This session has not been translated into your language yet, so it is shown in English.

The Progress of God’s Kingdom in Primeval History

1. CONNECT

   10min
   Most Christians know the basic storyline of Genesis 1-11: creation, the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, Cain’s murder of his brother Abel, the generations that followed them and the story of the great Flood in Noah’s day. There are many lessons to be learned from these events. In earlier sessions, we concentrated on the place of God’s kingdom and the people of God’s kingdom associated with these events. But in this session, we’ll look at how these chapters trace the progress of God’s kingdom during this period of time. The biblical account of the progress of God’s kingdom during the Primeval History is not simply a record of what happened long ago. It depicts the early stages of God’s purposes in ways that explain realities that God’s people have faced throughout the ages.

2. Reflection

   If God had wanted to, he could have turned the entire world into his kingdom in a split second. Still, in his unsearchable wisdom, God determined that he would receive glory by extending his kingdom through wondrous displays of his mercy and judgment. In many respects, the first eleven chapters of Genesis were given to Israel to explain how God set the stage for what he would continue to do through the people of Israel and through Christ in the New Testament age. In fact, the history of earth’s earliest years reveals the basic structures and processes that God followed throughout the Scriptures. If you want to know how the rest of the Bible portrays the kingdom of God on earth, it’s crucial to grasp what these chapters of Genesis explain about the early progress of God’s kingdom.

3. Guiding Question

   Why do you think God didn’t make the entire world into his perfect kingdom from the beginning?

4. WATCH

   15min

5. DISCUSS

   15min
   1. Why is it appropriate to think of the sin of Adam and Eve as “cosmic treason” that impacted all of history, rather than simply as their personal rebellion against God?
   2. Read Genesis 4:1-16 (the story of Cain and Abel) and 6:5-7. How was the violent nature of humanity contrary to God’s kingdom purposes for his images?
   3. How did God reveal his long-term strategy for building his kingdom through his redeemed images in Genesis 3:15 and Romans 16:20?

6. APPLY

   15min
   1. How do you see the impact today of the curses that God placed on Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:16-17?
   2. Name ways in which unjustified violence has continued to be evident throughout human history.
   3. God showed great patience toward the sinful human race in his words after the great Flood in Genesis 8:21-9:1. What does God’s patience toward humanity teach us about God’s plan for his images to carry on in their kingdom service in spite of their failures? When have you seen God extend this kind of patience toward you in your personal life?

7. CHALLENGE

   Write down five ways that the progress of God’s kingdom in Primeval History still impacts the world today. Finish with a time of prayer.