Romans – God’s Timeline XIX: The Purpose of the Eons – Transitioning Eons and Administrations (Part 3)

 

The Second Administration

The second administration begins with Adam’s expulsion from Eden. He had been given knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 3:22,) and given a specific cap on his life. The following demonstrations with Cain and Abel show us the true nature of sin, its destructive capability, again rooted in jealousy.

Man is conscious, now. Man knows the difference between good and evil, at least, on a conceptual level, and has been given a conscience to testify together with them, accusing or defending them (Rom. 2:14-16.) This is the gift that is dispensed in this administration – a conscience. When Cain murders Abel, it is explicitly out of envy – the same exact envy that is seen in the first eon in the Slanderer. Cain sacrificed fruit from the ground, which, while not inherently bad, there is no express statement from God that this fruit was “firstfruit,” or the ripest picking, but simply fruit. Abel, in contrast, had provided the firstlings of his flock. Thematically, Cain had picked a lifeless sacrifice, evading evil’s necessity. Yet Abel had picked a living creature to cover him, like a propitiatory shelter, making his sacrifice a type of Christ (Rom. 3:25.) In his jealousy, Cain murders Abel, and upon being questioned by God, Cain, the firstborn man of sin, claims that he is not “his brother’s keeper.”

If God had taken Cain’s life, in that moment, He would have proven Himself just, yes, but not loving or gracious. There would further be a deterrent which would have kept a display of sin from becoming evident over the next thousand-ish years. So, instead of taking the life of the first murderer, God instead exiles him further from Eden, to the land of “Nod” (Hebrew element: “WANDER.”)

The fact that God keeps Cain alive, then, is very telling – a strong indicator of sin’s necessity to this story, in particular this administration. At this point in time, sin is specifically on the earth, and there is no unconditionally good force to contrast this – no sacrificial Lamb to apprehend. God intentionally kept sin in the story, not in concession or a stamp of approval, but to highlight the progressive irreverence which stems from sin (that irreverence which Paul summarized in Rom. 1:18-2:1, 3:9-18.)

This irreverence is demonstrated in Cain’s lineage, which God spends a specific amount of time with to show us “the way of Cain” (Jude 11,) by providing the names of said lineage, which carry the thematic meanings necessary to apprehend the second half of Genesis 4 (you may read about this in more detail in A.E. Knoch’s book, Studies in Genesis, chapter 23, “Insubjection in the Line of Cain.” His findings will be summarized here.)

When Cain first murdered Abel, Yahweh told him that he will become a rover and a wanderer on earth (Gen. 4:12.) Yahweh then assures Cain in his doubt that some will try to exact retribution on him for his action, by saying “anyone killing Cain, sevenfold shall he be avenged.” He then placed a sign for Cain, so that anyone seeing him would not harm him (Gen. 4:15.) Yet Cain evidently doubted God, for instead of remaining a “rover and wanderer” on earth, he instead builds a city (Heb. element, “NAKED,”) so as to remain in one place (Gen. 4:17.) This action has another layer of meaning as well, for until the 19th century, cities were designed for shelter, with great walls surrounding them. This likely stemmed from Cain’s disbelief concerning any “mark” from Yahweh, along with a disbelief that men would take said “mark” seriously.

So, Cain gave birth to his son “Enoch,” whose name in Hebrew means “Dedicated.” Cain then named the city after his son, signifying that his son, and the city, were dedicated to the way of Cain. To confirm this, Enoch named his son “Irad,” which, in Hebrew (Oird), means “City (oir) Suffices (d).” This is in direct contrast to Yahweh’s later statement to Abram, that He is the “El-Who-Suffices,” the El Shaddai (Gen. 17:1.) The apparent success of the city seemed to satisfy the unbelieving line.

“Irad” gave birth to “Mehujael,” (Gen. 4:18,) another compound name with the elements “WIPE-SUBJECTOR.” This could loosely mean, “Wipe-out-El!” And Mehujael gave birth to Methusael, yet another compound name meaning “DIE-ASK.” This is likely a double entendre, both a challenge toward God – “Kill me!” – and an open doubt, that “death is questionable,” as not even Adam had yet died on earth by Methusael’s birth.

Yet by Lamech’s birth, something goes awry. Lamech’s name is literally “TO-REDUCE,” meaning impoverish. The KJV even translates this as become poor (Lev. 25:25.) The evidence is clear by the birth of this one that all care for the divine setup which Yahweh established is gone. Instead of recognizing woman as the complement of man (Gen. 2:20-24,) Lamech takes two wives, named Adah (Ode, meaning “Ornament,”) and Zillah (Tzle, meaning “Shadow.”) Their names denote a clear objectification of the feminine sex, one as eye-candy, and the other as a servant. Both are clearly property.

Lamech had three children: Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-Cain. Each of these names has one specific element, “al,” meaning “DISINTEGRATE” in Hebrew. Thus was the nature of Lamech’s guidance – the deterioration of the conscience (foreshadowing the same attitude among those who purposefully follow false teaching today – 1 Tim. 4:1-2.)

Thus over the course of this administration, concerning the vast bulk of the second eon, the deterioration of humanity into decadence and violence is figured in each of the names of the firstborn of Cain’s line. The scene there ends with Lamech’s cry that he has killed for his injury, and a body for his welt, and that if Cain will be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold (Gen. 4:23-24.) Man did not learn the proper lesson, but instead preferred the irreverent idea that God spared Cain in preference to his strength, as opposed to His own mercy on the foolish.

The Flood – End of the Second Administration, and the Second Eon

When Yahweh spared Cain, “lawlessness” evidently believed that it was given a green light. This enmity culminated, however, not in the advent of a Savior, but with a great flood which wiped out every living thing, save for Noah’s shelter (also a type of Christ,) the ark.

Why? Why not establish nations prior to this event, bring about a Savior, and save everyone first, instead of a giant flood? The answer is found in man’s irreverent disposition. They were already too far gone – the evil of man (which, as we considered briefly in Rom. 1:29, means destruction,) had already progressed so far across the earth (Gen. 6:5.) The earth had been ruined by mankind (Gen. 6:12.) This is, first and foremost, because the spirit of Elohim was no longer dwelling in man “for the eon” (Gen. 6:3.) In our popular versions, “for the eon” is translated as “not always,” casting the passage in confusion and uncertainty – as if a perpetual lack of alignment with God will always be mankind’s lot in life. To translate this as “for the eon” in accord with both its Septuagint and Hebrew rendering, restores a harmonious revelation which few today recognize: this passage refers to those in the second eon, not the present eon in which we live (or, once again, Paul’s Rom. 5:18-19 revelation would be an impossibility.)

Furthermore, if God were to establish nations prior to the flood, the earth in its ruined state evidently would not have yielded fruit. It was ruined (Gen. 6:12.) Nor would there be any enjoyment of these fruits, for violence had become the default across the land (Gen. 4:23-24, 6:13.) Man was too far depraved, ignorant to any form of subjection – if “governments” were established, man would have been subject both to other men, and a celestial (Deut. 32:8-9.) This, of course, would not have flown with the “Lamech” characters of the world, who had already created weapons for destruction (Gen. 4:22.) This nihilistic, hopeless outlook should be evident to indicate the necessity for a radical change of affairs.

This radical change is thus brought about by a flood – acting as a cleansing prior to restoration, as was the case with the first eon prior to the earth’s restoration. This cleansing is choice because it is swift, offering very little in the way of pain. Noah represented the faithful of that generation (Heb. 11:7,) which is why he was able to see grace in the eyes of Yahweh (Gen. 6:8,) and considered righteous and flawless (Gen. 6:9.) That he specifically lived meant that God had, literally, cleansed the human race, giving them a new start upon exiting the boat. In a very real sense, all mankind as it exists today was in that ark, saved from the waters of the deluge. This literally places us in closer relation to the Subjector than those of the second eon, who had become radically insubordinate to Elohim.

Thus the deluge, as much as it is a judgment, is as well as salvation from anarchy and chaos. This is a negative reinforcement – a salvation from anarchy. Through an environmental cataclysm, He physically saves man. As we see in the following chapters of Genesis, however, this does not get to the heart of the problem, that is, the matter of the corrupted spirit. As such, a greater resolution is necessary for the current eon.

The Purpose of the Second Eon

The purpose of this eon, then, is to demonstrate the path of irreverence. The insubordination of mankind on all accounts, their increased depravity, and unabashed violence had greatly grieved the heart of Yahweh (Gen. 6:5,) yet remains vitally necessary to demonstrate the extent of enmity to righteousness. Its goal, if left unchecked, tortures the infected individual(s) into the actions summarized by Paul in Rom. 1:28-32. Without this demonstration, as well as the necessary response by a righteous God – a faithful remnant through which to fix the issues – Satan would cry, on Judgment Day, that murder and violence has not been given a proper chance in the creation story.

This eon will find its complement in the fourth eon. By considering the administrations leading into the fourth eon, we will be able to greatly appreciate the purpose of this demonstration.

Third Administration, Third Eon

After the flood, both a new administration and a new eon began. The new eon, titled the “present wicked eon” by Paul, is, as we’ve been studying, still around today. It began with the great foreshadowing of the crisis point of all the eons: the cross of Christ, which was foreknown, proleptically enacted, and manifested in this eon. Observe Gen. 8:20-21–

Then Noah built an altar to Yahweh; he took some of every clean domestic beast and some of every clean flyer and offered up ascent offerings on the altar. Yahweh Elohim smelled the fragrant smell, and Yahweh Elohim said in His heart: Not anymore will I maledict again the ground on account of humanity, for the bent of the human heart is evil from its youth. And not anymore will I smite again every living flesh, just as I have done.

This was not a sin offering which would have restored Cain (Gen. 4:7,) nor was it a present offering as Abel had willingly offered to Yahweh (Gen. 4:4.) It was, simply, an act of worship and praise – re-establishing the status quo, preserving the best of the race, and the younglings of every kind, and, most notably, after the first great perceivable calamity that man witnesses. Note our worship follows this flood – not the lap of luxury we had in Eden.

God establishes an inaugural symbol of the administration with the rainbow. God says, in Gen. 9:16, that this “bow” (a “rainbow”) is a sign of His eonian covenant between Himself and every living soul among all flesh on the earth, that He will never again turn the waters into a deluge to wreck all flesh. This is notable, as it is popularly translated an “everlasting” covenant. This is impossible, for, as we have considered, water is transient in the story – the sea (a very important part of the precipitation cycle) will be gone on the new earth. Science fans know that a rainbow appears due to the refraction of sunlight by water droplets in the atmosphere. This means it can only be seen near/around rain. True to His word, then, rainbows are a direct reminder that much of the water which flooded the earth is suspended in the air at present. This cannot be an “everlasting” covenant, then, but an eonian covenant, for the mere possibility of a deluge on the new earth will be impossible. Rain will be apparent only in this eon and the next (Zech. 14:17.)

With this promise, God then dispenses the authority of justice to man – thus establishing a juxtaposition to the previous administration. Whereas the “strongest” ruled in Gen. 4-6, there is here a specific dispensation of human government at the beginning of Genesis 9. Observe:

Elohim blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: Be fruitful and increase, fill the earth and subdue it. The fear of you and the dismay due to you shall come on every animal of the earth and on every flyer of the heavens, on everything that is moving on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hand.

Every moving animal that is alive, shall be yours for food; as with the green herbage, I give to you everything. Only flesh with its soul, its blood, you must not eat. However I shall require your blood for your souls; from the hand of every animal I shall require it, and from the hand of humanity. From the hand of each man, as regards his fellow man, I shall require the soul of a human. Whoever sheds the blood of a human, by a human his blood shall be shed; for in the image of Elohim He has made humanity.

This governmental administration is the beginning of man’s attempt to impose justice, of our own merit, upon others. There are many notable features, here: it is at the beginning of this administration that the meat of a dead animal is edible to man – hence a reason for the aforementioned fear and dismay from the subordinate animal kingdom. There becomes a discord here that is unnatural between man and animal, that was not present before. Animals are estranged from their subjectors, even as man is estranged from its Subjectors.

Furthermore, there is a new and critical principle presented at the start of administration three: murder, and be murdered. Prior to the flood, man’s violent instinct was so depraved that they were better off dead than alive. Thus we see the necessity to repel a repetition. God institutes government, so that any with such an inclination are deterred, by the nature of the administration.

This is not merely the administrational boundary, however, but the beginning of the third eon altogether, which means that we are receiving a critical theme which will progress over the course of this dense time period: rule. Man’s great lesson here is, simply, to learn that it cannot self-govern. Rule, by nature, revolves around inequality – this is more apparent at this point in the eon than at any prior time (hindsight’s 20/20.) There must be superiors, and subordinates, and this dichotomy has bled into every social, political, and religious facet of our lives. We understandably seek to be free of this, but no matter how we paint it, some critical aspect of our lives face restraint, economically, socially, geographically or otherwise. The weirdo that lives out in the woods? Yeah, it’s the government’s land. The guy that has no bills but lives in his mother’s basement? Yeah, still has to deal with inflation. Very few face uninhibited freedom in this eon (that famed top 1%,) and they are, indeed, the most enslaved of all – to the desires of these perverted bodies. That this corruption drives the most powerful demonstrates why there is so much injustice in the world still prevalent today, yet no one in their shoes, at this time, would do or act better (2 Tim. 3:1-5.)

That this demonstration begins in this third administration is evident in God’s word usage in Genesis 10, where we read of “nations” for the first time (10:5, 20, 31-32.) This is God’s reason for telling us to “fill the earth” at the beginning of the eon – setting the stage for the longer plot involving the nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament.

However, even in setting up this background, man is insubordinate. Observe Gen. 10:8-10–

Cush begot Nimrod. He started to become a master in the earth; he was a master hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, Like Nimrod, the master hunter before Yahweh. The principal cities of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh in the land of Shinar.

The first “master” of the earth is named Nimrod (no, this is not a divine insult; check your Looney Tunes history first.) As with the previous “masters” (Gen. 6:5,) a demonstration is needed to emphasize the failure of man’s attempts at control, and rule. The base issue was demonstrated in the second eon, but here, with man’s bloodlust subdued, we see the same attempt at the “way of Cain” – specifically going against God’s charge by building a city instead of filling the earth. We even see the first use of a “kingdom,” beginning with “Babylon” (which, in Hebrew, is the same word as Babel, which is *not an accident.*) The elements of the word are “IN-DISINTEGRATION.”

In the words of that giant from Twin Peaks, “It is happening again!” We should be concerned. The city established by Nimrod was in a valley called “Shinar.” This title is very telling, for in Hebrew, “Shinar” carries the elements “REPEAT-NAKED.”

No, this isn’t a sex joke. Remember earlier when I not-so-subtly informed you that the Hebrew element of the term “city” (oir) is “NAKED?” Yes – this is a lapse into the same behavior as before. They sought to build a city (establish themselves first,) and then build a tower in their own name (instead of their Creator, even as Irad birthed Mehujael.) The goal, of course, was to elevate their works, and glorify themselves, wiping out the Subjector yet again, in a repeat effort. Yet it is even worse, for in this case, it is not a single city, but the center of a larger kingdom. And, with murder off the table, mankind found a more deceptive means, that is, communicating (Gen. 11:1.)

If God had dealt with Nimrod and co. in the same gracious way He had dealt with Cain, mankind would have multiplied into a larger, scaled-up version of the irreverence of the prior eon, and the only resolution would be another worldwide cleansing, which would have caused Him to either perjure Himself in His covenant, or keep throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the race. But it is not His plan for the eon to demonstrate irreverence in the same way, but to demonstrate a foil for it all. Hence He asserts His right over the clay, this time playing in to man’s irreverence to establish the very intended background. Observe Gen. 11:7-9–

[Yahweh said]: Grant attention! Do let Us descend, and do let us disintegrate their language there, so that each man may not hearken to the language of his associate. Then Yahweh scattered them from there over the surface of the entire earth, and they left off building the city and the tower. Therefore one called its name Babel, because there Yahweh disintegrated the language of the entire earth, and Yahweh scattered them from there over the surface of the entire earth.

He intentionally offshoots the original language spoken by man, establishing confused diction among many which leads to the inevitable breakdown of any effective communication. Man disperses into the various groups demonstrated in Genesis 10 (which overviews the majority of the administration through the scene of Babel.)

I note here that God says “Let Us descend.” Who is He asking to descend with Him? The answer is given for us later in Deut. 32:9, where a properly translated text (both the Septuagint and a Dead Sea scroll verify for us) reads:

When the Supreme gave the nations allotments – when He parted the sons of Adam – He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of El.

This telling passage reveals to us the celestial framework for the event at Babel – the startling realization that God gives each nation its respective god(s.) So we see, even now, that God is involving the celestials, including a mixture of those who did rebel and those who did not rebel during the disruption of the world (shown in Christ’s judgments of the nations in Matt. 25:31-46.) The demonstration in view is guided specially by Him for a display of His multifarious wisdom (Eph. 3:10-11.) Take a few moments and meditate on the sheer horror of this revelation, knowing what we know now in the present! From Babel to Abram, the world became under the direct influence of a celestial’s subjection. Idolatry was essentially forced upon the world. As Yahweh says in Josh. 24:2–

Thus says Yahweh Elohim of Israel: Across the Stream your fathers dwelt from the eon of old, Terah father of Abraham and father of Nahor, and they served other elohim.

Thus all of the pieces are finally set up. Noah and his line introduced the present form of government by nations. This background has, of course, followed us into the present day (and will be complemented through Paul’s teachings in Romans 9-11.) We are still ruled by gods representing each nation. This will, as with the purpose of the second eon, find its fulfillment and perfection in the fourth eon, under the righteous rulership of the Son of Mankind. With these pieces in play, a new administration, inaugurated by a new dispensation to Terah’s offspring, can finally begin.

- GerudoKing