Pastor's Comments April 27, 2012

While exiled on the island of Patmos, the Apostle John saw in VISION “The World to Come” (Hebrews 2:5):

for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. . . .” Revelation 21:1.

The primary purpose of these writings of the past worlds, and the world of the present, is to make known their history reveals the horrible consequences of SIN—leaving in its wake—destruction and death—from what was the perfection and beauty of God’s original creation.

Soon will come the millennial world of one thousand years; it holds great promise due to the reign of Jesus Christ and His saints. SIN will not rule in it or in the world that will follow: the Great White Throne Judgment World.

All of these worlds will become history for they will be replaced with the eternal Spirit world, a perfect and ever-lasting world; one that will never pass away or grow old; Scripture calls it—

An eternal ever-existing world of awesome beauty; a world filled with the Family of God, billions of former human beings, now Spirit beings, sons and daughters of our Almighty Father and our Bridegroom Jesus Christ.

A world filled with over-flowing happiness and joy, with perfect peace and contentment with goals for each one that will reach out into space that is now beyond our wildest imagination – all made possible by our wonderful God of all LOVE.

But for now it is needful and necessary that we learn the lessons from the devastating fallout from SIN of the past worlds! SIN authored by Satan the devil that has led to wreckage, horrible deaths, and grief with great sorrow and tears throughout past worlds and has carried over into the world of today.

2) Genesis 1:1-2 And followed by: The creation of the Antediluvian World; and much later in time, God’s perfect creation wrecked

In past writings I have written about God’s original creation of the heavens and the earth, the angels, the antediluvian world of the huge creatures.

Later it came to be a prey and predator world due to Satan sinning against his Creator. Then we see the results of Satan’s rebellion in trying to topple God from His throne, leaving this earth as we find in Geneses 1:2, in great wreckage, tohu and bohu!

In the last writing our focus was on the third area “The Renewing of God’s Creation,” and Adam and Eve, and their sin in disobeying God by choosing to eat of the wrong tree of good and evil and then driven out of the Garden Genesis 1:3, 26; chapters 2 and 3.

Based on Scripture, they had been taught by the LORD God about His laws and the coming of the Messiah and the Passover. And Cain connected these with his belief that his mother had taught him that he was the Messiah—from the following Scripture as well as other personal teachings to the whole family:

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman (symbolic of God’s Church) and between your seed (all mankind not of the few chosen and selected by God to be among His Elect, John 8:44, 47) and her Seed (meaning Jesus Christ, Revelation 12:1-13). He (Christ) shall BRUISE your head, (Satan – render him powerless, his plots and plans), and you (Satan) shall BRUISE His heel (implies the death of Jesus Christ).”

MYSTERY OF THE AGES, ‘At the Foundation of the World’ Page142, Mr. Armstrong

“Upon Adam’s sin, God closed off the tree of life to the world as a whole until the second Adam, Jesus Christ. . . . At this very foundation of the world, it was determined that Jesus Christ, as the “Lamb of God,” should be slain in payment of the penalty for all human sin (Revelation 13:8), which substitute sacrifice is effective only upon repentance and faith . . .”

Genesis 4:1 And Adam knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain (a smith, spear, the firstborn of twins, Abel) and said, “I have acquired a man – even JHVH (Hebrew: lit. translation).” Then she bore again, this time his (twin) brother Abel (lit. ‘transitoriness, breath or nothing’ – meaningless, Companion Bible, Hebrew Linear School Bible). Tragically brief.

God gives us in Scripture an overview of what is necessary to understand all Scripture and it becomes necessary to read between the lines of what really happened while keeping faithful to what the Scriptures reveals.

Eve believed the LORD God had given her Cain— the promised Messiah— to undo the problems they had brought on themselves and would save them.

Due to her belief that Cain was the Messiah there is no question but that Eve spoiled Cain rotten through his growing up years. Abel was a by-product, so-to-speak, meaningless. His growing up into manhood was, basically one lived in solitude, without caring love, a sheep-herder – like Moses and David – away from the parents and Cain.

Genesis 4:2 . . . Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the ground.

Genesis 4:3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the [Hebrew: first] fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the first-born of his flock and of their fat.

Consider this Scripture: Cain brought fruit from the ground for his offering whereas Abel brought of the firstling of his flock, and of their fat.

Genesis 4:4 Abel also brought of the FIRSTBORN of his flock and of their FAT.

What did Abel do with the first-born lamb, and after killing it, and with its blood and fat?

The answer appears to be in the teachings that the LORD God had taught Adam and Eve about the coming of the Messiah and His sacrifice to make payment for the sins of the world.

Again, this was after they had chosen the wrong tree of good and evil; and then feeling they were lost from any hope of ever being given again the choice of the “Tree of Life” symbolizing the receiving of God’s Holy Spirit.

Abel understood this! That is why he undoubtedly offered a firstborn of a lamb on an altar and very probably splashed the blood of it on the altar and burned the fat as a sweet savour to God:

Leviticus 3:7, 13-14, 16 If he offers a lamb as his offering . . . its blood to be sprinkled all around the altar, . . . he shall lay his hand on its head and kill it . . . then he shall offer from it his offering, as an offering made by fire to the LORD. The FAT that covers the entrails and all the FAT that is on the entrails and the priest shall BURN them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma; all the fat is the LORD’S.

Leviticus 16:25 “The FAT of the Sin Offering he shall burn on the altar.”

By this, I am not saying, Abel considered himself to be a priest, but offering his lamb in the spirit of what the LORD God had told his parents of what Christ would in time come and do for them and the world.

The physical sacrifices would portray the reality of what would come to pass after the Messiah would come and give Himself for the SINS of mankind.

Revelation 13:8 “All who dwell on the earth will worship Him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life OF THE LAMB SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”

Genesis 4:4-5 “And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did NOT respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

Anger, jealousy, and a spirit of murder welled up within Cain to suddenly realize he was NOT the Messiah. This nothing brother of his was now more in favor with the LORD God than he was. He could not handle this!

Genesis 4:6-7 And the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do NOT do well, SIN LIES AT THE DOOR. And its DESIRE is for you, BUT you should RULE over it.”

SIN LIES AT THE DOOR – Sin is the transgression of God’s law (I John 3:4). Within each human is what we call human nature, though in realty it is Satan’s nature (he who originated SIN). It is also called a LAW – the law of sin

Romans 7:21-25 “I find then A LAW, that EVIL is present with me . . . but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind (law wanting to do good) and bringing me into captivity to THE LAW OF SIN which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of sin? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord. . . .”

John 14:16 Jesus Christ told His disciples after His crucifixion that He would pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, the Holy Spirit. This is where our help comes from in suppressing this law of sin, this evil nature.

NOTE: Sin is like a ravenous beast lying in wait (I Peter 5:8 lion) for its prey – and suddenly springs upon its victim;

The law of sin is like the law of gravity – a very powerful pull through the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-21)!

We have to strive to be sin free – though we know it is impossible to be completely free from it!

However when we do we cry out to God for forgiveness and ask His help through the POWER of His Holy Spirit not to do it again, whatever it might be, He will hear and forgive us.

There has to be human effort as well to remove ourselves from it as did Joseph who ran from the wife of Potiphar who tried hard to seduce him.

Genesis 4:8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother (deviously – probably saying they had to talk things out so they could be at peace with each other); and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up AGAINST his brother and killed him.

It seems without question Cain did this in a devious manner for Abel was of the same age and undoubtedly very healthy and strong, fully able to defend himself.

Possibly while walking along and chatting with each other, Cain suddenly, and without warning caught Abel off guard, and with no chance to defend himself, Cain knifed his brother to death.

Genesis 4:9-13 “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood CRIES OUT to Me ground. So NOW you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. So now you are CURSED from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall NO LONGER yield its strength to you.” And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have DRIVEN ME OUT this day from the face of the ground; I SHALL BE HIDDEN FROM YOUR FACE; I shall be A FUGITIVE AND A VAGABOND on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

Genesis 4:14-15 And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven-fold.” And the Eternal set ‘A MARK’ on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

Cain was then cursed from the earth by the LORD God and became a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth.

In order to understand the meaning of the MARK placed by God on Cain, it becomes necessary to see what this means in the New Testament when members are put out of the Church of God. They are disfellowshipped and often MARKED so others will know not to have anything to do with them, lest they fall victim by feeling sorry for them, and begin agreeing with their bitterness:

Romans 16:17-18 “Now I urge you, brethren, “MARK’ (KJV) those who cause divisions and offenses CONTRARY to the DOCTRINE (to the true teachings of God) which YOU LEARNED, and AVOID them. . . .”

There is an example of a man in the Church of God in Corinth who was committing incest with his step-mother:

I Corinthians 5:1, 4-6 “It is actually reported there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is NOT even named among the Gentiles— . . . in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, . . .”

There is also the example of Miriam, sister of Moses, who rebelled against the authority God had given Moses, and was put out of the camp of Israel for seven days:

Numbers 12:1-15 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke AGAINST Moses . . . so they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses. Has He not spoken through us also? . . . Then the LORD said to Moses, “. . . Let her be SHUT OUT of the camp for seven days, and afterward she shall be received again.”

God did not want Cain killed for the reason that He wanted the descendants of Adam and Eve to learn from the SIN of Cain that brought about the MURDER of his brother Abel that would hopefully put enough godly fear in them to struggle against this law of sin and not let it dominate them.

Further, in the Church of God when a person is disfellowshipped and MARKED, it is with the hope of their coming to realize what they have done and repent. Once they do then they can be received back into God’s Church as was Miriam, and the repentant man who had been committing incest with his step-mother (II Corinthians 2:3-11).

Genesis 4:16-24 The descendants of Cain and his wife were used by Satan the devil to bring about such terrible problems in that expanding society that led them to the Flood in which all were drowned except for righteous Noah and his family.

Before we consider the major people, the descendants of Cain, who were used by Satan in that early era that accelerated the evil greatly, it is important that we see in an overall view of Cain of what he did after he had been driven away from his parents that led to continued evils of his descendants..

Cain is an important figure in theology. He is equally important to history and geology. Geology? Indeed! As the result of the sin of Cain the entire history of human society – and the earth’s surface – changed! Notice the Biblical record: “And you are cursed from the earth . . . when you till the ground” – Cain, says Josephus, sought to gain his livelihood by farming methods which depleted the soil – “it shall no longer yield its strength to you; a fugitive (or wanderer) and a vagabond you shall be in the earth (Genesis 4:11-12).

God put a stop to Cain’s way – the way of getting. If Cain and his heirs had been allowed to continue their agricultural pursuits, soils all over the world would long ago have been rendered unfit for cultivation. Human life might well have been snuffed out by mass starvation.

The geological record tells us what God did to save the soil from utter depletion. Mountain chains arose where there had been none before. Seas dried up. The balmy semitropical climate of the world rapidly shifted into torrid and frigid zones. Wherever Cain wandered his agricultural pursuits came to nought. When it should have rained, the weather turned dry. Just as he was about to reap the ripening crop, a storm blew in. Nothing turned out right. Cain was forced to turn to hunting and gathering the sparse fruits and berries. He and his generation who followed eked out a wretched living. All this is recorded in geology and archaeology.

In the so-called “Tertiary” geological deposits which followed the “Upper Cretaceous,” immense surface changes are recorded. The climate began to turn cooler. Desert regions developed in the wake on mountain building. Pluvial and arid periods fluctuated.

“Tertiary” deposits are overlain by what geologists call “Quarternary” or “Pleistocene” deposits. The climate in the northern hemisphere became even colder. Vast snowfalls engulfed the regions now labeled Canada and Europe on our maps. The Artic zone expanded. Fluctuations in sea level occurred. All along the continental shore lines the changing beach levels left their mark. Many may still be seen today.

This period witnessed the spread of human habitation around the world. Giants appeared according to Genesis [6:4]. Fossil remains of giant beings of this period have been found by geologists. This is the time of so-called “Paleolithic Man,” or “Neanderthal Man” and the “Mousterian Culture,” of the mammoth and raindeer hunters of the “Upper Paleolithic.” Their culture exactly fits the curse that befell Cain.

Cain and his descendants became wanderers and vagabonds over the face of their earth. They were reduced to hunting and gathering because the soil would not yield normal crops. These ancient changes in the weather are a type of the weather now beginning to hit the earth in the twentieth century!

With the increase in human population over the centuries, Cain saw a way around his punishment. He reasoned that if he could monopolize the salt trade, he could become rich. Every human being needs salt to live. He headed for the region of the Dead Sea. There he built an important city and surrounded it with walls. Josephus describes it in detail. The Bible refers to it as the city of Enoch, which Cain built and named in honor of his son (Genesis 4:17).

Archaeologists have found it – the first walled city built before the Flood. On its site was later built the post-Flood city of Jericho. The British archaeologist Miss Kenyon has devoted much time and patience to the excavation of this important discovery (see her book Digging Up Jericho).

At Jericho and all over the eastern Mediterranean lands rapid changes in culture developed. Population increased. Many village sites dot the countryside. Intermarriage of races was a consequence of the family of Cain settling among the family of Seth in the Middle East. Numerous fossil skeletons attest to this fact mentioned in Genesis 6:1-2. . . .”

We will now take a look into the pre-Flood history of the descendants of Cain who were used by Satan to bring about the destruction of all of mankind, with the lone exception of Noah and his immediate family, during the Flood that the LORD God brought upon the whole earth.

Genesis 4:16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod (wandering) on the east of Eden.

Social Studies Department, Imperial Schools at Pasadena, Pasadena, California, 1967

“. . . Josephus tells us that Cain and his wife "travelled over many countries." (Antiquities I, II, 2.) Here is an indication that, after the expulsion: Cain actually spent a century or more wandering over the earth.

Cain, Josephus records, was the first person who "contrived to plough the ground".

Cain's children were forced to adopt his level of existence. Because of his sin, Cain initiated a degenerate way of life. His descendants became fugitives, wanderers, vagabonds. They too were reduced to hunting and gathering because the soil would not yield normal crops. They began living in caves in regions far removed from the main civilizations in the near east and became shockingly depraved.

Before telling of the activities of Cain in his later life, it would be helpful to summarize the seven key points about him which Josephus recorded.

1. Cain was a "covetous man" who "was wholly intent upon getting." This statement reveals this evil man's true character. He was completely selfish.

2. Cain was the first to plough and force the ground – a point already covered above.

3. Cain did not repent but only GREW WORSE IN HIS WICKEDNESS. He "only" aimed to procure everything that was for his own bodily pleasure, though it obliged him to be injurious to his neighbours. He increased his own wealth by violence and robbery.

4. Cain "became a great leader of men into wicked courses." He set a wrong example and others copied it. This could include his own children and/or other sons of Adam -- other children of the general family as it developed over the centuries Cain's life spanned.

5. Cain was the author of measures and weights." He was not only the inventor of farming but the originator of trading -- with the motive of getting. His aim was to give the least to get the most. Cain "changed the world into cunning craftiness." Cain was a shrewd dealer -- this was the way he operated.

6. "he first of all set boundaries about ..." Cain was the first to build fences around his land.

7. "he built a city, and fortified it with walls, and he compelled his family to come together to it ..." As one shall see, Cain's methods continued after the flood. Nimrod copied from him. Nimrod gathered people together to build a city so he could easily keep the populous under his control. He merely perfected an idea which had originated with Cain.

At this point Josephus' words about Cain need to be emphasized: Cain "built a city, and fortified it with walls ..." The Bible speaks of this same city: Cain "builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch." (Gen. 4:17)

Though in a sense this is getting ahead of the story, it is appropriate at this point to tell of the significance of the famous walled city, Enoch. In recent years, archaeologists made a startling discovery. In their excavations at the site of ancient Jericho (which is adjacent to present day Jericho in Palestine) they were amazed to uncover a big town in an early "pre-pottery Neolithic" state thousands of years -- as they measure time -- before any city of this type should have existed.

This vast town existed at a time when only villages of tents or huts should have been in use -- but there it was. It was of large proportion, of great duration -- and had a huge wall around it. When the archaeological findings are correctly interpreted (see the chart on page 80 of the "Bible and the Ancient Near East", edited by G. Ernest Wright), it is evident this city must have existed before the flood.

In short, when the statements of the Bible and Josephus are correlated with the findings of archaeology, there is one logical conclusion: PRE-FLOOD JERICHO WAS THE WALLED CITY OF ENOCH WHICH CAIN BUILT.

Here are some details concerning this city. It occupied an area of not less than ten acres -- large dimensions for that early time, and especially since it was completely surrounded by a great wall. Many thousands of people lived in and around this heavily fortified town -- and it is these fortifications that form the most astonishing feature of this remarkable discovery.

These defenses are described as "astounding for any period." They consisted of a ditch, wall, and tower. The ditch or moat was some 28 feet wide and six to seven feet deep. Inside this protective ditch the wall itself was built. A remarkable structure over five feet thick and some thirteen feet high.

Finally, adjoining the wall was a great circular stone tower (which is still standing to this day) reaching a height of over 26 feet. James Mellaart makes this significant observation: "the prodigious labour involved in the erection of these defences implies an ample labour force, a central authority to plan, organize and direct the work and an economical surplus to pay for it." ("Earliest Civilizations of the Near East", London, 1965, page 36.)

Such was the power and authority that Cain had mustered. To recapitulate: early in his life, after having been driven out by God, Cain wandered over many areas of the world. He did not stay in any one place very long. And the children he had over the course of those many decades also were nomads who migrated and engaged in hunting and fishing. The implication in Josephus' account is that Cain did not build this famous walled city until well into his life. Some centuries elapsed before he began this project.

Now take careful note of the location of this city: it was in "Seth's land". That's right -- CAIN HAD DARED TO COME BACK INTO FORBIDDEN TERRITORY. At an earlier time God had said: "this area is for Seth and his family -- the rest of the world is for Cain and his children to wander on." But, as we well know, Cain was not noted for being willing to obey any of God's orders.

Another significant point: the archaeologists have concluded that pre-flood Jericho could not have supported its immense population by agriculture alone. There was not enough fertile area to support that many people. Thus they conclude that this famous city must have existed on the basis of trade and commerce. How could this city engage in trade and commerce?

Remember what Josephus said -- that Cain was the inventor of weights and measures implying that he was engaged in trading. But also recall that Cain procured "spoils by robbery." In other words, it seems he forced surrounding peoples to pay tribute, and he must have engaged in looting and pillaging.

This was the basis of his trade and commerce. In addition, with the Dead Sea then already in existence and located near-by, Cain would have controlled the salt trade of that world. This was a lucrative business because all people need salt for meats and vegetables.

Cain then, built this great walled town and made it the world centre of trade and commerce. From it he pillaged the rest of society. "Do unto others before they do unto you?" And this is the way our world is today. Cain was cut off from God. He was wandering on his own. And we live in a world cut off from God too -- groping its way to destruction.

As a result of it also, the family of Cain broke down racial bounds and began to intermarry with the family of Seth. (for detailed information about this famous city, see Emmanuel Anati's "Palestine Before the Hebrews" and Kathleen Kenyon’s "Digging up Jericho." The later work has numerous fine pictures showing the walls of pre-Flood Jericho and the kind of buildings that were there.)

Yes, Cain's city is still with us today. This famous pre-flood world trade centre was destroyed, of course, by the flood. But archaeology has found that it had been destroyed before that also. The wall was smashed and then rebuilt.

The important truth we need to learn from all this is that Cain was the originator of civilization as we know it. Our entire society today is patterned after "the way of Cain" (Jude 11). It is a way of competitiveness, selfishness, and greed. Satan used the family of Cain to perpetuate his philosophy.

Cain was "spiritually bankrupt." He had no love for his neighbor at all. The code of Cain was, "get the other fellow before he gets you. Do unto others before they do unto you." This is the way of our world is today. Cain was cut off from God. He was wandering on his own. And we live in a world cut off from God too -- groping its way to destruction.

God could have destroyed Cain. But He wanted him to develop his own way and let the world learn from it. God wanted man to go ahead and express his own way and let that way come to full flowering and fruition. Cain's way led to the Flood – the complete destruction of humanity except for eight persons! And it will lead to an unbelievable carnage again in the future! God has decreed that man must learn once and for all – in complete finality – that THE WAY OF CAIN SIMPLY WILL NOT WORK!! When man learns this lesson by hard experience, then he will turn to God in real repentance! But he has not reached that point – yet!

We study history to learn the lesson of human experience so we don't make the same mistakes ourselves (I Cor. 10:6, 11; Rom. 15:4.) The history of the past will help the citizens of the world tomorrow see that God's way is the only way.

And so the great truth of these early chapters of the Bible is that Cain started an entire pattern in society which is with us to this day, a way of life which must finally be eradicated from the earth! It is a way which, though our human nature prompts us to follow it, we must exterminate from our daily practices and replace it with the way of God – the way of love, giving, and sharing!"

What was the effect of the "way of Cain" on society down to the Flood? And can we know what ultimately became of Cain? Also, what were the major contributions of the line of Cain to society in pre-Flood times? These are the interesting questions yet to be covered.

To put the picture in as simple terms as possible. It may be stated that the story of the pre-flood society is the story of the line of Cain as opposed to that of Seth and Enos. What was the interrelationship of these two major groups before and up to 2370?

As indicated previously, Cain and Abel may have been twins. But they were un-like twins. Cain was originally separated because of religious reasons, because of his rebellious attitude. But, later, this division also became racial in significance.

In other words, Cain was the father of the NON-white race before the flood. Seth was the ancestor of the contrasting WHITE line. And these two lines were to remain separate. This is what God wanted. And, for a long time, they were -- but this changed in Lamech's day (Gen. 4:19) who lived in the generation that existed just before the flood came upon the earth.

The important concept to bear in mind, then, about the situation before the flood is this: biologically (racially), culturally, intellectually, and spiritually there were just TWO BASIC WAYS OF LIFE -- the way of God which was preserved in the family of Seth, and the way of Satan which was promoted by the descendants of Cain! See the accompanying genealogical chart at the end of the chapter. . . .”

In my next writing on this subject of “The World to Come” I plan on writing about “The Family of Cain,” that begins in Genesis 4:16

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