Topical Bible: Death: As a Judgment: Upon the Antediluvians

◄ Death: As a Judgment: Upon the Antediluvians ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of death as a divine judgment is vividly illustrated in the biblical account of the antediluvians, the generations that lived before the Great Flood. According to the Scriptures, the antediluvians were subject to God's judgment due to their pervasive wickedness and corruption.

Wickedness of the Antediluvians

The narrative begins with a description of the moral and spiritual decline of humanity. Genesis 6:5 states, "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time." This verse highlights the extent of human depravity, indicating that evil had become a constant and pervasive condition.

Divine Grief and Decision

In response to this widespread corruption, God expressed sorrow over the state of His creation. Genesis 6:6 reveals, "And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." This anthropopathic expression underscores the gravity of human sin and its impact on the Creator.

Pronouncement of Judgment

God's decision to bring judgment upon the antediluvians is articulated in Genesis 6:7 : "So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.'" This pronouncement signifies a divine resolve to cleanse the earth of its corruption through a cataclysmic flood.

The Righteousness of Noah

Amidst the prevailing wickedness, Noah is singled out as a righteous man. Genesis 6:8-9 states, "Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God." Noah's righteousness and obedience set him apart, making him the recipient of God's grace and the means by which humanity would be preserved.

The Great Flood

The execution of divine judgment is detailed in the account of the Great Flood. Genesis 7:11-12 describes the onset of the flood: "In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights." This deluge was both comprehensive and devastating, eradicating all life outside the safety of the ark.

Aftermath and Covenant

Following the flood, God established a covenant with Noah, symbolized by the rainbow, as recorded in Genesis 9:11-13 : "I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.'"

The judgment upon the antediluvians serves as a profound reminder of the seriousness with which God views sin and the lengths to which He will go to uphold His righteousness. The narrative underscores the themes of divine justice, mercy, and the possibility of redemption through obedience and faithfulness.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 6:7,11-13
And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repents me that I have made them.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Fourthly; all the [Credenda, Or] Doctrines, which the True, Simple ...
... and Latin, have unanimously agreed in this one particular circumstance, that men
after death should not have judgment passed upon them immediately ...
/.../xiii proposition xiii fourthly all.htm

"Come Thou and all Thy House into the Ark. "
... Those men who stand and deal out death and damnation to men ... It was a call of mercy,
preceding judgment. ... the great cities there is a snare set upon the corner ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/the overcoming life/come thou and all thy.htm

The Sibylline Oracles.
... here introduced by the Sibylline author may have been founded upon the words ... and
from James (ii.13): "Mercy saveth from death, when judgment comes," and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the sibylline oracles.htm

An American Reformer.
... would be "removed from off the earth, death be destroyed ... Himself, and contemn the
terrors of His judgment-bar."(562 ... Him to bring a flood of waters upon the earth ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /18 an american reformer.htm

The Godhood of God
... He is the One who sent the plagues upon Egypt, and ... and his family were all stoned
to death; for one ... God that every Christ-rejector has yet to meet in judgment! ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the godhood of god/the godhood of god.htm

An American Reformer
... would be "removed from off the earth, death be destroyed ... Himself, and contemn the
terrors of His judgment bar.""Bliss ... to bring a flood of waters upon the earth ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 18 an american reformer.htm

General Index.
... OEcolampadius, character and work of, 182-184. death of, 212. ... binding of, 658-660.
sins of God's people to be placed upon, 658, 673. judgment of, 661. ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /general index.htm

The Bible --The Background and the Picture.
... fines, imprisons and puts them to death for crime ... rulers and officials, strength
to judges upon the bench ... and throwing down as his righteous judgment approves or ...
/.../the biblethe background and the.htm

Essay
... and passions, and diseases, and in universal liableness to death. ... or none can bear
to insist upon majesty of ... of knowledge, and solidity of judgment, as grounds ...
/.../an essay on the mosaic account of the creation and fall of man/essay.htm

Chapter vi
... which I have created." The Giver of life is the Supreme Lord over life and death. ...
The universality of the judgment thus serves to impress upon man how ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter vi.htm