The Biblical FloodBy David Wood One thing you won’t see in any high school or university textbooks is the evidence for the Biblical flood. Evolutionists, as well as many Christians that hold the view that the earth is millions of years old, believe that if the flood happened at all it was only a local flood around the area of Mesopotamia. If this were the case, then we would not only find this in the Bible but also in the observable evidence from history. Before we look into the evidence from history and geology, we must first see what God has said about the flood in the Bible. Biblical Evidence: Local Or Worldwide Flood
In (Matthew 24: 37-39) Jesus said: “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” And (Luke 17: 26-27) states: “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man; They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” Jesus Himself equated the judgment of all mankind with the flood of Noah. If the flood were only local, why would Jesus use the flood as an analogy of the judgment of all humanity on the entire earth? Furthermore, in (2 Peter 3:6) the apostle Peter referred to Noah’s flood when he said “by which the world that existed perished, being flooded with water.” We now turn to the book of Genesis to see if God’s word teaches a local or a worldwide flood. (Genesis 6:7): “I will destroy man whom I created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air...” (Genesis 6:12): “God looked upon the earth and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on earth.” (Genesis 6:13): And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” (Genesis 6:17): God said, “And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on earth shall die.” (Genesis 7:21): “And all flesh died that moved on the earth; birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.” The above Scriptures indicate that the flood was not local, but did cover the entire earth. On top of this fact, there are other problems associated with a local flood view. For example, if the flood was only local, why did God command Noah to spend over 100 years building the ark? Noah could have built some type of high structure to preach from for 75 years, then he and his family still would have had plenty of time to walk away to anywhere on earth to escape a local flood. Also, why did God command Noah to build an ark to hold such an animal as a bird? If the flood was only local, couldn’t any bird just fly away and perch on some distant mountaintop to escape a local flood? Furthermore, why would God command Noah to build a ship the size of an ocean liner if it was just a local flood? Possibly the largest problem for proponents of a local flood is what God said concerning the rainbow (Genesis 9:12). God said that He created the rainbow after the flood as a sign to humanity that there would never again be a flood such as Noah’s flood. Here lies the problem. There have been numerous local floods happen all over the earth since the days of Noah. Every country has experienced flooding in localized regions. So, if the flood of Noah was only a local flood and God has put the rainbow in the sky as a sign that there would never again be a flood like Noah’s flood, but there have been numerous local floods take place all over the earth since Noah, doesn’t this indicate that God is a liar? In conclusion, it is abundantly clear that according to the Bible, the Biblical flood of Noah was not a local flood but was indeed a worldwide flood that covered the entire planet. Noah’s Ark
There have been different measurements for a cubit in ancient times. The range has been from 17.5 inches up to 20.65 inches. For the Hebrews, a cubit was either 20.4 inches or 17.5 inches. If we use the smallest Hebrew measurement for a cubit (17.5 inches), the size of the ark would have been: 437.5 feet in length; 43.75 feet in height; and 72.92 feet in width. To paint a picture of the size of the ark, it was as long as one and a half football fields and as tall as a four-story building. The Bible goes on to say that the ark had three decks. By using the measurements of the total size of the ark, then figuring that with the ark having three decks, the total floor space inside the ark would have been close to twenty basketball courts. Furthermore the total volume capacity of the ark would have been approximately equal to 520 railroad cars. The Flood and Fossils
"Now comes the important question. What caused all these extinctions at one particular point in time, approximately 65 million years ago? Dozens of reasons have been suggested, some serious and sensible, others quite crazy, and yet others merely as a joke. Every year people come up with new theories on this thorny problem. The trouble is that if we are to find just one reason to account for them all, it would have to explain the deaths, all at the same time, of animals living on land and of animals living in the sea: but, in both cases, of only some of those animals, for many of the land-dwellers and many of the sea-dwellers went on living quite happily into the following period. Alas, no such one explanation exists." (Alan Charig, "A New Look At The Dinosaurs", p. 150) Located all over the earth is what is known as fossil graveyards. These are areas where numerous different animal fossils have been found all buried together. Some evolutionists admit that the best answer to what caused these fossil graveyards was some type of flood. But instead of admitting a worldwide flood, these evolutionists postulate that there were numerous local floods all over the earth that created these graveyards. They will do anything to keep from using the words “worldwide flood” simply because the Bible talks about it. I read where one evolutionist even said that each local flood trapped the animals, they became confused, then they all tripped over each other and fell to the ground where the local slow rising waters buried all of them. The evidence found in these graveyards fits well with the description of a worldwide flood. In the flood, animals would have been caught in huge waves of water while trying to escape. Along with the waves of water, there would have been tremendous mudslides that would have trapped the animals. This would have created huge areas where all types of animals would be found together...exactly what we see today in the fossil record. The first creatures to be buried would have been the ones living in the oceans or near water. The animals that were faster and more mobile could escape the rising waters longer. This is exactly what we observe in the order of the fossils in the geological layers. Furthermore, there have been fish and marine fossils found on mountaintops all around the world. This indicates that at one time in the past the mountains were covered with water and in pre-flood days, the mountains would not necessarily have been so high. (Psalm 104: 6 – 9) suggests that the process of uplifting the mountain ranges took place during and after the Flood. Flood Stories
Along with the numerous stories of a worldwide flood are the historical documents that have been discovered by archaeology. Ancient clay tablets speak about a flood so large that it covered the entire earth, with 28 talking about an ark; 30 that mention a Deity; 30 tablets that speak about a large ship that came to rest upon a mountain top; and other tablets that mention how birds were used to test if the waters were receding. If nothing else, all the different accounts of a worldwide flood shows that there was a common origin they came from. Many skeptics bring up the fact that just because there are flood stories from many different cultures and countries; this itself doesn’t prove that an actual flood happened there. Their reasoning concludes that if Noah and his family were the only survivors, how would all these other people from other cultures know there was an actual flood in their area if there were no survivors in those areas? Wouldn’t this imply that all these stories are just a legend? In truth, these skeptics are correct. Just because there are worldwide flood stories doesn’t prove without a doubt that the flood really happened. But there is a good answer for how these flood stories became worldwide. Because Noah and his family were the only survivors, they would have eventually spread out to all parts of the world. Noah’s descendants would have taken with them the story of the flood as they reached new lands. Although there are many legends that spread around the world, the Biblical flood doesn’t fit the description of a legend. When you take these worldwide flood stories and put them with the evidence from the fossil record, and more importantly, the record from God’s word, it is clear that the core events point to a true historical event. But as can be seen in the differing accounts of the flood, the most plausible answer is the fact of a true historical event turning into pagan accounts based on the many different growing cultures. This leaves us with the questions: Which flood story is taken from the one true historic event? What is the evidence that the Biblical flood told by Moses was taken from the actual event? There is good reason to believe that the pagan flood stories are just that...pagan mythology. These pagan accounts do talk about a worldwide flood that caused massive devastation and yet many of the stories say that it rained only seven days. The problem is, seven days of rain would not have caused the huge worldwide devastation described within these accounts. Other stories state that the waters receded in just one day, which is impossible with a flood that covered mountains. One Sumerian flood story talks about eight Kings that lived tens of thousands of years (mythology?). The Babylonians have a flood story that talks about the ship that was used. The problem is this ship as described would not have lasted one day in raging waters. The Babylonian ship would have turned over and hence not saved anyone. And finally, a common thread that occurs in the pagan accounts is the hero is lifted up by “God” (deities), and this hero is blessed with immortality. One thing is clear with the pagan flood stories. They all lean toward mythology and lean away from honesty and truth. There are very good reasons why the Biblical flood described by Moses is the actual account from the real historical event. First let’s take a look at the ark itself. As stated earlier, Noah’s ark was approximately 437.5 feet in length, 43.75 feet in height, and 72.92 feet in width. A ship this size would have held up so well in raging waters that it would have been almost impossible to capsize. The rectangular shape was perfect to ride the rough waves and also have stability in the water. Furthermore, the rectangular design would have decreased the rocking back and forth of the ark. The Bible also states that the ark had a window--a long slot under the overhang of the roof. Although this might seem like a small unimportant detail to include, it would have been extremely important to Noah and his passengers because this “window” would have allowed any available light to enter the ark, and it would have also provided much needed ventilation. The Biblical flood account also fits well with the amount of water needed for a true worldwide flood. The account in Genesis states that it rained for 40 days and 40 nights as the “windows of heaven” were opened and the “fountains of the great deep” came bursting forth and flooded the earth for 150 days. (Genesis 7:11&24) For this to happen there would have been cracks in the earth which caused massive amounts of water to shoot up like giant fountains. All of this implies massive volcanic activity. The Bible also goes on to state that after the ark came to rest on a mountaintop, it was still another 2 months of waiting before the tops of the mountains were visible. It is hard to imagine such a catastrophic event as the Biblical flood. Not only would such an event have killed every creature, but it would have completely changed the landscape and structure of the earth. Possibly the most amazing aspect of the flood story told by Moses is the way it is actually recorded in the Bible. The account in Genesis reads just like a diary of events. No other flood story contains such in-depth information. The Genesis account is very similar to a ship log of events, even to the point that the actual year of the flood is given. Over and over there are dates given for events as well as the time span between events. On top of this, the Genesis account provides a chronology relative to the life of Noah. But maybe the most notable event in the Biblical flood account concerns Noah himself. While the pagan stories have their “Noah” end up as an exalted super-hero granted with immortality, look what the Bible has to say about Noah. First, Noah sacrificed burnt offerings to God (Genesis: 8:20). And second, Noah later ended up naked, drunk, and dishonored by one of his own sons (Genesis 9:20-27). It certainly seems that only a version that truly wants to convey honesty and truth about the flood would include such information as this. Although evolutionists completely deny that a worldwide flood ever took place, isn’t it amazing that almost every culture has an account of how a flood destroyed the world. Isn’t it eye-opening that archaeology has produced ancient clay tablets that talk about a worldwide flood, with much of the fossil record seemingly caused by a huge worldwide catastrophic event like a flood. And isn’t it amazing that there is not one historical record in any culture that talks about evolution ever taking place? Isn’t it eye-opening that there is not one ancient clay tablet that talks about how humans evolved from a lesser animal? (Psalm 104: 6-9) “You covered the earth with the deep as with a garment; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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