Primeval Evil
Primeval Evil
By Pete Garcia
But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will 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, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:25-30
Many Christians who are interested in eschatology (the study of last things), often inquire of teachers and each other, as to when they should reasonably expect our Lord Jesus Christ to return for His bride, the Church. In regards to this question and by way of a disclaimer, I don’t have or pretend to know a specific time or date. Jesus stated that ‘no man would know the day or hour’.
Nor do I have a specific window of time in mind for the Rapture…ie…Blood Moons, planetary alignments, Jewish holidays or key political events, because frankly our departure via the Rapture isn’t necessarily linked to any of those things. So in regards to specifics, we shouldn’t be dogmatic on the exact timing only that it happens prior to the beginning of the 70th Week. The Rapture could happen on a Blood Moon, or during Rosh Hashanah, or it may not. We only know that at a certain point the Church will have arrived at its specific number (known only to God), and that will be when it happens…in the twinkling of an eye. (Romans 11:25)
But there is something interesting that I’ve come to think about recently that just struck me in a particularly new light today. I know I’ve talked about it before, (as have many others), but more often than not, we usually only consider it as either a contributing factor, or causation of some other sign, and not the main point. But consider this in regards to the opening passage from Luke 17 as Jesus gave three key markers on this:
1. Christ also being rejected also by this generation. (vs. 25)
2. The days surrounding the time of His return, would be like the days of Noah, in which, if we were to go back to that passage in Genesis 6, would reveal an overarching key indicator that I think is very much in play today, and a dead giveaway of our enemy’s agenda.
…that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (vs. 5)
for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. (vs. 11-12)
3. When referencing it, Jesus didn’t mention the above points, but noted the normality of everything, implying that His return, would catch the world by surprise.
…they ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage… they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built… (vs. 27-28)
Assessment
Many well intentioned teachers and ministries seemingly get side-tracked by some of the more sensational aspects to Genesis 6 (Nephilim, giants, men of renown), but treat the above situation of ‘widespread wickedness’ only as an obvious side-effect of the angelic/genetic corruption that had been ongoing. Certainly, the fact that fallen angels were cohabitating with humans, warrants discussion, but if we were only looking at that as THE sign for the end of the age in our day, one would spend a great deal of time and energy focused on chasing inconclusive conspiracy theories. Granted, those Nephilim-esque conditions may return but most likely not before the Rapture of the Church.
But here in Genesis 6:5, 11-12, there are two, bright-neon signs for the overall condition of the world, and that is, the intent of man’s heart was only evil, and that all flesh had become corrupted, so much so, that God repented having made man. (vs. 6) The overarching problem at hand then, was that everything God had made in perfection (it was good), had now been tainted by sin and corruption. Satan tempted Adam and Eve into sinning, thus ushering in sin and death, but what the fallen angels did between then and the Flood, certainly expedited that corruption.
But consider our day…
We are now currently living in an age, where nothing is sacred. It is the ‘mystery of iniquity’ coming into full effect. Every institution, whether it be marriage, the family, technology, commerce, worship, sexuality, etc…everything is already, or is in the process of being corrupted. We are witnessing an all-out assault on everything that God considers good, and/or at least necessary for humanity to continue.
Not only are the foundational pillars of our society being attacked, but people seemingly can’t trust anything anymore. Every source has bias and everyone seemingly has an agenda. Those figures in the media who people had trusted for decades, have now proven every bit as corrupt as they people their supposed to be ‘watchdogs’ against. Coaches, priests, military leaders, politicians, ministries, charities, and every other sector and section, has gotten black eyes recently from the scandals surrounding them.
People are questioning everything today…even the very common sense things that the most primitive of tribes going back millennia, don’t have difficulties with. There are reportedly some 58 different sexual identities people are now claiming. Marriage has been redefined to mean only that it is ethically acceptable to marry what one loves (and one can hypothetically love anything, human or otherwise). Abortion has been redefined as a constitutional right, not murder. Euthanasia is now both a convenience and morally commendable. Nation states should be borderless. Islam is portrayed a religion of peace, while Christianity is portrayed as that of hate, violence, and bigotry.
Every tragic event now turns into a conspiracy. The Earth being round is now a conspiracy. Criminals are the victims, and the victim’s, criminal. Corruption, violence, globalism, greed, and pay-for-play politics are becoming the norm. Corrupt leaders are above the law, and the law’s now are becoming solely aimed at stripping away freedoms from the individual. Common sense is being abandoned at a record pace, and political correctness is choking the very life out of a nation bound by its Constitution. Violence and murder is plaguing every major urban center, and this is all just in the United States, the supposed leader of the free world.
But why is this significant?
Because the US is currently at the top of the geo-economic-political-militaristic food chain. If the US goes morally astray, it has the potential to drag the whole world with it…and it is. What we are witnessing today is the world racing towards becoming only evil continually. No longer content with being that ‘shining city on a hill’, we are consenting as a nation to the reality that evil is now the new normal.
But here’s the rub…
Satan KNOWS his time is running out and he is not pulling his punches anymore. It is full-throttled, pedal to the metal, highway to hell evil being rammed down everyone’s throats. Even though the removal of the Church at the Rapture will certainly expedite the reality for all flesh becoming corrupted again (this happens with the ‘mark of the beast’), God will still have His remnant. Meanwhile, the whole world is seemingly being turned on its head and readying itself to embrace this coming ‘mark’ and the beast system.
Consider this; if we went back 100 years ago, would the issue of a man having the legal right to use a women’s restroom, even remotely be an issue the US government would decide to waste its time with? No of course not. Any politician who would even support such a notion would have been thrown out of office and locked up in the loony bin. How about 50 years ago? 40 years ago? 20 years ago?
No, no, and no.
It’s only been in the last ten years (or less) that evil has so gained a foothold in our culture and political mindset, that this even warrants discussion. It only warrants discussion because those who want to enforce it, have both completely lost their ability to reason and are the ones in control of the system.
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:12
In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus lays out the global problems growing exponentially in the last days, of note, is that lawlessness will cause people’s hearts to ‘wax’ cold. Paul, Peter, James, and Jude also warned of this deteriorating condition on the earth as time wears on. The fact that things progressively move from bad to worse is the key indicator that time itself is drawing down. The fact that things have rapidly begun to deteriorate on a global scale, means the window for this age is closing very soon.
Mankind has moved through various ages and stages throughout history. The Bronze Age. The Iron Age. The Dark Ages. The Age of Reason. The Industrial Age. Seeing as we are now living in the Age of Information, Satan has saved the best for last, and has begun reintroducing deception on a grand scale, to increasingly confuse an already confused generation. This, tied in with lawlessness, has caused man to be both blindingly ignorant, and obsessively skeptical about anything and everything to do with Christianity. This is why we find ourselves living in a generation which has by and large, rejected Christ’s sacrificial work on the Cross as the only means’ of salvation. We have entered into a new dark age, where truth is suppressed, reason has been outlawed, and ignorance applauded.
Granted, this rejection is primarily in western societies where the Gospel has long been available…but the window is closing fast in other parts of the world. In the East, Far East, and Africa where atheistic and/or Islamic dictators and governments are in charge, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is finding the attacks against it ramped up to levels not seen since the days of the Roman Caesar’s. But even still…
…this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matt. 24:14
Conclusion
One thing I’m curious about, is why none of the disciples ever asked Jesus about life before the Flood? I know I would have been extremely curious about this had I been there. Part of me thinks that because either they weren’t completely understanding the timing of the Kingdom (see Acts 1:6) and weren’t all that concerned about what had happened thousands of years prior, or they already had a decent understanding of that time, thanks to the non-canonical books like Jasher and Enoch as well as the common knowledge taught by the Sanhedrin and others. So either they asked and it’s not recorded for us, or they never asked…we simply don’t know. We only know definitively on what Scripture itself portends to the issue. So I find it interesting that what Jesus had to say about those Antediluvian days, is so different from the Genesis accounts, either for Noah or Lot.
The Genesis account records the earth was at breathtaking levels of evil and wickedness. While Jesus doesn’t discount that, He adds that life will be normal…or at least have a sense of normality to it…assuming that the world has reached a point where evil is the new normal. We can reasonably deduce that since Jesus is God and was intimately aware of the conditions in Noah and Lot’s day, that His description focused not on the sensational aspects of Noah’s day (i.e…the Nephilim), or Lot’s (rampant sexual deviancy), but on suddenness of judgment that will come, and the propensity for wickedness to spread and contaminate everything…so much so, that He asks the question He clearly already knew the answer too…
And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” John 18:7-8
Even So, Maranatha!