The Fall of Man’s Nature.
Americans live in extraordinary times. On an increasing basis, we all witness and receive daily messaging which increases our anxiety; being barraged with “packaged news,” propaganda and opinions seeking to control our perception, presenting narratives that tell us the world we grew up in is no longer a reality that we can rely upon. Civility has all but disappeared along with kindness, mercy and compassion for one another; being overshadowed by violence in the streets, a faltering economy, rumors of wars and plagues (whether real or imagined), films and television programming featuring nothing but extreme and brutal human behavior. Even the most resistant American has to question whether we are living in the Age John prophesied in Revelation and Christ Jesus: “… like it was in the Days of Noah”.
A few might ask … how did this happen? Why did it happen? And What can we do about it, if anything? This POST seeks to provide some direction for seekers with answers, however this author has found the largest challenge to be is our lack of understanding of our common history, a majority of which is contained in Father ABBA’s Word; the Scriptures. It is no help that Scripture is prohibitted from being taught in public schools, and, further; colleges and universities do not address it for largely political and economic reasons. Yet as the reader will discover reading this POST, the Prophets all prophesied about what we are experiencing now in 2022. Christ Jesus speaks about this “season” in Matthew 24, and again through John in Revelation.
Those who have read and studied Father ABBA’s Word in the Scriptures, know the period between Adam and Eve (4004 B.C.) and the Flood (2348-2347 B.C.), was characterized by unrestrained wickedness, idolatry and sexual immorality. A simple question arises. If we as a race of creatures were made in the “image of ABBA, Our Father,” what happened during those 1,700 years (between 4004 B.C and the Flood) where the human race fell from the state of the Garden of Eden to the point of wickedness and corruption so quickly? Comparing then to 2022, consider this small evaluation: Substantial research on our Western culture has demonstrated the correlation between media violence and youths exhibiting violent behavior in society. Studies show that in the United States a typical child will view more than 200,000 acts of violence, including 16,000 murders, on television before the age of 18. Television programs display 812 violent acts per hour. A recent study found that 15 percent of music videos contain interpersonal violence. Still another modern source of violent exposure is access to the Internet and video games (“The Impact of Media Violence”). As the violence of this age increases, the Father ABBA’S message becomes more anologus the Days of Noah and 2022: “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there will waste away” (Hosea 4:1-3).
Just prior to the Flood, Father ABBA’s Word says:
“5 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. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And 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. (Gen. 6.5-7 KJV.) [Emphasis added.]
Some have asked the question about the speed and increase of “corruption” as well over the last 6,000 years. Many of those questioners have names which some of the readers would recognize, others perhaps not. However, one of the most succinct answers was discussed in the 1600’s (and the “Reformation” – Reformed Church movements[1]) among a consortium of religious leaders from diverse denominations, and sects. These discussions resulted in the Canons of Dordt, having taken place in a city in the Netherlands.
A PREFATORY NOTE: THIS AUTHOR DOES NOT ENDORSE ALL THE POINTS AND VIEWS DECIDED UPON BY THE SYNOD FOR MANY REASONS. HOWEVER, THE POINTS QUOTED BELOW ARE INDEED GERMANE TO THIS POST, AND TO MANY OTHER MATTERS. SO THESE QUOTES ARE PROVIDED TO THE READER FOR CONSIDERATION. IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THE SYNOD DID NOT SIMPLY CREATE THESE POINTS IN THE 1600’s, AS THEY HAD BEEN DISCUSSED BY MANY RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS FOR OVER THE 1600 YEARS STARTING WITH THE APPEARANCE OF CHRIST JESUS WHEN he says:
“18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. (Lk. 18.18. See also Mk. 10.18 KJV.) quoting …
“2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. 3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Ps. 53.2-3. KJV.)
So, here is what Synod, agreed upon in relevant part:
The Canons of Dordt — (1618-1619) – A Judicial Decision[2]
The Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine (i.e., out of Five Main Points)
Human Corruption, Conversion to God, and the Way It Occurs
Article 1: The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature
Human beings were originally created in the image of God and were furnished in mind with a true and sound knowledge of the Creator and things spiritual, in will and heart with righteousness, and in all emotions with purity; indeed, the whole human being was holy. However, rebelling against God at the devil’s instigation and by their own free will, they deprived themselves of these outstanding gifts. Rather, in their place they brought upon themselves blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in their minds; perversity, defiance, and hardness in their hearts and wills; and finally impurity in all their emotions.
Article 2: The Spread of Corruption
Human beings brought forth children of the same nature as themselves after the fall. That is to say, being corrupt they brought forth corrupt children. The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment, from Adam and Eve to all their descendants—except for Christ alone—not by way of imitation (as in former times the Pelagians would have it) but by way of the propagation of their perverted nature.
Article 3: Total Inability
Therefore, all people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath, unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil, dead in their sins, and slaves to sin. Without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit they are neither willing nor able to return to God, to reform their distorted nature, or even to dispose themselves to such reform.
Let’s stop right here and consider a difficult question for those now living in 2022 amid these chaotic times. Does anyone see any parallels rmeiniscent of the Days of Noah manifesting within American culture?
A bit of History for Context: The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, is the judgment of the National Synod held in the Dutch city of Dordrecht in 1618–19. The time, Dordrecht was often referred to in English as Dort or Dordt. Today the Canons of Dort form part of the Three Forms of Unity, one of the confessional standards of many of the Reformed churches around the world, including the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, and North America. Their continued use as a standard still forms an unbridgable problem preventing close cooperation between the followers of Jacob Arminius, the Remonstrants, and Dutch Reformed Churches. These canons are in actuality a judicial decision on the doctrinal points in dispute from the Arminian controversy of that day. Following the death of Arminius (1560–1609), his followers set forth a Remonstrance (published in 1610) in five articles formulating their points of departure from the stricter Calvinism of the Belgic Confession. The canons are the judgment of the Synod against this Remonstrance. Regardless, Arminian theology later received official acceptance by the State and has since continued in various forms within Protestantism, especially within the Methodist churches. These Canons resulted from extensive debates, and the conclusions arrived at are much more lengthy and can be located at the link in the footnote below. It should be noted here, that these conclusions were not simply created in the 1600’s, but comprise the writings of many religious writers from the appearance of Christ Jesus to the present day. Notably, one of them is St. Augustine of Hippo writing in the period between 384-430 A.D. It is important to note, that until St. Augustine formed the concept of the “Fall of Man,” no author religious writer or text has surfaced discussing it before 300 A.D., back to the Creation in 4004 A.D.
City of God — St. Augustine
“It is necessary, therefore, to preserve the series of generations descending from Shem, for the sake of exhibiting the city of God after the flood; as before the flood it was exhibited in the series of generations descending from Seth. And therefore does divine Scripture, after exhibiting the earthly city as Babylon or "Confusion," revert to the patriarch Shem, and recapitulate the generations from him to Abraham, specifying besides, the year in which each father begat the son that belonged to this line, and how long he lived. And unquestionably it is this which fulfills the promise I made, that it should appear why it is said of the sons of Heber, "The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided." [885] For what can we understand by the division of the earth, if not the diversity of languages? And, therefore, omitting the other sons of Shem, who are not concerned in this matter, Scripture gives the genealogy of those by whom the line runs on to Abraham, as before the flood those are given who carried on the line to Noah from Seth. Accordingly this series of generations begins thus: "These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood. And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters." In like manner it registers the rest, naming the year of his life in which each begat the son who belonged to that line which extends to Abraham. It specifies, too, how many years he lived thereafter, begetting sons and daughters, that we may not childishly suppose that the men named were the only men, but may understand how the population increased, and how regions and kingdoms so vast could be populated by the descendants of Shem; especially the kingdom of Assyria, from which Ninus subdued the surrounding nations, reigning with brilliant prosperity, and bequeathing to his descendants a vast but thoroughly consolidated empire, which held together for many centuries.
But to avoid needless prolixity, we shall mention not the number of years each member of this series lived, but only the year of his life in which he begat his heir, that we may thus reckon the number of years from the flood to Abraham, and may at the same time leave room to touch briefly and cursorily upon some other matters necessary to our argument. In the second year, then, after the flood, Shem when he was a hundred years old begat Arphaxad; Arphaxad when he was 135 years old begat Cainan; Cainan when he was 130 years begat Salah. Salah himself, too, was the same age when he begat Eber. Eber lived 134 years, and begat Peleg, in whose days the earth was divided. Peleg himself lived 130 years, and begat Reu; and Reu lived 132 years, and begat Serug; Serug 130, and begat Nahor; and Nahor 79, and begat Terah; and Terah 70, and begat Abram, whose name God afterwards changed into Abraham. There are thus from the flood to Abraham 1072 years, according to the Vulgate or Septuagint versions. In the Hebrew copies far fewer years are given; and for this either no reason or a not very credible one is given.
When, therefore, we look for the city of God in these seventy-two nations, we cannot affirm that while they had but one lip, that is, one language, the human race had departed from the worship of the true God, and that genuine godliness had survived only in those generations which descend from Shem through Arphaxad and reach to Abraham; but from the time when they proudly built a tower to heaven, a symbol of godless exaltation, the city or society of the wicked becomes apparent. Whether it was only disguised before, or non-existent; whether both cities remained after the flood, -- the godly in the two sons of Noah who were blessed, and in their posterity, and the ungodly in the cursed son and his descendants, from whom sprang that mighty hunter (Nimrod) against the Lord, -- is not easily determined. For possibly -- and certainly this is more credible -- there were despisers of God among the descendants of the two sons, even before Babylon was founded, and worshippers of God among the descendants of Ham. Certainly neither race was ever obliterated from earth. For in both the Psalms in which it is said, "They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one," we read further, "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord." [886] There was then a people of God even at that time. And therefore the words, "There is none that doeth good, no, not one," were said of the sons of men, not of the sons of God. For it had been previously said, "God looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if any understood and sought after God;" and then follow the words which demonstrate that all the sons of men, that is, all who belong to the city which lives according to man, not according to God, are reprobate.
Footnotes:
· [885] Genesis 10:25.
· [886] Psalm 14:3, 4; liii. 3, 4.
A BIT MORE HISTORY: Augustine of Hippo[3] (/ɔːˈɡʌstɪn/, also US: /ˈɔːɡəstiːn/; Latin: Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period. His many important works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions. According to his contemporary, Jerome, Augustine "established anew the ancient Faith". In his youth he was drawn to the eclectic (and now extinct) Manichaean faith, and later to the Hellenistic philosophy/religion of Neoplatonism. After his conversion to Christianity and baptism in 386, Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy and theology, accommodating a variety of methods and perspectives. Believing the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom, he helped formulate the doctrine of original sin and made significant contributions to the development of just war theory. When the Western Roman Empire began to disintegrate, Augustine imagined the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly City. His thoughts profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. The segment of the Church that adhered to the concept of the Trinity as defined by the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople closely identified with Augustine's On the Trinity. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists and Lutherans, consider him one of the theological fathers of the Protestant Reformation due to his teachings on salvation and divine grace. Protestant Reformers generally, and Martin Luther in particular, held Augustine in preeminence among early Church Fathers. Luther was, from 1505 to 1521, a member of the Order of the Augustinian Eremites.
[Author’s Notes]: It continues today in 2022. This begetting continued with our ancestors, beset with multiple episodes of extended periods of captivities, destructions, and oppressions; as the natures of the sons of men also continued to practice idolatries, and a turning their backs on ABBA and a relationship with Him as Father. Thus, in Jeremiah 31.31-34; ABBA speaks of a new Covenant, and a new thing in Creation. That topic is discussed below in more depth. THE NEW COVENANT MAY MEAN MORE TO THE READER NOW, HAVING READ THE FOREGOING.
Of the Days of Noah in the End of the Age, Christ Jesus says:
“36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Mat. 24.36-39. KJV.) [Emphasis added.]
A risk that people take when rejecting God’s merciful call to repentance is that their hearts can become hardened. God says, “In accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’” (Romans 2:5-6).
The first time God brought His judgment on the earth, it was by a great flood of water. The next time God punishes the whole earth, it will be at Christ’s return, when He will “render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword the LORD will judge all flesh” (Isaiah 66:15-16).
As a thief in the night
So Jesus Christ’s warning in Luke 17 was that when He returns in great power and majesty to save an unsuspecting world, the vast majority of people will still be eating and drinking, focusing on their everyday lives, unaware of the dangerous times they’re living in.
Just like the people in Noah’s day, people in the end times will be ignoring the warning messages and rejecting God’s righteous ways (Matthew 24:37-39, 44).
In that context Jesus says, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (verses 42-44).
Paul also warned that the Day of the Lord will come “as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2).
Scoffers will come, for it is written:
Noah, the prophet of God, was very likely mocked and ridiculed for preaching “righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). The Bible reveals that in the end times, prior to Christ’s return, people will also ignore warnings to repent. As Peter notes, “Scoffers will come in the last days, … saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’” (2 Peter 3:3-4).
Jesus added, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day [of Christ’s coming and God’s wrath] come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36). Will God get our attention before that time? Will we repent of our sins and turn to God? And when Christ returns, “will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). The biblical record says that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). God was merciful to this righteous man. Our hope is that you will likewise find favor with God when Jesus returns.
Footnotes:
[1] Reformed church, any of several major representative groups of classical Protestantism that arose in the 16th-century Reformation. Originally, all of the Reformation churches used this name (or the name Evangelical) to distinguish themselves from the “unreformed,” or unchanged, Roman Catholic church. After the great controversy among these churches over the Lord’s Supper (after 1529), the followers of Martin Luther began to use the name Lutheran as a specific name, and the name Reformed became associated with the Calvinistic churches (and also for a time with the Church of England). Eventually the name Presbyterian, which denotes the form of church polity used by most of the Reformed churches, was adopted by the Calvinistic churches of British background. The modern Reformed churches thus trace their origins to the Continental Calvinistic churches that retained the original designation. The Reformed and Presbyterian churches are treated jointly in the article Reformed and Presbyterian churches. SOURCE (**) https://www.britannica.com/topic/World-Communion-of-Reformed-Churches
[2] SOURCE (**): https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/canons-dort
[3] SOURCE (**): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:History/Augustine_of_Hippo
[4] SOURCE (**) https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/end-times/as-in-the-days-of-noah/
[5] See:
Nineveh: Sin City. https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/places/related-articles/nineveh-as-sin-city
It was powerful, affluent and sinful... and fell without a trace. No, not our financial city, but the ancient civilisation of Babylon https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1080243/It-powerful-affluent-sinful--fell-trace-No-financial-city-ancient-civilisation-Babylon.html
Sodom and Gemorrah https://biblearchaeology.org/research/patriarchal-era/2364-the-discovery-of-the-sin-cities-of-sodom-and-gomorrah?highlight=WyJwb2xpdGlzIl0=
Assyrian Empire: The evil king Manasseh: Idolatry and politics https://m.jpost.com/opinion/the-evil-king-manasseh-idolatry-and-politics-460115
Peace be upon you and your families. Grace is all. JT
