The term "antediluvians" refers to the people who lived before the Great Flood, as described in the early chapters of the Book of Genesis. This period, often called the antediluvian era, is characterized by humanity's increasing wickedness and God's subsequent judgment through the Flood. The narrative of the antediluvians is primarily found in Genesis 4-6.

Wickedness of the Antediluvians

The antediluvian period began with the descendants of Adam and Eve, including notable figures such as Cain, Abel, and Seth. As humanity multiplied, so did their sinfulness. 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 pervasive corruption and moral decay that characterized the antediluvian society.

The Bible describes various forms of wickedness during this time, including violence, immorality, and idolatry. Genesis 6:11-12 further elaborates, "Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence. God looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures on the earth had corrupted their ways."

Divine Judgment

In response to the rampant sinfulness, God decided to bring judgment upon the earth. Genesis 6:7 records God's declaration: "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 decision underscores the gravity of human sin and God's holiness, which cannot tolerate such corruption.

Noah and the Ark

Amidst the widespread wickedness, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8-9 states, "But Noah 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 set him apart from his contemporaries and made him the chosen instrument for God's plan of salvation.

God instructed Noah to build an ark to preserve his family and pairs of every kind of living creature. Genesis 6:14-16 provides specific instructions for the construction of the ark, emphasizing God's detailed plan for salvation amidst judgment.

The Flood

The Flood serves as the climactic act of divine judgment upon the antediluvians. 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."

The waters covered the earth, destroying all living creatures outside the ark. Genesis 7:23 confirms the totality of the judgment: "And every living thing on the face of the earth was destroyed—man and livestock, crawling creatures and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those with him in the ark remained."

Covenant with Noah

Following the Flood, God established a covenant with Noah, symbolized by the rainbow, promising never again to destroy the earth with a flood. Genesis 9:11-13 records this covenant: "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 of the antediluvians serves as a sobering reminder of God's righteousness and the consequences of sin, while also highlighting His mercy and provision for salvation through Noah and the ark.Genesis 6:7
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

The Bible --The Background and the Picture.
... It was upon the same principle that all the divine judgments were administered,
from the destruction of the Antediluvians down to the overthrow of Jerusalem by ...
/.../the biblethe background and the.htm

The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Lamentation of all ...
... to the antediluvians was not limited to the human family, it fell upon the lower
orders of creation as well"all were swept away by the flood! The judgments ...
/.../pink/the redeemers return/viii the redeemers return is.htm

Departed Saints Fellow Servants with those yet on Earth.
... Peter, respecting the antediluvians. ... will then satisfy the righteous, and their greater
love to God reconcile them to the execution of his judgments on all the ...
/.../sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxvii departed saints fellow.htm

Index of Subjects. Abel, 124, 136, 193, 414.
... Antediluvians, longevity of, [84]246; the good, [85]405. Apostates, [86]168,
[87]174. ... Inscrutableness of divine judgments, [868]26, [869]111, [870]188. ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/index of subjects abel 124.htm

The Godhood of God
... Because God is righteous, His judgments fall on those who rebel against Him. ... He is
the One who beheld the wickedness of the antediluvians and who opened the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the godhood of god/the godhood of god.htm

Chapter vi
... A measure of the truth had been available for these antediluvians. ... In the midst
of God's judgments His "grace" (chen) also shines forth. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter vi.htm

Fourthly; all the [Credenda, Or] Doctrines, which the True, Simple ...
... Adam and Eve, by Sanchuniathon and others; the longevity of the antediluvians, by
Berosus ... such like examples; in some of which cases, the judgments have fallen ...
/.../xiii proposition xiii fourthly all.htm

General Index.
... Annihilation, 318. Antediluvians, warnings unheeded by, 337, 338. ... judgments to fall
upon, 653. see also Apostasy; Church; Papacy; Roman Catholic Church. ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /general index.htm

City of God
... Chapter 9.--Of the Long Life and Greater Stature of the Antediluvians.
Chapter 10.--Of the Different Computation of the Ages of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/

An American Reformer.
... When the iniquity of the antediluvians moved Him to bring a flood of ... ample opportunity
for repentance; but at the appointed time His judgments were visited ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /18 an american reformer.htm

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