Genesis 4:1 - Genesis 5:32

Adam's Descendants

Adam and Eve carried on from their banishment from the Garden and bare two children; Cain first, then Abel. Abel kept watch over the sheep and Cain farmed the land. As such, each brought from their own work when giving offerings to God. Not only was Cain’s offering bloodless, but it was already cursed by God. Therefore, God rejected Cain’s offering and accepted Abels lamb sacrifice, (a wonderful foreshadowing to the acceptable sacrifice of Jesus Christ.)

Cain becomes very angry and manifests this anger by murdering his brother. Abel becomes the first martyr in the Bible. As a result, Cain is driven from the blessings of God.

Cain and his descendants went on to form a quasi-successful civilization. Cain built the first city and named it after his son, Enoch. His great, great, great grandson, Lamech becomes the first recorded polygamist, the first recorded songwriter and the second recorded murderer. Lamech’s son, Jabal becomes the inventor of the tent and the nomadic lifestyle. He devised a system to domesticate and commercially produce animals apart from sheep. Lamech’s other son, Jubal becomes the inventor of stringed and wind instruments. Lamech's third son, Tubal-Cain becomes the inventor of metallurgy, both in iron and bronze.

The next major event in the Bible is the flood. All together, there are nine generations between Adam and Noah. The most notable is Enoch.

Enoch is one of only two men who walked with God before the flood. Apparently God told Enoch quite a bit. He named his first son Methuselah, which, in Hebrew, means, “When he is dead it shall be sent.” Apparently God told Enoch that he would not pass judgment on the world until Methuselah had died. Methuselah lived for 969 years, giving mankind plenty of time to repent.

Enoch also spoke out passionately on the coming judgment. In Jude 1:14-15, we read, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” The writer of Hebrews tells us that Enoch was a man of great faith and Genesis 5:24 tells us that Enoch did not die, but rather was taken to heaven by God, (a foreshadowing of the fate of millions of Christians at the second coming of Christ.)

Once Methuselah had died, the stage was set for the next major event in the Bible. The worldwide flood and the condemnation of all things.