THE END OF ALL FLESH
Genesis 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 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. 8 ¶ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 ¶ The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 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.
In verse two of this chapter we are told what men saw. Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. Man only looks on the outward appearance. They commit the same error as Mother Eve. She “saw” that the tree was pleasant to the eyes. So she took and did eat and plunged her race into sinful darkness. And that’s what these are about to do as well.
And the sin of these sons in the line of Seth in looking upon the daughters of the line of Cain, also brings forth the very same thing that Satan brought forth through the false prophet Balaam. They polluted the purity of godly worship by involving themselves in the lusts of the flesh! Numbers 31:15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? 16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 1 Corinthians 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Then we are told what God saw! Genesis 6:5 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. For the Lord looks on the hearts. God saw this lustful looking as great wickedness. For he would later say that looking like this was already adultery in the heart! Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
And he instructed that these sins of Noah’s day were both the reason for the universal judgment and would be the sins upon the earth when he returned. Matthew 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
This inditement against this great wickedness reveals that there was total attention given to the natural matters, with none given to God and the spiritual matters. Like Cain, the entire human race had gone out from the presence of the Lord! That is, they had no God consciousness! Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
This mingled seed was a cunning plot of Satan to destroy the lineage of Messiah, so there would be no uncorrupted flesh for Him to come through. But let Satan and the flesh do their worst, God shall ever triumph!
In verses eleven and twelve of our Genesis six chapter it states that the earth was filled with violence, and all flesh was corrupt. For we read in verse four that there were already “bullies and tyrants” in the earth. For that is the meaning of the Hebrew word, “giants.” And that it was “also after that” when the sons of God (Seth’s line), mixed together with the daughters of men (Cain’s wicked line), came to corrupt the whole earth. These two lines are not said to have produced these giants, for they were already here! But they are said to have produced mighty men, or “heroes” who became men of name or, “renown.”
But the Lord God never meant for men to be bullies or tyrants, or to lord over others with tyranny! Yet there were men like Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one in the earth. (Genesis 10:8) And he was so bold in exacting himself over others it is said twice that he even did it before the Lord. (Genesis 10:9). That is, he blatantly tyrannized men in the very face of God, without any reservation!
2 Peter 2:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
But what does the Lord Christ teach concerning this? Read the following passage. Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Even the Lord Christ did not come to earth and appear in a palace, but in a cow stall! 2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. He instructed that greatness would be seen by being subservient to the Lord and to his peoples! And the apostles did the same!
1 Peter 5:3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 2 Corinthians 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand. He even designed his angels to do so! Hebrews 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
And Jude tells us that these were days of apostasy; days of rebellion from conforming to the Lord’s will, and flagrant abandonment from heaven’s will into the rebellion of man’s, and even angel’s will! Jude 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 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.
Jude 10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
But those eyes of God which saw man’s wickedness also was the place of grace to Noah! For verse eight states that it was in God’s eyes that Noah found grace!
Noah was found in one of the most sinfully corrupt societies. But that is where grace works its best! For it is where sin abounded grace did much more abound! (Romans 5:20). And it was while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). And then he was separated from that world, shut up in the safety of the ark. And so it is with every believer. He is not “of” the world, but he is still “in” the world!
Now Noah must learn the further development of faith. He is separated from the world but now begins to be confronted to his association with the beasts of the earth. Asaph, the cymbal playing Levite, wrote in Psalm 73:22 that without understanding of spiritual matters, he was as a beast before thee. And so it is with the believers struggling with the results of the two births. John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The exercise of struggling with that old nature causes the new man in Christ to mature and to grow up!
For he must deal with both the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit! Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
The flesh shall never be made holy! Rom. 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. It will always be at odds with the spiritual man! Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
The waters that judged the earth lifted Noah up to safety. The cross did the same for us! It brought judgment to the Devil and unbelievers. But it was used to draw all kinds of men to Christ. John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
But by the grace of God within the new man and God’s absolute sovereignty over all things, including the rule over the old man, he can make darkness and light lie down together. Exodus 10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: 23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
So he can make the wolf – representative of the natural man – lie down with the lamb – the new man in Christ! There is Noah, no longer in a corrupt race, but without a rudder or a sail, exclusively under the directing hand of Almighty God. So is the believer as he lives out the remainder of his life, after faith is bestowed upon him. He’s guided and guarded by grace alone, and is living with the beasts of his natural man, learning what other men cannot learn, as they are all dead!
Noah has been granted that dominion which only Adam had with these beasts before sin came. And the Lord Christ gives the believer to be more than conquerers bestowed through the gift of faith! Listen to this wondrous work of Christ in the believers life – even as that which is born of flesh is still being flesh!
Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
The little child – brought into being by the new birth, even with his smoking flax and bruised reed faith, is powerful enough through the Lord to lead these Christ-conquered passions and lusts!
And this is the way it shall be at the end of the age. For it was man’s sin that got the animals into the “vanity” of sin. And it shall be The Man, Christ Jesus, who shall deliver them at the time of the elects full restoration. Romans 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Pastor Gene Breed
September 10, 2015
