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Chapter 8—The Flood
This chapter is based on
Genesis 6
;
7
;
8
and
9:8-17
.
The descendants of Seth were called the sons of God; the descen-
dants of Cain, the sons of men. As the sons of God mingled with
the sons of men, they became corrupt and, by intermarriage with
them, lost, through the influence of their wives, their peculiar, holy
character, and united with the sons of Cain in their idolatry. Many
cast aside the fear of God and trampled upon His commandments.
But there were a few that did righteousness, who feared and honored
their Creator. Noah and his family were among the righteous few.
The wickedness of man was so great, and increased to such
a fearful extent, that God repented that He had made man upon
the earth, for He saw that the wickedness of man was great, and
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually.
More than one hundred years before the Flood the Lord sent
an angel to faithful Noah to make known to him that He would no
longer have mercy upon the corrupt race. But He would not have
them ignorant of His design. He would instruct Noah and make him
a faithful preacher to warn the world of its coming destruction, that
the inhabitants of the earth might be left without excuse. Noah was
to preach to the people, and also to prepare an ark as God should
[63]
direct him for the saving of himself and family. He was not only to
preach, but his example in building the ark was to convince all that
he believed what he preached.
Noah and his family were not alone in fearing and obeying God.
But Noah was the most pious and holy of any upon the earth, and was
the one whose life God preserved to carry out His will in building
the ark and warning the world of its coming doom. Methuselah, the
grandfather of Noah, lived until the very year of the Flood; and there
were others who believed the preaching of Noah, and aided him in
building the ark, who died before the flood of waters came upon
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