the time the flood came there must have been very few people on the planet who had not heard of “Noah’s folly”.

WHY AN ARK?

2. The watery covering which protected the earth and gave it the atmosphere described earlier, disappeared with the flood. As a result of this, mankind’s average lifespan was shortened considerably.

WHY AN ARK?

3. Romans 15:4 states that things which occurred in the past (such as the flood), were recorded in order for us to draw hope from them.

The ark was a picture-image of the Messiah’s redemptive work. Christ is pictured as the ark, saving those who believe from the judgement of God on sinful men.

WHY AN ARK?

4. God was teaching us about faith and obedience, using Noah as an example.

WHY AN ARK?

5. Noah’s era is referred to by Jesus, saying that just before Christ returns again, conditions on earth will be similar to those that existed in Noah’s time (Matthew 24:37).

THE FLOOD

DURATION

•Began in Noah’s 600th year, 2nd month, 17th day (Genesis 7:11).

•Noah left the ark in his 601st year, 2nd month, 27th day (Genesis 8:13, 14).

•Total time: 1 year and 10 days (375 days).

THE FLOOD

DURATION

40 Days: Rain, heavens opened (canopy of water above collapses), fountains of the great deep broken up (underground water gushing up, lava spewing up).

Genesis 7:11-12

THE FLOOD

DURATION150 Days: Water begins subsiding.Ark comes to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8:3, 4).

This was Noah’s 600th year, 7th month, 17th day.

Exactly 5 months later – which means they were using months of 30 days each!

Although the ark was now stationary, there was no land visible because the ark lay at least 22m into the water (Genesis 7:19, 20).

THE FLOOD

DURATION

74 days Water subsides so that mountains become visible (Genesis 8:5).

40 days Noah sends out a raven and a dove. Dove returns (Genesis 8:6-9).

7 days Noah sends out dove again – she returns with an olive leaf (Genesis 8:10, 11).

THE FLOOD

DURATION

7 days Noah sends the dove out again – she does not return.Noah concludes there is dry land on earth again (Genesis 8:12).

57 days Earth dries completely and Noah, his family and the animals leave the ark (Genesis 8:14-19).

ARGUMENTS FOR A UNIVERSAL FLOOD

1. The need for an ark!

If it was a local flood, Noah and his family and the “herd” of animals could just have trekked to a high altitude location temporarily.


2. Testimony of Peter: 2 Peter 3:3-7 refers to two worldwide catastrophes

one past – by flood

one future – by fire


3. Depth of the flood

At least 15 cubits (22m) above the highest mountains (Genesis 7:19, 20).


4. Duration of the flood:

150 days of enormous geological upheaval:

Huge pressures and temperatures produced:

Magma, lava, molten earth, causing oceans to boil and spill over onto land.

Floodgates of the sky opened.


5. Size of the ark:

4 to 5 stories high; 10 000 m2 of floor space,14 000 tons displacement.

Only in 1884 was a boat built to better the size of the ark – the RMS Etruria, a Cunard liner.


6. The human race was widely distributed over the face of the earth – about 4 billion people.It was impossible for all of them to be living in a local geographical area.


7. Every ancient civilization has a parallel account of a flood (Egypt, Lapland, Babylon, etc.).This indicates that the present population descended from one man who survived a flood, i.e. Noah.


8. Population growth: It is now about 4 400 years since Noah’s flood (about 100 generations).

Reliable data over the last 2 to 3 centuries puts the world population growth rate at about 0,45 to 0,5% p.a.

These two estimates predict a current world population (over 4 400 years) of between 3,0 and 27,1 billion.

Population (min) = 8(1,0045)4400


9. There is geological evidence of catastrophism, i.e. upheavals, volcanoes and earthquakes on a scale unknown today, occurring in the recent past.


10. Sedimentation is an important geological process.

Three-quarters of the land surface and rock just below the surface is sedimentary rock – which indicates that a large amount of water once covered the entire planet.


11. Large graveyards of bones/fossils have been uncovered in Europe.

Hundreds of animals lie trapped/ buried/frozen in Siberian wastelands.

Mammoths have been found encased suddenly in ice near the North Pole with food still in their mouths.

All of these indicate a sudden catastrophe!


12. Not all rock strata are in order with the oldest layer at the bottom – many cases of reversal.

This indicates a sudden upheaval over a large geographic area!


13. No trees have been dated older than about 4 000 years.

Sequoia – 3 300 years.

California bristle cone (dubbed “everlasting trees”).

17 trees have been ring dated between 4 000 to 4 600 years old.


14. No truly verifiable archaeological data antedate 3000 BC.

Egypt 1st Dynasty 3200 to 3000 BC

Sumerians 3000 BC

Switzerland 2800 BC

Denmark 2600 BC (earliest European agriculture)

Chinese 2300 BC

DISCOVERY OF THE ARK


2. JOSEPHUS (1st Century AD Historian)

Records Armenians showing the remains of the ark to their children.


3. MARCO POLO (1254-1324)

Mentions the existence of the ark.

4. ARMENIAN YOUTH (1902)

Personally claims to have seen and climbed on the ark.


5. WHITE RUSSIAN MILITARY PATROL (1916-17)

Saw the ark at close range.

6. H. KNIGHT (Explorer, 1930’s)

Came across a rectangular framework in the ice.

7. GEORGE G. GREEN (1952)

Photographed a boat-like form protruding from the ice.


8. FERNAND NAVARRA (1952-1955)

Saw under the ice, a boat-like shape in the biblical dimensions of the ark. He obtained some wood which was found to be hand-tooled, pitch-impregnated, and at least 5 000 years old.

8. 1970’s

US spy planes, weather and military satellites have photographed a structure appearing to be the ark on Mt Ararat.


The Genesis Flood

Whitcombe, John C. and Morris, Henry M. (1961) (Baker Book House, Michigan).

Reasons Sceptics Should Consider Christianity

McDowell, Josh and Stewart, D. (1987)(Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Illinois)

Biblical Cosmology and Modern Science

Morris, Henry M. (1970)(Craig Press, New Jersey)

NOAH – A TYPE OF CHRIST

Noah is a shadow, a picture of the Messiah. What Noah did is symbolic of the work that the Messiah would one day.

NOAH

•Name means “rest”.

•Was just, righteous and ‘perfect’.

•Walked with God (communed and communicated with God).

•Prepared the way of salvation for the world.

•Obeyed God.

•Offered a sacrifice to God.

•God established a covenant with Noah.

JESUS

• Jesus brings us into God’s rest (Hebrews 4:1-9).

• Was just, righteous and perfect.

• Walked with God (Luke 6:12).

• Prepared the way of salvation for the world (John 14:6)

• Obeyed God (John 15:10, Phil 2:8).

• Offered a sacrifice to God (Eph 5:2).

• God established a covenant with Christ (Heb 13:20).

genesis part four book of beginnings god as creator man made in god ’ s image (“i am ”,...

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