Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: Welcome to Thru the Bible, where we've arrived at a sobering moment in scripture, a day when God finally said, "Enough." We're in Genesis chapter 5 where conditions on earth had become as evil as they could be. Spiritual darkness covered the world, humanity's thoughts were only evil continually, and we read these heavy words: God was sorry that he made man.

The Bible bus is about to head down a steep hill, so buckle up. And if you're able, open your Bible to Genesis chapter 5. And as you do that, we got time to hear from a fellow traveler on the Bible bus. This one's from Canada. Jane recently wrote this:

"Dear fellow seed flingers: My husband and I ride the Bible bus every day, and I also enjoy the Questions and Answers and the Sunday sermon programs. We have given many Bible bus passes out and pray that the truth will set many free. Just a few days ago, a store employee was helping me find an item, and the Lord prompted me to offer him a pass. The employee was not originally from this country; he took the pass saying that he was interested in learning about other cultures and he said he would listen. Please pray that the seed of the word will find its way into the Holy Spirit-prepared soil of his heart and that it will dispel the darkness with the glorious light of the gospel of Christ. Would you also please pray for our prodigals and for our friends' prodigals as well, that they will hear the gospel once again and return to the Shepherd. God bless you."

Well, thanks Jane, and yes, we will be praying for the store clerk and for your prodigals and for the countless prodigals our listeners ask us to pray for every single day. It continues to be one of the most common heartfelt requests from our listening family, and it's one that I share as well.

To join our World Prayer Team and pray for listeners all over the world, sign up from our app or at TTB.org. And if you'd like a set of those Bible bus passes that Jane mentioned, call 1-800-65-BIBLE. Now each of those cards contains a little QR code that links directly to Dr. McGee's teaching. It's an easy way to fling the seed, as Dr. McGee used to say, and you can invite someone to hear God's word.

Now let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for blessing your word as it goes out. Use it to transform our hearts first so that we can experience more of your grace and mercy and then bring you great joy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Here's Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Genesis 5 on Thru the Bible.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now today we return back to our story in the fifth chapter of Genesis, and we saw the story of this man Enoch. And this man Enoch, for 65 years, I don't know how he lived, but then he begat Methuselah. And then he walked with God after he begat Methuselah. I don't know that he did before; I'm sure he didn't. But if a little child in a home won't bring you to God, nothing else will, is my thinking in this connection.

And then after that for 300 years, he walked with God. He begat other children, sons and daughters. Now all the days of Enoch were 365 years. That is, that's how long he was on this earth. But he didn't die. It doesn't say then Enoch died, but it says Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him.

And the only way I know to describe that is the way the little girl described it who'd been to Sunday school when she came home. Her mother said, "What'd you talk about today? What'd the teacher tell you?" And she says, "Well, teacher told us about Enoch and he walked with God." And the mother says, "Well, what about Enoch?"

And the little girl put it something like this: She said, "Well, it seems that every day God would come by and say to Enoch, 'Enoch, would you like to walk with me?' And Enoch would come out of his house and come down to the gate and he'd go walking with God. And it got so that he enjoyed it so that he'd be waiting at the gate of his house every day and God would come along and say, 'Enoch, let's take a walk.' And one day God came by and says, 'Enoch, let's take a long walk. I've so much to tell you.' And so they were walking and walking and finally Enoch says, 'My, it's getting late in the afternoon. I'd better get back home.' And God said to him, 'Enoch, you're closer to my home than you are to your home. So you come on home with me.' So Enoch went home with God." I don't know how you can put it any better than that, friends; that is exactly the story that is shared.

Now of course, this is a picture in my judgment of what is to come. Great truths in Genesis and I think all great truths are here in germ. Here's the Rapture of the church. Before the judgment of the flood comes, why God removes Enoch. And now we're told here, "And Methuselah lived 180 years," and we're told he lived 969 years. Now he lived longer than Adam and very candidly, these two men, Adam and Enoch, pretty well bridge the gap between creation and the flood. Fact of the matter is, this man Methuselah could have told Noah everything from the creation of the world according to our genealogy. Now I personally feel that we have a gap in the genealogy given here.

And we know that is the way the New Testament opens because we know that the genealogy that was given of the Lord Jesus leaves out quite a few and purposely so because there is an attempt to give it in three equal segments and certain ones are left out. But you'll notice it follows throughout accurately and here I'm sure it's accurate, but the important thing is we may have a gap in here and that would account, in my judgment, for the fact that man's been on this earth a great deal longer than we give him credit for being here.

But that is something I don't care to go into because it's quite an involved subject. And when I completed the Through the Bible program and was in the book of Revelation, and I very candidly said that I did not know who the two witnesses were and I felt sure this would happen. You'd be amazed the number of people who know who those two witnesses are and they've all suggested to me the ones of course I've heard before, but even after reading the arguments of some of them, I'm convinced that I do not know and furthermore, I'm a little disturbed with these people because they think they know and they don't know. May I say to you, scripture's not clear at that point and scripture's not clear right here. Why isn't it? Because God is not anxious to insist upon that. What he's trying to get over to you is the religious, the redemptive history of mankind on this earth.

Now we find out that the name of Methuselah means sending forth. Actually, that's the way that his name is. It means a sending forth. And that's quite interesting. If you want me to give all of it, Dr. Newberry in his book "The Deluge" gives this as the meaning of Methuselah: "When he is dead, it shall be sent." What'll be sent? Well, the flood. As long as Methuselah lived, the flood could not come.

And the very interesting thing, according to a chronology that I have here, that is a genealogy of the patriarchs and it gives the chronology of all of them, the year that Methuselah died is the year that the flood came. That's quite interesting. "When he's dead, it shall be sent." That's the meaning of his name. Why did he live longer than any other person? God kept him here just to let mankind know that God was patient and merciful. God will wait for you, friends, also all your life. And you read over in 1 Peter 3:20 about the long suffering of God. Well, he was long suffering.

Now as we continue down through the rest of this fifth chapter, why everybody's mentioned here. Lamech is mentioned and he died and he had a son by the name of Noah. And we're told the last verse: "Noah was 500 years old and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth." Now the theory today and the popular theory in the world, it's amazing how men go blindly on accepting it, in fact I think all philosophy concludes that human nature is inherently and innately good and that it can be improved.

That's the whole program that is abroad today, that if you'll just try to improve the environment of man and his heredity, that he can really be improved. Communism and socialism seek to improve man. Arminianism means man can assist in his salvation. Modernism says man can save himself. In other words, salvation is a sort of a do-it-yourself kit that God gives to you. And then some of the cults, they tell you that human nature's totally good and there's no such thing as sin.

Well, what does God say concerning man? Well, God says that man is totally evil, totally bad. That's the condition of all of us. "None good, no not one." That's the estimate of the word of God. Now if you will accept God's word for it, may I say it'll give you a truer conception of life today than is given to us by others. Now here is mankind and we are following the godly line now and what's it going to lead to? Is it going to lead to a millennium here upon this earth? Are they going to come to Elysian fields and establish a utopia? No, the very next chapter, chapter 6, tells us that a flood came on the earth and the flood was a judgment from God. And so you have here in chapter 6 now the culmination of all of this and we're going to see not only the flood but the reason for the judgment of the flood.

And I'd like to get into this chapter now because it's I think a very important chapter. And we find here: "It came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were very fair and they took them wives of all which they chose." Now this sons of God and daughters of men is really something that has caused no end of discussion today. You will find frankly that there are today a great many good men that take the position that these sons of God here are angels. And may I say that I personally cannot accept that at all. Why, somebody says, can't you accept it? And I recognize that most of my teachers taught the sons of God were angels and I recognize that a great many of the present-day expositors take that position.

I cannot accept it because if these were good angels, they would not commit this sin. And evil angels, I do not think could ever be designated sons of God. And then the offspring that were here were men; they were not monstrosities. And I do not know why it is assumed by so many here that the offspring here were giants. It says in verse 4 there were giants in the earth in those days, but doesn't say they're the offspring. It does say this about the offspring: It says, "And also after that when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old men of renown." Now these were not monstrosities; they were men.

I've been reading the argument of one man. He says, "Well, they were giants and they were monstrosities." No, the record here makes it very clear that the giants were in the earth before this took place. And it simply means these were outstanding individuals. You know, humanity, friends, has a tremendous capacity. Man is fearfully and wonderfully made and that's a great truth we've lost sight of. This idea today that man has come up from some protoplasm out of a garbage can or seaweed, it's utterly preposterous and probably it's the belief now of some scientist that evolution will be repudiated and some folk are going to look ridiculous at that time.

May I say to you that it's nothing in the world but a theory as far as science is concerned. Nothing has been conclusive about it. It is a philosophy like any other philosophy and it can be accepted or rejected and when it's accepted, it certainly leads to some very crazy solutions to the problems of the world and it's got us into trouble throughout the world.

Anyone would think that we're the white knight riding through the world straightening out wrongs. We're wrong on the inside ourselves. I don't know why that in this country today that we have an intelligentsia in our colleges and in our government and in our news media today and in the military that think they are super, that somehow or another they have arrived. May I say to you, that is the delusion of the hour, that man think that they're greater than they really are. Man is suffering from a fall, an awful fall. He's totally depraved today and until that's taken into consideration, why we're in trouble all the way along.

Now what you have here is nothing in the world but as I see it, this is a book of genealogies. It's a book of the families, the sons of God are the godly line that have come down now from Adam through Seth. And the daughters of men belong to the line of Cain and you have here now a intermingling and intermarriage of these two lines until finally the entire line was totally corrupted. Well, not totally, one exception. That is the picture that is presented to us here.

Now I recognize and I want to insist upon it that the many fine expositors take the opposite view: the sons of God are actually angels. And if you follow that view, you'll be in good company. But I'm sure that most of you want to be right, don't you? So I'm sure you want to go along with me here. May I say to you, regardless of which view you take, why all of us I hope will be friends because this is merely a matter of interpretation and it doesn't have anything to do with whether you believe or do not believe the Bible but does have to do with interpretation.

Now God says here in verse 3: "And the Lord said, 'My spirit shall not always strive with man for that he also is flesh, yet his days shall be 120 years.'" And we believe that Noah preached for 120 years and during that time the spirit of God was striving with man. And we're told, Peter makes it very clear that it was back in the days of Noah that the spirit of God was striving with man in order that he might bring them to God, but they would not turn.

Well, let me read that. It's 1 Peter 3:19. Probably I should read verse 18: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh and quickened by the spirit by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison." Now they were in prison when Peter wrote, but when they were preached to, it was in the days of Noah. You say how do you know? Read on, verse 20: "Which sometime were disobedient." When were they disobedient? In prison? No. "When once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was a preparing wherein few, that is eight souls, were saved by water." When was it? Well, it was in the long suffering of God in the days of Noah, those 120 years.

Now what was the condition on the earth at that time? Now let's look at it. This gives the cause that caused God to bring judgment of the flood. This is verse 5 now of chapter 6 of Genesis: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." And you ought to emphasize these words; I have them marked in my Bible: The wickedness of man was great, "great" is one; "every" imagination, "every"; and that the imagination of the thoughts of his heart was "only" evil, that's all it was; and that "continually." And you've got four words there that reveal the condition that was upon the earth. "And it repented the Lord." What repented? Why, the corruption of man repented the Lord. Now it looks as if God had changed his mind. He created man, now he's going to destroy him it looks like. "It repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart."

Now the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I've created from the face of the earth, both man and beast and the creeping thing, the fowls of the air." Doesn't mention fish because they in the water and he just going to send more water. "For it repented me that I have made them." But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And why did he find grace? "These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations and Noah walked with God."

Now why did God save Noah? He walked with God? Yes, but we're told by faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, prepared an ark. Now it took faith to prepare an ark on dry land when it hadn't even drizzled. And that took faith, by the way. And we're told that it was by faith that Enoch was translated. You see, when the church is taken out, every believer's going because it's for believers. And weak saints going out and they're going out because God extends mercy and we're told the mercy of God will be demonstrated at that time.

Now why the flood? Why is God going to send the flood? Well, we're told verse 11: "The earth also was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." That is actually God's way and it was man's way. It turned from the purpose for which God had created him. "And God said unto Noah, 'The end of all flesh is come before me for the earth is filled with violence through them and behold I will destroy them with the earth.'" Now we find here God going to send the flood. And why is he going to send the flood? Well, let me mention several things.

Man had a promise of a redeemer and they were told that there was coming a savior on the earth. And that is the thing man should have been looking for. Instead of that, he turns from God we're told. And then we have here that God provided a sacrifice for Adam and Eve. And we find that a great principle was put down actually with Cain and Abel. That is an eternal principle, if you please.

Here are these two boys and Cain and Abel will stand as the representatives of two great systems, two classes of people: the lost and the saved, the self-righteous and the broken-spirited, the formal professor and the genuine believer. That's what you have in these two and that's what the human race had at this time.

And then we find that these patriarchs were living so long, Adam and Methuselah bridged the entire gap here and may I say to you, they could give certainly a revelation to all mankind, which they did. And then we're told over in Jude 14 and 15 that Enoch preached during that period, he prophesied. And we're also told that Noah preached during this period and also he was building an ark.

And then we're told that Enoch disappeared. That should have alerted them to something. And then they knew concerning this man Methuselah and when he died they should have known. And then there was the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God says that his spirit would not always strive with man and the spirit of God was striving with him. Man here totally rejects God, if you please, and that brought the flood upon the earth. We find that God's spirit striving with man on the earth and man now turning away from God. And here are just a few though that do believe him: Noah and his family. So until next time, my beloved, may God richly bless you.

Steve Schwetz: Well, that's a great teaser for our next study. Be sure to join us as we hear about a man who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. What joy it must have been for God to find a man and his family who believed his word.

In the meantime, you can access a wealth of Bible study materials by Dr. McGee at TTB.org. One resource that I highly recommend is our Bible companion for Genesis. Each section includes a clear summary of Dr. McGee's teaching, prompts to follow the corresponding audio and scripture passages, and then thoughtful reflection questions, perfect for going deeper on your own or with a group. Download your free copy in our app or at TTB.org. Or to purchase a paperback version, call 1-800-65-BIBLE.

And of course, as we travel through God's word together, we'd love to hear from you. Need help getting started? Here's some prompts: Tell us which teaching from Dr. McGee has stayed with you long after the broadcast ended and why, and how studying God's word has impacted your life or family, or maybe what part of our study has surprised you the most. You can contact us directly through the app if you're listening that way. You can always email us at biblebus@TTB.org or write to box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. You can even leave us a voicemail at 1-800-65-BIBLE. I'm Steve Schwetz, inviting you to hop aboard the Bible bus anytime, any day on any of your digital devices. We live in a great day to study God's word.