A Case for Creation 101: Noah and the Flood

What caused God to bring the great Flood upon the Earth?

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…. Genesis 6:5

“Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that in on the earth shall perish. Genesis 6:17

(Jesus speaking) As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 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; 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 24:37-39

Noah was the only one left at that time who had a personal relationship with God, and God chose Noah for a very special purpose.“Noah found favor in the eyes of God. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (Gen. 6:8-9). God made a Covenant with Noah (Gen. 6:18) and therefore Noah would carry the righteous seed of the “Original Promise/Covenant” (from Genesis 3:15) through to the post flood world. It is through Noah’s descendant Abraham that God would further unveil the meaning of this Covenant and reveal His rescue plan for all humankind (Gen. 12:1-3).

What led to God’s judgment?

Genesis 6

From Cain making excuses for the murder of his brother Abel, to the bragging of murder by Cain’s descendant Lamech, the hearts of men had grown colder and the influence of evil had increased worldwide:

The wickedness of man was great on the earth (6:5)
The intent of man’s heart was only evil all the time (6:5)
The earth was corrupt (6:11)
The earth was filled with violence (6:11, 13)
All flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth (6:12)

It is hard not to say that we see the same thing occurring in our world today. Wickedness, corruption, and violence are rampant. Reverence for God’s Word and Jesus’ coming wane. Many say, “it’s been two thousand years since Jesus promised He would come again so I doubt He ever will.” However, the Bible tells us He will, and with great wrath in display of God’s righteousness and judgment (Revelation 19). When this happens every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord (Philippians 2:10). For believers this is great news, but for non-believers not so much. What side do you plan to be on?

It is ironic that people in Noah’s time didn’t believe a flood would come, just as many people today do not believe that Jesus will come. It appears that people either ignored Noah or mocked him for building a ship so far from the sea, and they had not experience real rain before that time, but it happened. We humans tend to scoff at things we have not yet experienced, but God gives us advanced warning in His Word and He provides a way out, so we can trust Him in faith.

How seaworthy was the Ark and what was its capacity?

Many people today do not even believe that there was a Noah’s Ark and a global flood, yet the Bible gives us specific details from God to Noah on how to build it and what he was to take. The amazing accuracy that these details contain show us an Ark that would rival modern shipbuilding, and yes, it would have had the capacity to hold the number of animals God required to be saved, and with room left over.

The dimensions God gave for the Ark (Gen. 6:14-22) are exactly six times longer than it’s width and that is equivalent to the ratios used today by modern ship builders
An ancient cubit is roughly the length of the forearm from the elbow to the longest finger (anywhere from 18 and 25 inches)
Noah’s Ark was basically the same size as the USS Missouri
The Ark was extremely stable and could tip up to 30 degrees in wind or waves
The Ark’s vector buoyancy was above the gravity line and could tip to 90 degrees and still stay buoyant
The Ark was designed to float, not sail
The Ark’s capacity was more than enough to hold the animals, humans, and supplies
- The average size of the animals on the Ark are estimated to be the size of a sheep; smaller younger animals (even eggs) would be the chosen “ticket holders”
- Marine life and other water dwellers would be exempt from the Ark
- Only two of each “kind” of unclean animal and seven of the clean animals would be required since they would be carrying the genetic information for variations in their species (for example, only one dog “kind” would be necessary)
- Using all known species as an example (which would be a higher number than “kinds”) an estimated 50,000 individual animals could have been on the Ark
- With the per cubit estimate of 25 inches there would have been room for up to 340,000 sheep size animals, leaving plenty of room for food and supplies

How catastrophic was this flood?

It is important to note that Noah’s Flood was caused by not only massive rainfall, but the bursting forth of the “great deep.” This would have included worldwide volcanic activity and massive plate tectonics. Also, the worse damage to the landscape is often done during the receding of the waters at the end of the flood.

There are many today who claim that Noah’s flood was not global, but localized in that region of the world. Let’s look at the evidence:

The Biblical language does not leave room for either a tranquil or localized flood: In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And the rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:11-12 (Read on through verse 24 for the full impact)
The Genesis account indicates both a deluge from above (“floodgates of the heavens were opened”) and a deluge from below (“the springs of the great deep burst forth”)
The purpose, as spoken by God, was to bring a worldwide flood upon the whole earth to wipe out the evil that had developed in humans and everything on the earth from the first creation (6:12-13)
This was a catastrophic flood like no other before and no other after as spoken by God (9:11; 15)
The Hebrew word used here for “flood” is only used once in reference to this flood because God promised that He would never bring such a flood as this upon the earth ever again (9:11-17)

Our geology, history, and fossil record screams “worldwide flood”

Water from above can cause massive flood damage, but it is the “bursting of the great deep,” which would have included volcanic activity, that would have resulted in complete destruction and reshaping of the top core of the earth and this is evident in what we see from plate tectonics and close examination of the ocean floors and continental shelves
The aftermath of such a flood can be evidenced in the topography of the earth around the world where we find upheavals, rock formations, and layers of sediments containing fossils that could only result from rapid laying down by water and subsequent mudflows
Many geological strata worldwide are tightly bent, not broken, this can only happen in a catastrophic water event
Global flood stories are found in almost every historical record of varying cultures worldwide with many supporting the Biblical record in specific detail

Note: Fossil formation can only occur by rapid burial, encasement, or by freezing. Dead things will be eaten by scavengers or decompose fairly quickly and therefore could not be preserved over long periods of time. We have evidence of fossils all over the earth that are in layers laid down rapidly by catastrophic conditions.

We can make observation today of what flood damage can due and apply that at a grander scale to support the narrative

The effects of any flood can be observed today when we see the devastating aftermath and destruction that has resulted from rapidly moving water currents and mudflows
We can observe canyons being carved out in a matter of days by both rushing and receding waters that move at a rapid pace carrying debris and boulders of extreme size and weight that cut through solid rock like butter
We can observe massive “digging out” and destruction from both volcanic activity and flooding from small scale floods worldwide
Observable evidence comes from the Mount St. Helen’s eruption in 1980 giving us a glimpse of the type of catastrophic damage a “great deep” eruption can cause – the aftermath of that eruption and subsequent flooding over a two year period carved out a canyon now referred to as “Little Grand Canyon”

Going Deeper:

Was the Genesis Flood literally a global flood? Click on the link and watch the video presentation by World Video Bible School: “The Global Flood, The Reality of Noah’s Ark”

Study Genesis 8-9:

“God remembered Noah…” (8:1) (Note: As the author tells the second half of this story keep in mind that the Hebrew language uses terminology that is picturesque and easy for humans to understand. It was at this point God stopped the flood—He had not forgotten Noah). What does the Scripture say about how God stopped the flood (8:2)? How do you think the flood, especially the receding of the waters, would have affected the earth and its topography?
How long did it take for the floodwaters to recede in order to see the tops of the mountains? (8:3-5) How much time did it take before the earth was dry enough for Noah to leave the ark (8:6-15)? Extra Credit: How long was it between the start of the flood (go back to chapter 7) and when Noah left the ark? Write out your timeline/calculations.
What did God tell Noah when they exited ark (8:15-19, 9:7)? What did Noah do after leaving the ark and how did God respond (8:20-22)?
What did God say to Noah as He blessed them (9:1-3)? What was God’s restriction and why (9:4)?
What did God tell Noah concerning a man shedding the blood of another man (9:5-6)? Why do you think God gave that command (clue: Discuss what happened with Cain and his line, and what we know happened with people after the Flood)?
What Covenant did God establish and whom did He establish it with (9:8-11)? What was the sign of this Covenant (9:12-17)?
Who were the sons of Noah and what do we know about them? (9:18-19) Extra Credit: How are Ham and his son Canaan’s descendants connected elsewhere in the Bible? Which one of Noah’s sons will we follow through to Jesus (cross-reference Luke 3:36)?
Describe what Noah’s Sons did when their father got drunk (9:20-23). What was the curse Noah gave and who was it upon (look closely)? How did Noah bless his other two sons (9:24-29)?

Join us next week as we continue to study Genesis and make a Case for Creation!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15