A Panoramic View of the Bible: Genesis 4-11

“From Abel to Abraham”

2 KINGDOMS—Put into simplest form, all history can be summed up by a conflict of 2 kingdoms. The kingdom of darkness (Satan’s rebellion) and the Kingdom of Light (God’s rule).
2 MEN—The Bible is Truth about two men (Adam and his generations) and Christ (and His children).
2 GARDENS—Eden (where man fell into sin) and Gethsemane (where the Savior felt the weight of man’s sin)
2 TREES—tree of life, the cross (the tree where eternal life was given)
2 CITIES—Babylon (city of Satan), Jerusalem (city of God)

Revelation depicts the scene of the final days of sin and death’s reign on this planet.
1—the Commander in Chief
2-3—rally letters to the ambassadors (churches) prior to battle
The Commander takes His ambassadors home before the battle begins.
4-5—music is prepared, battle plans are completed
6-19—battle rages
20—King Jesus wins, conquers the enemy, and sets up His kingdom
21-22—eternal life with the King

We have already thought through creation, the rebellion of Satan and his angels, the fall of man, and the promise of a Redeemer (Gen. 3:15).
Tonight we will think about life on Earth from Abel to Abraham—a period of about 2000 years.

Satan has many methods to seek his overthrow of God’s kingdom. He heard the promise of a male child that will be born to “crush his head”. He will seek to keep that Child from coming. He will also seek to instill false teaching (so one could not be moved from his kingdom to God’s kingdom) and evil behavior (to destroy any possibility of being a witness to the truth) among mankind so they will not come to the knowledge of the truth.

I. Cain murders Abel—Genesis 4
Cain is of the wicked one. 1 John 3: 10-12
Satan is trying to kill any male child that possibly could be the Redeemer.
Cain established a godless society characterized by polygamy and violence.

II. Seth, Enoch, Lamech, and Noah—Genesis 5
Enoch: the 7th from Adam, preached a powerful message about the Seed of the woman bringing judgment to the ungodly (Jude 14-15).

Methuselah: (picture of grace), Enoch (picture of the church), Noah in ark (picture of Israel in Tribulation)

Lamech: –maybe he thought Noah might be the Redeemer (Gen. 5:29)

Noah:—a preacher of righteousness ( 2 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 11:7)
Satan sought to destroy the human race by infiltrating fallen angels into their genealogy. 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6-7. If the human race was corrupted in this manner, the Seed could not come. Noah’s line, however, was uncorrupted (Genesis 6:9). God preserved Noah through the judgment of a world-wide flood.

III. Nimrod and the beginning of the kingdom of Babel—Genesis 10:8-10
“Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” Gen. 10:9
“before” in Hebrew is the word “paneem”=face; to stand face to face.

IV. Tower of Babel—Genesis 11
1. God commanded Noah and his descendants to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth.” Gen. 9:1
2. Satan sought to unite them against God by keeping them together. It is easier to control a group if they are in one place. False teaching spreads quickly and easily when people are closely connected. Satan united them around a common project—build a tower whose top is in the heavens.

Applications:
1. Satan is blinding the eyes of the unsaved so they will not leave his kingdom. 2 Cor. 4:4 Every time you share the gospel you are in the heat of spiritual warfare. Raising a godly family is in the center of spiritual warfare.
2. Satan is intent on dividing our homes and churches. He wants to destroy our witness so we are not effective in the Lord’s army. He wants us distracted with the temporal things of life so we are fruitless.
3. Satan loves the fact that the church, for the most part, has stopped praying.