Chapter 9 - Early Ages

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From age to age, the fallen environment of the degenerated earth has demonstrated the complete depravity of the human race. It has served to clarify that mankind is in desperate need of God's redemptive grace.

The first and only age on the renovated form of the earth was the Edenic Age. It was evidenced by the events that occurred in the Garden of Eden and the subsequent fall of mankind.

In contrast, there have been four different ages on the degenerated earth. The first two were the Antediluvian (pre-flood) and Postdiluvian (post-flood) ages.

Antediluvian Age

The Antediluvian Age began soon after the Fall of mankind. It continued until the worldwide flood.

By grace through faith alone, God awarded kingdom citizenship on an individual basis during the Antediluvian Age through the promised fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant. As a result, He continued to vindicate His nature from angelic accusation and repopulate His kingdom.

By stipulation of the Eternal Covenant, the new citizens of the kingdom were both justified from the transgression of divine law and spiritually regenerated.
Consequently, they were legally representative of God and favorable for habitation by His Spirit for special occasions.

Justified and regenerated, the new citizens of the kingdom of God were restored to a state suitable with the nature of God. As such, the new citizens of the kingdom were made glorious, holy, eternal, and alive to God.

Concordant with the indwelling Spirit of God, the new citizens of the kingdom could be theocratically governed during the Antediluvian Age through the intimate rule of divine life. Cooperating by grace through faith alone, they served to mediate the authority of God on the degenerated earth.

Kingdom citizenship during the Antediluvian Age was specifically given to individuals from the lineage of Adam’s son Seth. (Genesis 4:25-26) In contrast to others existing during the Antediluvian Age, the descendants of Seth willingly chose to “call upon the name of the Lord.”

During the Antediluvian Age the majority of human beings, however, chose to reject the authority of God. As a result, rebelliousness increased exponentially, and mankind was eventually subjected to divine judgment in the form of a worldwide flood. Thus, “All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died.” (Genesis 7:21-22)

The kingdom of God manifested on the degenerated earth during the Antediluvian Age was an important part of the eternal plan of God. It contributed to the vindication of His nature from angelic accusation and the repopulation of His kingdom. Nevertheless, it was not sufficient to satisfy the plan of God.

The kingdom of God manifested on the degenerated earth during the Antediluvian Age can be briefly summarized as follows:

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Category	Description
Primary Purpose:	The revelation of the authority of God for the benefit of created beings. The vindication of divine authority.
Plan:	The degenerated, antediluvian earth as a suitable habitat for human beings. Rather than the earth existing in the kingdom of God, the kingdom manifested on the degenerated earth within redeemed human beings legally representative and organically representational of God. The vindication of the divine nature and the repopulation of the kingdom by human beings.
Citizenship:	Holy spatiotemporal human beings from the chosen lineage of Seth (from Seth to Noah).
Realm:	The spatiotemporal degenerated earth outside of the Garden of Eden.
Character for Citizenship:	Glorious, holy and eternal (concordant with the nature of the divine king).
Era:	From the fall of man to the worldwide flood.
Qualification for Citizenship:	Holiness, spirituality, and immortality awarded by divine justification and regeneration; Human cooperation by willing submission to the beneficent revelation of divine authority. By grace through faith alone.
Governance:	Theocratic; In cooperation with human mediation; Through union of life between God and elect descendants of Seth by benefit of the future fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant.
Outcome:	The authority of God challenged by human rebellion. Divine judgment by flood. By benefit of the future fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant, the chosen from the lineage of Seth were justified and regenerated by grace through faith alone and consequently, made legally representative and organically representational of God on earth. The continued vindication of the divine nature and repopulation of the divine kingdom through Seth’s descendant, Noah. The kingdom of God not completely repopulated. The nature of God not fully vindicated.

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Postdiluvian Age

The Postdiluvian Age on the degenerated earth lasted from the worldwide flood to the call of Abram. Throughout the age God preserved the representation of His kingdom on the degenerated earth. He maintained it through Seth’s righteous descendant Noah and his family. They were the only human beings chosen to survive the flood.

While the flood cleansed the degenerated earth of most fallen human beings, it did not reverse the fall of mankind and his earthly habitat. Consequently, the growth in human population that followed was naturally accompanied by the transgression of law. (cf. Genesis 9:1, 7, 9; 10:1-32; 11:10-32) Like the growth of the human population, it was progressive and exponential.

After the flood God promised the survivors, Noah, and his family, that He would never again destroy the earth and its inhabitants by flood. (Genesis 9:8-17) Instead, allowing for the progressive fulfillment of His eternal plan, He separated the human race by language and proximity.

During the Postdiluvian Age, the book of Genesis emphasizes the continued repopulation of the kingdom of God by individuals from the Hebrew lineage of Seth. (Genesis 11:10-25) It extended from Noah’s son Shem through subsequent generations to his descendant Terah. They too were descended from the Hebrew lineage of Seth.

From Shem to Terah, the new, willing citizens of the kingdom of God continued to be justified and regenerated by grace through faith alone through the promised fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant. As a result, they too were restored to a state suitable with the nature of God and became legally representative and organically favorable for habitation by the Spirit of God.

Justified and regenerated by God, the new citizens of the kingdom in the Postdiluvian Age also had the privileged opportunity for theocratic governance through the intimate rule of divine life. Cooperating by grace through faith alone, they served to mediate the authority of God on the postdiluvial, degenerated earth.

During the Postdiluvian Age God entered into covenant relationship with Noah. Concordant with the unconditional stipulations of the Noahic Covenant, the population of the degenerated earth experienced growth, the nature of God continued to be vindicated, His kingdom added willing citizens, and the authority of God was challenged by the faithless. However, the nature of God was still not fully vindicated and His kingdom not fully repopulated.

The kingdom of God manifested on the degenerated earth during the Postdiluvian Age can be briefly summarized as follows:

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Category	Description
Primary Purpose:	The revelation of the authority of God for the benefit of human beings. The vindication of divine authority.
Plan:	The degenerated, postdiluvian earth as a suitable habitat for human beings. Rather than the earth existing in the kingdom of God, the kingdom manifested on the degenerated earth within redeemed human beings legally representative and organically representational of God. The vindication of the divine nature and the repopulation of the kingdom by human beings.
Citizenship:	Holy spatiotemporal human beings specifically descended from the Hebrew lineage of Seth (from Shem to Terah).
Realm:	The spatiotemporal degenerated earth.
Character for Citizenship:	Glorious, holy and eternal (concordant with the nature of the divine king).
Era:	From the end of the worldwide flood to the call of Abram.
Qualification for Citizenship:	Holiness, spirituality, and immortality awarded by divine justification and regeneration. Human cooperation by willing submission to the beneficent revelation of divine authority. By grace through faith alone.
Governance:	Theocratic. In cooperation with human mediation. Through union of life between God and elect individuals of Hebrew lineage by the benefit of the future fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant.
Outcome:	The repopulation of the earth after the flood. By benefit of the future fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant, Noah, a descendant of Seth, was justified and regenerated by grace through faith alone and consequently, made legally representative and organically representational of God on earth. In accordance with the unconditional stipulations of the Noahic Covenant, the continued vindication of the divine nature and repopulation of the divine kingdom. The authority of God again challenged by human rebellion. The kingdom of God not completely repopulated. The nature of God not fully vindicated.

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