The Fall So Great – That Only Eight – Entered the Ark
Written by: C. Gray Adams
December 26th, 2022
Estimates of the pre-flood population of the earth range from a few hundred thousand to as many as fifteen billion. A larger population seems more likely, given the long life of the inhabitants of the earth during the antediluvian (alternatively pre-diluvian or pre-flood) period. Either way the fact that so few found safety through the flood, in the ark, is thought provoking to say the least, and this historical event should be looked upon as a bellwether event, which provides great understanding about the events taking place around us now. First, what cause is noted in Scripture for such severe judgment of all but a handful of people? Secondly, what made Noah and his immediate family so unique that they found safe passage? Finally, why was, The Fall So Great – That Only Eight – Entered the Ark?
The Fall in Noah’s Time
In a previous article, The Man of Sin Arising,[1] two ideas were put forth as to how this great falling away came to pass. Each idea is based upon the heavily debated passage found in Genesis chapter 6:
Genesis 6:1-7
“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”[2] (emphasis mine)
One view is that the ‘sons of God’ are fallen angels who have taken wives of the daughters of men. Another view is that the ‘sons of God’ are the line of men stemming from Seth who, after the birth of his son Enos, began to call upon the name of the Lord (Gen 4:25-26). Previously a distinct position was avoided due to limited space within the framework of the article at hand. However, this article will deal directly with these two choices and make an argument for the position that the ‘sons of God’ were godly humans from the line of Seth.
Most do not want to admit that men are capable of such debauchery on their own and the idea that fallen angels were involved somehow takes a bit of the sting away from such a great departure from the worship of God. However, thorough examination of Scripture will prove exactly that, men fell away so completely that potentially billions lost their lives. Unfortunately, this falling away is in the process of being replicated in these last days, and soon the rapture will occur, sealing the fate of billions who will have to navigate the very perilous Tribulation.[3] But, what does Scripture have to say about the cause of these great departures from faith?
The Cause
In order to fully understand the cause of the falling away in both Noah’s time and ours, we must examine the entities involved in these great departures from faith. We begin by examining the term ‘sons of God’ to determine if these were angels or men. This is very important because those involved are indeed the cause of the first ‘great falling away’ in Scripture. Many have written extensively about this topic and good arguments have been presented for both sides of this discussion about the question, angels or men?[4] Therefore, the attempt here will be to simply point out the obvious narrative put forth in Scripture, and in this endeavor context will be key to proper understanding.
The first falling away was the cause of the most severe worldwide judgment to date, Noah’s flood. This is made clear by examining the entirety of chapter six of the book of Genesis:
Genesis 6
“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. [God is talking about – men]
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And 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 repenteth me that I have made them. [Once again, God is talking about men] [God would have included the judgment of the fallen angels in this list, if angels were involved].
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. [Angels are not flesh and they were not destroyed when they left their first estate, they were bound until the judgment, Jude 1:6]
“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
“But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” (emphasis mine) [author’s comments]
Notice that God was dealing with mankind in this judgment, he was not dealing with angels. Therefore, the simplest and most contextual understanding of the phrase ‘sons of God’ is to see them as the godly amongst those who dwelt upon the earth. With this in mind, it becomes clear that as the population of earth began to grow, those who called upon God began to desire the daughters of the unfaithful, and the result was the godly began to fall away. King Solomon’s many wives and concubines, from many foreign lands, are a good example of how this could happen, in that his ungodly unions eventually caused the fall of even the wisest man to ever live (1 Kings 11:1-13).
Some want to make a big deal over the giants and those of renown who came about as a result of these couplings. However, once again, context depicts these giants as those who were very prominent amongst men. This is akin to those today we refer to as superstars, whether governmental leaders, heads of industry, actors, or sports figures. Likewise, those born of the godly and ungodly unions obviously became very well-known, as well. However, this activity did not please God. Instead, as He saw the godly line of Seth falling away, because of their lust for the daughters of the godless, He instituted the longevity rule of 120 years. Most believe this is the number of years that man would have before the destruction of the flood. Thankfully, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and the rest of that story is history (Gen 6-9).
The Fall of Our Time
The second falling away, spoken of by Paul in 2nd Thessalonians chapter two, can be likened to that of the first in that each people group considers their own way superior to God’s:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (emphasis mine) [Much needs to be said about this passage…this is all about fallen man, not the singular antichrist. Though he will arise to lead the fallen.]
Clearly, the individuals involved in this passage are men and not spiritual entities or even the antichrist which many believe is the case. Context, again proves this statement. Paul begins by indicating that a falling away will occur (2 Thess 2:3). He then, immediately, launches into a description of those who fall. Notice that the day of the Lord will not come until the great falling away takes place during which the man of sin, the son of perdition is revealed. Therefore, Paul is speaking of a type of man here. He is speaking of a falling away so severe that those involved will be considered men of sin, sons of perdition (destruction, ruin, or loss). So complete will be their deception that these men will even think of themselves as God sitting in the very temple of God which is in the hearts of men (1 Cor 3:16).
Key to this argument is the fact that these will be so wicked that the Lord will consume them with the spirit of His mouth and He shall destroy them with the brightness of His coming. This is a clear reference to the destruction which will take place at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus comes back, and destroys the remnant who stand against Him:
Revelation 19:19-21
“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” [Notice the antichrist (beast) and the false prophet are cast ‘alive’ into the lake of fire] [It is the remnant that is slain by the sword proceeding out of the mouth of Christ]
One final note on the great falling away of our time. Those involved are so blind that many actually become ministers of Satan who portray themselves as ministers of righteousness.[5] Because of this Satan will empower them to do lying signs and wonders in order to deceive those who reject the truth of God (2 Thess 2:9-12).[6]
Some reject the above reasoning based on the concept that the falling away (sometimes translated – ‘departure’) is actually the rapture. However, this idea does not square with the rest of Scripture which declares that in the last days men will be departing from the faith and rejecting sound doctrine, they will even scoff at those who warn them (1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 3:1, 4:3-4; 2 Pet 3:3-7; Jude 17-19). Indeed, thorough examination of the last day’s narrative in the Bible depicts a time, just like Noah’s day, when men decide to reject God and follow their own leadership. Therefore, the falling away in 2nd Thessalonians chapter two is a rebellion against God.
Personally, I believe that, like Enoch (Gen 5:21-24), the church, which restrains due to the indwelling Holy Spirit, will depart before the full manifestation of the wicked ones who have fallen away, those whom the Lord will destroy. In fact, one could argue that the rapture makes way for the full manifestation of the sons of disobedience (Col 3:6; Eph 2:2, 5:6). However, this does not mean that the falling away of 2nd Thessalonians chapter two is the rapture. In fact, to believe that this is the rapture weakens the position that a great falling will take place in the last days. Indeed, this great departure, from faith in God, is already underway, and the ramifications are mounting. Have you looked at the condition of the world lately?[7]
Last consideration. 2nd Thessalonians chapter two depicts a people so captivated by their own will that they actually reject God altogether. To portray these people as only one individual misses the point of Paul’s message entirely. He is reminding the church in Thessalonica about his conversation regarding the coming great falling away of mankind from belief in God. After all, this kind of falling away had already happened once during Noah’s day, and Paul’s audience would have had greater understanding of this event being nearly 2,000 years nearer to it.
Conclusion
God has made it clear that He will not always strive with man. On three separate occasions, God judges the entire earth. The first found only eight surviving the purge of the ungodly. The next will see far fewer than most think, entering into the millennial kingdom. Thankfully, like Enoch, all who chose to walk with God during the age of grace will have been raptured from the earth and escorted to the place prepared by Jesus, in the Father’s house. The last will be the judgment at the end of the millennial reign which will see Satan, and all those who fall for his final deception, cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:7-15).
Clearly, the age of grace is coming to an end, and nothing stands in the way of Jesus coming for His bride except the command of the Father; He alone knows the appointed time when Jesus will retrieve the dead in Christ and we who are alive and remain (1 Thess 4:13-18).[8] This is our blessed hope, that which we long for. Therefore, as we see the beginnings of these things happening, we must look up for our redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28). By the way, one of the signs of the last days, the great falling away of our time, is well underway.
Therefore, let us look back to the first falling away as though we are looking at an instruction manual which teaches us what to do and not do while making ready for the Lord’s coming:
- First: the godly must avoid uniting with the ungodly, this rules out the popular ecumenical movement which would see the godly yoke themselves with the ungodly religions of the world for the sake of unity and/or so-called revival.[9]
- Second: the godly must be busy building the ark of safety. In our time this ark is the spiritual church to which we must beckon all who will hear, to flee to.[10]
- Third: we must understand that only God can shut the door at the time of the rapture, and He alone is in control of the timing of this most anticipated event.[11]
- Most importantly… ”Will You Be Raptured?”[12]
***
Come Lord Jesus – our righteous judge – Come (1 Cor 16:22; Phil 4:5; James 5:8-9)!
Website: In His Commission
[1] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Man of Sin Arising.”
[2] “Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the King James Version.”
[3] For greater understanding, see the article, “Open Letter to Those Who Miss the Rapture.”
[4] For greater understanding, see this commentary, by Don Stewart: Were the Sons of God Fallen Angels?
[5] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Rise of Many.”
[6] For greater understanding, see the article, “Lying Signs and Wonders.”
[7] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Rise of the Reprobates.”
[8] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Five W’s of the Rapture.”
[9] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Great Awakening – The Grand Deception.”
[10] For greater understanding, see the article, “Watch – Warn – and Win Souls.”
[11] For greater understanding, see the article, “Only The Ready are Raptured,”
[12] For greater understanding, see the article, “Will You Be Raptured.”