Throughout history men have consistently wanted to DEIFY — make gods of — their leaders, their ancestors, themselves. The rulers of ancient Egypt claimed to be gods. The Roman Emperors said they were immortal. The Roman Catholic Church makes saints of dead individuals and teaches that it is profitable to pray to them. The world before the Flood was no different! The same Satan who guides this world was dominating that society. The Devil is the "god of this world" — and his methods remain consistent over the centuries. Once he starts a certain pattern of deception among men he continues to promote it in every form he can. The false religion of the pre-Flood society was the DEIFICATION OF CAIN AND OTHERS IN HIS LINE!
Who Were "The Sons of God"?
A correct understanding of Genesis 6:2 makes this plain: "... The SONS OF GOD saw the daughters of men that they were FAIR: and THEY took them WIVES of all which THEY CHOSE". First of all notice the term "sons of God". The word translated "God" with a capital "G" in the king James translation is the Hebrew elohiym. In most cases in the Bible, as in Genesis 1:1, this word refers to the God Kingdom or Family. But this term if not strictly limited to this use and meaning. The context determines the proper way to apply this word in a given verse. In the case of Genesis 6:2, it should be translated with a lower verse case "g" — god or gods. The expression "sons of god(S)" in this verse has traditionally been assumed to be a reference to the descendants of Seth, the "good" line in the pre-Flood society. And "the daughters of men" was thought to mean the line of Cain. But just the reverse is true! There were, of course, these two basic groups of people before the Flood. But it is abundantly clear that the line of Seth was the WHITE race while the family of Cain was the NON-WHITE. But, who in this verse, is described as being "FAIR"? The "DAUGHTERS OF MEN"! They are the ones with the light complexions! So this expression actually refers to the women in the line of Seth and Enos! There was RACIAL INTERMARRIAGE taking place between the two groups. They were defying the separation God had made centuries before. So it was the descendants of Cain who claimed to be gods and the descendants of gods! The children of Seth and Enos, which included the great preachers of righteousness, knew better than to make any such fantastic claims. They knew better than to defy God! But the rebellious line of Cain was completely cut off from God. These perverted rebels were guilty of every sin imaginable — including this gross form of blasphemy and idolatry. They DARED to go this far in following the way of Cain! Cain, the original ancestor, was worshipped as a God. Eve mistakenly assumed that her first-born son was the promised seed. Lamech and Tubalcain later claimed the rank of deity. These leaders among Cain's children claimed to be worthy of worship. Why would the children of Cain claim to be deities or gods? There are two main reasons. First, they continued to believe the lie Satan told Eve — that humans had immortal souls and would live forever after death. They believed in "built-in" immortality from birth — even as millions of people still to today! Second, in the Bible angels are called "sons of God" (Job 38:7;1:6). Now an important factor to realize is that many people in the line of Cain, and especially the powerful leaders (recall the story of Tubalcain), WERE INFLUENCED BY AND POSSESSED BY DEMONS! AND DEMONS ARE ANGELS — fallen angels! These demons, when in these human instruments, said they were sons of God — which they were, by creation! And the men who were guided by them and yielded to them claimed the same title! Furthermore, demons want to be worshipped as gods! Therefore, IN these great evil leaders, they caused the populace to worship them under the guise of human beings whose minds they controlled! Thus it becomes clear why it was the leading members of Cain's line who claimed the title of "god" or "son of god". Cut off from the real God, they yielded themselves to demonic powers!
Pre-Flood "New Morality"
Notice now, in all of this, what happened to the descendants of righteous Seth. They came under the sway and influence of the evil line of Cain! First, observe the example of the "daughters of men" in Genesis 6:2. These young women in the line of Seth yielded to the "new morality" of their day! The men in the family of Cain wanted them for wives and they were agreeable to their wishes. They were willing to intermarry racially! The non-white descendants of Cain wanted to marry women who were "fair"! The same is true today — often non-white men want to marry white women. They feel mistakenly that their dark color is a stigma or a reproach and they want to lighten the color of their offspring! And just like the pattern described in Genesis 6:2, it is usually the white women who marry such men. In regard to this it is also appropriate to include the example of the armies of occupation after World War II in Germany and Japan. The German and Japanese women were attracted to the American soldiers. Women always seem to be intrigued by armies of occupation — and the pre-Flood world was no exception! The violent, warring descendants of Cain were over-running the world and snatching up these misguided women in the process. What had happened to the children of Seth to make this possible?
Methuselah's Influence
Josephus supplies the answer. He states that the children of Seth were obedient to God for seven generations. But in the days of Methuselah, the seventh from Seth, they became PERVERTED — "... they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness. WHEREBY THEY MADE GOD TO BE THEIR ENEMY!" (Antiquities I, iii, 1). What had happened to these once righteous and happy people? There were two main reasons which went hand in hand. The first reason centers around Methuselah. As stated in chapter 3, Methuselah, though in the line of Seth and Enos, was not numbered with the "eight preachers of righteousness"! And he not only died the year of the Flood — The died IN the Flood! Yes — believe it or not — this first born son of righteous Enoch went the way of Cain! He turned His back on the way of God. Methuselah was the next in line after Enoch to be a preacher of righteousness. It was his responsibility to be the Patriarchal leader of all the children (descendants) of Seth. He was to lead them in the way of God. But, instead, he became a preacher of UNrighteousness! He influenced them to practice sin. It is possible that the turning point in Methuselah's life was the death of his father, Enoch, at the hands of Lamech. At that time Methuselah was three hundred years old which, for that age, was not very far into his adult life. Today that would be the equivalent to age thirty. When his father's life was cut-short this is what could have developed in Methuselah's mind: "My father served God all his life. He kept telling us it pays to serve God. But look what happened to him! He obeyed God — and paid with his life! It didn't work. I think the children of Cain have something to offer. I'm going to try their way of life. God's way isn't worth it". In short, he probably turned bitter. He forgot that, with God, death is not a barrier — death is not the end of everything! He wasn't like his father — he did not trust God all the way! So Methuselah crossed the line. He traded the spiritual for the physical. The descendants of Seth saw this. And they concluded, "Well if Enoch's son can do it, so can we!"
Led Astray By Materialism
This brings us to reason number two: Following the example of Methuselah, the descendants of Seth BECAME ADDICTED TO THE SINFUL WAYS AND THE MATERIALISM OF THE FAMILY OF CAIN! The family of Lamech, remember, had all the worldly factors necessary to mislead them — music, tools, utensils, and weapons made of brass, iron, and leather! Intriguing new clothing styles; and a generally carnal approach to life which held great appeal for human nature! Think of the use of brass and iron. Tubalcain not only made swords and spears out of these metals. He and others made household utensils, ornaments for dress, and other attractive things. These items were much more useful than wood, stone, and bone! Metallic objects were attractive and desirable — they appealed to the entire human family! The descendants of Seth became overly fascinated by these physical things. Remember that Naamah, Tubalcains sister, was the first weaver of cloth. And she and Tubalcain, with Jabal and Jubal, undoubtedly also learned how to make and use leather as well as cloth and metal. ALL OF THESE PHYSICAL HANDICRAFTS CAME TO FULL DEVELOPMENT IN THE FAMILY OF CAIN BEFORE THE FLOOD! Meanwhile, the key development of the family of Seth involved writing and the keeping of written records. In short, it is the same pattern we see in present-day society. It was the LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION (intellectual and spiritual — including character development) versus the TECHNICAL EDUCATION (physical and scientific.) The pre-Flood society became completely fascinated with physical, material things. As in our modern world, that society became wholly materialistic AND FORGOT THE TRUE VALUES! The trend went so far that ALL humans — except for Noah's family — were evil and corrupt. No one, in that grossly carnal society, was any longer spiritually, mentally, emotionally or physically (racially) pure. THE FAMILY OF CAIN, ESPECIALLY THROUGH LAMECH AND HIS CHILDREN, HAD SUCCEEDED IN COMPLETELY DOMINATING AND CORRUPTING HUMANITY. Even Enoch's son, Methuselah, went bad! No one resisted the trend except Lamech, Noah's father (Gen. 5:25-29), and later Noah himself. Lamech — it should be noted, was born when Methuselah was 187 and thus was 112 when his grandfather, righteous Enoch, died. So even though his father departed from the truth, Lamech apparently continued in the teachings of his grandfather, taught them to Noah, and thus kept the truth alive in an increasingly sinful society!
Who Were the Nephilm?
Using the general guide provided by the Bible, it is possible to isolate many specific features about the society before the Flood. Consider, first of all, the "giant" of Genesis 6:4. Can they be identified in terms of archaeology and history? The English word "giants" is used in various places in the Authorized or King James Version of the Bible. It is translated from two original Hebrew words — Rephaim and Nephilim. The Rephaim are mentioned only after the Flood; they were tall men, like Anakim. The term Rephaim is translated "giants" in Deuteronomy 2:11 and 20 and other places; and they are mentioned directly in Genesis 14:5 and 15:20. However, in the scripture we are presently concerned with — Gen. 6:4, which is primarily concerned with pre-Flood times — the original is Nephilim. This word Nephal means "a feller" — one who fells a tree — or, by extension, one who brings down another because of his unusual strength. The term implies a "tough" or a bully, an individual of great physical might. Nephilim, then, were shorter, very stocky, and had tremendous power! In other words, they were giants in strength but not in tallness of stature. The point of emphasis here is that the word Nephilim does not require tallness as part of its definition! Any men of unusual height who existed prior to the Flood were distinct from the Nephilim. In the history of ancient Europe, archaeologists have defined three basic cultural zones — Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic. Now the Middle Paleolithic, which occurs well within the story of early human history, was the cultural zone of the famous Neanderthal Men. Now the Neanderthal Men were squat, stocky, powerful human beings! In short, the descriptions of the Nephilim an of the Neanderthal Men match perfectly! They are one and the same! Now consider this interesting point: Ancient Greek mythological traditions relate that the "giants" fought "gods"! A great battle took place — a battle which it is now possible to identify in actual history on the basis of archaeological evidence!
Why the Neanderthal Men Vanished From Europe
Archaeologists have discovered that suddenly, right near the close of Middle Paleolithic, a new type of man appeared on the scene in Europe. Although considerably huskier, these men were built more like modern Europeans. When these new men came into the area, the Neanderthal Men — the Nephilim of scripture — were completely banished from Europe! Apparently this new stock of people killed them of off. This time of the extermination of Neanderthal Man marks the transition from Middle to Upper Paleolithic in Europe. If the facts in the Bible (men of giant strength existed and violence filled the earth) are used to analyze the pagan mythological traditions of a great slaughter of the giants, the conclusion seems clear. Here we actually have the story of the extirpation of the Neanderthal Men from Europe proper in pre-Flood times! This conclusion also provides a good example of how a blending of the Bible, archaeology, and ancient tradition may be used to develop a proper picture of events in early human history! The truth of earliest human experience has long been hidden — but it has not been lost! But there is yet more to consider on this topic. who were these smaller men (termed "gods" in the myths) who came into Europe and eliminated the giants? Remember the story of Tubalcain. He is described as having traversed all of Europe with military expeditions. Undoubtedly he led his troops into Europe and conquered the Nephilim! How could considerably smaller men have killed off these powerful Neanderthals? The answer is that Tubalcain and his forces had superior weapons. The giants could not withstand their swords, spears and arrows! Tubalcain invented and perfected the weapons made of iron, brass and bronze which enabled his armies to kill off these men of superior physical strength. Moving in from the area of the Middle East, Tubalcain and his followers attacked and slaughtered the inhabitants of Europe! This great battle was a major episode in the story of the violence that filled the earth in those days! There is another interesting feature about this great event. Naamah or Athena, the sister of Tubalcain or Vulcan adapted some of the war-like characteristics of her brother. Remember that Athena was also a goddess of war. And, in the ancient Greek traditions, she actually said to have waged a great war against the giants. This is why she is often referred to as Pallas Athena. In Greek mythology, Pallas was a giant Slain by Athena in the great war between the giants and the gods! Recent discoveries by archaeologists show why God allowed Neanderthal Man to be destroyed. A Neanderthal skull found in Italy had had its base broken open for the extraction of the brain! then, in Yugoslavia, the remains of a dozen or more individuals, young and old, male and female, were discovered mixed together with wild animal bones in the same deposit. These bones, whether human or animal, were treated the same way — they were broken up for the extraction of marrows. The Neanderthal-Nephilim were practicing cannibalistic (Graham Clarke, World Prehistory, p 44).
Archaeology and the Family of Cain
The Flood did not wash away all cultural remains of the society that existed before the Deluge. In recent years archaeologists have been able to construct a remarkable picture of the far-flung areas to which the descendants of Cain journeyed, how they lived, and what their practices were. Scholars mislabel these findings "prehistoric" — actually they are pre-flood! Consider this general, overall picture first. Prior to the Flood human beings spread into almost every area of the world. A map on page 18 of Graham Clarke's "World Prehistory" shows that at an early time various branches of the Family of Cain spread all over Africa, Western Europe and down into Italy, through the Middle East, throughout India, China, and into the islands of Southeast Asia. At a later time thy moved into the area of Russia, colonized Siberia, and even spread into the New World! This illustrates the truth of what Josehpus wrote — that Cain "travelled over many countries!" Though he later concentrated a large segment of his family in the area of Palestine, many, many other of his descendants continued to live in the far-flung regions where he had journeyed earlier in his long life. Archaeologists report that there was a tendency for all these widely spread cultures to be REMARKABLY UNIFIED. This is certainly what we would expect because, although Cain's family developed many branches, branches still spread from the same source. What specific features of pre-Flood society have archaeologists found? Here are some fascinating answers. At an early time, in a area reaching all the way from the Middle East and Southern Russia over to Spain, it has been determined that men lived in caves and shelters. That is, they lived in natural shelters which they did not have to construct themselves. The point has already been discussed that Cain's descendants degenerated and became "cave Men". However, after a number of centuries the descendants of Cain, as we know, developed many physical arts and skills. Among other things, they learned how to make artificial shelters. The earliest examples of such shelters were found in western Russia and eastern Europe. "Basically these appear to have comprised SKIN TENTS — supported on a few sticks, weighted around the margin by heavy bones or tusks and covering irregularly-shaped floors that were often slightly hollowed out of the subsoil" (Clarke, p. 53). Some of these tents apparently housed single families while other larger ones were intended for larger groups. In other words, these people were moving around in groups of families and using portable dwellings. Here is the point to be emphasized: Whereas originally members of Cain's family lived in caves, now they began to live in tents for the first time. These artificial shelters were the EARLIEST of their kind ever found! For the first time in the history of human experience man was developing the use of movable tents — skins that could be weighted down with stones, used in any location, and carried around as a portable dwelling. And this is exactly what the Bible implies about the descendants of Cain in the time of Lamech. Read Genesis 4:20 again. Here Jabal, the son of Lamech and Adah, is described as the "father of such as dwell in TENTS"! Apparently this practice did not come into vogue till the lifetime of Lamech and his children. Thus archaeology gives us a picture of what the Bible mentions only in the briefest manner.
Female Figurines and Other Discoveries
The descendants of Cain in Europe were the first to use portable dwellings. But they are also noted for another first, the manufacture of figurines or small statues of the female body! Graham Clarke, not knowing what he was actually describing, made these remarkable statements about a widespread culture, a large portion of the Family of Cain, in the pre-Flood world:
One of the most characteristic and widespread traits ... was the manufacture of female figurines in which the sexual characteristics are emphasized at the expense, for example, of the head and features. These figurines, which are found from France and Italy to the South Russian plain, were most commonly made of mammothe ivory or of various kinds of stone, but at three Czechoslovak sites examples were also made from fired clay ... The figure is shown with full breasts and buttocks and is commonly pregnant; apart from a girdle at (another) ... the figurines are unclothed. ("World Prehistory", p. 54, emphasis added.)
Again, as in the case of the tents, the figurines are the earliest of their kind ever discovered — obviously a product of the pre-Flood society! These discoveries provide a remarkable illustration of the Biblical statement that "the sons of god" — the children of Cain — took them wives of all which they chose"! (Gen. 6:2) Their minds were on illicit sex and interracial marriages! These people wore "head-dresses and girdles of perforated snail shells, bracelets, necklaces and anklets of ivory, perforated animal teeth and shells. Some of their bracelets — were elaborately decorated with geometric engravings" (pp. 57-58). This emphasis on fancy and unnecessary wearing apparel illustrates the concentration on vanity that developed in the Family of Cain and in all society in the centuries before the Flood! Before going, on, this statement may be made about archaeology in general: If archaeologists continue to dig up the distant past — continue to discover what earliest man was really like — they will reach a point where they will have to admit, on the basis of their own discoveries, that evolution cannot possibly be true! They will end up proving that ancient man was very advanced, not primitive. For example: A fossil man from pre-Flood times was found recently in frozen soil in the region of Moscow, Russia. His clothing consisted of elaborate fur garments! The scientists were struck by the sophistication of the clothes he was wearing! All recent archaeology books have discussed another startling find. In a cave in France a layer was found which had never been penetrated by man. Above this layer were remains of the culture of Neanderthal Man. But then came the shocking discovery! BELOW this Neanderthal deposit — precisely where it should not have been according to the evolutionary scheme of things — the skulls of human beings were found that were of modern European type! And, finally, note this: In western and southern Europe, archaeologists have found indications of stone buildings yes, even stone villages! Here is something far beyond mere cave dwellings! There are ancient traditions which imply that part of the family of Seth lived in western Europe in pre-Flood time; Is this the origin of the stone villages? The trend seems to be that, in just a few years, scholars will unearth evidences of earliest man showing that he lived in a culture so amazingly advanced that the scholars themselves have not yet begun to perceive it! Since the Bible is historically accurate, all the finds of archaeology can only serve to substantiate it! The Nature of Pre-Flood Violence As the time of the Flood drew near, the earth's population increased rapidly. This is substantiated by the archaeological reports about the pre-Flood cultures representing the various segments of the Family of Cain. These reports provide the general feeling that there was a crowding of man. And violence increased as the population thickened! Notice the Bible describes pre-Flood world conditions: "the earth was filled with violence". In understanding this expression we need to bear in mind what that world was like: It did not consist of nation-states as we are familiar with them today. Not until after the Flood were there different languages, separate city-states, numerous kings and rulers, and all kinds of political divisions. The people of pre-Flood times, then, did not carry on war as nation-states. Rather, the violence which filled that world was more of a personal nature. It is significant that the Bible uses the term "violence" as opposed to "war." This kind of violence was essentially characterized by quarreling, local strife hatred, greed, crime — the intent to get pieces of land that others were working and farming — robbery, stealing and so on. But there were no organized nation-states, there were no formal wars with nation against nation. Warfare did not exist as a political institution. There was, of course, the famous war with the giants. And Tubalcain did perfect weapons and began to develop techniques of warfare. But his case seems to be an exception to the rule. His approach was apparently quite unique and the majority did not use it. Furthermore, he met a violent end and died when still comparatively young. Here was the problem, then. That world was ONE WORLD. There was one language, one family — everybody was getting together. Instead of many worlds quarreling with each other, here was one world filled with universal crime and violence!
Segments of Pre-Flood Society
The Bible itself, in Genesis 6, mentions some of the different classes of people, especially in the line of Cain, who were famous in the latter centuries before the Flood. Read verse 2 again. Here the "sons of god" are named — a comparatively small but extremely influential element in that chaotic world. These individuals were the leaders in the line of Cain. Then, as we know, the last part of this verse alludes to the line of Seth. The women of that formerly righteous family married the influential leaders among the descendants of Cain. Next, in verse 4, the "giants" are listed. These Neanderthal-Nephilim, already discussed in detail in this chapter, formed another powerful, but ill-fated, group that arose as a result of mutation in the children of Cain. Now notice the last part of verse 4. The "sons of god" had children from their interracial marriages with the daughters of Seth. The male offspring became men of renown" — great champions or "heroes"! These people formed still another influential and violent segment of pre-Flood society. Finally there was also the less powerful group of oriental or Mongoloid people. The yellow race as already stated, did exist before the Flood but these yellows did not have the same impact on their society that the whites and non-whites did. Thus God does not mention them directly in the Bible. But they were there nevertheless because the three races carried through the Flood!
Seven Categories of People
With this background in mind, the seven principal social groups of the pre-Flood society may be listed:
1. First there were those who claimed to be "gods". This included Cain and powerful leaders in his line such as Lamech and Tubalcain.
2. Next there were those descendants of Cain who also claimed to be deities — the "sons of gods".
3. Then there was the formerly righteous line of Seth from whom the "sons of gods" obtained their "fair" wives.
4. Another key segment of that violent society were the giants or Nephilim, other descendants of Cain, who were "men of renown".
5. Also present on the scene were the sons of racial intermarriages, who were "men of renown".
6 Then there was the yellow branch of the human race who took a background position comparable to that of the Chinese in modern times.
7. And finally the family of Noah should be listed — the tiny segment of pre-Flood society God found worthy of preservation!
Conditions in this wretched society became worse and worse as the years passed. Violence increased at an alarming rate. It almost cost Noah his life!
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