Wickedness Multiplied
Genesis 6:1-8
“The point of no return.” This phrase describes the moment or stage in a journey or process in which it is too late to change what you are doing or to reverse your course.
The phrase was first used to describe that point when an airplane no longer has enough fuel to return to the airport it launched from, removing the option of turning around if a problem arises. It was also used to describe that moment when an airplane was accelerating for takeoff and could no longer slow down or turn around because the runway was too short, requiring it to take off no matter what.
“The point of no return” was first used in another way in the late 1940s/early 1950s in a novel turned Broadway play called “Point of No Return.” This story portrayed the life of a New York City banker at a stage when his personal and professional career faced a crucial turning point. His next decisions would either earn him a big promotion or bring his career to a crashing halt.
Also, if he moved forward, he would never again be able to return to the small-town life he had abandoned as a young man.
In election cycles, like the one we’re in now, politicians frequently say things that make it sound as though the nation is at a “point of no return” – if you don’t vote for this or that candidate, then the country will never be able to recover.
When we face a “point of no return,” we feel as though there is no turning back – we feel as though there is no hope. We feel like we are at the end of the road, as though we are sailing our ship over the edge of the world.
Genesis 6:1-8 describes for us what seems to be a point of no return in the history of our world. The events described portray some extreme and unusual activity which indicates that human civilization had reached a point of no return.
Despite these extreme conditions, God intervened in an extraordinary way. By doing so, he displayed his power over evil and his determination to provide for us a way of salvation. At a moment of great wickedness, God’s justice, power, and grace shine through. This passage should provide us with deep comfort and encouragement in knowing that no matter how bad things become in this world, God is in control.
When human wickedness reaches a terminal point …
This passage describes the eventual outcome of the genealogies in Gen 5-6 and gives the reason for the worldwide flood which was to come. These events happened at least 2,000 years or more after the Creation of the world and mankind and show us how bad the world had become due to sin. By the time Noah reached late adulthood, it seems as though no one in either Cain or Seth’s family lines followed God by faith, except for Noah. To be more specific, by the time of the Flood, anyone outside of Noah’s immediate family who followed God by faith had died. Everyone else in the world refused to call on the name of the Lord.
To explain how bad things had become in the world, Moses presents several extreme, prevailing behaviors which had become mainstreamed, embedded, and influential. The first is described as “sons of God” “taking wives” from the “daughters of men.” For millennia, people have debated what this means. The differing views may be categorized into three basic possibilities.
View 1 understands the “sons of God” to be disobedient, angelic beings who entered into procreating relationships with human women, disregarding and violating God’s designed and purposeful boundaries. This was the consensus view through AD 200. In favor of this view, the only other times the phrase “the sons of God” appears in the Scripture, it clearly refers to angelic beings (Job 1:6; 2:1; 32:8). Also, the NT seems to support this view (1 Pet 3:18-22; 2 Pet 2:4-5; Jude 6-7).
These passages say in part:
“Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built” (1 Peter 3:18–20)
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others …” (2 Peter 2:4–5)
“The angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day” (Jude 6).
Some people disagree with this view because they believe that it is impossible for angels to do what this view requires. They cite Jesus, for instance, who said that the “angels in heaven” “neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Mk 12:25). But to say that good angels don’t marry doesn’t mean that they are unable to procreate or that they are unable to marry or procreate with humans if they choose to disobey God. We do know that angels are able to appear and behave like humans in other ways, as when Abraham fed and provided hospitality to angels (Gen 18:8).
View 2 understands the “sons of God” to be corrupt, human rulers, sins the OT occasionally uses the word “elohim" (or ‘gods’) to describe powerful, human judges and rulers. This became the prevailing Jewish understanding from 200 AD onward. It suggests that these powerful, human rulers either (a) “the right of the first night” with any women who were being married or who (b) simply forcibly married whoever and as many wives as they wanted.
View 3 understands “sons of God” to be men from the “godly line of Seth” (Gen 5) marrying women from the “ungodly line of Cain” (Gen 4). According to this view, the problem was men of faith marrying wives who did not believe in God. This became the prevailing view of Christians from 200 AD onward.
We cannot be entirely sure which is the correct interpretation (though I am inclined to accept the fallen angels interpretation). Instead, we should recognize that though all three views may be technically possible, each view offers both the same original outcome and the same contemporary application for us today. Whatever this was that happened is what incurred
God’s ultimate judgment through a worldwide flood.
God intervenes in an extraordinary way for judgment.
How did God respond to this rampant, widespread, wicked behavior? We know that he would eventually respond through a worldwide flood. But before doing that, he imposed shorter lifespans on people, shortening life expectancy from hundreds of years long to only 120 yrs. instead. Today, lifespans are even shorter, with a global average hovering around 70 yrs., which is in harmony with the lifespan of people from Moses’ day onward.
The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (Psa 90:10)
Why did God shorten lifespans? Because he determined not to contend with or tolerate people indefinitely. Since people were now not only sinful by nature, but increasingly, willfully sinful and rebellious, God imposed a limit on how long – on average – he would be willing to engage with them. If the result of his longsuffering and patience would only be more and worse wickedness rather than more and more serious faith and worship, then extending our lifespans for centuries made no difference and was of no use.
Now, in addition to the marriage problems already mentioned, another problem also developed in human civilization at the same time. There were men called “mighty ones” and “men of renown” who emerged onto the scene. The actual words used here are Nephilim and Gibborim. The KJV and NKJV translations call them “giants,” but this is a highly interpretive translation.
The better translation would be to interpret this as powerful and famous men who were viewed as heroes. They had become heroes in people’s eyes due to their powerful domination and violent exploits. These were individuals who did what they did to get a name for themselves, to become famous, to become remembered and revered. These would be men who used crime, institutionalized, systemic abuse, manipulation, slavery, violence, etc. to gain an advantage and a following.
Some believe these men were the offspring of the problematic marriages previously mentioned. While this is possible, it seems best to view these men and their actions as a parallel, simultaneous problem happening in the world at the same time as the problematic marriages.
In the end, Moses mentioned these two serious problems as extreme examples of the overall nature of human culture at the time. By this time, all people (with the exception of Noah and his immediate family) had adopted the lifestyle and values of Lamech (great grandson of Cain) rather than Enoch (who walked with God).
It’s fascinating to note that these two problems, (a) extreme and unusual marriage practices and (b) abusive, violent men dominating people, echo in a much bigger, universal way the two major problems of Lamech, the grandson of Cain – who married multiple wives and bragged about killing a young man for no good reason. The ripple effects of his bad example as a father had reached a worldwide level. Never underestimate the ripple effects of your sin upon generations to come.
The extent of human wickedness was so great that the desires, plans, thoughts, and values of all people was only and always evil, or contrary to the plans and purposes of God. Their heart and behavior will be later described as thoroughly “corrupt” and “violent.” Moses emphasizes this in the following verses:
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. (Gen 6:11-12)
So, let’s ask once again, “How did God respond to this extraordinary wickedness?”
God deeply grieves.
How did God respond to this dire situation? We know he would soon judge the world through an unprecedented, destructive, worldwide flood. But doing so was not the result of some kind of divine fit of angry rage – as many people seem to portray God (at least in the OT) as being a hateful, vengeful God.
Instead, Scripture portrays God as being deeply grieved and saddened. We see him responding in grief as though he was responding to the death of a close loved one or the abandonment or betrayal of a close friend.
This response reminds me of how Christ wept when his close friend Lazarus died (John 11:35) and when he looked out over the people of Jerusalem before his crucifixion (Matt 23:37; Lk 19:41-44).
This response also reminds me of how Paul urges us today who are followers of Christ not to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph 4:30-32). We grieve God when we tolerate bitterness, anger, arguments, gossip, violence, and unforgiveness between one another.
To grieve here means to be sorrowful or distressed. To experience deep, internal, emotional pain due to sadness over something which does not seem to be right.
The words here “to be sorry” and “to be grieved” do not mean what some people suggest, that God somehow changed his mind or second guessed his creation and plans for mankind. Of course, God knew before he made us that we would rebel against him and cause him great pain. That this happened did not confuse or surprise him at all. Instead, these words simply express God’s personal response “in real time” to man’s wickedness as it played out. The words describe first a deep grief and sorrow over the extent of mankind’s wickedness and also a strong desire and intent to “balance the scales.”
Do you remember when God said to the godless, partying King Belshazzar of Babylon, “You have been weighed in the scales and found wanting” (Dan 5:27)? Commentator John Walton (Genesis, The NIV Application Commentary) points out that this was a similar moment for God – one in which he evaluated people formally like a judge who intended to balance the scales of mankind’s accumulated wickedness with justice. When he does so, however, he is not a coldhearted, unfeeling judge. He is a compassionate, feeling judge who feels the pain of judgment even though it is necessary and harsh.
God intervenes in a gracious way for salvation.
Not only does God feel deeply the pain of mankind’s sin, he responds in such a way that he also provides help and hope for salvation. Now, it’s interesting to know that during this time, God had provided mankind with a witness to the truth, with people who not only walked with God and called on his name, but who urged others to do the same.
Consider, for instance, that of the ten generations listed in Gen 6, from Adam to Noah, from Creation to the Flood, all but one generation overlapped. In other words, Adam lived long enough to know or be alive when Lamech (Noah’s father) was alive. And Seth, who followed God, overlapped with Noah. This means that key men of faith from the very beginning remained alive as witnesses for God.
Also, we know that in the middle of these 2,000 years, Enoch not only “walked with God” closely, but he preached publicly about God and the need to believe on him.
Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 1:14-15)
And 2 Pet 2:5 calls Noah, who lived after Enoch, “a preacher of righteousness.” Despite this faithful witness to God, people increasingly resisted and rejected the message.
So, to remedy the problem and to prevent this from being a “point of no return,” God would need to destroy (or “wipe out the ledger”) of all people with the exception of one person and his immediate family – Noah, “who found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” He would do this through the worldwide flood, but doing so in such a way that he did not abandon his plan or destroy mankind completely. In his grace, he preserved the one and his family who still believed on him.
Today, we may feel as though the world is at a breaking point, as though things couldn’t get any worse. Consider modern parallels to the sort of corruption and violence which prevailed at the time of Noah. In fact, Jesus taught that this would be the case:
“As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matt 24:37-39)
But is this a reason to give up hope? To stop spreading the message of love, hope, and truth? To stop being a witness and to stop preaching righteousness? Is this a reason to be negative rather than positive, disenchanted rather than joyful? Consider possible parallels today to the kinds of extraordinary wickedness happening in Gen 6:
Whatever the case, we know that God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish. Why does God – who is holy and just – give evil, sin, and wickedness such a long leash?
The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation … (2 Pet 3:15)
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
God allows mankind to press on from one generation to another so that as many as will believe on Christ may be saved first before judgment comes, before God intervenes yet again in an even more extraordinary way – both for judgment and salvation.
At the same time, no matter how bad things become, he will not allow things to become so bad that evil derails his plan of redemption. No matter how complicated, messed up and twisted this world becomes, corruption and wickedness will never cross a point of no return. We may be close to that point today, or we may not. Only God knows.
Meanwhile, may we make sure that (1) we are trusting in and following Christ and (2) then obeying Christ and being a loving, faithful witness for him in the community where he has placed us. May this be our life and testimony as a church family until Jesus comes.
Discussion Questions
“The point of no return.” This phrase describes the moment or stage in a journey or process in which it is too late to change what you are doing or to reverse your course.
The phrase was first used to describe that point when an airplane no longer has enough fuel to return to the airport it launched from, removing the option of turning around if a problem arises. It was also used to describe that moment when an airplane was accelerating for takeoff and could no longer slow down or turn around because the runway was too short, requiring it to take off no matter what.
“The point of no return” was first used in another way in the late 1940s/early 1950s in a novel turned Broadway play called “Point of No Return.” This story portrayed the life of a New York City banker at a stage when his personal and professional career faced a crucial turning point. His next decisions would either earn him a big promotion or bring his career to a crashing halt.
Also, if he moved forward, he would never again be able to return to the small-town life he had abandoned as a young man.
In election cycles, like the one we’re in now, politicians frequently say things that make it sound as though the nation is at a “point of no return” – if you don’t vote for this or that candidate, then the country will never be able to recover.
When we face a “point of no return,” we feel as though there is no turning back – we feel as though there is no hope. We feel like we are at the end of the road, as though we are sailing our ship over the edge of the world.
Genesis 6:1-8 describes for us what seems to be a point of no return in the history of our world. The events described portray some extreme and unusual activity which indicates that human civilization had reached a point of no return.
Despite these extreme conditions, God intervened in an extraordinary way. By doing so, he displayed his power over evil and his determination to provide for us a way of salvation. At a moment of great wickedness, God’s justice, power, and grace shine through. This passage should provide us with deep comfort and encouragement in knowing that no matter how bad things become in this world, God is in control.
When human wickedness reaches a terminal point …
This passage describes the eventual outcome of the genealogies in Gen 5-6 and gives the reason for the worldwide flood which was to come. These events happened at least 2,000 years or more after the Creation of the world and mankind and show us how bad the world had become due to sin. By the time Noah reached late adulthood, it seems as though no one in either Cain or Seth’s family lines followed God by faith, except for Noah. To be more specific, by the time of the Flood, anyone outside of Noah’s immediate family who followed God by faith had died. Everyone else in the world refused to call on the name of the Lord.
To explain how bad things had become in the world, Moses presents several extreme, prevailing behaviors which had become mainstreamed, embedded, and influential. The first is described as “sons of God” “taking wives” from the “daughters of men.” For millennia, people have debated what this means. The differing views may be categorized into three basic possibilities.
| “Sons of God” | Fallen Angels | Corrupt Rulers | Godly Men |
| “Daughters of Men” | Human Women | Human Women | Human Women from Cain |
| Problem | Crossing Boundaries | Oppressive Behavior | Incompatible Marriage |
| Proponents | Consensus thru AD 200 | Jewish AD 200 onward | Christian AD 200 onward |
| Key Detail | “Sons of God” only means angels elsewhere in the Old Testament | The Old Testament sometimes uses “god” for judges & rulers | Contrasts the godly line of Seth w/ ungodly line of Cain |
View 1 understands the “sons of God” to be disobedient, angelic beings who entered into procreating relationships with human women, disregarding and violating God’s designed and purposeful boundaries. This was the consensus view through AD 200. In favor of this view, the only other times the phrase “the sons of God” appears in the Scripture, it clearly refers to angelic beings (Job 1:6; 2:1; 32:8). Also, the NT seems to support this view (1 Pet 3:18-22; 2 Pet 2:4-5; Jude 6-7).
These passages say in part:
“Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built” (1 Peter 3:18–20)
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others …” (2 Peter 2:4–5)
“The angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day” (Jude 6).
Some people disagree with this view because they believe that it is impossible for angels to do what this view requires. They cite Jesus, for instance, who said that the “angels in heaven” “neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Mk 12:25). But to say that good angels don’t marry doesn’t mean that they are unable to procreate or that they are unable to marry or procreate with humans if they choose to disobey God. We do know that angels are able to appear and behave like humans in other ways, as when Abraham fed and provided hospitality to angels (Gen 18:8).
View 2 understands the “sons of God” to be corrupt, human rulers, sins the OT occasionally uses the word “elohim" (or ‘gods’) to describe powerful, human judges and rulers. This became the prevailing Jewish understanding from 200 AD onward. It suggests that these powerful, human rulers either (a) “the right of the first night” with any women who were being married or who (b) simply forcibly married whoever and as many wives as they wanted.
View 3 understands “sons of God” to be men from the “godly line of Seth” (Gen 5) marrying women from the “ungodly line of Cain” (Gen 4). According to this view, the problem was men of faith marrying wives who did not believe in God. This became the prevailing view of Christians from 200 AD onward.
We cannot be entirely sure which is the correct interpretation (though I am inclined to accept the fallen angels interpretation). Instead, we should recognize that though all three views may be technically possible, each view offers both the same original outcome and the same contemporary application for us today. Whatever this was that happened is what incurred
God’s ultimate judgment through a worldwide flood.
God intervenes in an extraordinary way for judgment.
How did God respond to this rampant, widespread, wicked behavior? We know that he would eventually respond through a worldwide flood. But before doing that, he imposed shorter lifespans on people, shortening life expectancy from hundreds of years long to only 120 yrs. instead. Today, lifespans are even shorter, with a global average hovering around 70 yrs., which is in harmony with the lifespan of people from Moses’ day onward.
The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (Psa 90:10)
Why did God shorten lifespans? Because he determined not to contend with or tolerate people indefinitely. Since people were now not only sinful by nature, but increasingly, willfully sinful and rebellious, God imposed a limit on how long – on average – he would be willing to engage with them. If the result of his longsuffering and patience would only be more and worse wickedness rather than more and more serious faith and worship, then extending our lifespans for centuries made no difference and was of no use.
Now, in addition to the marriage problems already mentioned, another problem also developed in human civilization at the same time. There were men called “mighty ones” and “men of renown” who emerged onto the scene. The actual words used here are Nephilim and Gibborim. The KJV and NKJV translations call them “giants,” but this is a highly interpretive translation.
The better translation would be to interpret this as powerful and famous men who were viewed as heroes. They had become heroes in people’s eyes due to their powerful domination and violent exploits. These were individuals who did what they did to get a name for themselves, to become famous, to become remembered and revered. These would be men who used crime, institutionalized, systemic abuse, manipulation, slavery, violence, etc. to gain an advantage and a following.
Some believe these men were the offspring of the problematic marriages previously mentioned. While this is possible, it seems best to view these men and their actions as a parallel, simultaneous problem happening in the world at the same time as the problematic marriages.
In the end, Moses mentioned these two serious problems as extreme examples of the overall nature of human culture at the time. By this time, all people (with the exception of Noah and his immediate family) had adopted the lifestyle and values of Lamech (great grandson of Cain) rather than Enoch (who walked with God).
It’s fascinating to note that these two problems, (a) extreme and unusual marriage practices and (b) abusive, violent men dominating people, echo in a much bigger, universal way the two major problems of Lamech, the grandson of Cain – who married multiple wives and bragged about killing a young man for no good reason. The ripple effects of his bad example as a father had reached a worldwide level. Never underestimate the ripple effects of your sin upon generations to come.
The extent of human wickedness was so great that the desires, plans, thoughts, and values of all people was only and always evil, or contrary to the plans and purposes of God. Their heart and behavior will be later described as thoroughly “corrupt” and “violent.” Moses emphasizes this in the following verses:
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. (Gen 6:11-12)
So, let’s ask once again, “How did God respond to this extraordinary wickedness?”
God deeply grieves.
How did God respond to this dire situation? We know he would soon judge the world through an unprecedented, destructive, worldwide flood. But doing so was not the result of some kind of divine fit of angry rage – as many people seem to portray God (at least in the OT) as being a hateful, vengeful God.
Instead, Scripture portrays God as being deeply grieved and saddened. We see him responding in grief as though he was responding to the death of a close loved one or the abandonment or betrayal of a close friend.
This response reminds me of how Christ wept when his close friend Lazarus died (John 11:35) and when he looked out over the people of Jerusalem before his crucifixion (Matt 23:37; Lk 19:41-44).
This response also reminds me of how Paul urges us today who are followers of Christ not to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph 4:30-32). We grieve God when we tolerate bitterness, anger, arguments, gossip, violence, and unforgiveness between one another.
To grieve here means to be sorrowful or distressed. To experience deep, internal, emotional pain due to sadness over something which does not seem to be right.
The words here “to be sorry” and “to be grieved” do not mean what some people suggest, that God somehow changed his mind or second guessed his creation and plans for mankind. Of course, God knew before he made us that we would rebel against him and cause him great pain. That this happened did not confuse or surprise him at all. Instead, these words simply express God’s personal response “in real time” to man’s wickedness as it played out. The words describe first a deep grief and sorrow over the extent of mankind’s wickedness and also a strong desire and intent to “balance the scales.”
Do you remember when God said to the godless, partying King Belshazzar of Babylon, “You have been weighed in the scales and found wanting” (Dan 5:27)? Commentator John Walton (Genesis, The NIV Application Commentary) points out that this was a similar moment for God – one in which he evaluated people formally like a judge who intended to balance the scales of mankind’s accumulated wickedness with justice. When he does so, however, he is not a coldhearted, unfeeling judge. He is a compassionate, feeling judge who feels the pain of judgment even though it is necessary and harsh.
God intervenes in a gracious way for salvation.
Not only does God feel deeply the pain of mankind’s sin, he responds in such a way that he also provides help and hope for salvation. Now, it’s interesting to know that during this time, God had provided mankind with a witness to the truth, with people who not only walked with God and called on his name, but who urged others to do the same.
Consider, for instance, that of the ten generations listed in Gen 6, from Adam to Noah, from Creation to the Flood, all but one generation overlapped. In other words, Adam lived long enough to know or be alive when Lamech (Noah’s father) was alive. And Seth, who followed God, overlapped with Noah. This means that key men of faith from the very beginning remained alive as witnesses for God.
Also, we know that in the middle of these 2,000 years, Enoch not only “walked with God” closely, but he preached publicly about God and the need to believe on him.
Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 1:14-15)
And 2 Pet 2:5 calls Noah, who lived after Enoch, “a preacher of righteousness.” Despite this faithful witness to God, people increasingly resisted and rejected the message.
So, to remedy the problem and to prevent this from being a “point of no return,” God would need to destroy (or “wipe out the ledger”) of all people with the exception of one person and his immediate family – Noah, “who found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” He would do this through the worldwide flood, but doing so in such a way that he did not abandon his plan or destroy mankind completely. In his grace, he preserved the one and his family who still believed on him.
Today, we may feel as though the world is at a breaking point, as though things couldn’t get any worse. Consider modern parallels to the sort of corruption and violence which prevailed at the time of Noah. In fact, Jesus taught that this would be the case:
“As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matt 24:37-39)
But is this a reason to give up hope? To stop spreading the message of love, hope, and truth? To stop being a witness and to stop preaching righteousness? Is this a reason to be negative rather than positive, disenchanted rather than joyful? Consider possible parallels today to the kinds of extraordinary wickedness happening in Gen 6:
- If fallen angels really did procreate with human women, we have no modern parallel today that I’m aware of. But could alien life be real and possibly be fallen angels, too – bringing us closer to something similar? Could future applications of AI, robotics, gene editing, or other biological and technological developments have terminal implications for mankind? Who knows. The point is not to become enamored with conspiracies, angels, dark stuff, and strange things. The point is that even if such things happen or worse, God – not us – knows when we have reached the point of no return. If we are still here, the world is still spinning, people are still marrying and having babies, then God’s longsuffering continues and it is not yet time for him to intervene. Knowing this, we must be like Noah, persevering in our faith and witness to a godless world.
- If the problem was corrupt rulers, not angels, abusing and oppressing women, then what would be our parallels today? Though it may happen somewhere, rulers exercising the “right of the first night” or forcibly marrying any women at any time does not seem to be a systemic, institutionalized factor today. But what of the increasingly institutionalized pressure to practice and support other corrupt and oppressive ideologies and practices, such as abortion, racism, gender conversion therapy, transgenderism, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), etc.? When the power brokers of this world systematically enforce their immoral, ungodly values upon people, is this not a similar problem?
- If unequal marriages were the problem in Genesis 6, then what about our similar weakness today – in which children of believers or people who are professing believers marry spouses who have no serious or genuine allegiance to Christ? Does this not lead to the dilution of faith in Christ in following generations and an increasing valuation and prioritization of worldly goals and values instead?
- And what of the people who through corrupt and violent behavior, gained fame, influence, and popularity for themselves? Does this not parallel our influencer, popularity, viral-crazed culture today in which people seek to do the same through all sorts of means, esp. through our pleasure-mad entertainment culture? And does this not resemble those in the world who through corruption and violence gain power? What of the gangs, mafia, cartels, tribal leaders, and more who through violence and corruption gain followers and power for their wicked agendas?
Whatever the case, we know that God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish. Why does God – who is holy and just – give evil, sin, and wickedness such a long leash?
The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation … (2 Pet 3:15)
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
God allows mankind to press on from one generation to another so that as many as will believe on Christ may be saved first before judgment comes, before God intervenes yet again in an even more extraordinary way – both for judgment and salvation.
At the same time, no matter how bad things become, he will not allow things to become so bad that evil derails his plan of redemption. No matter how complicated, messed up and twisted this world becomes, corruption and wickedness will never cross a point of no return. We may be close to that point today, or we may not. Only God knows.
Meanwhile, may we make sure that (1) we are trusting in and following Christ and (2) then obeying Christ and being a loving, faithful witness for him in the community where he has placed us. May this be our life and testimony as a church family until Jesus comes.
Discussion Questions
- What do we mean when we say that something has reached a “point of no return?”
- Is it possible for parts of our lives to reach a “point of no return?” What are some things that cannot reach a “point of no return?”
- What does despairing about something reaching a “point of no return” reveal about our hearts? Is this a good or bad thing?
- How does God shape our hearts so that we despair and worry less about things in our lives reaching a “point of no return?”
- What can we learn about the progressive nature of sin from the connection of Lamech’s sin to the two kinds of wickedness Moses describes in Genesis 6?
- How would a selfish person respond emotionally to witnessing abject evil and perversity? What are some healthy responses to seeing or being affected by other people’s sin?
- What happens when we start to believe that the world has reached a “point of no return?”
- Compare and contrast this kind of life with a fruitful life in Christ.
Posted in Sermon Manuscript
Posted in Angels, Sin, Hope, Genesis, Old Testament, Enoch, Noah, Salvation, Longsuffering, Judgment
Posted in Angels, Sin, Hope, Genesis, Old Testament, Enoch, Noah, Salvation, Longsuffering, Judgment
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