Noah and the Deluge
The Son of Lamech.--Noah was the son of Lamech, who was a grandson
of Enoch, and after him "the next great grand patriarch who held the
keys of the priesthood." Lamech was ordained under the hand of Seth,
the third son of Adam, who received from his father a blessing similar
to the one afterwards pronounced upon Abraham, to the effect that
his posterity should be the chosen of the Lord. Seth seems to have
succeeded to the position held by Abel, whom Cain slew (Gen. 4:25). He
is described as "a perfect man," the express likeness of his father.
Noah's patriarchal ordination came from Methuselah, the father of
Lamech. Noah was but ten years old when his grandfather thus blessed
and ordained him.--(D. and C. 107: 42, 43, 48, 51, 52.)
"And Noah was four hundred and fifty years old, and begat Japheth; and
forty-two years afterward he begat Shem of her who was the mother of
Japheth; and when he was five hundred years old he begat Ham.
"And it came to pass that Noah prophesied, and taught the things of
God, even as it was in the beginning.
"And the Lord said unto Noah: My Spirit shall not always strive with
man, for he shall know that all flesh shall die; yet his days shall be
an hundred and twenty years; and if men do not repent, I will send in
the floods upon them.
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"And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order, and commanded him that
he should go forth and declare his gospel unto the children of men,
even as it was given unto Enoch.
"And it came to pass that Noah called upon the children of men that
they should repent, but they hearkened not unto his words;
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"And God saw that the wickedness of men had become great in the earth;
and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his
heart, being only evil continually.
"And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the people,
saying: Hearken, and give heed unto my words;
"Believe and repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers, and ye shall receive the
Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if ye do not
this, the floods will come in upon you; nevertheless they hearkened not.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"And God said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come before me, for
the earth is filled with violence, and behold I will destroy all flesh
from off the earth."--(Moses 8:12, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22-24, 30.)
End of the World Foreshadowed.--Noah's period was prophetic of the
end of the world. This is apparent from the words of the Savior, when
prophesying over Jerusalem, and foretelling the end of the Jewish
commonwealth, an event also typical of the final destruction of the
wicked. Speaking of the social conditions that prevailed while Noah was
preaching the Gospel and delivering his warning message, Jesus said:
"As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
"For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark.
"And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall
also the coming of the Son of Man be."--(Matt. 24:3 7-39.)
Earth's Baptism of Fire.--The deluge that destroyed the wicked "with
the earth" (that is, with water, representing the earth) and which God
covenanted with Noah never to repeat, is to be paralleled by another
deluge, in which the wicked will be consumed by fire from heaven; and
as unexpectedly as came the watery flood in which our planet was once
immersed, will come the fiery baptism that is destined to cleanse it
from all unrighteousness and prepare it for celestial glory.
A Second Adam.--Noah, who is Gabriel, and stands next to Adam, or
Michael, in the priesthood, typifies the great patriarch, in that
through him and his immediate family--eight souls in all--Earth was
repeopled after the flood. Hence Noah is sometimes called "the second
Adam."
Japheth, Shem and Ham.--Noah's eldest son, Japheth, peopled Europe;
Shem, Asia; and Ham, Africa. Noah's blessing upon Shem and Japheth, and
his curse upon Ham, through Canaan, Ham's son, are thus recorded in the
Hebrew scriptures:
"And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto
his brethren.
"And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his
servant.
"God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem;
and Canaan shall be his servant."--(Gen. 9:25-27.)
Noah's Curse Upon Canaan.--Part of the curse that fell upon Canaan was
"a blackness," which came upon all his posterity, causing them to be
"despised among all people" (Moses 7:8)--a blackness similar to that
which had been placed upon the "seed of Cain" (Moses 7:22). The curse
also deprived the Canaanites of the priesthood.--(Abraham 1:26.)
Just why a whole race had to be punished for a sin committed by one of
its ancestors, is a mystery almost as great as that of the vicarious
atonement, demanded by eternal justice for Adam's transgression. We
may be sure, however, that right was vindicated in both cases, and
revelation will eventually make the matter plain. Every effect has
a cause. Canaan was not cursed, nor his posterity deprived of the
priesthood, for nothing. It must be that the spirits taking those dark
bodies, and passing through the experiences ordained for them, have
done something to merit their fate. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap." This principle applies to the spirit life, no less
than to the mortal life.
Shem's and Japheth's Blessing.--From Shem came Abraham, the Father of
the Faithful; and from Japheth sprang the Gentiles, the founders of
the most civilized and enlightened nations of modern times, including
Great Britain and the United States of America. Let me add, here, that
the term "Gentile" is not an opprobrious epithet, as some suppose. It
comes from "Gentilis," signifying "of a nation," and is used in sacred
history to designate the people that were not of Israel. Ham, through
Canaan, was the progenitor of the negro race, long held in slavery in
this and in other Gentile countries. The Ethiopian also served the
Semite, just as Noah had predicted.
The Tents of Shem.--How Japheth has "dwelt in the tents of Shem,"
is partly shown by the history of Palestine, which has long been
dominated by the Gentiles, particularly the Turks, who still possess
it. Japheth's remarkable blessing has also been realized in the history
of our own country, America, the land of Joseph, which the Gentiles
now inhabit, and where, according to the Book of Mormon, they are to
assist in gathering Israel and building the New Jerusalem. It is their
privilege to share, if they will, in all the blessings promised to the
chosen people. The Gentiles who receive the gospel, and are faithful
to its requirements, shall be as the seed of Abraham (Abraham 2:9-11).
"The tents of Shem" may be interpreted to mean the lands of Israel,
the homes of the people of God, who are lineally descended from Shem,
through Abraham.
Another Parallel.--"As it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also
at the coming of the Son of Man." For this, his own rendering of Matt.
24:41, the Prophet Joseph finds another fulfilment thus:
"He [Jehovah] continued to him [Noah] the keys, the covenants, the
power and the glory with which he blessed Adam at the beginning; and
the offering of sacrifice, which also shall be continued at the last
time; for all the ordinances and duties that ever have been required by
the Priesthood, under the directions and commandments of the Almighty
in any of the dispensations, shall all be had in the last dispensation;
therefore, all things had under the authority of the Priesthood at any
former period, shall be had again, bringing to pass the restoration
spoken of by the mouth of all the holy prophets."--("History of the
Church," Vol. IV, pp. 210, 211.)