[Course 24 Index] [Prophetic-School Index] [Mini-Series Index] [Prev Lesson] [Next Lesson]


-- © GodSpeak International 2003 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.org> --

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES
Author: Teresa Seputis ts@godspeak.net http://www.godspeak.net
Editor: Elvi Glass

A Prophet's Eye-View Of Bible History"

Lesson 7
The Beginnings (Part 2 of 2)
Cain, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah

By Teresa Seputis

Our last lesson looked at the creation and the lives (and fall) of Adam and Eve. Now let's look at some other key players from the early beginnings of human history: Cain & Abel, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah.

Cain and Abel

Cain was the first recorded birth after the fall. He was the first child born under the curse, where childbearing had become painful and difficult. So I suspect that Eve had a special love for this son, she had paid such a high price to produce him. However, in spiritual terms, Cain was also the "firstborn," and a result of that was that the generational sin/curse (rebellion against God) probably passed to him more strongly than to his subsequent siblings.

Eve had a second son, who she named Abel. Both boys grew up. Abel became a shepherd or herdsman. Cain became a farmer. Both young men decided to bring an offering to God from the fruit of their labors. One offering was accepted and the other rejected. There is a popular teaching going around that God accepted Abel's offering because it was an animal sacrifice, but God rejected Cain's because it did not involve the "shedding of blood." Unfortunately, that is an erroneous teaching -- and there is a bible precedent for fruit and grain offerings in the law.

The bible tells us why one offering was accepted and the other rejected. Genesis 4:4b-5 says, "And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell." The issue, in God's eyes, was not the offering itself, but the heart of the person bringing the offering. God respected Abel -- that is He found Abel's heart and character pleasing. But Cain was a man of questionable character and motives, and God (who looks on the heart) found his attitude/motivation unacceptable, so He would not receive his offering. We get some hint of what Cain was like from his response -- he was mad at God and at Abel.

God interacted with Cain about this in Gen 4:6-7. God tried to explain to Cain that the issue was not the offering itself, but the person who brought the offering. God told Cain to get a handle on his anger and to "do well," and then both he and his offering would be accepted. God warned him that "Sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." However, Cain did not rule over it. In a fit of rage, he murdered his brother Abel. As a result, God pronounced a curse on him that he would be a fugitive and a vagabond.

Gen 4:16 says that Cain "Went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden." He was separated not only from his family and close relatives, but also from God. He married and had a son and built a city. The "generational curse" (rebellion against God) seemed to pass down his family line, and his descendents were wicked and ungodly. His great-great-great grandson, Lamech, murdered and boasted about it.

Seth

Shortly after Abel's death and Cain's exile, Eve became pregnant with Seth. The bible does not tell us a lot about Seth, except that he was God's provision and comfort to Adam and Eve for the pain that another's sin had inflicted on them. His very existence was a prophetic statement that God will take care of us when someone hurts or wrongs us. Adam and Eve had two sons living with them. One had been murdered and the other exiled and instantly they lost both sons. And the sons were more than just companionship -- they helped out with important chores. Suddenly there was no one to till the family farm and no one to take care of the herds. This was more than just an emotional loss, it was also a physical hardship for Adam and Eve. Seth became the father of the godly line that God preserved through all generations. Seth grew up and had a son. And Gen 4:26 says, "Then men began to call on the name of the Lord."

Enoch

Enoch was Seth's great-great-great grandson. Remember how Cain's great-great-great grandson Lamech was particularly evil? Well, Enoch was exactly the opposite of that. He may have been the most Godly man to ever live. He was very close to God and incredibly pleasing to Him. Genesis only tells us a little about Enoch. Gen 5:21-24 says, "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."

We find new testament commentaries on Enoch. Hebrews 11:5 says, "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God."

The only other piece of information we have about Enoch in the Bible was that he was a prophet (Jude 1:14-15).

All we know about Enoch from the bible is that he was a prophet who walked very closely to God, and God liked him so much that He took him to heaven without having him die. Enoch was in the prime of his life when God took him. From this knowledge, we make assumptions about the type of relationship (deep friendship) that Enoch must have had with God. We can be encouraged that God is willing to be close friends with His servants. And following the example of Enoch, we can strive to walk closely to God and please Him.

There are books that claim to be written by Enoch. Some people feel they are forgeries written by 1st century believers. Others feel the books of Enoch are authentic. Even if they are authentic (really written by Enoch), these are not considered as a part of the Bible, and therefore we can't give these writings the same authority of Scripture. But his writings are very insightful and they tend to agree closely with scripture in a lot of areas. The book of Enoch reads a lot like the Bible. It is highly prophetic and there are passages in there that track very closely with things that are in the New Testament. For instance, the Book of Enoch Chapter 46:1-2 gives a vision of God the Father that looks very similar to John's vision of Jesus in the book of Revelation, and a description of what sounds like Jesus standing next to Him.

Here are some of the things we learn about Enoch's life from the Book of Enoch (Which may not be authentic):

Methuselah

There was a lot of wickedness during Methuselah's life. Genesis 6:1-2 says "When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God [Angels] saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." Gen 6:4 refers to another race of "Nephilim" (a.k.a. Giants). The Hebrew word also means "fallen ones." It is not clear if this is referring to the offspring of these human/fallen-angel marriages or if it is referring to the fallen angels themselves. But the point is that the Nephilim were very wicked. They were somehow associated with fallen angels. The fallen angels and Nephilim corrupted mankind and, as a race, we became so wicked that God wished He never made us.

There were only a very few righteous people alive at this time, and they were Enoch's offspring. Methuselah was Enoch's firstborn son. Because of his father's holiness and intimate relationship with God, God blessed Methuselah. His very life and existence was a type of prophetic intercession. God wanted to destroy mankind, but he held back as long as Methuselah lived. And God did not cut Methuselah's life short to usher in the judgment. In fact, He did the exact opposite. God blessed him with a very long life for his father's sake. In fact, Methuselah lived longer than any other human being. He even outlived his son Lamech, who was born when Methuselah was 187 years old. Methuselah was 969 years old when he died.

And the flood (God's judgment) began less than 2 months after he died. Only Methuselah's son, Noah, and his immediate family (wife, sons, sons' wives) were spared from destruction.


-- © GodSpeak International 2003 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.org> --

[Course 24 Index] [Prophetic-School Index] [Mini-Series Index ] [Prev Lesson] [Next Lesson]