Two Destinies, One Lord

Genesis 4
Richard Spencer | Sunday, December 12, 2021
Copyright © 2021, Richard Spencer

This morning I want to speak to you from Chapter Four of Genesis, and the title of my sermon is Two Destinies and One Lord.

In the first two chapters of Genesis we learned that God created all things out of nothing, that he created man in his image, male and female. And we saw that Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden and were given the creation mandate: to fill the earth and subdue it. Then, in Chapter Three, we learned the horrible truth that Adam and Eve rebelled against God, believed the lie of Satan, sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, and brought misery and death to themselves and all of their descendants. And, as a result, God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden to live with the miserable fruit of their actions. But, praise God, we also learned that God, out of his incredible, eternal love and mercy, promised a redeemer.

And now, in Chapter Four, we see the beginning of human history as a fallen race in an estate of sin and misery. And in that history, we clearly see the truth of both the curse God pronounced after the fall and of God’s glorious promise. Remember that in Genesis 3:15, God cursed the devil, telling him, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” And this is exactly what we see in Chapter Four, the enmity between the offspring of the devil and the offspring chosen for salvation. And we see this enmity manifest itself in the devil’s first post-fall attempt to destroy God’s chosen people. And that is what Satan has been doing ever since.

Friends, there are, ultimately, only two families of men, those who belong to Satan, and those who belong to Christ. You see these two families clearly in 1 John 5:19 where the apostle declared that “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” And so, as we consider this amazing chapter this morning, I challenge each and every one of us to ask ourselves one critical question, “To which of these two families do I belong?”

Every human being who has ever lived or ever will live, with the sole exception of Jesus Christ, is a natural descendant of Adam and Eve and is conceived in sin. As a result, we all have a sinful nature and are, by nature, objects of wrath as Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:3. In other words, we all began life as members of Satan’s family. And, as members of his family, we were perfectly obedient to him. But, if you have been born again, you are a new creation as we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17, the old has gone, the new has come. We are no longer in the kingdom of darkness, but are now members of the glorious kingdom of God. We are adopted children in the family of God.

And there is no question you can ask yourself that is more important than the one I just suggested, “To which of these two families do I belong?”, because the eternal destinies of these two families are complete opposites. In Revelation 21:1-5 the apostle John tells us his vision of the eternal destiny for those who belong to God. He wrote, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” What a wonderful, indescribably glorious and joyful destiny there is for the family of God.

But a few verses later, in Revelation 21:8, we are told of the destiny of those who belong to Satan’s family; John wrote, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” And we must note that both of these destinies are eternal as Jesus said in Matthew 25:46.

Therefore, as we consider this chapter, I want us all to keep this question in mind, “To which of these two families do I belong?”. I will consider this chapter under Five headings: First, Two Births; Second, Two Lives; Third, Two Murders; Fourth, Two Families; and finally, fifth, Two Destinies and One Lord. So, now let us begin by looking at two births.

I.       Two Births

We are told in Verses 1 and 2 of Chapter Four that “Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, ‘With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.’ Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.” Here we see that sin did not annul the creation mandate. God’s command to fill the earth and subdue it still stands after the fall. Only now, the ground is cursed, it produces thorns and thistles and it is only through painful toil and sweat that man can make a living.

And so, Adam and Eve started to fulfil the command to produce offspring. Since we only see one reference to Eve being pregnant here, some have concluded that Cain and Abel were twins, which is certainly possible, though far from certain. But the possibility does immediately make us think of another set of twins, Jacob and Esau. In both Malachi 1:2-3 and Romans 9:13 we are told that God loved Jacob, but hated Esau, and in Romans 9:11-12 we are told clearly that God’s loving Jacob and hating Esau took place “before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls”.

And so it was with Cain and Abel as well. God loved Abel, but he hated Cain, and he did that prior to their being born. If we look at this story trying to see why Abel was worthy of God’s approval and Cain was not, we will look in vain. The truth is rather that neither of them was worthy of salvation. They were both sinners. They were both born under the curse. They both had a sinful nature and were at enmity with God. But we will see in a few minutes that God chose to save Abel, while he left Cain to perish in his sin. And their actions displayed their inner being; one remained totally depraved and one was a new creation through regeneration.

In our text Eve is said to have proclaimed, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” But the words “with the help of” are not in the original Hebrew. It is grammatically possible, and some would say preferrable, to render this expression as “I have brought forth the Lord.”[1] If this translation is correct, it would not mean that Eve thought she had given birth to God, but to the deliverer whom God had promised in Genesis 3:15. The name Cain, which sounds like the Hebrew for ‘I have acquired’ may then mean something like ‘Here he is’, referring to the promised deliverer.

Whether or not that is true, we will see in a few minutes that we can reasonably conclude that Adam and Eve were born again and trusted in God’s promise. And, independent of whether the two boys were twins or not, the second son was born and named Abel, which is the same Hebrew word that is rendered as ‘meaningless’ in Ecclesiates 1:2, where we read, “‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” In the King James Version, of course, the word used is ‘vanity’; all is vanity. And we know that this is referring to a life lived without God. To try and find ultimate purpose or meaning in life apart from God is a vain task. This is also the same word that is rendered ‘breath’ in Psalm 39:5 where the psalmist declared, “You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.”

Now, you might think it strange, and perhaps even a bit cruel, to name a child vanity, or meaningless, or breath, but it is an accurate description of all human beings outside of Christ. And once in Christ, we have a new name, we are Christians! We are God’s blood-bought and adopted children. So Abel’s name well described his beginning, but not his ending. In the end, he was part of God’s treasured possession, an adopted member of God’s family. And there is nothing greater than that. Abel, along with all true believers, had a new name given to him by Jesus as we are told in Revelation 2:17.

But now, having considered these two births, let’s move on to consider their lives. And so, my second point is, Two Lives.

II.      Two Lives

Our text does not explicitly tell us very much about the lives of Cain and Abel, but we can reasonably deduce quite a bit more. We are explicitly told in Verse 2 that “Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.” Both of these are noble professions, so there isn’t any discernable difference between the two men there. The very next thing we are told, in Verse 3, is that “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.” A more literal translation of this verse would say that Cain brought his offering “at the end of days”. And this statement implies that there was a set time for bringing an offering to the Lord. Perhaps it was at the end of every week. We don’t know for certain what the time was because we aren’t told. But the exact time is unimportant, what is important is that it is apparent that there was a set time for bringing an offering. In addition, we have to note that Cain brought his offering to the Lord, which implies there was a specific place to which the offering was brought.

The fact that there was a specified time and place for the offerings is also supported by the beginning of Verse 4. In the English Standard Version, which is a more literal translation, Verse 4 begins by saying, “and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions”. This makes it clear that Cain and Abel brought their offerings at the same time and to the same place, which supports the idea that there was a set time and place.

Going back to our translation, the latter half of Verse 4 and the first half of Verse 5 tell us that “The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.” We aren’t told how God expressed his favor or disfavor, many have speculated that God sent fire from heaven to consume Abel’s sacrifice, but we aren’t told, so we really don’t know. Nor are we told explicitly why God favored Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. But given all that we are told elsewhere in the Bible, it isn’t very difficult to deduce with significant confidence that Abel’s offering was accepted because it was a blood sacrifice.

We are told in Hebrews 9:22 that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” And all of the Old Testament animal sacrifices pointed toward the one efficacious sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God without blemish or defect. In Hebrews 10:10 we read that “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” And in Verse 14 of that chapter we are told that “by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” And in Hebrews 9:13-14 we read that “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” And in 1 Peter 1:18-19 we read, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

Friends, we don’t like blood. It offends us. But sin offends God infinitely more. Sin is ugly and base and God has decreed that it must be atoned for with blood. When Abel brought his offering to God, he sacrificed an animal. We can reasonably conclude that Adam and Eve had been instructed by God in the proper way to worship him and they had then instructed their children as well. That is why Cain and Abel knew the time, the place and the proper way to bring an offering to God. Abel’s obedient offering showed his faith in God’s promises. He was, in effect, saying to God, “I acknowledge that I am a wretched sinner, worthy of death and that I cannot do anything to earn my salvation. But I believe your promise of a deliverer and in humble obedience to your commands I bring the sacrifice you require to show my love and faith.”

We are told in Hebrews 11:4 that “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” Note the emphasis on Abel’s faith – it is mentioned three times! And in Romans 10:17 we are told that “faith comes from hearing”, so that is how we can conclude with confidence that Adam and Eve were saved and then instructed their children in the right way to worship God. And we also know that no man will have saving faith in the gospel message unless he is born again. As Jesus told Nicodemus in John Chapter Three of John’s gospel, you cannot see or enter the kingdom of God unless you have been born again from above. So, as I said earlier, we can conclude for certain that Abel was loved by God from before the creation of the world as we read in Ephesians 1:4-5 and, as a result, he was regenerated and believed in God’s promise. And, therefore, his sacrifice was an expression of true faith and devotion.

But now, in stark contrast, we must examine the sad case of Cain and his sacrifice. He had received the same instruction as Abel, but we can conclude, as I noted earlier, that God had not chosen Cain for salvation. God hated Cain. And so Cain was not born again and did not accept the instruction his parents gave him. His religion was one of his own creation. He thought he could bring an offering of his choosing. He brought the offering he thought was good, not the offering God required. His offering said, in essence, “Look at the good work I have done for you God. I deserve your commendation and approval because of all that I am and have done.”

Cain and Abel were like the Pharisee and the tax collector in the parable told by Jesus. In Luke 18:10-14, Jesus told us that a Pharisee and a tax collector both went up to the temple to pray. “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” And Jesus told us that the tax collector went home justified before God, but the Pharisee did not.

Friends, anything we do to try and justify ourselves is of no greater worth than the fig leaves with which Adam and Eve tried to clothe themselves after the fall. All of our self-generated efforts are useless in securing salvation. In Isaiah 64:6 we are told that “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” in God’s sight. That is why Paul tells us in Romans 13:14 to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. We need his blood to cover our sins. We must come to God in the way he has commanded. There is only one way to be saved, there is only one name given to men under heaven by which they can be saved (Acts 4:12).

And that leads us to my third point, two murders.

III.    Two Murders

We are told in the second half of Verse 5 that as a result of God not looking on his offering with favor, “Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” But then we read of the amazing grace and patience of God. He comes to Cain and reasons with him. Look at Verses 6 and 7 with me.

God first shows Cain that he had no cause to be angry. When God asked him, “Why are you angry?”, there was an opportunity for Cain to realize that he had not brought an offering in obedient faith. He could have seen that he had no cause for anger. It was his sinful pride and unwillingness to acknowledge his need that resulted in his disobedient offering not being accepted. And God then graciously pointed this out. He said, “Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” The obvious answer is, “Yes, of course you will be accepted.” God is good. He is gracious. We are told in 2 Peter 3:9 that God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But Cain would not repent. He would not own his sin. And God graciously provided him with a solemn warning. He said, “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Now this is a difficult verse and there has been much disagreement about how to translate and understand it. But I think the most reasonable interpretation is represented by our translation. God is simply personifying sin and saying that it wants to destroy Cain, it is crouching at his door and desires to ruin him, but he must overcome it. This is the same idea as expressed in 1 Peter 5:8 where we are admonished to, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The devil was crouching at Cain’s door and desired to ruin him.

Remember what Christ told us in John 10:10, Satan “comes only to steal and kill and destroy”. Satan was behind Cain’s sin. Sin is obedience to Satan, and as Paul tells us in Romans 6:16, we are slaves to the one whom we obey. But we must also note that when God tells Cain he must master, or overcome, his sin, he is not implying that Cain has the ability in himself to do so. We must be born again or we can do nothing but sin. Those who have not been born again belong to their father, the devil and they obey him. But if we are born again, then we are told in James 4:7 that if we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us.

And because Cain was not born again, his sin did destroy him. We read in Verse 8 that Cain called his brother out into the field and murdered him in cold blood. And what a vile murder this was. Abel was Cain’s younger brother, perhaps even his twin brother. And Abel had done nothing wrong. We are told in 1 John 3:12, “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.”

Cain hated and murdered his brother not for doing something wrong, or for doing something against Cain, but for doing what was good and right! And we must know that if we represent Christ well and do what is right, the world will hate us too. In John 7:7 Jesus said that “The world … hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.” And whenever we point out by our actions or words that what the world does is evil, it will hate us too.

Cain couldn’t bear to have this reminder of his own sin around. There may also have been a fear that he would lose his place of prominence as the firstborn son. But no matter what his exact reasoning, he clearly showed himself to be a child of Satan. We read in John 8:44 that Jesus told those who would not believe in him, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Satan is a murderer and so Cain, Satan’s obedient child, was a murderer.

This is the bitter fruit that sin brings forth. In James 1:14-15 we are told that “each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” We can only imagine the pain that this caused Adam and Eve. Their firstborn son murdered their second son. This must have brought incredible grief and sorrow as they experienced this ugly fruit of their own sin.

But note how Cain himself responds. In Verse 9 God comes to Cain and says, “Where is your brother Abel?” God knew the answer of course, but he was graciously providing Cain with another opportunity to confess and repent. But Cain would have none of it and again followed his true father, Satan, by lying and saying, “I don’t know, Am I my brother’s keeper?” What wickedness! Matthew Henry has a great statement about Cain’s response, he wrote, “those are strangely blind that think it possible to conceal their sins from a God that sees all, and those are strangely hard that think it desirable to conceal them from a God who pardons those only that confess.”[2]

Friends, when we have sinned there is only one rational and proper response; confess, repent, turn away from your sin and turn to Jesus Christ. God is merciful and he will cover your sin with the blood of Christ. But you must own it. You must see it for the ugly, vile rebellious and arrogant act that it is. And you must acknowledge that you cannot make amends for it.

But Cain would not repent, he could not repent, because his sinful nature had not been changed. And so God says, in Verse 10, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” In other words, God knows everything. It is probable that no human being knew what Cain had done, but nothing is hidden from God’s sight. In Hebrews 4:13 we are told that “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Think about that! You will stand before the almighty, all-knowing, all-powerful God someday and give an account for every thought, word and deed. There is no hiding.

But, praise God, Abel’s blood is not the only blood that speaks to God. We are told in Hebrews 12:23-24 that when we come to God as his children, we “come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” The blood of Jesus Christ speaks a better word to God. Abel’s blood spoke of sin, but the blood of Christ speaks of redemption. It speaks of reconciliation. The blood of Christ covers our sins. Praise God for his incredible love and mercy! Cain’s murder of Abel was the first murder in history and it showed the ugliness and horror of sin.

Now you may have wondered why I entitled this section of my sermon Two Murders when our text only mentions one. The reason is that the second murder I’m referring to is implicit in our text. It forms the basis for God having mercy on Abel and all the rest of his elect, including you and me.

For, you see, the murder of Jesus Christ was the worst sin ever committed by man and yet, in God’s infinite wisdom, it was used to bring about the redemption of all of God’s chosen people. Brothers and sisters, we must praise and worship and adore and obey this great God!

Don’t be like Cain. Acknowledge that you are an unworthy sinner and cry out for mercy and God will have mercy on you. Abel was the first Christian martyr as Christ himself told the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:35. But Abel has been in heaven for thousands of years and will be there forever. Cain, on the other hand, has been in hell for thousands of years, and he will be there forever too. And Cain and Abel represent the only two families on earth, which brings us to my fourth point, Two Families.

IV.    Two Families

We aren’t told whether or not Abel had married or had children before being murdered, but it seems unlikely given that when Seth was born to Eve, we read in Verse 25 that she proclaimed, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel” and we then read of Seth’s descendants, rather than Abel’s. But whether or not Abel had any descendants, he certainly represents God’s family – all those whom God chose from before the creation of the world to be saved. And we are told in Romans 8:30 that “those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Brothers and sisters, nothing is more important in this life than to make our calling and election sure. We must walk in continual repentance, confession and the obedience of faith. We must seek God daily and work to put our sin to death and to put on righteousness. Do not trust in yourself at all. Do not trust in your supposed good works. Do not trust even in your faith. Trust in God alone and seek to prove your repentance by your deeds. Make sure you are part of God’s family.

But now let’s take note of the other family represented in this story. God did not immediately kill Cain, although that would have been just. But he did curse him and Cain then again demonstrated his heart of enmity. In Verse 13 he cries out, “My punishment is more than I can bear.” In other words, he accuses God of being unjust. He is more concerned about his punishment than his sin. There is no repentance at all.

But God is never unjust. We are told in Proverbs 19:3 that “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD.” Is that not clearly true here? When God brings trouble into our lives, we must seek to know what he is speaking. Examine your life. Repent of all known sins. But give God the glory. If you are not in hell, you are not being treated as your sins deserve and you should be thankful. God gave Cain opportunities to repent, and he provides them to us as well. We should be very careful to take them. Listen to what Pastor Mathew wrote about this subject: “The final reason for a rebel’s destruction is always his refusal to receive God’s mercy based on repentance. God sends pastors with his word of mercy to rebels, yet most reject the divine offer of reconciliation. Thus, judgment shall surely follow. Let us, therefore, take heed and accept God’s gracious terms of peace.”[3]

And notice that in Verse 16 we read that “Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” Nod means ‘wandering’, or ‘trembling’. The idea is simply that Cain was never able to live a life of peace. In Isaiah 48:22 we read, “‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.’” And that is certainly true. Nevertheless, in addition to the wickedness of Cain’s descendants we also notice God’s common grace very clearly in this chapter.

But before we talk about Cain’s descendants, let me deal with a minor point. Some people have been troubled about where Cain’s wife came from. But there is no need to think this is mysterious or requires some additional work of creation by God. Cain and Abel were obviously adults when the murder took place, and surely Adam and Eve had other children after Cain and Abel and before the murder. If we assume that they had one child every 18 months, then they almost certainly had over a dozen more children before the murder took place, and possibly many more if Cain and Abel were older adults. In addition, those children undoubtedly married and started having children when they were in their teens, so by the time of the murder there were certainly other people around. And if Cain and Abel were older adults at the time of the murder, which I think is likely, the number could be much greater. We know from Chapter Five Verse Three that Seth wasn’t born until Adam was 130 years old. By that time there was almost certainly a very sizable population, if you work it out, a quarter of a million would not be an unreasonable estimate.

In any event, we are told that Cain and his wife had a son, Enoch. And Cain named the city he was building after this son, demonstrating that his focus was entirely on this life. We are then told about another four generations before we come to Lamech. With that many generations and all of the other sons and daughters and grandchildren, greatgrandchildren and so on that Adam and Eve must have had, there was certainly a sizable population. And then, in Verse 19, we are told that Lamech had two wives, so we now see this wicked line introducing polygamy to the world. It is a very short statement, but it shows that sin begets more sin.

And then, in Verse 21 we read about Lamech’s son Jubal, who we are told, “was the father of all who play the harp and flute.” And in Verse 22 we read of his son Tubal-Cain, “who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron.” Neither of these accomplishments are sinful in and of themselves, and, in fact, they are very useful for everyone, including God’s chosen people. So we see God’s common grace at work; he gives good gifts even to unbelievers and these gifts benefit God’s people. But note that we see no indication that these people gave God the glory for their gifts. Unbelievers enjoy the gifts, but not the giver. As Christians, we must be certain to love and thank the giver and to have greater joy in knowing him than we have in any of his gifts.

Finally, the story of Cain’s line ends with Lamech murdering a man for wounding him. And he brags about his violence and implies that he doesn’t need God to protect him, he can take care of himself. This is the arrogant boast of all godless people. And it is interesting to note that Lamech does this in poetry. Verses 23 and 24 are the first poetry recorded in the Bible. How fitting and ironic it is that sinful man could create beauty and then use it to exalt his own wickedness.

Verse 25 will begin a new section, which carries us on into Chapter Five. But let me read what Donald Grey Barnhouse wrote about the break after Verse 24. He said, “Ponder the white space between that verse and the next in the Bible. For the story of Cain’s family ceases abruptly, and that next verse announces the birth to Adam of another son whose line is to forward the purposes of God.”[4] And while Barnhouse is correct in saying that the story of Cain’s family ceases abruptly, the whole Bible is filled with stories about the sins of men and women. I am sad to say that the story of human sin continues even today.

Verse 25 then tells us of God’s great mercy. We read that “Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.’” Although there were undoubtedly many births of children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren and so on from the time of Cain and Abel up to the birth of Seth, the Bible chooses to use the birth of Seth to represent the godly descendants of Adam and Eve.

The chapter then concludes by telling us in Verse 26 that “At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.” This does not negate the fact that Adam and Eve had clearly been instructed by God in how to worship him and had been doing so all these years, but the comment serves to give us the counterpoint to the history of Cain’s family. There was then, there is now, and there will always be two separate families of men. Those who follow the murderer Satan as their father and those who follow the murdered Savior Jesus Christ and have God as their Father.

And that leads to my final point, Two Destinies and One Lord

V.      Two Destinies and One Lord

These two different families of men have two very different destinies as we briefly examined at the beginning. Jesus told us about the final judgment in Matthew 25:31-33 where we read, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” And, obviously, the sheep and the goats represent the two families of men. And in Verse 34 Jesus said, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’” But in Verse 41 Jesus said, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”

Friends, these are the only two families and the only two eternal destinies for men. We must live our lives in view of this most important fact. To which family do you belong?

And we must also take note of the fact that while there are two families, there is only one Lord, the eternal second person of the holy Trinity, Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of everyone, the righteous and the unrighteous. You can ignore him, you can reject him, you can even pretend that he doesn’t exist. But you cannot change the simple fact that he is your Creator, your Lord and your Judge, and he is the only Savior of mankind.

And that is why we are told in Philippians 2:10-11 that “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

I urge you all to bend the knee today and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. You will bend your knee and confess, but if you stubbornly refuse to do so until the judgment, you will go to be with Cain and all other unrepentant murderers, liars and thieves for all eternity to bear the wrath of God.

Friends, God offers you eternal life. But you must see your need, confess your sins, repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that you will do that today.

[1] e.g., see Jame Boice, Genesis, An Expositional Commentary, Ministry Resources Library, 1982, Vol. 1, pg. 200

[2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Hendrickson Publishers, 1991, Vol. 1, pg. 33

[3] P.G. Mathew, Daily Delight, Grace & Glory Ministries, 2015, pg. 342

[4] D.G. Barnhouse, quoted in James Boice, Genesis, An Expositional Commentary, Ministry Resources Library, 1982, Vol. 1, pg. 213