07. The Period Of Conscience-The Flood
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE PERIOD OF CONSCIENCE-THE FLOOD
“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil" (Genesis 3:22).
The second dispensation of time is Conscience. It extended from the fall of Adam to the flood, a period of 1,656 years. Conscience is defined as a knowledge of right and wrong. In this period, conscience became man’s guide. By its standard, man accused and excused himself. Man’s goal was to do all known good, and to refrain from doing evil (Genesis 4:7). Although conscience caused man to know and to fear wrong, it did not provide him with the power to keep himself from doing wrong, for which grace is needed.
The descendants of Adam and Eve in this age multiplied rapidly. They deteriorated rapidly also, as the result of doing wrong for,
(a) there was union between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men”:
(b) there was great wickedness upon the earth, for every imagination of man’s heart was only evil continually:
(c) the earth was filled with violence, and was corrupt, for man corrupted his way upon the earth:
(d) the people refused to listen to the preaching of Noah, and to his warning of the coming world-disaster.
The age of conscience is referred to as the age of ignorance (Acts 17:30, Romans 1:20-32). But ignorance is no excuse for wrong doing, and it will not save man from punishment.
“For as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law" (Romans 2:12). At the close of the age of conscience, punishment came to all sinners alike.
The blood-sacrifice of Abel, and the fruit-sacrifice of Cain are pictured on the Chart in the age of conscience.
God had respect for the blood-sacrifice of Abel because of the blood (Hebrews 11:4), but not for the fruit-sacrifice of Cain without the shedding of blood (Genesis 4:5; 1 John 3:12). Cain was displeased because of this; so, in his sin, he slew his brother, Abel.
Seth was born to Adam and Eve to take the place of Abel in the royal line which leads to Christ by the way of Noah and Shem, as shown in white on the chart. The people of this age were very brilliant but very corrupt. The line of Cain went downward, headed straight for the judgment of the flood.
God in this age had to intervene personally in the affairs of men. A world crisis was about to come because of evil. Noah alone “found grace” in the eyes of the Lord, because he “walked with God" So God revealed to Noah, 120 years before the flood, that He would destroy man from the face of the earth by means of a flood.
He revealed also to Noah the plans for the Ark. Noah obeyed God and built the Ark. It was a type of boat which men today are copying. Noah preached to the people and warned them of the coming disaster, but they heeded not. The flood came, and God purified the earth. It was the greatest catastrophe that the world has even seen. All flesh that moved upon the face of the earth died, with the exception of Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives, together with the creatures in the Ark. A Russian Refugee aviator, Mr. Roskovitsky, has told of the finding of the wreckage of the Ark in a small lake on top of Mt. Ararat, just prior to the Russian Revolution.
Evidences of the flood are seen in different countries, such as China, India and Mexico. Jesus referred to the flood in Matthew 24:37, and in Luke 17:26. Paul mentions it in Hebrews 11:7. Peter declares it in 1 Peter 3:20, 2 Peter 2:5, 2 Peter 3:3-6.
As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it 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. In doing these things, they forgot to worship God. The flood came and destroyed them all (Luke 17:26-27).
After the flood, Noah pleased God by offering a sacrifice. It was here that God made an unconditional covenant with Noah. This is the third great covenant made between God and man (Genesis 8:20-22; Genesis 9:1-17).
The covenant was:
God will not curse the ground any more, nor destroy all the living.
Noah and his descendants were to be fruitful, to multiply, and to replenish the earth.
They were to have dominion as before over the animal creation.
They could add meat to their vegetable diet, if they drained the blood out of the meat.
The law of capital punishment was established.
The earth should never again be destroyed by water.
The sign of this covenant was the rainbow.
Before the flood, there was one man, Enoch, who was in fellowship with God. He was translated to heaven that he might not see death. Enoch is a type of the Christian Church, which, because of their faith, will be translated before the tribulation period (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Genesis 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:7).
Enoch’s translation is shown on the Chart in the age of conscience by the arrow pointing upward.
Noah was preserved during the flood because of his obedience to God. He is a type of the Jews who go through the tribulation period. The Ark is pictured on Art Chart (www.BibleSupport.com/a/gppc.png) at the close of the age of conscience. Under the Ark is pictured the flood, where the people of the age of conscience ceased to exist. The bodies of these people went to a watery grave, and their souls and spirits went to the place appointed for the wicked dead. The age of Conscience ended in failure.