Foundations 11 Judgment Genesis 6-9

Genesis 6:5-8, 11-14, 17-19

Genesis 7:9-16, 22-24

Genesis 8:13-19

Genesis 9:20-27 cf. Rev 22:11

Revelation 20:11-15

1. Background

Since humanity was forced from the garden, they have continued their spiral of corruption to the point where all the “thoughts of man were evil continually”.  When Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden, God did not immediately judge their sin, but temporary sent them away from His presence and covered their nakedness with a sacrifice.  But now, “the end” of what God is going to tolerate has come.

2. What Can We Observe about God?

God’s patience has an end.

Even though God is kind and patient, God has said that He will not always tolerate man’s rebellion.

“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.” V3

God could see in man’s heart and see all the corruption that was there. 

“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.” V5

So because of their sin, God made the decision to destroy what He had created.

“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.” V7

Someone reading this for the first might ask, “What gives God the right to destroy human and animal life?”

Perhaps people then thought that their evil was considered normal.  Everyone did the same things. People learned to do evil just by participating in their own community.  But God has always been a present observer.  He is not alien to the world He created.    His voice created it and His power sustains it, therefore His opinion becomes the standard by which the world is judged. While the world’s actions may be considered normal in our eyes, but according to God’s standard, the earth had become corrupt before Him.

“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” V11

God’s judgement does not come without grieving. 

We must not think that God enjoys destroying the work of His own hands. Judgment comes as a necessary response to inciting His wrath.  His name is being dragged through the mud of corruption.  The people whom He has made in His own image have despised and rejected His word.  And even after God’s long patience with them, they have continued in their corruption without turning toward Him. So God moves to judge with grief in His heart.

“And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” V6

Other scriptures also communicate this about God’s judgement:

Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?  Ezekiel 33:11

So even though God does bring judgment, He would rather humanity turn Him in repentance.  Bringing judgment on His own creation grieves Him at His heart.

But another reason exist why God would rather have forgiveness than judgment.  Judgment does not remove sin from the sinner.  It is apparent after flood destroyed all living things, sin still persisted in humanity as it does today.  

“And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.”  Verse 9:22

It also can equally be said that mere mercy also does not remove sin.  If there is going to be a change in humanity, there must be something more powerful than judgment and death to complete the change.

3. How Does This Passage Point to the Gospel?

Modern people have no need to fear again a global flood.  God promised that the world would continue in relative consistent order.

“And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:21-22

“While the earth remaineth” implies however that the earth will not continue forever.  There will be a time when a final judgment comes, and the life we know now will cease.  So while, modern people do not have a need to fear a global flood, we have reason to take heed of a coming final judgment.

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Rev 20:11-15

The apostle John was given a vision of the final judgement.  The wicked dead were resurrected for judgment and brought before God.  The books of their life were open and everyone man was judged according to all they have done.  If their name was not found in the book of life, they were cast into the of fire.  This is their second death. The first death was their physical death, but the second is judgment in the lake of fire.

So the question is, how does someone have their name recorded in the book of life?

John 3:36 tell us, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

When a person believes on Jesus Christ, God accepts Christ punishment in the place of our coming judgment. God knows who belongs to Him and “saves” them from the Lake of Fire.  The New Testament we read is the legal contract that guarantees our forgiveness and removal of sin.

But anyone who chooses to reject Christ, their sin will remain on them until the final day of judgment comes.

4. Application:

Avoid the second death.  God recorded these things so to avoid the second death.  Everyone who does not place their faith in Christ will meet before God at the white throne judgement. 

Prepare for judgment before it arrives.  The Bible never told us a time when judgment will come. It might come later, it might come later this evening. But God wants us to accept Christ before judgment comes. The reason God had delayed judgment for this long is in order to give us a chance to believe and escape judgment. 

We have a job to do.  Our church is here to complete the mission Christ gave us to do.  We have already believed God and received His salvation from death.  How can we not continue to tell others the Gospel that they might escape also?