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The book of Genesis is not a myth or a collection of fairy tales someone devised. It
is the inspired account of the physical and spiritual history of ancient man. "All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16).
God created this world a paradise, perfect in all ways, including man (Gen. 1:31). But Satan came and introduced sin into the world through the transgression of Adam and Eve (Rom. 5:12). From this history of our fore-parents, Adam and Eve, we see a splitting of humanity into two distinct races because of sin. This first became evident in the murder of Abel by Cain. Sin could not tolerate righteousness so righteous Abel was killed (Heb. 11:4). Cain was banished for this sin and became the forefather of the "Cainites" or those in rebellion against God. But God had a plan for the salvation of humanity. God told Satan, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). His plan was renewed in the birth of Seth and the hope of Eve, his mother. "For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew" (Gen. 4:25). That "seed" was the hope of the coming Messiah — Jesus Christ. Today the great divide in humanity is not Jew or Gentile, black or white but Sethites and Cainites, the sons of God and the children of disobedience. Today the Sethites are in a minority, while the Cainites number in the billions. Let us look at this great division and how it relates to our own lives. Cain left God, in essence rebelling against Him. "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord..." (Gen. 4:16). "...Went out?" implies Cain leaving fellowship with God, not the other way around (cf. 2 Chron. 12:14; Luke 15:13). He left his own heritage behind and went east. There he sired a community of rebellion. All who sin today join Cain's race — the Cainites. Seth and his spiritual descendents stayed with the Lord. He walked and obeyed the God of His father Adam. Today, all who forsake sin and obey God are spiritual descendants of Seth. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12). These are folks who:
Cain and his descendents were materially successful. Cain built a city (Gen. 4:17). His other descendents domesticated cattle, invented music/musical instruments, and worked with metal (Gen. 4:20-22). They were builders of civilization. Modern science does not give credit to the technological advances of the Antediluvian world. But material success does not assume spiritual success. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26). But the Sethites were noted as a spiritual people. Seth began "to call upon the name of the Lord" (Gen. 4:26). This phrase literally means to use God's name in worship (cf. 1 Kings 18:24). One of the Sethites, Enoch, "walked with God" (Gen. 5:22) or had a sense of inner communion and fellowship with God. Enoch was so in fellowship with God that he did not die but was "translated" (Heb. 11:5) to be with God (Gen. 5:24). Today, modern Sethites, New Testament Christians, are also a spiritual people. They strive to worship God as He has dictated (John 4:24). They strive to live quiet, holy lives. They make it their aim to walk with God each day and know that He will give them a Heavenly reward. The Sethites knew of the promise of God concerning the Messiah, that He would someday "bruise" Satan's head (Gen. 3:15). They knew a descendent of Adam and Eve would do this. Yet it was not an easy thing to remain faithful to that promise through the centuries while the whole world went the other way. "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb. 11:13). Meanwhile the Cainites descended deeper into their rebellion. Consider Lamech, Cain's great-great-grandson. He was the first to practice polygamy (Gen. 4:19). He committed murder and bragged about it (Gen. 4:23-24). Sin is deceptive and digressive, taking one further and further from God (Micah 2:1). Modern Cainites, all who do not follow Jesus Christ, continue to go further from God's promises. "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Tim. 3:13). The ancient Cainites became so evil that God had to wash the world clean. "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" (Gen. 6:5). Their destiny was one of destruction in a planetary-wide cataclysm called the Flood. But God provided a way of escape. He had Noah build an ark. Only eight descendents of Seth survived in the ark of righteous Noah (Heb. 11:7). Their destiny was to repopulate the earth and prepare the world for the coming of the Christ. His Son would be a direct descendent of Seth, both physically and spiritually. He would "bruise" Satan's head (Gen. 3:15). Jesus Christ is now King and Saviour of all who obey Him — the modern Sethites (Heb. 5:9). Someday the King will return and judge all, both Cainite and Sethite. The destiny of both races has been clearly laid out by Jesus. Those who have remained faithful to their Lord, the Sethites, will receive an eternal reward. "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34). Those who have remained Cainites face eternal ruination. "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41). The question demands an answer. In which race do you want to be found when the King returns? |