Every member of the human race has come from Adam and from Noah. Adam was the only man created in the image of God. The Lord Jesus, of course was the effulgence of His glory, and the express image of His person. But we are referring to all other men. Adam was not born as a baby, but God created him as a man. Genesis 1:26 to 28.
Noah and his family were saved in the ark. At that time all other human beings were destroyed in the flood. Genesis 7:1 and 7:21.
Concerning Adam and Eve, we read in Genesis 5:4 that sons and daughters were born unto them. But we mention three sons of Adam –
CAIN – ABEL – and SETH
In Hebrews 11:4 we read concerning Abel—”By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”
In I John 3:12 we read concerning Cain—”Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother, And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”
Note Jude 11 concerning apostate preachers who go in the way of Cain. Cain rejected salvation by blood.
Thus we see that the first man born of woman murdered his brother. There are other lessons in the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:1 to 8 and 4:16 and 17.
“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect.
And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.”
“And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch; and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.”
Cain and Abel were under “the law of sin and death.” Genesis 2:17. Romans 8:2. Cain was self-righteous and sought deliverance from sin and death by the works of his own hands.
It is interesting to read, in this connection, Romans 10:1 to 3—“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
Abel submitted himself unto the righteousness of God. He acknowledged that his own righteousness was not acceptable to God. He knew that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6) ; and “they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8).
Abel’s offering prefigured the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, “the Lamb of God which beareth away the sin of the world.” John 1:29.
Note II Corinthians 5:21 and Romans 3:24. “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Abel, being dead yet speaketh; or is yet spoken of.
The Evangelical Christians are today opposed by the so-called Liberals or Modernists in the evangelical denominations. The Evangelicals teach salvation by the blood of the Son of God, justification by faith, and by grace. The Liberals teach salvation by character and conduct, without the shedding of blood. That controversy was settled by God in favor of the Evangelicals in His acceptance and rejection of Abel and Cain, and is dogmatically and clearly shown all through the Bible.
SETH THE SUBSTITUTE
“And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth; for God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos; then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” Genesis 4:25 and 26.
“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth; And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years; and be begat sons and daughters. “ Genesis 5:3 and 4.
Seth begat Enos, Enos begat Cainan. Note in Genesis 5 – Adam -. Seth – Enos – Cainan – Mahalaleel – Jared – Enoch – Methuselah – Lamech – Noah.
NOTE THE RECORD OF ENOCH
“And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundreds years, and begat sons and daughters; And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:22 to 24.
By faith Enoch was translated and by faith Enoch pleased God. Hebrews 11:5. “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints.” Jude 14.
Enoch was the father of Methuselah. Methuselah was the oldest man who ever lived on this earth. He died at the age of 969 years. (Genesis 5:27.)
ENOCH – METHUSELAH – NOAH
Methuselah was Enoch’s son and Noah’s grandfather. Noah was 600 years old when God destroyed the world with the flood. (Genesis 7:6.) As we study the fifth chapter of Genesis we learn that the flood was on the earth the year 1656 A. H. (year of man), or about 2344 B. C. So the flood was on the earth about 4284 years ago. This was the year that Methuselah died.
“And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.” II Peter 2:5.
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house, by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7.
“As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” Luke 17:26 and 27.
Note the moral condition of the human race when Noah was called into the ark. “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.” Genesis 6:5.
Note concerning Noah’s sons. “And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. “ Genesis 9:18 and 19.
“And Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. “ Genesis 5:32.
“These are the generations of Shem; Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxed two years after the flood.” Genesis 11:10.
NOAH AFTER THE FLOOD
“And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.” And all of the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.” Genesis 9:28 and 29.
By carefully studying the fifth chapter of Genesis we learn that the flood was upon the earth 1656 A.H., the year of man. That was about 2344 B.C. Noah died about 1994 B.C. Abraham was born about 1990 B.C. Shem died about 1840 B.C. Genesis 11:10 and 11. Abraham died about 1817 B.C. Genesis 25:7.
God called Abraham 430 years before He gave the ten commandments to Israel, by Moses. Galatians 3:16 to 19. The covenant that God made with Israel at Sinai by Moses is called now, “the Old Covenant”, “the Old Testament”. Moses received the law, the Covenant, from the Lord between 1490 B.C. and 1500 B.C. Thus we see that none of those men of God who lived before the flood were Old Testament saints. Abraham died more than 300 years before God entered into the (Old) Covenant with Israel. Abraham did not live under the Old Testament. Not one word concerning the Old Covenant or Old Testament is recorded in Genesis.
The record of the giving of the (Old) Covenant is in Exodus 20, Also we learn that Abel, Seth, Enoch and Noah were neither Jews nor Israelites, except as they prevailed with God – Jacob’s name was changed to Israel several centuries after the flood.