Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. This is study #17 of Genesis, chapter 9 and we are going to read Genesis 9:25-27:

And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be JEHOVAH God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

We have been going over this passage. It is a historical parable and that means it is true history, but it paints a spiritual picture. We saw that Noah was a “husbandman,” a type of God the Father, who planted a vineyard. The fruit came forth and he drank of the fruit and became drunken. He awoke from his wine and he was aware of what his youngest son had done to him and he pronounced the curse. We have seen how Noah’s awakening tied into several scriptures in the Psalms that point to God awakening to judgment. We have also seen how this passage relates to a parable the Lord Jesus Christ spoke in Matthew, chapter 25. It says in Matthew 25:31-32:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

Based on this language, we can see that in the Day of Judgment the Lord Jesus Christ will have before Him the sheep that represent God’s elect and the goats that represent the unsaved. There are the righteous and the wicked or the “quick and the dead” before the judgment seat. In past generations, there was no proper understanding of what is being said in this passage. But now we understand due to our vantage point of having gone through the Great Tribulation period and into the Day of Judgment, which the Bible insists began on May 21, 2011. We have been forced to reconsider and look anew at many passages in the Bible to see if we are right in our understanding that Judgment Day did occur and that we are now several years into that period. It was not that we knew this information in advance – we did not. We had an incorrect understanding in advance, but due to the timeline locking in that date (May 21, 2011) and continuing to insist on that date, the Bible has never relinquished May 21, 2011 as the end of the Great Tribulation and the beginning of Judgment Day.

God’s people turned back to the Bible and we were ready for salvation to continue, but the Bible would not allow it. It steadfastly insists that the door to heaven shut on May 21, 2011 and, therefore, it is as though God is saying, “Here is what the Bible teaches. Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011. Now you go see how that information fits with your previous understanding.” Of course, it did not fit with our previous understanding that the elect would be raptured from the world prior to the Day of Judgment and not go through the judgment. It also did not fit with other theological ideas that had been previously presented. We have been constrained to look again at the Bible to see if it teaches a “spiritual judgment,” and the response from the Bible is an overwhelming, “Yes.” Every major judgment recorded in the Bible was initially a spiritual judgment: the judgment after the fall in the Garden of Eden; the judgment on Christ beginning in the garden of Gethsemane; the judgment on the churches and congregations; and the judgment on Satan at the cross.

Therefore, the date of May 21, 2011 has Biblical precedence and it follows the pattern of spiritual judgment. That is not a difficulty as far as the Bible is concerned because the Bible teaches that a judgment can begin and then continue over a long period of time. We saw this with the judgment on the churches that lasted for 23 years. The Bible also teaches that it can be called a judgment “day” and still take place over a long period of time. The Bible speaks of the “day of temptation” in the wilderness and Hebrews, chapter 3 tells us that “day” was forty years in length. We can see that the Bible allows for Judgment Day to begin as a spiritual judgment and be a prolonged period of time that is described as a “day” of judgment. The Bible also allows for the literal and physical destruction of all things after the prolonged and extended period of time. We have statements in 2Peter, chapter 3 that speak of the destruction of the world and there is harmony with this information.

However, now we know that the Bible allows for spiritual judgment and a prolonged period of judgment, but now we have to ask another question: “Does the Bible allow for God’s elect to be left on the earth in the time of judgment?” We have found overwhelming evidence that the answer is, “Yes.” The Bible says, “Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left,” as it says in Isaiah 24, verse 6. The elect are the “few,” as the Bible says, “Many are called, but few are chosen.”

In Revelation 14, verses 10 and 11 it speaks of the Lord meting out the cup of His wrath during the final judgment of the world and then it says in verse 12: “Here is the patience of the saints…” Other than our present circumstances, what could that statement mean? Our present circumstances explain the meaning of this verse and it harmonizes with everything else in the Bible. It also says in Ecclesiastes that there is a time and place of judgment and that both the righteous and the wicked are there together. Christ appears and there are the “quick and the dead.” God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Again, and again, we see information that is plainly stated, like in 2Corinthians 5:10:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…

God’s elect must appear (or be made manifest) before the judgment seat of Christ. That is what is in view in Matthew, chapter 25 in verses 31 and 32. Christ is sitting upon the throne of His glory on the judgment seat and before Him are gathered all nations. They are the nation of the unsaved and the nation of the saved. When Rebecca had twins in her womb and they struggled together, the Lord told her she had “two nations” in her womb. Let us read that important passage in Genesis 25:22-23:

And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of JEHOVAH. And JEHOVAH said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

There were two nations. There is the nation of God’s elect, as represented by Jacob. God said, “Jacob have I loved.” There is the nation of the non-elect or of the world, as represented by Esau. God said, “But Esau have I hated.” These are the spiritual “two nations” that exist in this world and they have been doing battle throughout the history of the world. Satan rules the kingdom of this world, the kingdom of darkness. The other kingdom is ruled over by the Lord Jesus Christ and it is the kingdom of light. Historically, this has been the case during the entire history of the world. Nation rises against nation. When we read about that in the Bible it is the spiritual battle between Satan’s kingdom and Christ’s kingdom that is in view. God paints the spiritual picture in that way. These are the nations that are brought before the Lord Jesus as He is seated upon His judgment throne and “he shall separate them one from another.” It goes on to say in Matthew 25:33:

And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Where are all the other nations? There are no other nations – there are only the “nations” of them that are saved and the “nations” of the world. The “sheep” are everyone for whom Christ had paid their sin debt and the “goats” are everyone for whom Christ had not paid their sin debt.

It is interesting that the Greek word translated as “left” is a compound word. It is made up of two Greek words. One is Strong’s #2095, which means “good” or “well” and Strong’s #3686, which means “name.” Literally, the word “left” means “good name.” The goats that are placed on the left maintain a “good name.” God’s people, the “sheep,” go on the right hand of Christ and that is not a place of a “good name.” As we have seen in the Day of Judgment, especially, God’s people were reviled, ridiculed and mocked after May 21, 2011 and right to this day. We are disrespected by the world and by the churches. We do not have the place of a “good name.” The place of a “good name” is for the goats and God addresses the reason for this in the Beatitudes in Luke, chapter 6 where Christ was giving His blessings. That is the situation in Matthew 25, as the sheep on the right are blessed and the goats on the left are cursed. We looked at Matthew 25 because Noah blessed Shem and Ham and cursed Canaan. In the Gospel of Luke, it says in Luke 6:22-23:

Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

When is that day? That day was Judgment Day and that was the time when God’s people had their names cast as “evil” and the professed Christians tried to salvage their “good name.” They wanted to be spoken well of, so they distanced themselves from the true teachings of the Bible. Christ and His Word are inseparable. Christ is the Truth and when they distance themselves from the true teachings of the Bible, they distance themselves from Christ and they go to the place of the “left.” They do not want association with doctrines they call “date setting” or the doctrine about the end of the church age. They think they have “ammunition” against the true believers because they did not see anything happen on May 21, 2011 and, therefore, they feel justified in their condemnation of the teachings that came forth from the Bible regarding the end of the church age and Judgment Day, and so forth.

In the time of judgment there is a separation and the separation revolves around the Word of God. The people that continue to identify with the true teachings of the Bible are spoken evil of and their names are cast out. They are placed on the “right,” which identifies with the Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s sight, they are blessed, but the world speaks badly of them. On the other hand, the world speaks well of those on the “left,” but in God’s sight they are cursed.

Then it says in Luke 6:26:

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

To have a “woe” pronounced against you (by God) is the same as a curse. We see that in that day there are those that are blessed, but have their names cast out as evil and there are those that receive a “woe” from God and they are spoken well of by the world.

We also read a verse in Psalm 37 that helps us to understand the teaching of the parable in Matthew 25, where Christ is pronouncing blessings and curses, as well as to understand the spiritual teaching of the historical parable of Noah and his vineyard in Genesis, chapter 9. It says in Psalm 37:22:

For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

This is a Psalm where God speaks of blessing and cursing. There is the blessing on the people of God that will ultimately come to pass at the time of the new heaven and new earth and the beginning of eternal life. The end of the natural-minded, wicked man is to be “cut off” and separated from God and, ultimately, it results in death and annihilation. When we read of Christ cursing the goats and placing them on his “left,” we learned that the word “left” meant to be spoken well of, but what about the word “right”? The word right means to be “received” and the sheep are received by God because their sins have been paid for by Christ.

Let me just read Matthew 25:33-34:

And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

This is the same idea that we just read in Psalm 37; they that are blessed inherit the earth. Then it says in Matthew 25:35:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me…

This very much relates to Noah as he laid naked in his tent. His son Ham did not cover him, but his sons Shem and Japheth did cover him and they received blessing of their father Noah. Again, it refers to the sending forth of the Gospel in the day of salvation that provided spiritual covering of the sinful condition of God’s elect and they were blessed thereby. But notice that Jesus, the King, is speaking of Himself being naked in Matthew 25. Noah is the “husbandman,” a picture of God the Father, and that is why Noah gave the blessing because God looks at His elect in the world as part of His own body, the body of Christ, and when they were “covered” it was as if He was “covered.” As the apostate churches proclaimed their false gospels in the world, it was as if they failed to cover God’s own nakedness. Jesus, said, “I was naked, and ye clothed me.” Then it says in Matthew 25:36-40:

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Remember when the people said to Jesus, “Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.” Christ answered and said, “My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.” God’s elect do the will of God and we are His brethren. We are the ones that are in view here and in the historical parable in Genesis, chapter 9.

Then the unsaved are addressed in Matthew 25:41:

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then they also asked Him when He had seen them thirsty, hungry or naked or in prison. Christ answered in Matthew 25:45-46:

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

The goats are “cut off.” We can see how the blessing and curses are given in the time of Judgment Day when all the sheep and goats are brought before Christ’s judgment seat. We are currently going through that process as we have all been brought before the judgment seat. The “judgment” can be condemnation and utter destruction and all the wicked will experience that kind of judgment. The “judgment” can also be what was declared by Pilot regarding Christ: “I find no fault in this man.” The elect make an appearance to make a demonstration before the judgment seat of Christ and Christ will render the judgment: “I find no fault in them.” That is because there is no sin remaining upon them because all their sins had been cast upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, at the completion of Judgment Day, God will pronounce the elect as “just.” The purpose of judgment is to determine whether people have done “good or evil.” The elect will be found to be “good” because there is no sin upon them. At that point they receive the final blessing as they receive the new heaven and new earth and they are ushered into eternity for evermore. That will be the position of all God’s elect at the right hand of the Son of man for all eternity. With the final judgment, the wicked are “cut off,” as well as this present world. They are all destroyed and they cease to exist. They perish like the beasts and they have no part in the eternal inheritance of God’s people. Ultimately, this is what is being taught in this parable.

It goes on to say in Genesis 9:28-29:

And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

God gives us the life span of Noah as 950 years and the number “950” breaks down to “5 x 10 x 19.” The number “5” points to the atonement; the number “10” points to completeness, but I am not sure what the number “19” indicates spiritually. We also see the number “350,” which breaks down to “5 x 7 x 10,” which points to the atonement, perfection and completion. The number has spiritual meaning, but I do not see how we can tie in 350 years to the period after May 21, 2011, as it does not appear to fit.