The Second Millennium

A Change of Worlds

For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.—2 Peter 3:5,6

The era that begins shortly before the birth of Noah and ends during the lifetime of Abraham comprises the second millennium of the human race. The great flood, and God’s miraculous rescue of eight people and a representative sample of all the animals, certainly stands out as a momentous event in history (1 Peter 3:20). The extended life span of people and the direct involvement of angelic beings in the affairs of men led to a terrible worldwide society of evil and violence, out of harmony with God’s will. The Scriptures give an account of the intermingling between angels and humans with the resulting hybrid beings, Nephilim, capable of tremendous violence and harm. The flood proclaimed God’s judgment.

The Flood

There are lessons we can learn from the experience of the flood.

First, God permitted the angels to materialize and mingle with women. Apparently, some of the angels had the same spirit as Satan and questioned God’s authority. The opportunity to create a new race was a strong temptation to those who had this improper heart condition. Perhaps they thought they would be helping mankind in some way, but their offspring proved to be violent and unruly. Being stronger than humans, they easily dominated them. The angels responsible for this terrible state of affairs were subsequently confined to "Tarturus"—("the darkness of this world," A Commentary, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown). They were forbidden to materialize and given "ringside seats" to the pageant of God’s dealings with the human race, including the unfolding of the permission of evil. God never forgot or abandoned them. In fact, a special time is reserved for their final judgment at the Lord’s second advent. (See Genesis 6 and 7; Matthew 8:29; Hebrews 2:5; 1 Peter 3:19,20; 2Peter 2:4; Jude 6.)

Second, the devastating power of evil proved to be very destructive when human beings were capable of living almost 1000 years. Using theinformation provided in Genesis, we see that Adam was alive when Methuselah was born and Methuselah died in the same year that the flood came. Genesis 6:6 states that God "repented" his creation of mankind when he saw the extent of the evil. We know that God did not think he had made a mistake in creating thehuman race. He was saddened bythe decline of his creation in so few generations. The flood apparently caused significant changes inthe earth that affected the human lifespan. Thisdramatically cut down the amount of evil thatcould be contrived or suffered by anyone. (See Genesis 6:3; 15:16; 50:23; Deuteronomy 5:6; 32:7; Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Matthew 1:17.)

Third, the salvation of Noah and his family stands as a pillar of Noah’s faithfulness. Noah obeyed God in every particular. He paid no attention to the mocking and taunting of his neighbors. He constructed a vessel that was designed to float in deep water. He trusted God to protect him and his family from whatever would happen. He and the others dutifully and lovingly cared for the animals who sharedthe ark and released them at the appropriate time. The "rainbow covenant" illustrates God’s faithfulness to his creation by promising to never again destroy all mankind. (See Genesis 6 to 9:19; Isaiah 54:9; Hebrews 11:7; 1Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5.)

Approximately five hundred years elapsed from the time of the flood to God’s covenant with Abraham. The Bible informs us that human beings multiplied again on the earth. Soon cities sprang up and another attempt was made to challenge God’s authority. The tower of Babel began as a tribute to man’s greatness and ended in the dispersal of the people to every corner of the world, profoundly confused by their inability to understand one another’s words. We have very little detailed information regarding this period in mankind’s history.

The Bible alone contains any reliable historical information. God dealt with men on an individual basis during this time. The lifetime of Abram, whose name was changed to Abraham, marks the end of this millennium as well as the next most notable event in man’s history, namely the covenant to bless "all the families of the earth" through his descendents.

Shem and Melchizedek

It is interesting to note that both Noah and Shem lived contemporaneously with Abraham, and in fact, Abraham outlived Shem by only twenty five years. There is a tradition that Shem and Melchizedek are the same person (Faith’s Foun-dations, page 47). The Bible does not state this, but it is recorded that Abraham met Melchizedek and paid tithes to him as a priest of God. He received a blessing from him in return (Genesis 14:18; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:1-21). The lineage of Melchizedek is conspicuously not recorded. Shem would likely be identified as an "Ancient One"—someone who was alive as long as anyone else could remember. The phrase "without father or mother" makes sense in this context. Others hold that this phrase means that his pedigree was undocumented.

Tradition also credits Shem as the builder of the Great Pyramid (The Time Is At Hand, page 322). This magnificent edifice and witness to the greatness of Jehovah stood in stark contrast to the tower of Babel and remains to this day as an example of superior skill and workmanship. Shem, the son of Noah would certainly have had the skill and knowledge as well as the divine guidance needed to construct the Great Pyramid.

These ideas are speculative, but certainly possible. Providing a direct link between Shem and Abraham serves to intensify the impact of God’s plan as it unfolds in the second millennium. The groundwork for development of the seed of promise is firmly laid in this thousand year period. The history of mankind from creation to Abraham had been conveyed by only three witnesses, Adam, Methuselah and Shem. Shem was still alive during a significant portion of Isaac’s life as well. From Isaac to Moses, there is only Jacob, Levi and Kohath. Moses provided the first recorded history of the race, and we can see that it could be a very accurate one.

The Second Millennium reveals God’s attention to detail. He alone had the perspective that we now can share as we look back on history from our vantage point in the Seventh Millennium. It strengthens our faith to see his careful planning and his singleness of purpose, namely, the development of the "seed of promise." It deepens our love and respect for his greatness as well, when we look back on man’s history and see God working while, at the same time, granting to all mankind the full exercise of their own will. As we approach ever nearer to the glorious conclusion of God’s plan for blessing all the families of the earth, we can thank him and praise him for the many lessons he has for us in the study of his Word. Meditating on God’s careful guidance of his creation through seven thousand years of history helps us appreciate the apostle Peter’s words, "one day with the Lord is as 1000 years and 1000 years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8).