In the first step of the fall, the enemy of God was outside of man. In the second step of the fall, this enemy was inside of man. Now, the enemy took another step, causing man to fall even further.
Genesis 6 tells us that the sons of God married the daughters of men. Here the sons of God were the angels. In Job 1:6 and 2:1 we are told that the angels are called the sons of God. Also, the Syriac Version of the Old Testament renders “the sons of God” as “the angels” in Genesis 6. The angels that married the daughters of men were those who did not keep their principality, as recorded in Jude 6 and 7. Some of the fallen angels under Satan came down to the earth and took human bodies. They formed illegal marriages with the daughters of men. They committed fornication through the bodies of men, so that the human race was no longer pure but became a mixture of human nature with the fallen spirits. Hence, God decided to send the flood to exterminate the human race.
Genesis 6:3 says, “And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for that he indeed is flesh” (Heb.). In the first step of the fall, man did not exercise his spirit. In the second step of the fall, man followed his own will and lived by his soul. In the third step of the fall, man abused the fallen body and became flesh. Romans 7 and 8 reveal to us that the flesh is thoroughly and absolutely hated by God. God will not tolerate it. Therefore, when the entire human race became flesh, God came in and told His servant Noah that He was going to destroy that whole generation together with the earth (Gen. 6:11-13).
The first step was the fulfilling of the lusts of the flesh. Man lived and indulged in lusts, and every imagination of his thoughts was evil continually (Gen. 6:5). The second step was that man was not only evil, but corrupt to such a degree that even the most tolerant God could not tolerate it any longer (Gen. 6:11-13).
First, the Holy Spirit withdrew Himself. The Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever” (Gen. 6:3). Before that time although man had fallen, God’s Spirit was continually striving with man and moving in man. Nevertheless, at this point God could not do anything further. When man had become flesh, the Spirit of God had to withdraw. Man was completely separated from God and forsaken by God. Second, the deluge brought in the judgment of destruction. With the exception of Noah and those in the ark with him, all were exterminated by the flood.