Genesis Prophecy
Introduction: This study centers in the opening chapters of Genesis to consider how the LORD God used prophets and apostles to convey the gospel of Christ to provide the power of salvation to eternal life for those who call upon the name of the LORD by faith. All that we have in the Word of God to bring us into our new citizenship in heaven was built upon that firm foundation that is laid only by the true and living God, which began with Christ Jesus before any of the prophets and apostles came into the process in successive generations.
NOTE: Bible passages are from the 1901 American Standard Version (ASV).
A — God Created His Image Bearers and Spoke with Them
Genesis 1 “27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Genesis 2 “16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Comments: God placed man in dominion over all of Creation, gave him the riches of the unspoiled earth to enjoy, and instructed him to be fruitful and multiply. God also set a limitation, and specified the consequence of disobedience. When Adam disobeyed the command of God, he brought about the consequence that would affect all of his descendants. Paul says: “Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned.” The ground also was cursed by the LORD because of Adam’s sin, but the LORD would not leave mankind without a means of rescue to be more fully revealed later.
B — Cain Was Jealous of Abel
Genesis 4 “7 If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou rule over it.”
Comments: Scripture does not provide the narrative of the LORD’s instruction for sacrifices, but when the LORD spoke to Cain he told him if he would “do well” he would no longer feel dejected — indicating that Cain knew the right thing to do. Cain did not rule over the sin within himself by offering the proper sacrifice, but rather allowed that sin to move him to the point of killing his own brother. God held him responsible for this act, but still extended a measure of mercy to him. The apostle John makes this comment about Cain: “not as Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you.”
C — The LORD Provided Through the Seed of the Woman
Genesis 4 “25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For, said she, God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. Then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah.”
Comments: The LORD began a line for redemption from sin, as Eve uttered perhaps the first prophetic words not spoken directly by the LORD. In Hebrew, Seth can have the meaning of compensation — an interesting quality as we learn from subsequent scripture about the LORD’s provision of the line to Christ. There are no offspring recorded for Abel who had been pleasing to God, but God provided many offspring for Seth, and we learn that at this time “men began to call upon the name of the Lord,” as distinct from the path Cain had taken in separating himself and his offspring from the LORD.
D — Believers and Non-Believers Intermarried
Genesis 6 “1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, 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 that they chose.”
Comments: Some of those who had known the way of the LORD began to intermarry, as scripture contrasts “sons of God” with “daughters of men.” Though we inherit the sin of Adam by nature, true faith in God is not passed to any offspring biologically or by family environment. Each person who places saving faith in God alone does so by the grace and mercy of the LORD. Seth represents the special provision of God as the LORD established a line of descendants that would lead to the “last Adam,” who provides everlasting spiritual reconciliation of God with His image bearers: “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is of heaven.”
E — Enoch Was Translated into Heaven
Genesis 5 “22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”
Comments: In Seth’s line, Enoch had a very unique relationship with the LORD. Hebrews tells us: “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated him: for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation he had been well-pleasing unto God: And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him.” Abel is the prime example of a righteous man who saw death by the hand of one not righteous. Enoch became the first to be caught up to heaven before death could make a claim on his physical body.
F — Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the LORD
Genesis 6 “13 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. 17 And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 18 But I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark.”
Comments: Noah’s father Lamech made a prophetic statement at the birth of his son. God told Noah in advance why the judgment was coming, and then gave Noah instructions that would preserve a remnant of God’s image-bearers. God made it very clear that He would be the direct cause of this supernatural global destructive event. When the ark was completed and the time had come, what a special blessing it was to Noah as the Lord said “thou and all thy house” go into the ark. These eight people then became the ancestors for all who now live upon the earth.
G — Noah Emerged from the Ark
Genesis 8 “20 And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. And Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake… While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
Comments: Hebrews 11 tells us: “By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” This new beginning with eight people did not remove the sin that is in the nature of man through the first Adam. The sin inherent in man can only be removed by grace through faith, to receive the new birth into the line of the last Adam, to become a joint heir with Christ. Each person throughout all ages must still call upon the name of the LORD for salvation from sin, for the global flood was not the final judgment of God for man made in the image of God.
Reflections in Prayer
LORD, how rich are the treasures of Your Word, and how full of power through mercy to overcome the evil that so easily turns the heart of man toward rebellion against Your commands. In this very first section of Genesis, we are presented with a template of Your unfolding plan for mankind until the coming of Your everlasting kingdom of light. Abel, the very first gentle shepherd who lost his life through the violence at the hands of his brother, lives on because of his righteousness of obedience by faith. With Seth, You provided a continued line of grace directly through the seed of the woman, the mother of all living. In that line of Seth, we have the example of Enoch as one who maintained a close walk with the LORD, and he was taken up to be with You without first seeing death. Though at the time of Noah the rebellion and violence of man had spread over the earth, You provided a means by grace to save those who had remained righteous before an ever faithful LORD. I praise You LORD my Saviour that down through the many generations Your salvation from death by sin has reached to me in my lifetime. Amen.
Published 16 April 2010; revised 3 February 2017