The pre-Flood civilization was spiritually in utter darkness—satanic-inspired, without God, corrupt to the core, and filled with violence.
According to Les Feldick, the pre-Flood people had tremendous intelligence and technology but were spiritually out in utter darkness, without God. Their civilization was satanic-inspired rather than God-glorifying, with no organized worship or civil government to control man's thinking, so corruption, violence, and murder ran rampant until God judged it with the Flood.
Genesis 6:5 — This verse exposes the inward spiritual state of pre-Flood humanity—every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 6:11 — Directly answers the question: the earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence, describing the social and spiritual condition before the Flood.
Genesis 6:5 says, "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." This describes the inner spiritual condition of the world before the Flood. The Bible then shows the outward result: Genesis 6:11-13 states that the earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence, and that all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. God said to 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."
Les Feldick describes the pre-Flood civilization as having tremendous intelligence and technology because people had hundreds of years to develop their minds, but spiritually they were in utter darkness and without God. He calls it "a satanic-inspired civilization" whose achievements were not aimed at glorifying God. Les also notes that before the Flood there was no idolatry, no religion of sorts, no temple worship, and no organized worship. With no civil law, no government to maintain law and order, and no system of worship, there was nothing to control man's thinking. The result, he says, was total corruption—rotten to the core—with violence and murder running rampant, until God saw no remedy but to destroy that world.
Les Feldick teaches that the pre-Flood people had "tremendous intelligence" and hundreds of years to use it, but spiritually they were "out there in utter darkness" and without God. He explicitly calls the pre-Flood civilization "a satanic-inspired civilization." Their accomplishments were not being directed toward God's glory, and he parallels this with modern technology that is enjoyed even though much of it is not done to glorify God.
According to Les, before the Flood there was never an instance of idolatry, no religion of sorts, no temple worship, and no organized worship. Yet man went "completely down the tube" and became corrupt and violent because there was nothing to control his thinking. After the Flood, even with eight people who had a knowledge of God, within about 200 years the expanding population was gathered around the Tower of Babel, ready to embrace pagan worship.
The Bible says the earth was filled with violence (Genesis 6:11). Les fills in the social context: there was no civil law, no government to maintain law and order, and no system of worship to maintain a relationship with God, so violence and murder were running rampant. He says the epitome of that corruption was violence or murder—the earth was corrupt, wicked, and violent, and God said He would bring it to an end.
Les draws a direct parallel to the present day. Pre-Flood people were so busy in intense activity that they had no time to think about the coming wrath of God in the flood, and he says, "here we are. Not one bit different." He also observes that our technology—transportation, air travel, and military smart bombs—is accomplished, but much of it is not to God's glory.
Intelligence Without God
Les teaches that the pre-Flood civilization had tremendous intelligence and technology, but spiritually it was in utter darkness—a satanic-inspired civilization rather than one that glorified God.
Corrupt to the Core
Les says the earth just before the Flood was corrupt, using "corrupt" as something vile and abhorrent—rotten to the core.
No Law and Order
Les explains that with no civil law, no government to maintain law and order, and no system of worship, the earth was filled with violence, leading God to destroy it.
Too Busy to Think
Les says pre-Flood people were so busy in intense activity that they had no time to think about the coming wrath of God—and modern people are no different.
Violence and Murder Rampant
Les describes the pre-Flood civilization as morally and spiritually corrupt, wicked, and violent, with murder running rampant; God therefore destroyed the surface of the earth.
Murder as the Epitome
Les says the society was totally corrupt and the epitome of that corruption was violence or murder, connecting it to Jesus' references to Noah's day in Matthew 24.
No Religion or Temple Worship
Les points out that before the Flood there was no idolatry, no religion, no temple worship, and no organized worship; man became corrupt and violent because nothing controlled his thinking.
Morally Down by 2400 B.C.
Les sets the historical context: by about 2400 B.C., about 1600 years after Adam, the human race had gone down so far morally and into such violence that God destroyed them in the Flood.
Genesis 6:5: 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.
This verse reveals the inward spiritual condition of pre-Flood humanity—every thought and imagination was evil continually.
Genesis 6:11: The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
This is the Bible's direct statement about the pre-Flood earth's moral and social condition.
Genesis 6:12: And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Shows that the corruption was universal—all flesh had corrupted his way.
Genesis 6:13: 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.
God's response to the violence and corruption of the pre-Flood world was to destroy it.
According to Les Feldick, the pre-Flood civilization was spiritually in utter darkness—satanic-inspired, without God, and corrupt to the core. Despite its intelligence and technology, it did not glorify God and was filled with violence and murder.
Les says that before the Flood there was never an instance of idolatry, no religion of sorts, no temple worship, and no organized worship. Man went completely down the tube and became corrupt and violent because there was nothing to control his thinking.
The earth had become corrupt before God and filled with violence and murder. There was no civil law or government to maintain order and no system of worship to maintain a relationship with God, so the only remedy was total destruction. Yet God's grace saved eight souls—Noah, his sons, and their wives.
Watch the Teaching: Who Did Cain Marry? & The Mystery of Enoch (Genesis 4-5 Bible Study)