IN THE BEGINNING

Genesis from the Creation to Abraham

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• Theme: heaven or hell can be experienced

now:• There may well be three heavens, three

hells, and a purgatory in Scripture• The heavens:

– 1st: the sky and the universe– 2nd: the place in the fifth dimension where

angels and demons visit– 3rd: the place where we find the throne and

dwelling of God the Father

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• Three hells

– The future lake of fire– The pit where the chained fallen angels are– A present “hell on earth”

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• Three hells

– (1) The future lake of fire• Rev. 20:10, 14-15• And the devil who deceived them, was thrown into

the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever...14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• Three hells

– (2) The pit where the chained fallen angels are

• II Peter 2:4

• For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (Tartarus), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment…

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• Three hells

– (3) A hell on earth

• II Sam 22:5-7

• When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; the sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; in my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of His temple.

• Heaven or hell can be experienced here on earth now; and one or the other will continue on after our deaths

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• A purgatory?

• The Catholic/Protestant divide:

– Purgatory for “satisfaction” or “final sanctification”

– Martin Luther, Johann Tetzel and indulgences

• The possibilities:

– The judgment seat of Christ instantaneous

– The judgment seat of Christ prolonged

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• Rev. 21:27 

• ...and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life

• II Cor. 3:12-15 

• Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.

•  If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.  If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be save, yet so as through fire.

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• St Augustine wrote of the men crucified

next to Jesus:– Do not despair: one of the thieves was saved– But do not presume: one of the thieves was

damned

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• The reason the Bible teaches us so much about heaven and hell is more that just to describe future spiritual geography

• Eternal life: heaven or hell start now– There is heaven and hell on earth at present– We can chose either now, in every moment

• Every man’s and woman’s most important decision is to chose or reject God’s offer of salvation or not; and begin to experience heaven now or not

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• Hell is a “place” of separation from God and others; of loneliness and torment– Of it George McDonald wrote:– The man wakes from the final struggle of death,

in absolute loneliness as in the most miserable moment of deserted childhood he never knew…Soon misery beget on his imagination a thousand shapes of woe, which he will not be able to rule, direct, or even distinguish from real presences

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• Heaven is a “place” of union with God and others; of community and joy.

• Dallas Willard described it as where we will:– Shine with the creative life of God– Ruling, planning, creating new things, having– Infinite resources– Infinite time, and – Cooperative, resourceful, intelligent loving co-

workers

• Heaven or hell can be experienced now

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• v. 18-19

• Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.

• The descendants of the three sons of Noah repopulated the entire world

Meet the Man Who Spent Eleven Years Walking Around the World

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• Distance from Baghdad to Los Angeles on foot?

– +/- 14,000 miles 

• Distance traveled by pioneers with wagon trains?

– 8-15 miles / day

• If only travelling 4 miles a day:

– 14,000 miles / 4 m/d = 3500 days = less than 10 years to migrate from the Tower of Babel’s location to the western U.S.

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• v. 20-27

• And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.  Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness… (cont.) 

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• v. 20-27 (cont.)

• …So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants He shall be to his brethren." And he said: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant." 

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• Noah planted a vineyard and wine was

made (or formed) from the grapes

• There is evidence of alcohol in jars and pots before the Flood, in ancient cultures– This would be “natural” or “wild” wine

• When did man begin to deliberately ferment and create stronger drink?– Not sure…probably around 2-3000 BC– Distilling alcohol: in the West in the early AD

period

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

•Noah became drunk and naked inside his tent

– Ham found him, looked upon him, and perhaps thought this was funny

– Shem and Japheth walked backward into the tent and covered their father, not wanting to show a lack of respect

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• Lev. 18:6-7

• None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord. The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover.

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• Application: we are to cover each other

with love and not expose or shame them

• Prov 10:12 • Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. 

• Prov 17:9 • He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he

who repeats a matter separates friends.

• We help others experience heaven or hell now by our actions

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• Noah curses the descendants of Ham, that they

will be servants of the descendant of Japheth and Shem:

• “...a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren”

 

• Noah blessed Japheth, that he would be “enlarged” – prosper on the earth

– And that his descendants would dwell in the tents of Shem (that Shem would offer Japheth security and provide by providing the Messiah)

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE• The blessing on Shem:• v. 26-27 “Blessed be the God of Shem...Japheth

shall dwell in the tents of Shem.”

• All divine revelation came through the descendants of Shem (Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, Paul (maybe not Luke)

• This proved to be a blessing for the sons of Japheth and Ham– It is in Shem’s “tents” or tabernacle that the

sons of Japheth and Ham get blessed by the revelation of and the chance to worship God

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• Note the power of blessing and cursing in contributing to heaven or hell for others

• Gen 12:2-3 

• "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

GENESIS CHAPTER NINE

• We are encouraged to bless and not curse:

• Luke 6:27-28

• "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

• Rom 12:14-15

• Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

GENESIS CHAPTER TEN

• v. 1-5

• Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. 

GENESIS CHAPTER TEN• Japheth’s sons went north and west

(Europeans)

– Madai—the Medes

– Javan—the Greeks

– Tarshish – where Jonah tried to flee. Cyprus? / or Tarsus

– Magog; Meshech in Ezekiel’s end times prophecy

• Perhaps Russia and Moscow

GENESIS CHAPTER TEN

• The descendants of Ham travelled south and west• v. 6-18• The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and

Canaan. The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord." And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (cont.)

GENESIS CHAPTER TEN• v. 6-18 (cont.)• From that land he went to Assyria and built

Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim). Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite;  the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed.