DEGENERATION means the process of deterioration, that is to say, growing worse and worse, and persisted in it leads to debasement and complete degradation. Once outside of Eden the degeneration of mankind began and continued until it reached a climax.

Perfect man is one perfect in mind and body, and possessing the right to live. The judgment of Jehovah entered against Adam took away his right to life. When expelled from Eden he still possessed soundness of mind and organism; but being condemned to die the decree must be carried out, and the death process began. Although man had disobeyed his Creator, and thereby forfeited all claims upon his friendship, yet God was considerate of him. He and his wife were naked. "Unto Adam also, and to his wife, did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Genesis 3: 21) The presumption is that the skins were taken from animals, but such is not necessarily true nor is it so important. The fact that God clothed them was the important thing.

There could have been no need to have such coats to protect them from the storms or inclement weather, because at that time there were no storms on the earth, neither was there excessive cold. The temperature of the entire earth was practically the same, produced by reason of the aqueous canopy that enveloped the earth. The coats were provided probably merely as a covering to hide their nakedness from each other's

eyes, and from the eyes of their children when born. Whatever the reason, it was an act of loving kindness On the part of the great Creator.

The record concerning the birth of children to Adam and his wife is brief. It does not claim to give the names of all their children. Cain is the first one named, and Abel the second. It is certain, however, that other children were born, both male and female, and lived contemporaneously with Abel and Cain. Doubtless both of these men were the heads of families. The Scriptures specifically state that Cain had a wife; and she must have been one of Adam's children, therefore the sister of Cain. (Genesis 4:17) The name Cain means "acquired". Eve would have in mind the seed that God had promised that should bruise the serpent's head, and she would reason that now she had acquired that seed that would ultimately bring her victory.

Cain was a tiller of the soil. He must labor among the thorns and thistles in his endeavor to produce food for himself and other members of the family. Of course his parents had told him about their experience in Eden, and how God had provided that they should work to produce their food in the sweat of their brow; and as he fought with the thorns and thistles he would be inclined to grow morose and bitter. Cain had inherited from his parents all the bad disposition possessed by each of them. They were both bad, because they had violated God's law. We would understand then that Cain was morose, sour and bitter of heart.

Abel, the second son, was a shepherd. His name means feeder, or nourisher. He helped to provide for the family of his father and probably had a family of his own. From his parents he had also learned of their experience in Eden. They would have told him of their perfectly beautiful home, and how that because of disobedience God had expelled them from it, and how

that he had left a faint hope that some day they might have his blessing again.

Throughout the day Abel was in the broad fields herding his flocks and protecting them from the attack of wild beasts. At night time he would see to it that they were properly cared for and sheltered from harm; and then in the long and silent vigils he would meditate upon what he had learned from his parents concerning God, and what he saw about him manifested in God's creation. He would reason that the great God who gave life to his father and mother also gave life to the sheep of his flock; and that if he, Abel, took pleasure in caring for and protecting dumb animals no doubt the great God would take pleasure in caring for all who would obey and serve him. He reverenced Jehovah God, and his faith in the Lord grew and he had a desire to do the will of Jehovah.

Having learned from his mother concerning the "seed" that should prevail against the enemy, Abel would look forward to some future time when God would provide for the blessing of himself and all others who would serve him. His faith was pleasing to God and he grew in the favor of the Lord.

Satan of course would be keeping close account concerning these two sons. If one of them seemed to have the favor of Jehovah, to Satan that would mean that such an one was his own enemy; and he would take steps to cause his destruction.

In the process of time these two sons, Cain and Abel, brought their offerings unto the Lord God. The sour and grouchy Cain came with some fruit, the result of his labors. Being extremely selfish he would be thinking about how hard he had labored, and the great number of thorns and weeds he had to destroy in order to produce that fruit, and now he must sacrifice it unto the Lord and would get no profit for himself. He

reasoned that he was conferring a great favor upon God by bringing this sacrifice unto him, especially when the Lord did not need it. He would conclude that, being the first son, he was the favored one of Jehovah. He was proud and arrogant, sour and mean; and the Devil had planted all these things in his heart.

At the same time came Abel, the kind and reverential man. He brought his sacrifice unto the Lord. He reasoned that all he had was a gift from God, and now he desired to show his appreciation by bringing the best he possessed unto the Lord. He slew the choicest ones of his flock and brought the flesh, together with the fat, the latter representing the best endeavors, loving zeal, and unselfish devotion to God and to righteousness. It was a real sacrifice for him to give up the best animal, but he considered his best a very small thing to give to the Lord God. It is written: "And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and his offering: but unto Gain, and to his offering, he had not respect."  — Genesis 4:4, 5.

Abel had faith and loved God. Cain had no faith and was selfish and sour. Abel, because of his faith, was counted righteous in the sight of God. Cain had an evil heart and was disapproved. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he, being dead, yet speaketh." — Hebrews 11:4.

Seeing that God had no respect for a selfish and faithless offering, Cain grew very angry, and manifested his anger in his countenance. The opportune moment had arrived for Satan to act. He now induced Cain to conclude that he should put his brother out of the way, because he was a rival and threatened to become the most important one of the family. The selfish and sour Cain bided his opportunity; and when he found

his brother in the field he slew him. To cover up his wicked deed he resorted to lying. (Genesis 4:8-11) Cain had now wholly become a servant of the Devil, and like his master he had become a liar and a murderer. (John 8:44) Satan the Devil would reason that the death of the righteous Abel not only would rid him of an enemy but would deter others from serving Jehovah God.

Years passed and many other children were born, both male and female. Among these was Jabal, who headed the tribe of cattle-raisers and who dwelt in tents. Then came Jubal, who organized and trained musicians to play upon the harp and the organ, Then the record shows Tubal-cain, who was an instructor in the art of making brass and iron. Enos was a grandson of Adam, and by the time he came upon the scene there was a great number of human beings on the earth; and all of these were under the influence of the Devil. The practice of mockery and hypocrisy was now introduced by the people calling themselves by the name of the Lord but in truth and in fact ridiculing and blaspheming his holy name.

When Adam went forth from Eden he was not physically weak, nor was he sickly. Although deprived of his right to life, yet he was in vigor and strength. Gradually he must pay the penalty for his wrongful act. When he was 130 years old he begot another son in his own likeness and called his name Seth, because he was recorded as a substitute for Abel, who had been murdered by Cain. Then came other sons and daughters. Adam was past 200 years old when he saw his great grandchildren in strength and vigor of manhood and womanhood, and himself still able to beget children. After he begot Seth he lived 800 years and begot many sons and daughters. Adam died at the age of 930 years.

The strength of man in his vigor, and his ability to fight against the elements of the earth, are indicated by the length of time that men survived, as recorded in the Scriptures. Seth lived for 912 years. Enos, the grandson of Adam, died at the age of 905 years. Cainan, the son of Enos, lived to be 910 years of age. Mahalaleel lived for 890 years. Jared, when at the age of 162 years, begat Enoch. Thereafter he lived 800 years, and died at the age of 962 years. Enoch loved God and served him. When he was 365 years old, and while still in the vigor and strength of manhood, God took him away that he might not feel the pangs of death. His son Methuselah lived to the age of 969 years.

But be it noted that neither Adam nor any of his offspring ever lived a full thousand years. Why was that so? Because the law of God, which was given to Adam, stated: "In the day that thou eatest thereof, dying thou shalt die." (Genesis 2:17, margin) This is proof that Adam must gradually die and that by the end of the "day" he must be dead completely. All the other men mentioned were Adam's sons or grandsons, and were born without any right to live; and they must die within a day, because they had inherited the result of Adam's wrongdoing.

A "day" is used to represent any fixed period of time, and when related to creation the Scriptures show that each day is seven thousand years long. When related to the creation of man, and when speaking of time as related to man, a "day" in the Scriptures is one thousand years in duration of time, if computed in the manner that man computes time. "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." — 2 Peter 3: 8.

Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam; and during all that period of time of more than 600 years

only two men, Abel and Enoch, manifested faith in and love for the Lord God and served him. The Devil had caused Abel to be murdered, and God took away Enoch that he might not see death. No doubt the Devil would have caused him to be killed had not God protected him. All other men on earth were under the influence of Satan and were wicked. After the death of Enoch wickedness continued to increase, and the race degenerated year by year. Until the birth of Noah there is no proof that there was on earth another Godfearing man, after Enoch was taken away. The name Noah means rest, or comfort, and evidently signified that during his time some change might take place which would be a comfort to him and increase his hope.

Women

A perfect woman is the most beautiful to look upon of all earthly creatures. Eve, of course, was the only perfect woman that has ever lived. God made her perfect. (Deuteronomy 32: 4) When she left her paradise home in Eden she still maintained her grace and beauty of form. While undergoing the process of death she gave birth to her daughters and sons. When these daughters and granddaughters of Eve grew to full womanhood they were such expressions of feminine beauty as no human words can describe.

Many poets and writers of prose have employed all the adjectives known to describe the beauty of women who lived when Greece was at the zenith of its glory and power. If the women of that time were beautiful, then the daughters and granddaughters of Eve were far more beautiful. We must remember that these women were only a short distance from perfection, as far as bodily charm is concerned. In the days of ancient Greece, however, the race had greatly

degenerated; and in the present time the degeneration is even greater.

It is only by comparison that we can now approximate the natural adornment of the women that lived on earth in the time of Noah. Like their mother Eve, those women were vain. Readily they yielded to the temptations that would gratify the desire of their flesh or the desire of their eyes, or that would appeal to their pride. They craved to be admired and flattered. Voluptuous and sensual, having their minds turned away from God and righteousness, they would readily yield to any influence that promised them exaltation or selfish gratification. That which appealed to these godless women more than anything else were strong men who flattered them and gave them praise, and who gratified their selfish desires.

Woman has ever been the most beautiful and most dangerous amongst the creatures of earth. Her beauty and attractiveness allure man, and blind selfish man to higher and nobler things, and induce him to forget God. It was such seductive influence exercised by the charming Eve that led Adam to a criminal's grave. A good and virtuous woman, wholly devoted to God, is a blessing to a good man, because she knows and keeps her proper place. But he who yields to the influence of ambitious and selfish woman walks in the path that leads to degradation and death. Almost all women of Noah's time were selfish, sensual, and walked in the way of vanity. Beautiful and graceful of form, they were fair to look upon; yet, filled with pride, they had an excessive desire to be noticed and to be approved by men.

Devil and His Angels

Satan the Devil, the opponent of God and enemy of all righteousness, now concluded that the time was op-

portune to make another move. He had begun his wicked schemes by using a woman, and now he would continue to use women for his nefarious purposes. During the period of 1600 years since the expulsion of man from Eden, only three men had taken a firm stand for the Lord God. Satan had caused one of these to be murdered, and the other God had taken away. Satan could use these circumstances for a good argument to further his wicked designs.

In heaven there was a host of spirit creatures called angels and who were "sons of God". These creatures would be watching the course of earth's creation. The Scriptures clearly disclose the fact that angels had the power to appear in human form, and this must have been by the consent of Jehovah. (Genesis 18:1-10; Judges 13:1-21) When these "sons of God" appeared in human form they were even more attractive to the women than were the sons and grandsons of Adam. Satan's scheme was to work by and through the women in order to get a race of people on earth which he could completely and absolutely control. From what transpired and is recorded in the Scriptures, the conclusion here reached seems to be warranted.

Satan called before him the many heavenly sons of God and reasoned with them like this: 'For the past 1600 years you have been watching the drama amongst men on earth. Since Jehovah assigned me to the office of man's overlord I have possessed the power of death. Jehovah decreed that I should die, and that by the power of the seed of the woman. Such was an idle threat by Jehovah. You have seen that during the past 1600 years two men have taken the side of Jehovah. One of these I caused to be put to death; and Jehovah, fearing what might be done to the other one, took him away. All men now on earth have acknowledged me as god. The man Noah is the only exception. In

due season I shall give my attention to him and put him out of the way.

'If you sons of God will now join with me and give your allegiance to me we will establish a great empire on earth and people it with a class that will live for ever and not die. You have the power to appear in human form. You are far greater in strength than any of Adam's race. Your vigor is undiminished. The women on earth are the daughters or offspring of Adam. Behold, how wonderfully beautiful are those women. There is nothing like them in the spiritual realm with whom you could satisfy your pleasures. You can have them for wives. You can indulge in sex pleasure. You can produce a race far greater than the children of men. With me as your leader and prince we can have the greatest empire that ever existed, and God cannot interfere. The period that has elapsed from Eden until now has demonstrated to you that I am not subject to Jehovah's power. Come now and join with me.

'We will let this foolish Noah take his own course until it suits me to destroy him. We will first show him that we can take the women and use them as we please. All men will soon join our force; but if any should not, we will put them out of the way. My power will be supreme. You know that God has declared that man shall die, and that none of his offspring shall live more than a thousand-year day; but the offspring resulting from your cohabitation with these women on earth shall live on and never die.'

This plausible and seductive argument of Satan would turn the minds of many of the sons of God on the spirit plane, and they yielded to him. Exercising their powers they appeared as men. They were mighty men indeed, and walked about in the earth and took an account of the situation and prepared to carry out Satan's

advice. They took careful note of the women and observed that they were voluptuous, attractive and alluring. They would of course exhibit to the women their prowess, that they might be greatly admired by the women.

The mind of a woman is easily turned by an unusually strong, vigorous and attractive man. These men were veritable giants. Amongst the children of men there was none to compare with them. The women fell easy victims to their flatteries and seductive speech, and the record does not disclose that they made any objection to becoming their wives. "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." — Genesis 6:1, 2.

The Scriptures clearly prove the fact that these sons of God appeared in the earth as "giants" in the form of men, and that then these giants took the daughters of men for their wives. Those beings, stalwart, princely, handsome fellows, were attractive to the women. When these giants cohabited with these vigorous women the result was an offspring of "mighty men". The Scriptures describe them thus: "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men, which were of old, men of renown." — Genesis 6:4.

These sons of God, appearing in the forms of men and then forming an alliance with women and cohabiting with women for the purpose of bringing forth children, thereby departed from their first estate, to wit, the estate of sons of God on the spirit plane; and because thereof they became a part of the Devil's organization. They became his allies and his servants,

and thereby became devils with Satan their leader as "the prince of devils". — Matthew 9:34; 12:24; Mark 3: 22; John 12: 31; 14: 30; 1 Peter 3:19, 20.

These devils, appearing as human giants and producing a race by cohabiting with women, would in a short time be able, together with their offspring, to dominate all the peoples of the earth who would yield to them. They debauched the human race, turned their minds away from God, and caused them to indulge in every conceivable deed of wickedness. The offspring of this unholy union, together with all the men and women who joined with them, became extremely wicked.

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." (Genesis 6:5, 6) This terrible wickedness grieved Jehovah God in his heart. The perfect man that he had made and placed in a perfect home and had given the power and authority to fill the earth with a perfect race of people, had now degenerated until all the earth was filled with violence, and his every thought was vile and wicked.

Up to and prior to that time man bad lived for a period of more than 900 years before he died. God now declared his purpose of limiting the duration of human life to a period of 120 years. "And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." (Genesis 6: 3) The 120 years here definitely refer to the fact that this should be the limit of a generation thereafter. After Noah's day Moses lived to be 120 years old, which is proof that God had placed this limitation upon the span of human life. (Deuteronomy 31:2) "And Moses was an hundred and

twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." — Deuteronomy 34: 7.

Amongst all the men of earth there was one, to wit, Noah, who had faith in God and who remained loyal to God against all opposition. He had held himself separate and free from the fallen angels, who had become demons in human form. He resisted their evil influence, and notwithstanding their efforts or attempts to take his life he stood firm for Jehovah God. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth."  — Genesis 6: 8-10.

All the peoples of earth had gone from bad to worse, and the earth was filled with violence. The righteous and loving God now had one man on earth as his witness. All others, in defiance of God, had become the dupes of the ultra-wicked Satan and the enemies of God and righteousness. Therefore God determined that he would destroy this wicked element and start the human race afresh. "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them: and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth." — Genesis 6:11-13.

The Ark

Noah was a preacher of righteousness. (2 Peter 2:5) By this it is understood that he boldly took his stand on the side of the Lord God and proclaimed God's righteousness. In full faith and strength of the Lord he told others that Jehovah had decreed that all the wicked

should be destroyed. His preaching would furnish the occasion for the devils in human form, under the leadership of Satan, to mock, ridicule and defy the Almighty God. Probably Satan promised his servants that some day he would strike Noah dead with a bolt of fire. He may have made many efforts against Noah, but nothing deterred Noah from proving his faithfulness to the Lord.

There is no evidence that Satan himself materialized in human form, but rather that he directed and controlled the affairs while still invisible to human eyes. There are many scriptures to show also that there were associated with him many angels, whom he had seduced from the path of righteousness and caused to join his evil organization, and who did not materialize in human form, and who therefore did not leave their first estate as did others. These he made officers in his invisible organization. There was therefore an invisible and a visible part of the world that then existed.

By the term world is meant an organization of men into a form of government under the supervision of an overlord. Heaven symbolizes the invisible part of that organization, while earth symbolizes or represents the visible part of it It will be noted that God had said to Noah: 'I will destroy all flesh, and I will destroy them with the earth'; and again he said: "Everything that is in the earth shall die." (Genesis 6:13, 17) The word earth is here used symbolically, and represents not only the living creatures on earth but the visible part of the Devil's then organized power.

God then directed Noah to build an ark. He gave him a complete statement of the plans and specifications as to how to construct it. The plans provided that the great boat or ark should be 450 feet long, 75 feet broad and 45 feet high. This ark was to be a means of salva-

tion for Noah and those whom he took into the ark with him. In obedience to the Lord's command Noah proceeded to construct the ark according to God's specifications. His course of action in going about the work of preparing the material and building the ark constituted preaching. His actions spoke louder than words. Since his course of action was directed by the Righteous One, he was doing the right thing; and he was thereby a preacher of righteousness to all who observed him.

In addition thereto, of course, it would be expected that Noah would tell others of God's purposes. By his course of action and by his speech he condemned the course of the world. Noah, by his speech and course of action, served notice upon all those about him that he had faith in God. He proved that faith by his works. His preaching was a condemnation of God's opponents. His faith obtained for him the favor of the Lord, by which he and his family were saved. "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." — Hebrews 11:7.

What length of time was required to build the ark the Scriptures do not definitely disclose, but it must have occupied much less than 100 years. Noah was 500 years old when he begot his sons, and he was 600 years old when he went into the ark. (Genesis 5:32; 7:6) During all of that time Noah, the preacher of righteousness, would be the object of scorn and ridicule by the wicked ones of earth, and by the devils in human form as well as by the invisible devils. Sixteen hundred years under the influence of Satan had completed the degeneration of the human race. What an awful spectacle! What a dreadful degradation! In mockery

and in defiance of Jehovah God the people resorted to all manner of wickedness and violence. The evil ones encumbered the earth and were fit only for destruction. Out of all the people of earth only one man and his immediate, family had faith in God and, by the Lord's grace, had stemmed the tide of wickedness and were counted righteous in the sight of the Lord.

Because of his faith God took Noah into his confidence and told him of his purposes. To Noah he said: "And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant: and thou shalt come into the ark; thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives, with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind; of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind; two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive."  — Genesis 6:17-20.

In obedience to God's command Noah brought the animals and the birds and the fowls and placed them in the ark which his laborious efforts, spread over many years, had prepared for the wonderful event now about to happen. Then again the Lord spoke to Noah: "And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. ... For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him." — Genesis 7: 1, 4, 5.

In the eyes of the evil ones Noah would appear in a very ridiculous light. With his family and a great herd of animals and numerous birds and flocks he was now abiding in the mighty vessel built to ride the waves, and yet never a drop of water had been upon it. It stood free and clear upon dry land. For years he had been preaching to the people of the coming flood, and yet no tangible evidence of its coming was given. With full faith and confidence in God Noah entered the ark and waited upon the Lord. It was his faith that was pleasing to the Lord. Now the time was come when all should be permitted to see whether they had taken a proper course by following the Devil or whether Noah had taken the wise course by trusting in Jehovah God. The great and crucial test had come! The end of the world was at hand!

The Flood

The rivers of waters flowed peacefully on toward the seas. The water springs gave forth their regular supplies for man, while lakes, afforded pleasure to the eye and bore up the vessels of men that glided over their peaceful bosoms. Never in the memory of man had these rivers overflowed their banks, nor had the water supply been increased or diminished. No man had ever seen any rain fall, because none had fallen since man was upon the earth. Moisture was supplied for the vegetation by a mist that arose from the earth to water it.  — Genesis 2: 6.

Why then should any one expect a great rain to come? God had said that it was coming, and his word is true; and Noah believed and obeyed accordingly. The Lord God knew exactly what day and hour he would open the windows of the deep. He told Noah that the flood would come seven days after he entered

the ark. Noah went in and waited. Six days had passed and no rain had come, and now the seventh day was here.

All during the time that the ark was in the course of construction wickedness continued to increase. The angels who had assumed human bodies, under the leadership of Satan, had indulged in every conceivable crime, and their offspring had joined them in crime, and their thoughts were nothing but evil. The completion of the ark and the entrance thereinto by Noah would be a signal to these devils in human form, and their human slaves, to indulge in the greatest revelry, debauchery and crime. The Devil, or some of his angels, at that time would doubtless have made a bonfire of the ark and destroyed it and its inmates, had not the hand of the Lord restrained them. God's faithful witness was inside that ark. The Lord God always protects his faithful ones. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." — Psalm 34:7.

The time had now arrived when God would make a demonstration of his power and magnify his name before all creation. The Scriptures show that these evil angels, who had left their first estate, debauched the human race and turned them into wickedness, were at some time imprisoned. Before destroying all flesh upon the earth it is reasonable to conclude that God would first imprison these evil angels, and that therefore the imprisonment did take place before the destruction of flesh upon the earth. This done, then the people would see how futile it had been to follow the leadership of Satan.

The Devil and his cohorts would resist to the utmost this restraining of the fallen angels whom he had induced to take human form. They would, however, be powerless against Jehovah God. The Scriptures show that the angels of the Lord have fought on the side

of righteousness and have fought the forces of darkness. (Judges 5:20; Revelation 12:7) That these fallen angels who debauched the human race were imprisoned the Scriptures plainly state. (1 Peter 3:19, 20) Their great crime was leaving their first estate and cohabiting with human beings. Now God would restrain them by putting them into prison until the time to inflict upon them the final judgment.

With the taking of these evil angels as prisoners there must have been a great commotion in heaven. Satan, at the head of a host of evil ones, would be leading the fight on his side. On the other side of the battle line would be found the Logos, Jehovah's faithful Executive Officer, aided and served by a host of righteous and holy angels. In this fight the Lord God prevailed; the evil angels were taken prisoners and incarcerated, thus demonstrating God's supreme power.

"God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." (2 Peter 2:4) "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day." (Jude 6) Now the evil men and women of earth must meet their fate. They had come to the full in wickedness and must die.

The seventh day of Noah's presence in the ark had come to a close. That marked the six-hundredth year of Noah's life. It was on the seventeenth day of the second month. The hour of doom for the evil world had struck. Far away to the north was heard a mighty roar, as though mountains were being torn from their foundations. Far distant from the south a like terrible sound filled the air. The wild beasts of the field and the fowls of the air sensed the oncoming of a terrible calamity. A great flood of waters was rushing from

both the north and the south. "All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." — Genesis 7:11.

Through the valleys mighty solid walls of water rushed on. Trembling, crushing and falling, on came these walls of irresistible power. Upon the bosom of the flood were borne great timbers, wrecked buildings, quantities of earth and mighty boulders. With the flood came strong winds that froze the marrow in the bones of the creatures that had never before known of cold. Reaching a city the flood snuffed it out and ground its buildings to powder. Terror-stricken, the people fled to the hills, only to watch the oncoming flood dealing death and destruction to everything in its way.

With increasing fury the waters rushed on. For forty days and nights the torrents poured from the north and the south and from above. Higher and higher rose the flood until the hills were covered. The waves swept away from the crests the surviving men and beasts. Then the flood struck the great ark. The great vessel groaned and its timbers creaked. Then the mighty waters lifted it high above the ground, and the ark floated upon the bosom of the newly-made sea. The wind increased in fury, the earth rocked and trembled, and the floods continued to rise until the waters covered the hills and the mountains; and everything wherein was breath died.

"And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:

all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days." — Genesis 7:18-24.

God had vindicated his name in the minds of Noah and those who survived with him, and in the minds of the angels in heaven. All the nations and kindreds and peoples who should ever spring from Noah and his sons would know of this mighty demonstration of the power of Jehovah, or at least have an opportunity to know. But some will refuse to believe. All peoples that have lived upon the earth since Noah's time have seen evidences of the great flood. But, as it was in Noah's day, those who have had their minds turned away from the Lord, who refuse to believe his Word, deny the flood and are ignorant of the works that God has in mind to soon perform.

"For they are wilfully blind to the fact that there were heavens which existed of old, and an earth, the latter arising out of water and extending continuously through water, by the command of God; and that, by means of these, the then existing race of men was overwhelmed with water and perished. But the present heavens and the present earth are, by the command of the same God, kept stored up, reserved for fire in preparation for a day of judgment and of destruction for the ungodly." — 2 Peter 3: 5-7, Weymouth.

Cause of the Flood

For centuries the prevailing thought has been that the great flood that destroyed the world of Noah's time

was produced by rains falling from the clouds. Both the Scriptures and the physical facts show that that conclusion is wrong. The great deluge could not have been produced by rains falling from the clouds, but could be produced, and was produced, by the falling of a great canopy of water which had long been around the earth and the falling of which God timed to serve his purposes.

Annular means that which has the form of a ring, or ring-shaped. The earth's annular system has reference to the successive rings surrounding the earth, composed of water and mineral substances in solution, which were thrown off from the heated earth and held in place by centrifugal energy. Wise scientists have said that nothing can stay in the air unless it is lighter than the air. But this theory has been completely exploded by the use of the airplane or airship. How is it possible for an airship, weighing several tons and carrying freight and a number of passengers, to remain in the air for a long space of time, and fly at the rate of 100 miles or more per hour? The answer is, Because of the great velocity with which it moves. Stop the engines, and stop the moving of the plane, and it falls like a dead weight. It was the energy moving the canopy through space that kept it in place until God's due time for it to come down.

The ring that formed farthest away from the earth, or what we call the outermost ring, was formed chiefly of water. Long before the creation of man the other rings, more heavily laden with mineral and carbon sub-stances, had fallen. During the period of time from the creation of man until the flood, the last ring spread out over the equatorial regions and covered the entire earth in the form of an envelope. This caused the climatic conditions to be practically the same at the equator as at the poles. The vegetation that grew in

the polar regions is a proof of this, also the animal remains that have been found there.

In recent years animals particularly adapted to the tropical or warm regions have been found frozen in perpetual ice in the north. In the bleak and frozen Siberia an antelope was found imbedded in the ice. It had green grass in its stomach, which proves that while feeding upon the green food it had met a sudden death, and that its death was caused by the cold. The remains of a mastodon were found imbedded in the ice with green food in its mouth. That is further proof of the same thing. Physical facts do not stultify themselves, even if some of the scientists do. Whenever a savant, so-called, disregards the Bible he gets himself into a predicament.

The canopy or ring of water which enveloped the earth made it impossible for the sun or the moon to be seen by man on the earth. The physical facts show that the sun had not been seen by man prior to the flood. The rainbow, subsequent to the flood, is conclusive proof of this fact. Had the warm rays of the sun shone directly on the earth and heated its surface, air currents would have arisen and there would have been wind. There would have been changes in the temperature; and this, together with the air currents, would have produced rain. Where the sun does not shine, and where there are no air currents or winds, there is no rainfall. Such a condition existed only when the earth was enveloped in an aqueous ring. "The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, ... but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground," — Genesis 2: 5, 6.

Had there been wind and rains and changes in the temperature there would of necessity have been seasons of heat and cold, winter and summer, seed time and

harvest time. Prior to the flood there were none such. The first mention made of winter and cold and harvest is after the flood. (Genesis 8:22) The rings or canopies that had fallen long before the creation of man were composed largely of water; and from these had formed the seas, lakes and rivers.

The Scriptures mention the "great deep", and distinguish the great deep from the seas. The great deep could not refer to the oceans and seas upon the earth, and did not refer to them. The overwhelming weight of the Scriptural testimony is that the great deep refers to the ring of water that was above the firmament. That water was not held there by the firmament, but was held there by reason of centrifugal energy. The firmament divided the waters from the waters; that is to say, it divided the waters that were above and the waters that were below the firmament. (Genesis 1:6, 7) This shows that there was a great body of water suspended as a ring, far out from the earth's surface.

The last ring enveloping the earth, being almost pure water, admitted the light from the sun more fully than the other rings that had previously fallen. The earth therefore would receive a greater amount of warmth from the sun. The conditions that appeared upon the earth then would resemble a fog in our time, when it is light and yet the sun is not visible. The canopy forming around the earth would produce a condition inside similar to a hothouse. This last ring spread over the entire earth, moving in its orbit with greatest rapidity in the equatorial region of the earth.

That the "great deep" was this water ring above the earth the Scriptures leave no room for doubt. The Scriptural record was made under the supervision of Jehovah, and is therefore true. It is written: "And

brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, and said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed."  — Job 38:8-11.

This illustrates our Last Earth Canopy. It has banished the last ice period, and the Eden earth blooms again. Man dwells naked in a warm and genial world. The human family for unknown time look up to a watery heaven and give it a name signifying that condition. The Hebrews called this heaven Shamayim, "three waters"; the Greeks called it Ouranos, "water heaven"; the Hindus called it Varuno, "water heaven"; the Latins called it Caelum, and this, too, was a watery heaven, for it passed away.

"Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me." — Psalm 42:7.

"Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. Thou coveredst it with a deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains." — Psalm 104: 5, 6.

Speaking of the wonders of Jehovah's creation, the record shows the Logos saying: "I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth; when he established the clouds above; when he strengthened the fountains of the deep; when he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment; when he appointed the foundations of the earth." -Proverbs 8: 27-29.

The time came for the destruction of the old and wicked world. God sent Noah and his family, and the animals and fowls that he desired to preserve, into the ark. When they were safely housed there, the Lord God opened the windows of heaven; that is to say, he caused the great deep above the earth to be broken up, that its floods of water might fall upon the earth. "The same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights."  — Genesis 7:11, 12.

This could not possibly refer to the oceans of water or seas on the earth, because they were not broken up. These still remain on the earth, which is conclusive proof that they were not broken up. That which is broken up remains broken up. Rain that falls from clouds must first be taken up into the skies and condensed by the wind currents. When, because of the sun's rays and the currents of wind, the temperature changes, rainfall is produced. There was no sunshine, nor were there any wind currents, upon the earth prior to the flood. Therefore the water from the seas could not be taken up and formed into the clouds. Without a question of a doubt, then, the "windows of heaven" refer to the opening of the floodgates above the earth, by the breaking of that ring or canopy that envelopes the earth.

The aqueous ring would move with the greatest velocity in the region of the equator. As it neared the poles the velocity would grow less, and there the fall would begin to take place. On the same theory that an airship falls when the motion forward ceases, just so when the movement of the aqueous ring slowed down at the poles it would fall. The breaking of the canopy in the region of the equator would admit the aqueous vapors which, when precipitated in the region of earth's atmosphere, would hurry on to the poles, both north and south, and there begin to fall.

The rapid falling would start the air currents at the poles, which air currents moving toward the equator would take on the forms of great winds. (Genesis 8:1) These winds would increase in velocity and carry the great downpour of water toward the equator; hence the flood would rush from both the north and the south pole toward the equatorial region. These air currents coming from different directions would form what today we call a twister, causing great waterspouts to descend upon the earth. The flood of water therefore would be accompanied by great storms and tremendous thunders and noise. We therefore conclude that the flood was accompanied with terrible sounds that would strike terror to every one who did not by faith rest in the Lord.

The very outermost part of this aqueous canopy was far removed from the sun and of course was farther removed from the earth than any other part of the canopy; hence it would receive no warmth from the earth and very little from the sun; consequently it would be extremely cold and was doubtless frozen. That part of the canopy nearest the earth would not be frozen. The Scriptures seem to plainly teach that the outer part of that canopy was frozen, because it is written: "Out of whose womb came the ice? and the

hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen." — Job 38:29, 30.

The face of the deep, of course, would be toward the Pleiades, which are understood to be the habitation of Jehovah. The very next verse of this scripture reads: "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?" (Verse 31) The face of the deep, the scripture plainly says, was frozen. It would have the appearance of a stone, because ice looks like a stone. The hoar frost was there. By that we would understand that it was white frost, collected there for centuries; otherwise it was great beds of snow and ice. The Lord had placed it there. It would furnish a sight of beauty beyond the description of words. It was one of the wonders of God's creation.

When the canopy broke, the vapors and waters would descend to earth's atmosphere. The velocity with which the canopy was traveling would hurl these cold currents of vapor and air toward the poles. At the same time with the coming of vapors would fall great quantities of ice and snow, likewise being carried toward the poles by centrifugal force. Nearing the poles the velocity would decrease, and they would begin to fall at the poles. This explains why the remains of animals are found in those regions with green food in their mouths and in their stomachs.

The falling of the ice and snow at the poles would cause the warm air to rush to the equator and rise in the vicinity of the equator. This would result in heavy winds blowing from the poles toward the equator. The great quantities of water, mingled with snow and ice, rushing on toward the equator with thunderous sounds, would grind the hills and the mountains into valleys and cause many changes in the forms of the earth's

surface. The extremely cold water, snow and ice would destroy every form of life in the wake thereof; and this climatic condition forming at the poles would, within a short time, cause the falling of the waters practically all over the earth.

When we call to mind that for forty days there was a constant falling of the great flood of water, snow and ice, and that this water rose higher and higher until the very mountain tops were covered, it is easy to understand why every form of life upon the earth outside of the ark perished, even as the Bible has stated.

At both the north and the south pole there are now perpetual snow and ice. At one time those polar regions produced luxurious vegetation. This fact, together with the fact that the remains of animals feeding upon green vegetation are found there, conclusively proves that there was a great flood and how it came upon the earth. When the great deep was completely broken up, and all of that water canopy had fallen to the earth, then the sun would shine clearly upon the earth. As the earth revolved annually through its elliptical orbit the result would be winter and summer, heat and cold; and since the polar regions would get less of the sun's heat, in that region would be perpetual snow and ice.

All the physical facts are in harmony with the Bible. It only remains for men of modern times, posing before the people as clergymen, ecclesiastics and savants, to deny God's Word and to deny that there ever was a flood such as described in the Bible. It can only be said that these men, calling themselves higher critics, are ministers of the Devil, and are aiding the Devil to discredit God and his Word and works. Let the truth be followed and accepted by reasonable men, though it make all the self-constituted wise ones of earth liars.  — Romans 3:4.

Replenish the Earth

In the flood God expressed his righteous indignation against evil, which had been planted in the hearts of men and developed by the Devil. God vindicated his holy name. He exhibited his boundless power. His wisdom and love made provision to replenish the earth with both man and beast. By the flood the old and wicked world had perished. Noah and his family, consisting of eight persons, had been carried over to the new world; and thereafter the world was defined, and they were commissioned by Jehovah God to begin the same.

Noah entered the ark when he was 600 years old. He came out of the ark just one year and ten days thereafter. The waters of the flood had found their places in the seas, lakes and rivers, both on the surface and beneath the surface of the earth. The ground was dry. "And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth."  — Genesis 8:15-17.

After Noah went forth from the ark he built an altar and placed fire upon it; and then he took one of every clean beast and every clean fowl and offered it upon this altar as a burnt offering unto the Lord. It expressed his faith in God and his confident reliance upon Jehovah. God was pleased with this exhibition of faith by Noah, and then said to him: "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth: neither will I again smite any more every thing living,

as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease." — Genesis 8: 21, 22.

Here is the solemn promise of Jehovah God that for ever upon this earth there shall be summer and winter, heat and cold, seedtime and harvest time; and of this man may be for ever sure. The faith of Noah was rewarded, and God made record thereof. His faith stands as an everlasting witness and monument to all intelligent creatures of the universe. — Hebrews 11: 7.

Everlasting Covenant

Noah and his sons were then and there commissioned by Jehovah to "multiply, and replenish the earth". There began a new world, which the Scriptures show shall come to an end. Many will suffer because they have not profited by the lesson which the flood taught, and then God again will demonstrate his power and magnify his holy name.

After Noah had offered this sacrifice to the Lord, then God entered into a covenant with him. That was and is the everlasting covenant. A covenant is a solemn compact or contract entered into, whereby one promises to do or not to do certain things. A covenant by the terms of which only one party is bound to do certain things and the other party thereto may have the benefits thereof if he complies with its terms, is said to be a unilateral, or one-sided covenant. Where, by the terms of the covenant, both parties are bound to do certain things, then it is called a bilateral, or two-sided, covenant.

The covenant that God made with Noah provided that both parties must do certain things. God bound himself to perform his part of the covenant; and Noah was told that thereafter man should be over all the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that these animals might be slain by man for the purpose

of providing food; that the life is in the blood; and that therefore the blood should not be used for food. The law of that covenant further provided that no man should ever be justified in taking the life of another human being, except as the executioner of Jehovah. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." — Genesis 9: 6.

The covenant also provided that never again "shall all flesh be cut off by a flood of waters". As a guarantee that God would perform his part of the covenant he gave a token to Noah, which every man that has lived on the earth since has had opportunity to see; to wit, the rainbow. As long as the canopy of water was above the earth a rainbow was an impossibility, for the reason that the sun's rays could not come directly to the earth. A rainbow is produced by the falling of rain from the clouds and the sun's rays striking the falling rain.

"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth."  — Genesis 9:13-17.

This covenant is the first expression of God's will concerning the sacredness of human life. The will of God is his law. All life proceeds from Jehovah; and

since no one can give life to another except by Jehovah's arrangement, no one has a right to take away life except by Jehovah's permission. After the terms of this covenant the law that must for ever govern the human race is that no man can take the life of another with impunity. If he takes human life contrary to God's law, then he must pay the penalty by giving up his own life. Under the terms of the everlasting covenant human life can be taken by another only when that one acts under the direction from Jehovah, and is therefore God's executioner.

The law of that covenant also means that no man can rightfully take the life of any animal or fowl, unless it is taken for the purpose of furnishing food for man or for the purpose of his protection. The promiscuous killing of animals and fowls and birds merely for sport is wrong before God. The terms of the everlasting covenant have been broken by every people and every nation of earth, and some day God will require at the hands of the responsible ones a full account thereof.

The clergy claim to be the representatives of the Lord, and assume to teach his Word; yet they have openly advocated the killing of human beings in war without just cause or excuse. Many men have gone to untimely death, or have killed other men, when there was no reason for so doing. Wars are not produced, as a rule, by men who do the killing. The governing factors, made up of the commercial, political and ecclesiastical elements, foment wars and then send the wholly innocent into the field to slay each other. The Lord God has declared that in his due time a Complete reckoning shall be had for the ruthless and wanton breaking of the everlasting covenant. — Isaiah 24:5, 6.

The great flood fully and completely proved these facts, to wit: That God sets before his creature, man, good, and shows him the way to go; that he permits

man to choose to be influenced by the Devil if he so desires; that he does not hinder the Devil in pursuing the course of wickedness, nor in drawing men away with him into a wicked course; that in his own good time Jehovah will give an exhibition of his power and wisdom, demonstrating to all creation that he is the only Almighty God and that the only way to life is by obedience unto him.

There is but one God, the Maker of heaven and earth, and the Giver of life to all. There is none like him. To him be all honor and glory for ever.