Daily Genesis

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†. Gen 6:1-2 . . Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

The Hebrew word for good in that passage is towb (tobe) which is the very same word that Genesis utilizes to evaluate God's handiwork in creation; e.g. Light (Gen 1:4) Land and Seas (Gen 1:10) Vegetation (Gen 1:12) Sun, Moon, and Stars (Gen 1:18) Birds and Aquatic Life (Gen 1:21) Beasts and Bugs (Gen 1:25) and the finished product (Gen 1:31).

Towb is one of those ambiguous Hebrew words that can be utilized as either a noun or an adjective in a wide variety of applications; e.g.

1) of a favorable character or tendency, <good news>
2) bountiful, fertile, <good land>
3) handsome, attractive, <good looks><good shape>
4) suitable, fit, <good to eat>
5) free from injury or disease, <one good arm>
6) not depreciated, <bad money drives out good>
7) commercially sound, <a good risk>
8) that can be relied on, <good for another year> <good for a hundred dollars><ways good for a laugh>
9) profitable, advantageous, <made a very good deal>
10) agreeable, pleasant, <had a good time>
11) salutary, <good morning>
12) useful, <good for a cold>
13) amusing, clever, <a good joke>
14) of a noticeably large size or quantity: considerable,<won by a good margin> <a good bit of the time>
15) complete, <waited a good hour>
16) used as an intensive, <a good many of us>
17) well-founded, cogent, <good reasons>
18) true, <holds good for society at large>
19) deserving of respect: honorable, <in good standing>
20) legally valid or effectual, <good title>
21) adequate, satisfactory, <good care>
22) conforming to a standard, <good English>
23) choice, discriminating, <good taste>
24) cut, <containing less fat and being less tender than higher grades &#8212; used of meat and esp. of beef>
25) virtuous, right, commendable, <a good person> <good conduct>
26) kind, benevolent, <good intentions>
27) upper-class, <a good family>
28) competent, skillful, <a good doctor>
29) loyal, <a good party man> <a good Catholic>
30) close, <a good friend>
31) free from infirmity or sorrow, <I feel good>
32) virtually, <as good as dead> <as good as gold>
33) of the highest worth or reliability, <his promise is as good as gold>
34) likeable, <good guy>
35) well-behaved <good kid>

Ambiguous Hebrew words like towb serve to illustrate why it's virtually impossible to translate Hebrew into English with 100&#37; precision. No linguist in his right mind would dare to say that English versions of the Hebrew Old Testament are perfect word-for-word renditions of the original manuscripts&#8212; no; they can't even be certified perfect word-for-word renditions of the available manuscripts let alone the originals.

The precise identity of the "sons of God" has been debated. Some say they were the sons of the aristocracy of that day who married attractive women from among the commoners. Others say they were fallen spirit beings who cohabited with human beings to produce a hybrid strain of human freaks. Others say they were pious men who, instead of marrying pious women of like faith, married outsiders; viz: infidels&#8212; implying that "daughters of men" are women who don't fear the Bible's God. (e.g. Gen 26:34-35)

It's quite rational to deduce from the text that otherwise pious men were overcome with sensual lust and built themselves harems of impious women; who subsequently became the mothers of God-less children. Intermarriage between men of faith and pagan women is a proven tactic for watering down, compromising, and even extinguishing Bible beliefs and practices (e.g. Num 31:7-16). The people of God are commanded against marrying outside their faith. (Deut 7:1-4, 2Cor 6:14-18)

In a mixed relationship, one a believer and the other an infidel, the believer will be forced to compromise their convictions in order to keep the relationship going. Compromise in the area of spiritual values is not a good thing for God's people. It's not only bad for the conscience, but will quickly ruin a believer's relationship with their Lord. (e.g. 1Kgs 11:1-10, cf. 1John 1:6)

Most people want love, romance, companionship, and a family of their own. According to Gen 1:27-28, and Gen 2:21-24, those things are Divine blessings, they're perfectly normal, nothing to be ashamed of; nor is there anything inherently naughty or sinful about them. But a believer has to be self controlled, and not permit sensual urges to make them lose their heads and ruin their chances for happiness. Adult dating is where it starts. And adult dating isn't harmless. It leads to other things, and it leads into commitments and promises that are not easily reneged. The end result of adult dating is ultimately marriage and children. Whose religion will prevail in the marriage? Whose religion will be taught to the children? The believer's or the infidel's? And ultimately, who will get the children's souls&#8212; God, or the Devil?

Some couples try to accommodate each other's beliefs by teaching their children the concepts of both religions. For example, a marriage between a Jew and a Catholic. The children are given a choice between yeshiva and catechism; between Mitzvah and Confirmation. That may seem like a good idea, but it only creates confusion in the minds of the children. Why are mom and dad not in agreement? Whose religion is right? Can both be right? Does it mean that one religion is just as good as the next so long as they both believe in the same God?

Teaching their children more than one system of beliefs and practices is out of the question for Chris-tians because the Lord and Master of New Testament Chris-tianity demands their exclusive devotion.

&#8224;. John 14:6 . . I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

&#8224;. 1Tim 2:5 . . For there is one God, and one mediator between God and humanity; the man Christ Jesus

Wives can be very effective in influencing an otherwise pious man to compromise his convictions (e.g. Gen 3:6). All too often, in a mixed marriage, the mother's religion will be taught to her children because husbands, as a rule, put a higher priority on sex and peace in the home than religion, so they won't risk alienating mama by forcing the issue. The sons of God in Noah's day&#8212; whose wives were chosen based solely upon sex appeal sans any spiritual prudence whatsoever &#8212;all perished in the Flood right along with their infidel wives and children.

C.L.I.F.F.
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†. Gen 6:3a . . And Yhvh said: My Spirit shall not strive with man forever

Some translations have "abide" instead of strive. But the Hebrew word is diyn (deen) which means: to rule; by implication to judge (as umpire); also to strive (as at law). It can also mean to plead the cause of; or to contend in argument.

There does come a time when God's patience runs out. Not because He can't take it anymore, but because when human beings become too decadent, then any more kindness shown them is just throwing good money after bad. Man tends to move away from God, not towards Him. The Lord is ever pleading with Man to bring him into a right relationship with Himself. But there does come a time when people go beyond a point of no return.

Chris-tians dare not assume themselves immune to an early death. Even they can go too far and provoke God to take harsh steps. All but Noah of the sons of God in Gen 6:1-2 perished in the Flood right along with their God-less wives.

†. Rom 8:12-13 . . So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

†. 1John 5:16-17 . . If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

The "death" of which John spoke is not going to Hell. Far from it because according to Jesus' own personal testimony; believers are in absolutely no danger of ever going to Hell from here to eternity. (Mrk 16:15-16, John 3:14-18, John 5:24, John 10:27-29)

Chris-tians in ancient Corinth abused the Lord's memorial service; and because of that, they contracted illnesses and some died.

†. 1Cor 11:23-31 . . For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

. . Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.

Contrary to the mushy, sob-sister brand of Chris-tianity going around like swine flu, there is a time when forgiveness is not only impossible, but it's also unreasonable. Hell is populated with people who will never, ever be forgiven. They crossed a line and now there's no going back; ever. God no longer has any interest in their welfare. They are forgotten, ignored; and can expect neither pity nor sympathy from God ever again— only mockery.

†. Prv 1:22-28 . . How long will you simple ones love simplicity, you scoffers be eager to scoff, you dullards hate knowledge? You are indifferent to my rebuke; I will now speak my mind to you, and let you know my thoughts.

. . Since you refused me when I called, and paid no heed when I extended my hand— you spurned all my advice, and would not hear my rebuke —I will laugh at your calamity, and mock when terror comes upon you; when terror comes like disaster, and calamity arrives like a tornado, when trouble and distress come upon you. Then they shall call me but I will not answer; they shall seek me but not find me.

God's spirit is ever active in the world; preventing evil from getting too far out of hand. But out ahead, there's a day coming when it will step aside for a bit and permit the world to become as evil as it wants.

†. 2Thes 2:3-7 . . Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

. . Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

Not only is God's spirit actively holding evil in check throughout the world, but it is also busy striving with Chris-tians; encouraging them to walk the straight and narrow.

†. Eph 4:30-32 . . And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

†. 1Thes 5:19 . . Quench not the Spirit.

If Chris-tians aren't careful, they can resist God's spirit to the point where it gives up and stops trying, just like it did in Noah's day.

C.L.I.F.F.
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&#8224;. Gen 6:3b . . for they are only mortal flesh.

The word mortal isn't really mortal. It's from shagag (shaw-gag') which means: to stray, i.e. (figuratively) sin (with more or less apology). The phrase "they are only mortal flesh" is actually huw' bshagam baasaar, which means: they are sinful flesh.

That is one of the most striking statements in the Bible&#8212; straight from God Himself &#8212;His own personal testimony that Man isn't basically good; no, au contraire; Man is quite basically evil. Others, speaking for God, reported the very same condition.

&#8224;. Jer 17:9 . . Most devious is the heart; it is perverse&#8212; who can fathom it?

David, one of the most righteous people in the entire Old Testament, believed himself a sinner right from the very moment of his conception.

&#8224;. Ps 51:5-7 . . for I recognize my transgressions, and am ever conscious of my sin. Against You alone have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are just in Your sentence, and right in Your judgment. Indeed I was born with iniquity; with sin my mother conceived me.

And David taught that others too, besides himself, are wicked from birth.

&#8224;. Ps 58:4 . .The wicked are defiant from birth; the liars go astray from the womb.

For that reason; Man's default future is eternal suffering.

&#8224;. John 3:17-19 . . For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to rescue the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever disbelieves stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Paul, an apostle assigned to the Gentiles, felt that his own human nature was a hopeless case.

&#8224;. Rom 7:18-20 . . I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Paul wasn't actually a total failure at doing what is good. He was a Pharisee; the most pious sect of Judaism in Jesus' day. Concerning Old Testament Jewish law, he was blameless. But underneath all that, down deep inside, inherent within his human nature, Paul knew he had problems.

Some feel that the doctrine of "The Total Depravity Of Man" is a wholly Christian invention. Far from it. Here in Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, in Man's prehistoric years, prior to the Flood, prior to Abraham, prior to Jesus, and prior to the New Testament; God said; "they are sinful flesh." And Jesus, many millennia later, said as much: "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing." (John 6:63)

How can anyone possibly think that Jesus, a prophet of the Bibles' God, would teach that Man is basically good? He and his Father, the Old Testament's God, are in perfect agreement. If God would say Man is sinful flesh, then Jesus would have to say the very same thing; or be out of harmony with his superior.

&#8224;. John 3:34 . . For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God for God's Spirit is upon him without measure or limit.

&#8224;. John 10:30 . . I and the Father are one.

&#8224;. John 14:10 . .The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

&#8224;. John 12:48-50 . .There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me gave me a mandate what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.

C.L.I.F.F.
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&#8224;. Gen 6:3c . . yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.

Some feel that God set the limits of human longevity in that verse. But people still continued to live long lives for a great number of years afterwards. Even Abraham, who lived many, many years after the Flood, didn't die till he was 175 years old. It's more reasonable to conclude that God was announcing a deadline. They had 120 years left to get ready to meet their maker. But you think that alarmed anybody? Heck no. They went right on; business as usual.

&#8224;. Luke 17:26-27 . . And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

The time of God's patience is sometimes long; but never unlimited: reprieves are not pardons&#8212; though God bear a great while, He never bears forever.

&#8224;. Gen 6:4 . .The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Nephilism is like a strange birth defect that produces men of extraordinary mettle. The defect is apparently predominant in males; sort of like ADHD. Personality-wise, the Nephilim were above average in recognition and achievement, and mirrored the Vikings in exploits and daring. They were a strong, terrifying people to be feared and avoided; as were the Mongols under the leadership of Genghis Khan in the thirteenth century.

Not all Nephilistic people are blood thirsty; but I think it's safe to characterize all of them as highly competitive, over-achievers in politics, business, sports, military, entertainment, and religion. The Nephilim of that day all perished in Noah's flood, but the syndrome itself resurfaced later in the sons of a man named Anak.

&#8224;. Num 13:31-33 . . But the men who had gone up with him said: We cannot attack that people, for it is stronger than we. Thus they spread calumnies among the Israelites about the land they had scouted, saying: The country that we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers. All the people that we saw in it are men of great size; we saw the Nephilim there&#8212; the Anakites are part of the Nephilim&#8212; and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them.

The Anakites were famous for their size and prowess.

&#8224;. Deut 9:1-2 . . Hear, O Israel! You are about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and more populous than you: great cities with walls sky-high; a people great and tall, the Anakites, of whom you have knowledge; for you have heard it said: Who can stand up to the children of Anak?

The Anakites descended from Noah; as did everybody else, so that just because one's ancestor was a righteous man is no guarantee his descendents will be like him.

&#8224;. Gen 6:5 . .The Lord saw how great was man's wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time.

Here again, the Bible clearly, and without ambiguity, declares that Man is thoroughly evil. See all the decent, law-abiding citizens around you? They are only decent and law-abiding because civilized Man is regulated by law and order. Take away law and order, and no one would be safe for very long because it's inherent in Man to destroy himself.

It's one thing to be guilty of an evil act. It's quite another to be infected with an evil mind. There are some who believe that God weighs only actions. But here, in the very beginning, God was already weighing the activity of the human mind. And He says that the human mind is evil &#8212;not just some of the time, no, all the time.

What does that mean really? Does it mean that people in those days thought only about rape, and robbery, and embezzlement, and kidnapping, and sleeping around, and entertainment, and food, and power, and wealth, and revenge. Maybe. I guess you could include those things; but it goes much deeper than that.

The Johari Window

Named after the first names of its inventors, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, the Johari window is one of the most useful models describing the process of human interaction. A four-paned glass window, divides personal awareness into four areas, as represented by its four quadrants: Open, Hidden, Blind, and Unknown.

1. The "open" quadrant represents things that both of us can see about myself.

2. The "blind" quadrant represents things that you can see about me, but that I am unaware of.

3. The "hidden" quadrant represents things that I can see about myself, that you don't know.

4. The "unknown" quadrant is opaque, and represents things that neither one of us can see about myself.

Man&#8217;s sub conscience lies in the fourth pane; the &#8220;unknown&#8221; one. Subconscious is defined as: existing in the mind but not immediately available to consciousness. There are horrible things lurking in the subconscious region of the human mind, and human nature typically suppresses that region to avoid dealing with its awful contents. But it's right in there where God sees some pretty bad things about which we are often deliberately unaware.

&#8224;. Heb 4:12-13 . . For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

That is terrifying. There is nothing about ourselves that we can hide from God. Those who study the Bible are often confronted with a reflection of themselves that is not very flattering. God's word is light. It reveals all of our ignoble imperfections and every sinful blemish. But not everyone is happy with what they see in the light and so they avoid it.

&#8224;. John 3:19-20 . .This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

Because of our inherent psychological handicaps, we don't really understand ourselves near well enough to perceive just how demonic every single one of us truly is. Man's subconscious mind is easily his most insurmountable obstacle to attaining true holiness because he can neither understand his subconscious mind, nor can he control it. For the most part, it is a blind side; and without illumination, Man hasn't a clue what's really going on in there.

&#8224;. Jer 17:9-10 . .The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.

So the question that we must face is: If the heart of Man is basically, and incurably twisted beyond cure, then how will any human being ever get to see God? Answer: Only by a re-Genesis; viz: an act of creation; the miracle of a second birth.

&#8224;. John 3:3 . . In reply Jesus declared: I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born from above.

According to the Lord and Master of New Testament Christianity, second births are not optional; no, they are a must; no exceptions.

&#8224;. John 3:7 . .You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again.

C.L.I.F.F.
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†. Gen 6:6 . . And Yhvh regretted that He had made man on earth, and His heart was saddened.

Actually the word regretted isn't quite accurate. It's from the Hebrew word nacham (naw-kham') which means, among other things: to sigh, i.e. breathe strongly; by implication, to be sorry, i.e. (in a favorable sense) to pity.

God doesn't regret creating Man. No, not at all. On the final day of creation, when Man was created, God looked back over His handiwork and announced it was all not just good; but "very good".

Man, though he is a sinful being now, nevertheless, was God's personal handiwork and He's pained by humanity's self destruction; much as a parent is disappointed in a child for whom they had high hopes, but ends up a loser instead.

Is God vulnerable? Yes, God most certainly is vulnerable; very vulnerable. You might be surprised just how sensitive God really is. The Bible has much to say about God's feelings. The Bible's God is not a distant, cold, alien life-form like Spock of Star Trek. No; the Bible's God is a sentient, sensitive being, and fully able to feel things like compassion, anger, happiness, sorrow, love, hate, pity, annoyance, and jealousy.

Were you upset by the World Trade Center attack? Well, so was God. Were you touched by the plight of Afghanistan's refugees? So was God. Are you saddened by the children of Afghanistan; of whom 1\3 are orphans and the most go to bed hungry every night? So is God. Were you moved by the cultural restrictions the Taliban imposed upon Afghan women? So was God. It is because of God's feelings, His unfathomable pity for Man, that the Bible's God sent His own kin, His own heir apparent, the son that He cherishes above all else and everyone else, to be crucified and rescue Man from a terrible fate.

†. John 3:14-19 . . Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert (Num 21:5-9) so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so pitied the world that He donated His one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God didn't send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to rescue the world through him.

The Jews, whom God rescued from the brickyards of Egyptian slavery, eventually became ungrateful to the One who had been so good to them.

†. Isa 1:2-3 . . Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up— and they have rebelled against me! An ox knows its owner, an ass its master's crib: Israel does not know; my people are thoughtless.

Their ingratitude, and their rebellion, finally broke God's heart.

†. Ezek 6:8-10 . .Yet I will leave a remnant, in that some of you shall escape the sword among the nations and be scattered through the lands. And those of you that escape will remember Me among the nations where they have been taken captive, how I was brokenhearted through their faithless hearts which turned away from Me, and through their eyes which lusted after their fetishes. And they shall loathe themselves for all the evil they committed and for all their abominable deeds. Then they shall realize it was not without cause that I the Lord resolved to bring this evil upon them.

The antediluvians resisted God's spirit: resisted it to the point of no return. He was saddened; and finally, because nothing else could be done; God removed them from the earth as a HazMat team would deal with a chemical spill. They were toxic; they had become an infectious disease upon the planet, and God took action to remedy the situation.

Christians should never take the Bible's God for granted. If the Bible's God drowned all those people in Noah's day because they wouldn't listen to Him, but preferred rather to gratify their fleshly appetites and impulses, then He won't spare worldly Christians either. It just wouldn't be fair.

†. Rom 8:12-14 . . Brethren, we are debtors— not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

†. Eph 4:30 . . And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

†. 1Cor 10:11-12 . .These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

†. 1Pet 1:17 . . And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth.

†. 1John 5:16 . . If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that one should pray about that.

C.L.I.F.F.
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†. Gen 6:7 . .Yhvh said: I will blot out from the earth the men whom I created— men together with beasts, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for it grieves me that I made them.

God was grieved with all forms of antediluvian life; not just Man. Even the animal world had become twisted and evil. How that happened I have no idea— but what a mess.

The Hebrew word for blot is from machah (maw-khaw') which means: to stroke or rub; by implication, to erase; also to smooth (as if with oil), i.e. grease or make fat; also to touch, i.e. reach to.

God intended to not only remove Man from the face of the earth, but also to scrub off all of their works too so that when He was done, it would be very difficult to even be able to tell the antediluvians were ever here at all.

It’s always been a mystery to me why paleoanthropologists have managed to find so few fossilized remains of ancient human beings. In 1992, a team led by Tim White of the University of California at Berkeley, discovered the fossilized skeleton of a woman who lived 4.4 million years ago in Ethiopia; along with portions of the skeletons of thirty-seven other individuals from the same era. (the discovery has sent evolutionists into a tail spin because the woman’s age, combined with her physical design, proves that apes and humans are separate and distinct species rather than sharing a common ancestor in an evolutionary chain.)

But my point is: Where are the remains of the antediluvians? They’re gone; lock, stock, and barrel: no tools, no dwellings, no footprints, no bones, no pottery, no cave art, no nothing.

God moved against Man like a relentless newspaper editor who deletes superfluous words and sentences; keeping only those germane to the story. Editing isn't reserved only for those who are strangers to God, but also applies to those who are His very own people.

†. Isa 27:10-11 . .The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the desert; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare. When its twigs are dry, they are broken off and women come and make fires with them. For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.

One can almost hear the Divine decree: "Though I created Man in my own image, that does not excuse him. If he and his world will not permit me to be their sovereign, then I must away with them."

(shiver) That is such a terrifying thought; and one that should unnerve all those who contemplate it.

†. Luke 19:11-28 . .While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.

. . He said: A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. Put this money to work; he said, until I come back. But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say: We don't want this man to be our king.

. . He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it . . But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them— bring them here and kill them while I watch.

Does that sound anything like your sweet little turn-the-other-cheek Jesus? The New Testament's Jesus, and the Old Testament's God are in perfect agreement on how to deal with people who refuse to submit to Divine authority.

†. Ps 2:7-12 . . Let me tell of the decree: Yhvh said to me: You are my son, I have fathered you this day. Ask it of me, and I will make the nations your domain; your estate, the limits of the earth. You can smash them with an iron mace, shatter them like potter's ware. Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve Yhvh with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

C.L.I.F.F.
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&#8224;. Gen 6:8 . . But Noah found favor with The Lord.

The word for favor is from chen (khane) and means: graciousness. Translators sometimes render chen as grace. It can be either grace or favor; but the important thing is that The Lord didn't find chen with Noah. No, just the opposite&#8212; Noah found chen with The Lord.

Webster's defines graciousness as merciful, compassionate, kind, courteous, cordial, affable, genial, and sociable. Those are all good qualities, and the very things you would expect to see in someone you loved and trusted&#8212; like your spouse or a very close friend.

But though Yhvh was Noah's buddy; He was estranged from the others.

&#8224;. Gen 6:9 &#8230;This is the line of Noah.&#8212; Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with God.

Three things are said of Noah: 1) He was righteous, 2) he was blameless, and 3) he walked with God.

The Bible says that two people won't walk together unless they agree (Am 3:3). Harmony, then, is important in any personal relationship.

The Hebrew word for righteous is from tsaddiyq (tsad-deek') which means: just.

Webster's provides several definitions of just, but perhaps the ones best suited for our purpose are: conscientious, honest, honorable, right, scrupulous, true, dependable, reliable, tried, trustworthy, dispassionate, equal, equitable, impartial, nondiscriminatory, objective, unbiased, uncolored, and unprejudiced. So then, Noah was not only religious to his fingertips; but he was a pretty decent person to boot.

The word for blameless is from tamiym (taw-meem') and means: entire (literally, figuratively or morally); also (as noun) integrity, truth.

Being blameless doesn't automatically imply sinless. Here's an example.

&#8224;. Luk 1:5-6 . . In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

The commandments and regulations of The Lord are divided in two major parts: the religious laws, and the civil laws. The religious laws are sub divided into sacrificial laws and procedural laws. The sacrificial laws were used to obtain forgiveness and absolution for breaking all the other laws. So that Zechariah and his wife didn't have to be sinless in order to be blameless, they just had to be taking full advantage of the sacrificial laws in order to cover their tracks. In fact, Zechariah himself was an officiator of those very same sacrificial laws in his daily duties as an Aaronic priest.

Though Noah wasn't perfect, God rated him as if he was. He rated Noah as if he were truly sinless. There you have Divine grace in action. It elevates sinners to a position way beyond their reach; and way above their merits. (cf. Eph 2:1-9)

Noah walked with God. What does that mean exactly?

&#8224;. Ps 86:11-13 . .Teach me your way, O Lord; I will walk in your truth; let my heart be undivided in reverence for your name. I will praise you, O Lord, my God, with all my heart and pay honor to your name forever. For your steadfast love toward me is great; you have saved me from the depths of Sheol.

The writer of Psalm 86 revered God and wanted to be educated in His ways not in order to be saved from Sheol; but because God had already saved him from Sheol. The author's desire to please The Lord his God stemmed from a heart of admiration and gratitude, rather than from fear of Sheol.

&#8224;. Rom 12:1-2 . . And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice&#8212; the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

If believers desire to buddy up with their God in this life, then they have to knuckle down and walk alongside Him; viz: they have to live according to God&#8217;s teachings.

&#8224;. 1John 1:4-7 . .This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we associate with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth

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People generally think of Noah as a silly old fool who loved animals and built a big boat for them to ride in. But according to the Bible, he was a very outstanding man.

Noah is an example of Bible faith.

†. Heb 11:7 . . By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Noah stood for God; and he spoke for God.

†. 2Pet 2:5 . . and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Noah walked with God.

†. Gen 6:9b . . Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Noah was obedient.

†. Gen 6:22 . .Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

The most incredible thing about Noah was his degree of piety in a world gone mad with evil. He must have endured an enormous amount of opposition, ridicule, criticism, and thoughtless remarks. Yet he persisted and didn't cave in to the thinking of his neighbors and friends; nor of his brothers and sisters, nor of his nieces and nephews, nor of any of the rest of his kin. Only his wife, and his three sons and their wives responded to Noah's preaching; yet he continued to warn people about the Flood right up to the end.

To the majority of modern intellectuals, Noah is merely a mythical character, and to them his ark and its animals are nothing but a story for children's coloring books. To them, it is much too naïve to give any serious consideration to the concept of Noah and the ark. However, later writers of the Bible felt differently. God lists Noah among three of the most righteous men in history.

†. Ezek 14:13-14 . . Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness: testifies Yhvh God.

Noah was actually a nobody in his day; eclipsed by the Nephilim, those mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. They got all the press, the publicity, and the notoriety while God's man went largely ignored. Yet the Nephilim were damned. Look around you today at the movie stars, news anchors, politicians, professional athletes, musicians and singers, software and computer giants, the super models, the industrialists and the billionaires— the shakers and the movers, the people we admire, and all the people who are prestigious and constantly in the public eye. Where are they going when they die? What will it matter then how remarkable they were in this life when it's all over?

The beautiful, the wealthy, the influential, the prestigious, the powerful, the popular, the celebrité, the genius— just about all of them; the overwhelming majority, will be locked away forever in the dungeons of Hell without hope or reprieve.

†. 1Cor 1:26 . . Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

What's the problem with the movers and the shakers? Well . . they are just simply too distracted with other things to be bothered by Bible stuff; so Jesus' message never has a chance; like the seed sown among brambles in the parable of the sower. (Mrk 4:18-19)

C.L.I.F.F.
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Hello;

There are far and away much better commentaries on the book of Genesis in existence than mine, but I seriously doubt there's any that are more personal. Although not very scholarly; mine easily serves as an adequate introduction to one of the most important— if not the most important —books in the Bible.

Genesis is a one of those things that are called "foundational". In other words; a poor knowledge of this book will handicap your understanding of the rest of the Bible; most especially the New Testament portion.

All the really cool stuff is here: the origin of the universe, the origin of Man, Adam and Eve, the origin of marriage, the Devil, the first lie, the first sin, the origin of human conscience, the origin of human death, the origin of clothing, the first baby, Cain and Abel, the first murder, Noah, the Flood, the tower of Babel, the origin of the people of Israel, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Joseph (Moses vs. Pharaoh, and the Parting of the Red Sea, is in Exodus).

What you won't find in this Genesis commentary is the so-called Catalogue Of Nations, nor will you find a lengthy treatment of Dinosaurs and the Jurassic Era. The dinos get a passing mention, and that's about it. For some reason, Genesis has very little to say about Earth's early history, and since that's the route it takes, I do too. Not that I’m against science; no, not at all. In point of fact, I think you’ll find quite a bit of interesting science in this daily devotion.

C.L.I.F.F.
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&#8224;. Gen 6:10 . . Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Were those the only kids Noah had? And no daughters? I seriously doubt it. Noah was six hundred when the flood began. It is unlikely that a healthy, hard working, robust man would live that long without engendering a much larger family than three; especially in those days without birth control. But these three boys are the only ones that count now because they're going on the ark with their dad.

&#8224;. Gen 6:11a . .The earth became corrupt before God;

The word for corrupt is shachath (shaw-khath') which means: to decay, to become decadent, i.e. to ruin and destroy.

People were busy wrecking not only themselves, but also the environment just like early settlers did here in America when they raped the land, chopped down millions of trees, and killed off practically every buffalo and beaver in sight. Over the years the waters of America have become so badly polluted that scientists say there is now no water anywhere in the USA that's safe to drink without treatment of some kind&#8212; not even snow-melt in the high elevations.

When I was a kid in rural California back in the late 1940's and mid 1950's, I played in the San Diego river a few miles east of the city catching frogs, crawdads, and fish. I even drank some of the water on occasion. But today it would not be wise to let that river's water even get on your skin.

I've seen the smog so bad in LA that tourists' kids at Disneyland kept handkerchiefs over their eyes to daub away the tears running down their cheeks caused by noxious chemicals in the local air.

Man was a destroyer prior to the Flood, and he went right on destroying the Earth after the Flood ended with toxic waste, litter, air and water pollution, over-harvesting fish, birds, and animals to near extinction, introducing non-native species, greenhouse gases, over-logging, destruction of rain forests, war, obliterating perfectly good farm land for strip malls, commercial parks, and housing tracts, proliferating terrible social diseases, road kills, crime, acid rain, space debris, wide-spread destruction of habitat, etc, etc, etc. California alone has already managed to destroyed more than 90&#37; of its natural wetlands.

&#8224;. Gen 6:11b . . the earth was filled with lawlessness.

Crime is pretty much the inevitable outcome in a world of sinful beings sans law and order. Nobody was accountable for a single thing in those days. The only rules that may have existed were those among clans or in towns. But those rules wouldn't be universal. Rules like that would be different from clan to clan and from town to town. And primitive clans are known to war with each other on a regular basis like the Native Americans did here in the early years.

I just hope I don't live to see the day when some sort of nationwide disaster, like a nuclear holocaust, occurs in America. Nobody will be safe. Electrical power will be out, the banks won't be open, ATM machines won't work, and everyone will be so desperate to survive. Roving gangs of thugs will prowl the rubble looking to scavenge and to steal anything not nailed down or protected by guards. Law enforcement and medical services will be so overwhelmed that dialing 911 will be no more productive than writing a letter to Santa Claus; that is, if telephones even work. If hurricane Katrina taught us anything in New Orleans, it's that large-scale disasters produce large-scale chaos.

At 9:01 am, Sept. 25, 1978, Pacific Southwest (PSA) flight 182 was over the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, beginning its final approach into Lindbergh Field. A Cessna 172, flown by two licensed pilots, accidentally intercepted the jetliner and was struck by the right wing of the Boeing 727, sending both aircraft crashing into a neighborhood below while I was at work in a boat yard on Shelter Island. All 135 passengers and crew on the airliner, another 2 in the Cessna, and 7 people on the ground, were killed for a total of 144 dead, plus 22 homes destroyed and/or damaged by the impact and subsequent fires. From the island, I could see the smoke of the wreckage off in the distance.

On the way home that evening, I made a stop at my favorite mom and pop grocery store to pick up something for dinner. The proprietor knew one of the cops who responded to the crash. The cop told the store owner that they caught a man running away from the scene of the crash carrying a human jaw with gold teeth in it. Can you imagine something like that happening in a modern civilized America?

According to the 2009 World Almanac, in the year 2007, there were a total of 1,408,337 violent crimes committed in the USA which included manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The number of property crimes totaled 9,843,481 which included burglary, larceny, and auto theft. Those totals exclude arson and non victim types of crimes like perjury, contempt of court, internet hackers, traffic violations, J-walking, trespassing, feeding parking meters; et al.

The criminal element has neither honor nor sympathy for its victims. After the recent tsunami subsided in Samoa, residents returned to neighborhoods only to find that their homes had been looted.

And to think the USA and its territories are a society of law abiding citizens. Just think what it must have been like in Noah's day with no organized civil authority whatsoever to control crime. All I can say is; if something really bad should ever happen here in the USA, you&#8217;d better own deadly weapons like swords and guns because neither your life nor your possessions will be safe in the night.

C.L.I.F.F.
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&#8224;. Gen 6:12a . . God saw how corrupt the earth had become,

There are people who, for what reason I don't know, say that after God created the Earth, turned it over to Man, and then went off on some other venture and left Man to himself; to do whatever he wants with his new home. But that just isn't reality. God is aware of everything that goes on down here.

&#8224;. Ps 14:1 . .The fool says in his heart: There is no God. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

According to that Psalm, it is a fool who thinks God isn't aware of what's going on down here.

&#8224;. Gen 6:12b-13a . . for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah: I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.

Some people would probably like to translate some of that verse like this: "for the earth is filled with violence through God." But Genesis doesn't say it was filled with violence through God; no, God said it was filled with violence through them&#8212; the antediluvians.

Soon after the 9/11 attacks, a prominent Christian preacher started pounding his pulpit and spewing a message alleging the attacks were a message from God to America for tolerating lesbians and abortionists. An Islamic cleric, speaking in a mosque, said the attacks were the wrath of Allah for the aggression of America's war machine against Muslims.

I'm jealous. Those men apparently have red-phone lines directly to Heaven's front desk and are privy to insider information not readily available to the general public. But since God Himself has yet to claim responsibility for the 9-11 attacks, then why don't we just recognize the attacks for what they really were? They were of human origin&#8212; the same kinds of humans who filled the earth with violence in Noah's day. Human beings are fully responsible for the violence in our world. We can't lay this off on Christianity's God nor on Islam's Allah.

&#8224;. Gen 6:13b . . I am about to destroy them with the earth.

Here is set a precedent of God forewarning His own when He is about to execute a disastrous event upon the earth. The Passover was another such example. God forewarned Moses, and Moses' people, of the imminent annihilation of all the firstborn of Man and Beast in Egypt; which would also impact Moses and his people if they didn't do exactly as God said and paint the blood of a lamb on their door jambs. (Ex 11:1-13). And our man Noah, super-duper righteous saint that he was, would have drowned right along with the rest of the antediluvians had he neglected to construct an ark. When God gives a warning, it is best to respond accordingly.

&#8224;. Prv 22:3 . . A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

Out ahead is yet one more worldwide disaster. Jesus gave some concise sketches of a Tribulation period in the gospels, but he didn't go into much detail until later in the book of Revelation.

Graphic horrors&#8212; plagues, disease, famine, wars, economic collapse, starvation, death, violence, environmental damage, the destruction of cities so severe in scope that the World Trade Center will be as Lego toys in comparison&#8212; all to be orchestrated by one who sits upon the throne of God and of the Lamb. People will experience such terror and stress that they will suffer fatal heart attacks; and experience physical discomforts so severe that they will gnaw their tongues from pain.

The Tribulation is a prelude to Jesus' personal return to Jerusalem to set up his headquarters and establish a new world order. Many peoples will be completely unprepared; and many will lose their lives.

&#8224;. Mtt 24:36-40 . . For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the Flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they just didn't get it until the Flood came and swept them all away: so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

Several attempts have been made in the past to predict the exact moment of Jesus' return. All have failed because Jesus said the Son of Man will come at an hour when you "do not expect him."

&#8224;. Luke 17:20-21 . . Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, Jesus answered them and said: The kingdom of God is not coming by observation

When Jesus said: "The kingdom of God is not coming by observation" he meant the date for it has neither been revealed nor can it be calculated. The Pharisees specifically asked him for a date in Luke 17:20. Jesus' disciples asked of him the very same thing just before he left.

&#8224;. Acts 1:6-7 . .Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying: Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And He said to them: It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

The particular kingdom that the Pharisees and disciples asked him of was, in strict Jewish teachings, the Davidic monarchy; and their question was justifiable since the Old Testament profusely predicts restoration of the house of David's control over the land of Israel under the patronage and direction of Almighty God.

At the very end of Jesus' ministry, after he had already been crucified and risen from the dead, and just moments before leaving, he spoke of the kingdom as something yet future. If the kingdom of God (a.k.a. David's monarchy) were only "in people's hearts" as some allege; then the disciples' question, and Jesus' answer, would have been a non sequitur. But they all, including Jesus, expected the actual kingdom to be set up at some later date. And the kingdom will be set up neither in people's hearts, nor out in space; but in the land of Israel.

Most celestial events like lunar and planetary orbits and phases, the periods of comets, eclipses, the tides, the equinoxes, and such, are predictable; that is, by observing their motions, astronomers can easily calculate their future times, dates, and locations. But Jesus&#8217; return cannot be predicted by means of observable phenomenon.

As proof that the kingdom&#8217;s arrival cannot be predicted by means of scientific calculations; the King and his cabinet were standing there right before the Pharisees' very eyes and they were totally missing it.

&#8224;. Luke 17:21 . . For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.

According to the Bible, Jesus' personal return will be neither spiritual, nor invisible, nor will it be in secret; but will be as public, and as sudden, and as startling and impossible to miss as a brilliant strike of lightening.

&#8224;. Luk 17:24 . . For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in his day.

&#8224;. Rev 1:7 . . Behold, he's coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will wail because of him. Truly; this shall be.

C.L.I.F.F.
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&#8224;. Gen 6:14a . . Make yourself an ark

The Hebrew word for ark is tebah (tay-baw') and just simply indicates, not a ship, but a nondescript box. The ark for the covenant (Ex 25:10) was a specific kind of box: it was an 'arown (aw-rone'); and/or 'aron (aw-rone') which means a box for collecting things; viz: a chest or a foot locker.

The only other place tebah is used again in the Old Testament is of the little watertight container Moses' mom constructed to hide him from Pharaoh's henchmen. (Ex 2:1-10)

That story is precious. The daughter of Pharaoh&#8212; the very man who ordered all the little Hebrew male babies killed &#8212;brought Moses home with her and adopted him. The old boy must have been hopping mad but what could he do about it? So Moses enjoyed a very privileged life in Pharaoh's palace even though his adopted granddad hated his guts and wished him dead. Later, when he became a man, Moses defected. (Heb 11:24-27)

Noah's ark is a New Testament picture of safety in Christ's resurrection.

&#8224;. 1Pet 3:18-21 . . For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us&#8212; baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Noah's experience is very interesting&#8212; he himself didn't get wet. No, not one drop of either the rain nor the Flood ever touched him or his family; yet their experience was a baptism: all eight of them were "saved through water". Just exactly what does that mean?

It means Noah was not only saved from the Flood, but was also saved by the Flood; viz: the waters that drowned all the damned, were the very same waters that bore Noah and his family to safety above it all via the ark.

For the Christian, Christ's crucifixion and resurrection work just like the ark and just like those Flood waters. His crucifixion, like the Flood, was a judgment upon an evil world, and his resurrection, like the ark, is a ride to safety. So Christians go through Divine judgment inside Christ; shielded from harm by being positioned in Christ. He, like the ark, bore the brunt of the judgment, and at the same time protected its occupants from harm. And since Christ will never again die for sin, those in him will never again be in danger of another judgment; but will remain resurrected and go with him into the new world order.

The New Testament Greek word for baptism is from baptizo (bap-tid'-zo) which means: to immerse, submerge; to make overwhelmed (i.e. fully wet and soaked). However, baptism doesn't always mean immersion in a liquid. Following, will be some examples of waterless baptism.

&#8224;. Mark 10:37-39 . .They replied: Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory. You don't know what you are asking; Jesus said. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? We can; they answered. Jesus said to them: You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,

In that case, Jesus' baptism wouldn't be a dip in liquid; it would be his execution. Here's another one.

&#8224;. Luke 3:16-17 . . John answered them all: I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Three different baptisms are in that passage: liquid baptism, the Holy Spirit's baptism, and infernal baptism; which is a baptism reserved for the damned. Here's another.

&#8224;. 1Cor 10:1-2 . . For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

In that case, the people of Israel walked under the cloud and through the Red Sea on totally dry ground; there wasn&#8217;t even any mud. So they themselves didn't get a single drop of liquid anywhere on them, not even on their shoes&#8212; yet they are said to be baptized unto Moses. In like manner; the Christian is baptized into Christ's resurrection without water. In this case, the baptizing agent is neither a sea, nor a Flood, nor a cloud, nor a fire; but God's spirit.

&#8224;. 1Cor 12:13 . . For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body&#8212; whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free&#8212; and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

There have no doubt been millions of Christians&#8212; if we count the ones who lived in the last two thousand years, and all those who are alive today&#8212; who were baptized in liquid, but have yet to experience the most important baptism of all, the supernatural baptism that can only be performed by God's spirit. And without that one particular kind of baptism, those liquid-baptized Christians remain in grave danger of being sent off to Hell; because it is only by being &#8220;in&#8221; Christ's crucifixion and resurrection that sinners can defend themselves from Divine judgment.

&#8224;. Rom 6:3-11 . . Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

. . If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin&#8212; because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Being "dead to sin" doesn't mean believers no longer do anything wrong because 1John 1:8-10 testifies that when Chris-tians claim to be sinless, they insinuate that God is dishonest and can't be trusted to tell the truth. No, being dead to sin doesn't mean believers are sinless, it means that sin no longer has the power to condemn them to Hell.

&#8224;. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message, and rely upon God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

C.L.I.F.F.
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†. Gen 6:14b . . of gopher wood;

Nobody really knows for sure exactly what kind of trees Noah used to make the ark. The word for gopher has nothing to do with little subterranean rodents. It's a transliteration of the Hebrew word gopher (go'-fer) which only suggests a kind of tree suitable for building structures out of wood. Some think it was cypress because the wood of those trees is so resinous that it resists rotting even after prolonged submersion in water. Others think it may have been cedar or spruce; which are good too. Unfortunately, this is the one and only occurrence of gopher in the entire Old Testament so there's no other passages that might help identify a specific kind of tree.

†. Gen 6:14c . . make it an ark with compartments,

The word for compartments is from qen (kane) which means: a nest (as fixed), sometimes including the nestlings; figuratively, a chamber or dwelling. The construction of nests (and stalls) indicates the animals weren’t just herded or jammed together like the crowds attending an outdoor rock concert. They were neatly stowed aboard in their own areas and apparently made to feel quite comfortable.

†. Gen 6:14d . . and cover it inside and out with pitch.

The word for pitch is kopher (ko'-fer) which means: a cover. It can also mean a village (as covered in); and also bitumen (as used for coating) and the henna plant (as used for dye).

Kopher is a common word used to depict the atonement process. An atonement, like pitch, is a coating, or a covering, which is not only a sealing compound like the stuff people apply to weatherproof their patio decks, but also a concealment coating like tar and feathers.

An atonement, while not actually removing sins; conceals a sinner's sins so that, for all intents and purposes, the sinner is "seen" as innocent; even though he really isn't. That is so cool because just as Adam's clothing covered his physical nakedness, so too kopher acts as a garment, concealing the sinner's sinful self from God's critical observation.

†. Ps 32:1 . . Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered over.

†. Col 3:3 . . For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

The New Testament Greek word for hidden is from krupto (kroop'-to) and means: to conceal (properly, by covering) So Christ is like kopher, covering a Christian and protecting them from not only God's critical observation; but from subsequent judgment too. The kopher, of course, is Christ's own righteousness; which is flawless perfection. When a sinner is in Christ, God sees the sinner as a non sinning son of God rather than as a constantly sinning son of Adam. The righteousness of Christ is an essential necessity for those who would walk with God in this age, and in the one to come. (Mtt 22:1-14, Rev 3:17-18)

C.L.I.F.F.
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†. Gen 6:15a . .This is how you shall make it:

Noah wasn't left to his own imagination regarding the ark's construction. Another sacred item, the tabernacle, used in their worship by the Jews in the wilderness, also had to be made according to a strict design totally specified by God. (Heb 8:1-5)

†. Gen 6:15b . . the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

There was a cubit among the Babylonians, and one in Egypt too. But there seems to have existed double standards in both countries. Because of that, there exists no undisputed example of the cubit that remains to the present time; so the length of the cubit has been variously estimated.

One of the ancient cubits was the length of a man's forearm, from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, as is implied from the derivation of the word in Hebrew and from the Latin cubitum. It seems to be referred to also in Deut 3:11: "after the cubit of a man." But that’s too vague, and unsuitable for a scientific standard because not all men's arms are exactly alike.

The Babylonians employed two different cubits, the so-called royal cubit and the common cubit. From the remains of buildings in Assyria and Babylonia, the royal cubit is made out to be about 20.6 inches. A cubit of similar length was used in Egypt. This was probably the cubit mentioned by Ezek 40:5 and possibly that of Solomon's temple, "cubits after the first measure" (2 Chr 3:3)

The commercial cubit was shorter, and has been variously estimated at between 16 and 18 inches or more, but the evidence of the Siloam inscription and of the tombs in Palestine seems to indicate 17.6 inches as the average length. This was the cubit of six palms, while the longer one was of seven (Ezek 40:5). The cubit mentioned in Judges 3:16 is from a different word, the Hebrew gomedh, and was probably shorter.

The cubit of Noah's day remains a total mystery. We have no way of knowing exactly how long it was. Maybe Noah and his boys passed on their antediluvian knowledge of weights and measures to the post-flood world and it stayed pretty close to the original standards over the years; but it's impossible to know for sure.

If we use an 18-inch cubit as a close approximation, then the ark would have been in the neighborhood of 450' long x 75' wide x 45' high. The ark's beam was 30 feet wider than its height, so should have proved very stable, and difficult to capsize even in rough seas— especially since it had a flat bottom, which was good too for the purpose intended.

Nothing fancy. Since it didn't have to navigate, nor did it require a means of propulsion, there was no practical need for a bow, or a stern, or a wheel house, a rudder, sails, engine room, anchor, windlasses, or masts— not even a handrail around the main deck. Since the ark didn't have to cut through the water like a schooner, there was no need for tapered undersides. All the ark really had to do was float. It was really nothing in the world but a barge: and a very crude barge at that. Really little more than a very large watertight crate.

Compared to modern ships, 450 feet is not all that big. Oil tankers are around 1,500, and the Nimitz aircraft carrier is about 1,092 feet. The distance from home plate to the center field fence in major league baseball, averages 400 feet or better. So the ark would just about fit into Yankee stadium. The main playing area of a football field is 300 feet. Add 26 more for the end zones, and the total is 326; which is still 124 feet short of the ark's length but at least gives some idea of its scale.

C.L.I.F.F.
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&#8224;. Gen 6:16a . . Make an opening for daylight in the ark, and terminate it within a cubit of the top.

The ark was probably capped with a sloped roof so water would drain off, and the eves were likely quite considerable so water running off the roof wouldn't find its way to the window. Whether or not the window was shuttered isn't stated, but was very likely a practical consideration.

When my son was a little boy I built a playhouse for him in the backyard with ventilation somewhat similar to the ark's. The exterior siding on the walls stop at the plate; and I left the 3&#189;'' space created by the rafters unfinished. That way air can freely circulate in and out of the playhouse. After my boy grew up, mommy raccoons starting using his playhouse to birth their cubs.

The dimensions of the window aren't stated. It could have been as wide as six feet and extended the full length and width of the ark&#8212; all the way around it; who really knows. The only requirement was that it be adequate for light; but undoubtedly served for ventilation too.

&#8224;. Gen 6:16b . . Put the entrance to the ark in its side; make it with bottom, second, and third decks.

The very bottom of a ship is normally not counted as a deck. The lowest deck is usually somewhat above the bottom and separated from it by a void called the double bottom. That way if the actual bottom is pierced, the ship won't sink because the void is sealed. Whether or not Noah's ark had a double bottom is unknown; but likely it had at least a bilge because the lowest deck needs to be above the bottom a bit so the passengers and crew don't have to slosh around down there in the lower parts of the ship where fetid water and other unsavory liquids typically collect.

The spaces between decks were fairly tall. If we divide 45 by 3 we get roughly 15 feet apiece not counting a bilge, nor the thickness of the deck planks and their beams. Fifteen feet can accommodate pretty tall animals; and provide enough room for the birds to exercise now and then too.

I wish we were told more about the ark&#8212; how Noah and his boys fastened all the wood together, and especially how they cut it to size. They say there are seven wonders of the ancient world, but that is not quite accurate. There's actually eight if we include Noah's ark. Sure, building a big wooden barge like Noah's would be child's play for a modern shipyard like Northrop Grumman Newport News; but in his day, it had to be quite a feat.

Did people think Noah was crazy? No doubt. It must have been perfectly obvious to everyone in his day, as well as in our own, that there just doesn't exist enough water in nature to flood the entire planet. Even if the ice caps and all the world's glaciers melted, sea level would rise only about another 260 feet; far from enough to cover even the 607 foot Space Needle in Seattle let alone the Alps, or any other significant mountains for that matter. So where was all the water supposed to come from to float Noah's Folly?

He must have been quite a novelty. I bet there were even guided tours going out to Noah's diggings so people could take pictures and brag to the folks back home about where they went on vacation. Noah's place probably resembled an ancient Knott's Berry Farm where you could visit a real working ranch and purchase pies , jams and jellies, and fresh corn and tomatoes from Ms. Noah's roadside stand, and take a wheelbarrow out and pick your own pumpkins. People may have even stopped by and listened to one of Noah's fire and brimstone sermons while sipping cider out of a crock jug.

Noah must have seemed to onlookers like one of those deranged men who walk around with a sandwich board sign draped over their shoulders that says: Repent! The End Is Near! What a weirdo. And they'd shake their heads and rip off some laughs. Haw-Haw-Haw-Haw. "Poor, silly old geezer. Better lay off them drugs for a while boy."

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But not only was Noah a man of faith; he was also a man of FEAR.

†. Heb 11:7a . . By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house;

Some people are offended by a religion of fear. But if Adam had feared God more than he feared his wife, the world wouldn't be in the mess it's in today. Fear will keep you from being killed and eaten by a lion. Fear of becoming lost will make you learn how to read a map and compass and carry a radio, GPS receiver, or cell phone along with you in the wilderness. Fear of fire will keep you from being burned. Fear of bleeding to death will encourage you to learn First Aid. Fear of death will keep you from being bitten by a poisonous snake. Fear of AIDS, Herpes, and venereal disease encourages people to practice safe sex. Fear of atherosclerosis motivates people to lay off fatty foods. Fear is a way of life whether you accept it or not.

Sometimes fear can be a very good thing and keep you out of a lot of trouble. If people had only been frightened by Noah's preaching, they might have been motivated with enough fear to build their own arks and save themselves and their families from drowning.

According to the Bible, there is a Hell to fear.

†. Luke 12:4-5 . . I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

Some people object to the concept of a Hell. They say; "It is inhumane— a God of love would never do that to His creatures." Or they say; "No one has ever seen it so how do you know it is really there?" Well, that is the very same argument people used in Noah's day.

A worldwide flood was one of those things which "as yet were not seen" therefore no one believed it could possibly happen. After all, science more than adequately proves that it is impossible. People who rely solely upon the findings of science are not afraid of a Hell because no one alive has ever seen it, nor has there yet been observed any empirical evidence to validate its existence. Well, no one had ever seen a worldwide flood either; but it came anyway.

The World Trade Center disaster was horrible; but if proved a point and made Americans wake up to the fact that they aren't impervious. They aren't bullet-proof. They aren't immune to cataclysmic disasters. We are now fully aware, and we fully believe, that buildings we once thought impossible to topple, can be toppled just like the damage done to London's buildings during WW2.

There's a country song going around with some interesting lyrics in it— a very emotional song about a boy's dad whom the lad once thought invincible.

Unbreakable walls …break.
Unbendable steel …..bends.
Unsinkable ships …...sink.

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People in 1914 thought the Titanic was unsinkable; but to everyone's amazement, the ship went to Davy Jones on its maiden voyage. The people in Noah's day; just like many people today, didn't believe a world-wide flood was possible, but it came anyway. It came like a living nightmare and caught them by complete surprise just like the World Trade Center stunned Americans with speechless horror on Sept 11, 2001.

In the Tribulation ahead, the book of Revelation says fully one third of all the Earth's trees will be burned along with all the green grass. At first; one-third of all sea life will perish, later; the rest. At first, the Sun's brightness, and the brightness of the Moon and stars, will be reduced one-third. Later, the Sun's intensity will be so increased that its light will scorch all who come in contact with it. At first; one-third of the world's fresh water will become so toxic that it will be like drinking poison and many will die from it. Later; all the rest will be converted into blood.

Fearsome creatures, never before seen or imagined by Man, will be released from subterranean storage to run rampant on the Earth injecting people with a toxin that causes five months of agony. An earthquake will occur such as never one before recorded on the Richter scale, and all the world's cities will collapse— not just a couple of buildings, but everything.

Does all that sound far-fetched? Yes, it does, but no less far-fetched than a world-wide deluge; because if God can inundate the world, He should have no difficulty in causing all those horrible things to happen in the book of Revelation. Those events will so disturb people that they will totally lose it; just like people lost it during 9-11; but on a much larger scale. The whole world will lose it; people will become so distressed they will die from heart attacks, and many will move into caves and crevices to escape from the things happening on the Earth. But no one can hide from God.

†. Rev 6:14-17 . .The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

That passage is written in the past tense, because John has already seen it happen; sort of like a video feed from the future. So it's not just a prediction; no; it's a reality.

C.L.I.F.F.
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†. Gen 6:17 . . For My part, I am about to bring the Flood— waters upon the earth— to destroy all flesh under the sky in which there is breath of life; everything on earth shall perish.

Some think the Flood was merely a local disaster rather than a worldwide deluge. But that is not the way Genesis describes it. It quotes God saying; to destroy all flesh "under the sky." And: "everything on earth" shall perish. If the Flood were to be local, then it would only be necessary for Noah and his family and the animals to simply migrate to a different region rather than go to all the trouble of building an ark. No. The idea of localized flooding is totally unacceptable because "the sky" is everywhere.

The word for waters is from mayim (mah'-yim) which is a plural noun that can be used either in a plural sense; as here in Gen 6:17, or in a singular sense as in Gen 21:14. Just exactly how much aquatic life died in the flood is hard to tell. If the seas were diluted with too much fresh water, then the salt water species would not do well. Same problem would apply to the fresh water varieties of life. Too much salt, and they could perish. Some species of sea life are adaptable to both fresh water and salt, e.g. Sockeye Salmon.

One thing the ancient forms of aquatic life had going for them in Noah’s day was the age of the sea. Time makes a difference in the ocean’s saltiness. The oldest human remains that I know of to date are the fossilized bones of a woman who lived on earth 4.4 million years ago. Surely the saltiness of the world’s seas was a lot less in her day.

Just exactly when Noah lived I don’t know but I’ve no doubt it was before that woman’s time when the seas were even less saltier so that the transition from purely salty to diluted salty was probably not all that much of a shock to the systems of aquatic creatures. From whence does the ocean’s salt come from anyway? Isn’t it from dissolved land masses? Well, a deluge such as Noah’s would surely add huge amounts of dissolved element to the waters of the Flood so that it wouldn’t stay fresh for very long anyway, if at all.

†. Gen 6:18 . . But I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark, with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives.

Biblical covenants may include stipulations for all parties involved; and then again may stipulate responsibilities for only one of them with the other simply being along for the benefit. At this point in time, God didn't reveal any details about the covenant that "I will establish" until after the Flood was over.

†. Gen 6:19-20 . . And of all that lives, of all flesh, you shall take two of each into the ark to keep alive with you; they shall be male and female. From birds of every kind, cattle of every kind, every kind of creeping thing on earth, two of each shall come to you to stay alive.

Fortunately Noah didn't have to go on safari to round up his passengers. The Bible says two of each shall "come to you." So they all migrated to his location. There was plenty of time for them to make it because Noah was 120 years building the ark and getting it ready.

A man named Dave Kunst walked across today's world in just a little over 4 years from June 1970 to October 1974. Kunst walked a total of 14,450 miles, crossing four continents and thirteen countries, wearing out 21 pair of shoes, and walking more than 20 million steps. That was an odd thing to do, but does prove it can be done in a relatively short time; so 120 years was plenty enough for all the critters to make it on over to Noah's place in time for the Folly's maiden voyage. If the ark were to launch in 2010, critters would have been on the move towards it since 1890— and probably reproduced many times along the way.

It's very possible that In Noah's day the Earth's dry landmass wasn't channeled by oceans. Discoveries in the science of plate tectonics seem to suggest that all dry land was at one time together forming a single super continent.

Actually the Earth's mantle is one continuous (albeit fractured) mass anyway, although its profile is so irregular that dry land sticks up above sea level at various high spots; which is a good thing because if the mantle were smooth, the world would be quite flooded all the time. In point of fact, if the Earth's mantle were perfectly smooth, like a billiard ball, there's enough water present even today to cover the land to a depth of 9,000 feet of water. That would be equivalent to a global ocean approximately 1.7 miles deep.

C.L.I.F.F.
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What about the dinosaurs? Did they go aboard with Noah too? I seriously doubt it. Paleontologists are pretty sure the Dinos died out in a mysterious mass extinction way before Man came along.

It's believed by some that during the Permian period, 96 percent of all marine species and more than 50 percent of all other species disappeared. Later, at the end of the Cretaceous period, it’s believed that another 1/3 of plant and animal species, including the dinosaur guys, went extinct.

Many of the original animals and birds, as well as insects and reptiles, have become extinct since the beginning. Explorers often find their remains in odd places like stone, ancient sediments, glaciers, and tar pits. This planet must have been really something at one time with all that life running around on it.

So what about the carnivorous animals that came aboard with Noah— the lions and tigers and hawks and eagles and meerkats and alligators and crocodiles? No problem. According to Gen 1:29-30, all manner of animal life could survive on a vegetarian diet in the past; including Man.

It should be kept in mind that Noah didn't take aboard every living thing, only a pair of each existing kind. But even at that, his passenger list probably numbered a whole lot more than we ever thought possible and it's also possible the length of the antediluvian cubit was much greater in length than suspected. Noah's ark could easily have been two, and maybe even three times bigger than it's thought to have been.

Some skeptics have objected that a wooden vessel the size of Noah’s ark couldn’t be built because the timbers required for its structural strength would have been so massive that Noah would never have managed to construct it. But the ancients were far more ingenious than most people living today realize. For example, nobody yet has really figured out how the Egyptians built the pyramids. And the Egyptians aren’t the only ones to mystify us. There are ancient stone structures around the world that seem impossible to be erected by human hands; but nevertheless, there they are.

†. Gen 6:21-22 . . For your part, take of everything that is eaten and store it away, to serve as food for you and for them. Noah did so; just as God commanded him, so he did.

Noah was every supervisor's dream. He did just what he was told and all without nary an argument; nor a single protest.

God didn't tell Noah exactly how much food to load aboard. He only told him to store things that are edible; but not their quantity. At this point, nobody can be sure whether or not Noah knew just how long the Flood was going to last. If he didn't, then of course he would have no idea how much food to bring along.

Some have proposed that the animals hibernated so they wouldn't have to be fed very often nor require much room for exercise nor would they generate much dung to clean up. Others have proposed that Noah didn't actually load an entire year's supply of food aboard the ark. Just a minimum amount that God then miraculously sustained similar to Elijah's experience in 1Kings 17:8-16. Any of those theories could be true. Nobody really knows for sure.

There are other incidents in the Bible where small amounts of food stuffs have been miraculously multiplied. I gave an example of 1Kings 17:8-16 where a tiny bit of flour and oil nourished Elijah and a widow woman, and her son, for a good many days during a time of prolonged drought.

Another incident is in 2Kings 4:1-7 where a certain widow's husband died and left her deeply in debt. God multiplied her last pot of oil enough to sell off and pay her debts, thereby saving her two sons from slavery.

In 1Kings 19:5-9, when Elijah was running away from that horrible Jezebel, he was fatigued and napping under a bush when an angel woke him up to eat a single biscuit and drink some water. Elijah survived on the nourishment of that measly little snack for the next forty days.

I'm not saying that God sustained everyone aboard the ark like He did Elijah and the widows. But in the light of those Bible examples, it wouldn't be unreasonable to believe that's exactly what happened. Many details remain a mystery and apparently God didn't feel it was important for everybody to know how He and Noah did it. Well . . that's His decision and I respect it; but still wish Genesis told us more.

Another problem, along with feeding everybody aboard the ark, was feeding them when the Flood was over. What would they eat then? And where would Noah and his family find enough to eat until their first crops came in?

The Flood was a miraculous event. When people try to analyze it from a natural point of view, especially a scientific one, they invariably fail to understand how it could have possibly happened. Like creation itself, the Flood was Divinely caused and it was Divinely sustained. Any other interpretation is sure to fall flat on its face because nobody can leave God out of the equation and succeed in making any sense of the Flood.

When a person believes in miracles, then Noah's experience, though I do not fully understand it, doesn't perplex in the least. People will always have problems with the Bible— and with the Bible's God —if they cannot believe in miracles.

†. John 20:30-31 . . Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

C.L.I.F.F.
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