The Schemes of Satan-4

I was shocked and saddened when recently reading some religious surveys. There is an appalling lack of knowledge of the person and nature of Satan. Even within the conservative, Bible-believing evangelical community, many don’t believe that Satan is a real being. They instead believe that he is just the personification of evil.

When people aren’t taught the truth, they develop their own truth, which isn’t truth at all. People are told what they want to hear, while denied the very truth they need to hear.

The Bible is very clear of the reality of Satan. The Bible is full of references to him and warnings about him. Adam and Eve thought he was real when he tempted and deceived them.

You can’t miss him in the first chapter of Job either.

Job 1:6-7  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."

He tempted Jesus, which is found in three of the gospels

Luke 4:1-2  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

He deceived Judas into betraying Jesus. More terrifying is the fact that he entered into Judas.

Luke 22:3-6  And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. They were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.

He will be bound and later thrown into the the pit of fire and brimstone, where he will be tormented forever.

Revelation 20:1-3  Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

Revelation 20:10  And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Satan takes great delight in the world’s lack of understanding of himself, it is just one of his many schemes to deceive and destroy. More on the next lesson.

The Schemes of Satan-3

I was convicted that I had assumed everyone knew all about Satan. After reading some of the “Church’s” views and teachings on Satan, I knew I had to give a biblical description of him. This may be known by some but new to many.

First, who is Satan? He is a created being. God did not create Satan, He created Lucifer (son of the morning star). Lucifer created or became Satan.

Isaiah 14:12-15  "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

Another passage in Ezekiel continues describing just how far Satan has fallen.

Ezekiel 28:13-18  "You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you.

On the day that you were created They were prepared. "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. 

“You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. "By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned;

Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. 

"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you. "By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries.

Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you.

From these two passages we read that Lucifer, the devil, Satan, the serpent and dragon was a marvelous, beautiful, anointed cherub who was created to stand at God’s throne. Just like with the Ark of the Covenant, where two cherubim were placed.

Exodus 25:17-21  "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. "You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 

"Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.  "The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. 

"You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you.

But, Lucifer grew tired of rejoicing at being in the presence of God and instead desired the worship that was given to God. So he was cast down and now rules as the prince of this world.

Ephesians 2:1-2  And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

More on Satan will be revealed in the next listing.

The Schemes of Satan

Let us look more closely on Satan’s first successful attempt at deceiving Eve and Adam.

Genesis 3:1-6  Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" 

The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" 

The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

What can we learn about Satan’s schemes from this?

First, Satan came to her with a plan in mind.

Second, he is very crafty and deceiving.

Third, Eve was not afraid of Satan or uncomfortable talking with him. He does not appear to be someone to avoid or mistrust.

Fourth, he questioned her understanding of what God has said. He knew what God had said. In today’s context, Satan knows the Bible better than anyone else in the world.

Fifth, Eve knew enough to resist and to be wary.

Sixth, Satan subtly implied that God was a liar and was withholding something from them. God was not letting them have the blessings they deserved.

Seventh, Eve was close enough to be enticed by her physical desires. The closer you get to temptation, the better it looks. The fear fades as the desires swell up within you.

Eighth, Adam said nothing and did nothing.

We have been warned many times as well. But Satan keeps putting the world’s sinful pleasures within reach.

1 John 2:15-16  Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

James 1:14-16  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

John and James warnings are for us today. Don’t go near, don’t touch, don’t mention, don’t think about, don’t desire, and don’t be deceived. Remember, Satan is a murderous, roaring lion seeking to devour you.

The Schemes of Satan

Far too many people and pastors are ignorant of the schemes of Satan. Satan is a liar and deceiver from the beginning. In fact, he is the father of lies. With that in mind, what are his schemes, why do we need to be aware of them, and how are we to respond to them?

2 Corinthians 2:11  …so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

When was the last time or only time anyone ever mentioned this to you or taught you about it? Pastors are either ignorant and thus deceived themselves of his schemes. Or, sadly, they are conscious and deliberate co-conspirators in Satan’s deception.

There are numerous examples in the Bible of his cunning success of leading people away from the truth in God’s Word. The first was in the garden.

Genesis 3:1-6  Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Satan is so bold that he went directly into God’s garden and successfully deceived Eve by questioning the Words of God. He challenged her knowledge of God’s Word,understanding of God’s Word, and the very nature of God. If you are also confused or ignorant of God’s Word, beware because Satan is ready to tell you what he wants you to believe rather than what God has really said.

If you place all of your confidence and eternal life in what someone else says about God’s Word, then you also in danger of being deceived.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Sorry to have left this blog for so long. I have been working on my first book and the editor I hired needed the last two chapters before beginning. All of that is finally finished and he is meeting with me weekly to review and edit one chapter at a time. I will let you know when it is published. Now back to the last blog on giants.

My goal is to provide a message from God’s Word at least three times a week. I will start a new series beginning on Monday November 4th.

2Samuel 21:15-22  Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint. And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. 

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel. And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant. 

And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 

And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.  And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him. These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

Consistent with many contemporary accounts of human interaction with giants are both their tremendous size and the oft mentioned six fingers and toes.

It is quite clear from both the Bible’s accounts and the massive amount of historical evidence that giants in some manner were able to continue even after the flood. As this is clearly against God’s design, we can come to only one Biblical answer, it is Satan’s plan to corrupt mankind.

Unfortunately, many of Satan’s other genomic and demonic attacks against those made in God’s image are not as obvious to the naked eye. But, how else can you account for all the voices in peoples minds, mass murders, demonic rituals, and the explosion of the worship of Satan. These are all signs of the last days.

Revelation 12:7-9  And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

It is very clear that Satan is dangerously evil and the true prince of the earth. We will next be studying his schemes in order to protect ourselves and also warn others.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 17

Numbers 13:1-3  Then the LORD spoke to Moses saying,  "Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers' tribes, every one a leader among them."  So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel.

So we have now fast forwarded to the Exodus of the nation of Israel. God delivered them from Egypt in the most miraculous fashion that destroyed the nation of Egypt in every element of its culture. But, here we read of a linkage back to the days of Noah in Genesis 6.

Numbers 13:17-21  When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said to them, "Go up there into the Negev; then go up into the hill country. "See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many.   "How is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are they like open camps or with fortifications?   "How is the land, is it fat or lean? Are there trees in it or not? Make an effort then to get some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.  So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, at Lebo-hamath.

What did they discover and what did they recommend to Moses? More in Part 18.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 16 Queen of Heaven

Jeremiah 44:15-30  “Then all the men who were aware that their wives were burning sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying,   "As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you! "But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune. 

"But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine."  "And," said the women, "when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?" 

Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women—even to all the people who were giving him such an answer—saying,  "As for the smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them and did not all this come into His mind? 

  "So the LORD was no longer able to endure it, because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day.  "Because you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the LORD and not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this calamity has befallen you, as it has this day." 

Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, "Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt,   thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: 'As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, "We will certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her." Go ahead and confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows!' 

"Nevertheless hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, 'Behold, I have sworn by My great name,' says the LORD, 'never shall My name be invoked again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, "As the Lord GOD lives."  'Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will meet their end by the sword and by famine until they are completely gone. 'Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs.

'This will be the sign to you,' declares the LORD, 'that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for harm.' "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I am going to give over Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies, to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over Zedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.'"

Who is this queen of heaven and what does this have to do with Tammuz? When God divided the nations and languages, the names of these false gods and goddesses went with them, but began to be identified in different languages and within different cultures. Nimrod became known as Ra or Osiris in Egypt, Zeus in Greece, Jupiter in Rome, and a host of other names throughout the world. Semiramus became known as the queen of heaven, Ishtar in Babylon, Isis in Egypt, Artemis in Greece, and Diana in Rome.

So you can see how this idolatrous worship, often under the name of Baal, spread with the nations into the world. The birth of the mother and son worship began here. Tammuz was the son of Ishtar and Nimrod or Baal. Nimrod was considered the sun god and his birth was associated with the winter solstice and December 25th. Tammuz was killed by a wild boar and his resurrection was associated with the celebration of Ishtar from which the world now pronounces and recognizes as Easter.

You can read from the above passages how Satan so deceived the people of Israel that they attributed God’s blessing to the queen of heaven. You can also see how God responded to this idolatry. He will destroy them with the sword, famine, and plagues.

What does this all mean and imply? More will come on Part 17.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 15 Ezekiel 8:8-15  “Then he said to me, "Son of man, dig in the wall." So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance.   And he said to me, "Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here."  So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel.

And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. Then he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.'"

He said also to me, "You will see still greater abominations that they commit."  Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these."

Idolatry everywhere by everyone in Jerusalem, Judah, and Israel. These sinful leaders/elders thought they could hide their idolatry from God, which no one can. But now we discover the women weeping for Tammuz. Who is he?

While there is still a considerable disagreement among scholars as to all the details, this is what most would confirm. Nimrod married Semiramus, who considered herself to be the moon goddess. Her other name was Ishtar from which we get the English name of Easter. She was the fertility goddess of the ancient world, just as Nimrod was considered the sun god.

After God separated all from Babel by confusing the languages, these two self-acclaimed god and goddess became know in many other cultures and under many different names. Tammuz was their son and therefore the son of god. So here began a host of pagan religions, all with a father god, a mother god, and a son of god. Semiramus or Ishtar was also known as the queen of heaven.

How and where this all played out will be detailed in Part 16.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 14

Just who was Nimrod?

Genesis 10:6-7  “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.   The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.”

Ham’s family created many of the centers of false worship and eventual enemies of God’s chosen people. Canaan will come into clearer focus later.

Genesis 10:8-12  “Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD." 

The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and alneh, in the land of Shinar.  From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.”

Nimrod was the first mighty man mentioned by name after the flood. He was a leader and builder of cities and nations. None of which were truly godly. His name means ‘let us revolt’. He actually opposed God, as in facing God and in opposition to God. He was considered a god himself and as the people scattered with different languages, they brought the ‘legends’ of Nimrod with them but with different names. His name changed with their new languages.

More on this and his evil wife Semiramus will come in Part 15.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 13

Genesis 11:1-19 “ Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.   And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth."

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.  And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech." 

So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”

What were they trying to do? Were they being obedient or disobedient? God instructed them to fill the earth not build monuments that only served their ungodly desires.

Genesis 9:1 “ And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. “

They desired to ascend to God or at the least bring God down to them. This was the beginning of Nimrod’s evil reign which spawned a world of false, idolatrous worship. The site of this deliberate act of defiance can still be found today.

This is the type of united confrontation with God that is revealed in Revelation. The whole world will be deceived by Satan and united to fight God. But, let us take this account in order of the chronology of Scripture.

Part 14 will come next.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 12

Genesis 9:11-17  I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:  I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 

When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,  I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Many people want to deny the global flood for a wide range of personal reasons. However, the evidence doesn’t allow for any local floods of any kind supplanting God’s global flood. One more evidence of this is found in God’s new covenant to Noah. God promised never again to bring about a global flood. His sign will be a bow, or as we now call it a rainbow.

God would not need to establish any covenant for a local flood. Also, there continues to be local floods all around the world. So, if it was just a local flood, God is a liar, as He promised never again to send such a flood over the earth.

Did God every mention Noah and the flood again in His Word?

Isaiah 54:9  "This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you.

Matthew 24:37-39  For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Hebrews 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

2 Peter 2:5  if (God) he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Did this flood finally end the terrible progression of sin in the new world after the flood? We will continue in Part 13.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 11

Genesis 9:1-7  And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.  The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.

God renewed His commandment first made to Adam and Eve, which is to be fruitful and fill the earth. This commandment is still in force today and the world is not even close to being filled. Some cities may be crowded but if you made Texas into one big city, the whole world could fit inside of it and live in it.

There are, however, two new additions. One is that the fear of man will be present in every beast, bird, and fish. Secondly, God warned of His extreme displeasure of any one taking the life of another human being who has been made in God’s image. Until God makes a new covenant with Abraham and subsequent dietary laws for the nation of Israel, all animals and all green plants can be eaten. Once Moses received the Laws from God, dietary laws changed as well.

Did God give us any other confirmation of this global flood in His Word? We will study that in the next few parts.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 10

Genesis 8:1-4  But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Finally, the rain and flooding stopped and the ark came to rest. It took almost an entire year for the earth to dry out and all the waters to recede and return to the oceans, lakes, seas, and rivers. Cataclysmic changes took place during the flood and even after the waters stopped.

Genesis 8:14-19  In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 

Then God said to Noah,  "Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

Noah waited for God to tell him when he could leave the ark. Noah must have been anxious to get out, ready to get out, and thought it was time to get out. But, obediently he waited for God to tell him it was time to get out. Too often, we become impatient with waiting for God. The Bible has many examples of the problems men face because they did not want to work on God’s timetable, which always seem later than we would have chosen.

Genesis 8:20-22  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 

And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."

Worship is the only real response to God that is appropriate at times like these. We seldom take time to actually thank God for His deliverance, His mercy, and His protection. Noah did the right thing and God was pleased.

This chapter ends with a promise from God. Even though mankind will remain lost in sin, God promised never again to kill everyone and everything. The flood punished sin, but it did not eradicate sin. More in Part 11.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 9

Genesis 7:10-24  It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. 

On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark,  they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds.  So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. Gen Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the LORD closed it behind him. 

Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. 

All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind;  of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

The flood was a world-wide disaster. The waters rose to 20-22 feet above the highest mountain top. All flesh perished. All the animals and all the people died in this flood. The entire earth was covered for 150 days, so all vegetation also died. What a global mess! What had been created in beauty and wonder and declared as good by God, was now rendered inhabitable and inhospitable.

The question keeps coming up, why did God do this? What was so terrible or evil to require such a drastic response from God? The other real question is did this flood rid the earth of all the evil, the giants, and the terrible destruction and manipulation of the gene pool of humans and animals? Did it accomplish all that we would understand as God’s reasons for the flood?

While all that God does, accomplishes all that He alone desires, we often fall short of this understanding.

Job came to this profound realization.

Job 42:1-6  Then Job answered the LORD and said,   "I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.   'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' "Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."  'Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.'   "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes."

We too often think we know more than God or know better than God. We need to know what God has declared and be convinced that it is the absolute truth. We will study what God did next in Part 10.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 8

Gen 7:17-24  Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth.   The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.  The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. 

All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind;   of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. 

Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

As mentioned earlier, a global flood is part of almost every cultural history in the world. It is an easy event to research on your own. Sane, rational people cannot disregard this event as myth or just a local flood. The wickedness that had developed through the evil plans of the fallen angels had corrupted mankind and even the animal kingdom.

God preserved Noah and his sons, as well as all the animal He brought into the ark. People have such a shallow and false view of sin that they cannot believe that God would actually punish anyone. They take comfort in their false belief of being good enough to be saved from God’s pending wrath. They are just as wrong today as were all who perished from the flood.

What happened next?

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 7 The Ark and the Flood.

Just how big was the ark built by Noah. The Ark Encounter in KY has recently completed a life size replica of the ark. The picture doesn’t really reveal just how large it was. It was 450-500 feet long, 75-80 feet wide, and 45-50 feet tall. It included nearly 1.5 million cubic feet of interior space and could easily hold the equivalent of over 500 rail cars. It took over 100 years for Noah to complete it.

Gen 7:6-16  Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth.  Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood.   Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground,   there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.   It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. 

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.   The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. 

On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds. So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. 

Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the LORD closed it behind him.

The water from above the earth and from below the earth combined with the rain to produce this global flood. Only eight people were saved from this devastation. Only eight people were considered righteous or clean. Only those in the ark were saved. Notice, that the Lord closed the door on the ark of salvation. As mentioned before, a global flood is part of almost all cultures history. God said he would destroy all flesh in the world with a flood and He did.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 6

Genesis 7:1-5  Then the LORD said to Noah, "Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.  

"You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female;   also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth.  

"For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made." 

Noah did according to all that the LORD had commanded him.

God repeated His declaration that Noah alone was righteous before Him. Noah was instructed to take two of every type or species of animal and bird onto the ark, but to take seven of every clean animal. This identification of clean and unclean animals was known to Noah before God instructed Moses to write it all down in Exodus. Why seven of the clean animals? What role or purpose did these clean animals fulfill?

Many people scoff at this account as fable or myth. They refuse to believe that Noah could build such a large vessel, that it could hold all the animals, and that a world-wide flood actually occurred. God did not create myths. He instructed His chosen authors to record His truth,

What do you believe happened and why?

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 5 What was God’s response to this sinfulness?

Genesis 6:14-18  "Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.   "This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.  "You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 

"Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.  "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

God revealed to Noah, the only righteous man still on earth, that He would destroy all humans and animals by a flood, an universal, world-wide flood. Only Noah and his immediate family would survive, along with the animals of God’s own choosing.

Genesis 6:19-20  "And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.  "Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

Noah had a job to due and he obeyed, even though he had never experienced rain or a flood before in his life. He had never built a boat or ark before either. In order to escape the coming wrath of God, Noah had to obey.

Noah believed God and obeyed God. Mankind doesn’t understand God’s holiness or His condemnation of sin anymore today than in the days of Noah. Jesus warnings about the coming of the terrible day of the Lord aren’t believed, understood, or given thoughtful consideration.

God was starting over in the world, as Satan and his fallen ones had almost succeeded in corrupting all of mankind and all the animals as well. This is a preview of the coming judgment of the world.

What happened next?

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 4

What were the elements of God’s sovereign plan to rid the earth of this demonic presence?

Genesis 6:11-13  Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 

God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

 Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”

All flesh had corrupted and descended into such unholy, immoral, evil, wickedness that God told Noah that it was all going to be destroyed.

How could such sinfulness come to permeate every facet of life? It is hard to imagine that there was more sin in the world at that time, then there is today.

What made this sin and this corruption so evil and detestable in the sight of God? All the people on the earth had not only been corrupted by these fallen angels, but so had all the animals.

Of course, we believe that gene manipulation is a highly skilled and technical accomplishment only possible due to an every evolving society. Clearly, these fallen angels knew more about everything than we have ever imagined. When men and women turn their eyes from God, they inevitably fall into one of the traps of Satan.

Many histories from around the world talk about the ‘gods’ that fell from the sky. They had the ‘powers’ of a ‘god’, but the morality of a demon. Modern, western man would rather classify them as myths and mythology. These societies and cultures,however, treat them as history.

How did God deal with this evil?

Part Three God's Plan

What was God’s response or better said plan for Satan’s plan to destroy mankind through demonic means? First, Satan’s plans are all known by God but God’s plans are not all known by Satan.

Genesis 3:15  And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

This is God’s judgment on Satan and Adam and Eve. Clearly, Satan will have seed, i.e., living beings conforming to his image and evil desires. The ‘sons of God’ were his servants to destroy the seed of mankind, who are made in God’s image.

What did God do?

Genesis 6:7-8  The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Here we have our first introduction to Noah.

Genesis 6:9  These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.

Blameless in the Hebrew includes the meanings of unblemished and pure, much like the commandments later given to Moses for sacrifices. This implies that Noah had not been tainted or contaminated by Satan’s evil desire to destroy the gene pool of mankind. Noah had escaped or better said, been protected and preserved by God.

How was God going to preserve mankind from this demonic onslaught? Would a remnant remain pure to produce the Messiah? Why would God destroy animals as well?

Part Four will begin to reveal the next step in God’s sovereign plan.