Getting to know the Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit and God's Judgement

Gen 6: 3 (NIV)

Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

The heading in the NIV version of the Bible for Genesis 6 is Wickedness in the World. In a nutshell God, who sees everything, says he will not put up with man’s sin forever and that His Spirit (The Holy Spirit) will not contend with humans forever. He will bring judgement.

If we look at the Hebrew word for contend, diyn (pron. ‘deen’) or dûn (pron. ‘doon’) we will further see that it means to judge, to strive with and to execute as in to put in motion. In this case it was to put in motion God’s judgement of man.

Hence we have the great flood as depicted from verse 9.

The Holy Spirit acts at God’s command to bring judgement on man’s wickedness. This is the same judgement that will be brought upon the World (those that have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour) at the end of the age. Only this judgement won't be brought with water - it will be brought by fire!

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Hebrews 10:26-27 (NIV)

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:36-39 (NIV)

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)

May the name of Jesus be lifted up and glorified!