2. How God Changed the Earth

(Genesis, chapters 6-9) 

1. After Abel was murdered by his brother Cain and Cain had gone into another land, God gave another child to Adam and Eve named Seth. (Gen. 4:25) Later, other sons and daughters were born to them, for Adam and Eve lived for many years. In fact, Adam lived to be 930 years old! (Gen. 5:5) Men lived longer than they do now because they were closer to being perfect. Then the earth was not polluted as it is now, which causes our fruits and vegetables and other foods to be less nourishing.

2. By the time Adam died, there were many people on earth, and it is sad to say that as time went on, more and more of these people became wicked. When God looked down on the earth that He had made, He saw how wicked almost everybody had become. But God saw there was one man that was good. (Gen. 6:9) His name was Noah. Since Noah always tried to do what God wanted him to do, God told Noah that all the people on earth, except for him and his family, were to be destroyed by a big flood. (Gen. 6:11-21)

3. Besides Noah, there was his wife and Noah's sons and their wives. So only eight people were told they would live through the flood. (Gen. 7: 1 & 13) 

4. God told Noah to build a big boat called an ark. And He told Noah to put two of all living creatures, male and female, into the ark (two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal, and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground). And, of course, food for his family and the animals.(Gen. 6:14 & 7:2-4)

5. It took a long time for the ark to be built, and Noah and his family were made fun of by the other people, because in those days it had never even rained before on earth. But Noah had faith in God, so he knew that God would keep His promise to bring a flood of water which would destroy everything on earth.

6. The rains came seven days after Noah and his family had gone to live in the ark. This was a true test of their faith, wasn't it? This should prove to us that though sometimes we think God is not keeping His promise, He always will. We should be patient and never doubt Him. (Gen.7:4)

7. It rained for forty days and the rains raised the ark up from the earth, so that it sailed upon the waters which even covered the mountains. And so all living creatures on the earth died. (Gen. 7:17 & 22)

8. But God remembered Noah, and after many days God caused a great wind to come up which finally dried up the waters. So Noah and his family and the animals were allowed to leave the ark. Then God promised Noah He would never allow a flood to destroy the earth again. God showed Noah a beautiful rainbow, saying that every time Noah looked at it He would remember His agreement to never again destroy the earth with a flood. (Gen. 8:1 & 21, 9:12-16)

9. The one main thing to learn from this lesson is that Noah and his family were saved from death by God because they obeyed Him and had faith in Him. The ark is a picture of how we can also be saved from eternal death, by faith, if we believe in His son, Jesus, and obey God just as Noah and his family did.

(Genesis, chapter 11, verses 1-9) 

1. After the great flood, the family of Noah and those that were born afterwards grew in number until the earth began to be full of people once more. Different families began to move from Mt. Ararat, where the ark had come to rest after the waters of the flood had dried up. Many of them moved to a country between two great rivers called the Tigris and the Euphrates. They wanted to stay together, so they decided to build a tower out of bricks. God did not want them to, for He knew that if they did this they would not spread out and fill the earth as He wanted them to do.

2. At that time all of the people were speaking one language that everybody could understand, and they thought that by building the tower and making it reach the heavens, they could become very important and never have to be scattered. (Gen. 11:4)

3. But God came down and said to His son, Jesus, who was then called the Logos (for that was Jesus' name before He became a man), "Come, let us go down and mix up their language so that they can't understand each other." (Gen 11:7)

4. Now when God mixed up their language, they found they could only understand a few of the people, so those that could understand each other moved to other places throughout the world, and so the building of the tower was never finished. The name of the place where the tower was started was called Babel, which means confusion. (Gen. 11:9)

5. Not all of the people left Babel, and later that place was called Babylon. It was a great city. But others left, so that is why now we have different languages with people living in different countries.

6. Not far from the city of Babylon where the tower had begun to be built was another city called Ur, and a great man loved by God lived there. His name was Abraham and we shall learn more about him in another lesson. (Gen. 11:31)

7. In this lesson, we have learned that God not only knows all things but is in control of all things, and if we try to become
too important, God stops us. He wants us to remember HE alone should be looked up to and not man.

The Word of God can change hearts and minds, something no atom bomb or molotov cocktail or any number of bullets has ever done! In God’s Word you can find the answer to every question, every problem you will ever have in life. Many people struggle through life needlessly, when only a little more time spent with God’s Word would bring the peace, faith and happiness they seek. - David Brandt Berg

From the Bible ...

 This is what God says about His Word: “ For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread for the eater, so shall My Word that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)