The Flood

As we continue our timeline series, this week it’s time to discuss

Noah and the great flood.

The Sunday school version of this story would have you think it’s just about a big boat and 2 of every animal. But what do you really know about this event?

2 weeks ago when we left the story, the Watchers had descended onto the earth, mated with human women, who bore giants called the Nephilim. The watchers taught mankind to make weapons and kill each other. They also taught them to understand sorcery, sexual perversion and astrology. This was an effort to corrupt the offspring of Eve that was prophesied to defeat the offspring of Satan. The Nephilim, as the offspring of the Watchers, had corrupted the lineage of mankind and began to utterly destroy both men and animals.

This is when we see Noah enter the scene. God had chosen Noah because he was perfect in his generations. His family line had not been corrupted by the Watchers and Nephilim.

Genesis 6:3 “3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

This begins the countdown to the flood. Noah is chosen by God and given 120 years to build the Ark.

Genesis 6:9-12 “9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.”

So what do we know about the ark construction timeline of 120 years? Not much. But it’s safe to say that Noah and his sons probably just oversaw the construction. They didn’t build it by themselves. Even though they had 120 years to build it, the size of the timber and other physical demands would have required more than just four men on this project.

If Noah is proclaiming the flood is coming, how many people who worked on the ark for 100 years ignored Noah’s message...all of them. Have you ever worked a job just for the paycheck?Maybe you’re doing that right now. You don’t have to believe in the company product to be employed there.

But Noah was doing evangelism ministry. Surely, I’m not saying that some people who work at a good church, don’t believe in the message of the gospel? Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.

Do you know how many people work in churches today and yet don’t have any desire to see people repent and accept Jesus as Lord? A Lot. Even in the top leadership at progressive churches, they deny the basic tenants of the faith and replace it with their own thoughts and desires. Noah preached for 120 years, without one convert.

Genesis 6:14-16 “14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.”

So, how big is that? Plenty big to fit all the animals, food for animals and people that were necessary. Let me say this while we look at this image. This is the life size replica of the ark that is in Kentucky. It was built using the description we just read. It’s called the Ark Encounter. If you have been there, you will never forget the experience. If you have not been there, I’d strongly encourage you to take your family there. It is amazing and well worth the trip.

Let’s look at the storage capacity of the ark. If you average the size of all animals, you come up with something the size of a sheep. The ark described in the Bible could hold 125,000 sheep size animals.

This begs the question, how many animals were there, that needed to fit on the ark? The bible describes animals as “kinds.” So they did not have 2 of every dog breed. Breeds are not different kinds. When you consider that, there are only about 8,000 “kinds” of animals. Which means there only needed to be enough room on the ark for 16,000 individual animals. There was more than enough room for everything that was necessary.

The animals come onboard. How many of each, do you remember? Was it only 2, or were there more? If you are thinking to yourself, this question seems too easy...it feels like a trap. You’d be right. Let’s see how many pairs boarded the ark.

Genesis 7:2-3 “2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.”

They needed clean animals for sacrifice. Some commentaries will say they were also for Noah’s food, but that can’t be right because man is not given animals for food until after the flood.

Genesis 7:1 KJV “And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”

7 days before the flood, Noah and family entered the Ark. The final countdown has begun. They have one week to get everything else they needed on the ark before the flood came. Things are getting serious now. There is no time to waste.

Genesis 7:7-10 “7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.”

Here we are, the moment we’ve been waiting for. The big flood starts. The flood brings up questions, like where did all that water come from...and if there was enough of it to cover the earth, where did it all go? The bible tells us where the water came from...which also explains where it went. We are given some information as to how this happens.

Genesis 7:11-12 “11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

The flood waters are going to cover the entire earth. But here’s a question: Is 40 days and nights of rain enough to flood the entire earth? What if I told you that rain was not a significant factor in the flood. Wait a minute...what did we just read? “It rained 40 days and nights.” Correct. But rain was an effect not a cause. So, what caused that rain? That, is the real question. And it is answered in verse 11. “All the fountains of the great deep burst forth.” What are the fountains of the great deep?

To understand the fountains of the great deep we have to understand the original creation. What percentage of the earth is covered with water today? 70%. Did God create a perfect home for Adam and Eve, tell them to be fruitful, multiply...and fill the earth...and then leave only 30% of it suitable for mankind? I don’t think so.

The original earth that God created and called very good looked different than what we see today. We can only imagine what we see today, but the original earth would not have had any scars from the fall and judgment. The climate and atmosphere would have been very different. Probably somewhat tropical from the biblical description. A water vapor created a canopy of water around the earth. Until the flood event began, there was no rain. A mist came up from the ground to water the plants...but where did it come from?

Genesis 1:6-8 “6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.”

Psalm 148:4 “4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!”

Psalm 33:7 “7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.”

Here is how the earth would have looked at creation. A water vapor canopy that protected the earth from the sun’s radiation. Below that, is the atmosphere. Below that, is the the crust of the earth with lakes, rivers and streams. Below that, is the great deep. This is a storehouse of water below the crust of the earth, that surrounded the entire planet.

Here we have the fountains of the great deep, the earth’s crust and the water vapor canopy. With this in mind, let’s read again.

Genesis 7:11-12 “11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

As cracks are formed, the pressure of the earth’s crust pushed down on the great deep it forced the water up and out. Geysers that were the result of the breaking forth of the great deep...were powerful enough to shoot water into the atmosphere and space causing an atmospheric pressure difference, which causes cloud formation...and thus rain for 40 days.

As the water covers the land the extra weight of the water completely collapses the void left from the water.

And now we have valleys where the great deep was. Water has moved from below the earth’s crust to above the earth’s crust. When the water level went down after the flood, we are now left with oceans still covering 70% of earth’s surface.

Today’s oceans are a scar left over from the flood. Our weather patterns are created by oceans. The storms and destruction of hurricanes, typhoons and thunder storms originate from the oceans. From a spiritual standpoint, the “sea” is not a good thing. The abyss is what it is referred to as. Nothing good comes from the abyss. In Revelation the beast comes from the abyss. Even demons are afraid of the abyss.

Luke 8:30-33 “30 Jesus then asked him, “What is yourname?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.”

So even though Jesus didn’t directly command the demons to go into the abyss...that’s where they ended up. Do you remember when we started this series and we were in Revelation talking about the new earth? What did we read was a physical characteristic of the new earth?

Revelation 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

The concept of “no more sea”, is both literal and physical. It is not possible to have a sea (a scar left from the flood judgment) in a perfectly recreated world. Oceans like we have now, were not part of the original creation. Rivers and lakes, yes. But not oceans that cover 70% of the earth’s surface.

OK, back to the ark where Noah and his family have been floating for 150 days with water covering all the land.

Genesis 7:17-20 “17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.”

After 150 days, the Ark rested on the mountains of Ararat.

Genesis 8:2-5 “2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.”

The ark rests on the mountains of Ararat and the waters recede.

If we put this story into context of an ancient Jewish reader, the concept of rest brings to mind the Sabbath. Noah’s name means “rest.” Just before the flood came, God said “come” into the ark. This represents the idea that God is already there. He’s saying join me and receive the salvation I offer.

In the new testament Jesus says “come unto me, and I will give you rest...Noah.” The ark is a type of Jesus in the Old Testament. At the time of the flood, how many arks were there to choose from. It was not a mater of who had the best ark...there was only one. Jesus is the only means of salvation. He offers that you come and find rest in Him. The pitch that covered the ark inside and outside represents the blood of Jesus that covers us.

Now here’s an amazing connection. The date we are given for the ark coming to rest on the mountains of Ararat is significant.

Genesis 8:4 “4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountainsof Ararat.”

The Hebrew calendar is important here. The ark lands on the seventh month on the seventeenth day. Something else significant will happen during the seventh month on the seventeenth day. It’s the event we celebrated last week. That is the same day that Jesus rose from the dead. Yes, Jesus offered rest through His resurrection on the anniversary of the ark coming to rest.

You know the rest of the ark story. Noah and his family leave the ark and he builds an altar to make sacrifices to God. Then God covenants to never destroy earth with water again. He places the rainbow as a sign of His covenant.

The oceans and weather patterns should remind us of God’s judgment of evil. The rainbow should remind us of God's mercy and offer of salvation.