The Great Flood (Part Two)

In the previous entry, we covered why God wanted to bring a flood to the earth, what happened to dinosaurs, and other such things. In this entry, going back to Biblical roots, we will be taking a look at just what this flood meant for the world, how it changed the world, and what we can learn from it.

Before we go on, take a moment to think of the world around you. Think of the tundra, the humid continental areas, the savanna, the middle latitude deserts, the rain forest. Now think of different forms of frozen water. We have frost, glaze, hail, sleet, among others. Between the tropical climates of the world and the harsh climates of the world, we have one thing in common: water.

The Earth is made up of about 80% water. (Estimated, percentage tends to change.) 97% of that is found in oceans, whereas 3% is freshwater. 79% of that is found in ice caps and glaciers, while 20% is groundwater, and the remaining 1% is surface water. Some of the purest water we can find is rainwater. Why is this? When water is evaporated, it tends to leave behind certain things, such as wastes. So when it rains, the rain is a bit "filtered."

When we turn back the geologic clock and look of the world God created a little over 6,000 years ago, we see a world that is mostly land. When we look at pictures of the earth, or even traverse the earth, we see that the world is almost filled to the brim with water. The cup is not half empty, and it is not half full - it is mostly filled. What does this have to do with the Deluge? (The Flood)

Think of it this way. Here is the Earth, a few thousand years ago. It is, for the most part, land. A man named Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives all board a lifeboat filled with God's creatures - and since many of his creatures are water-based, they did not need to be on the Ark. Now picture this. "The springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." 

The Earth is now being filled with water. The hydrologic cycle (water cycle) is in its early stages - the water is raining down upon the Earth. Flooding continues for "forty days and forty nights," taking nearly a year for the waters to recede. Where did the water go? It remains on the earth. That is why our world is so covered in water.

But if we stop and think for a moment, we use water for many things, though only about 1% is drinkable. We use water for drinking, for cooking, for washing, for showers and baths, for relaxation, for a myriad of reasons. The flood is the reason that our world is so water-filled. After the flood, there WAS a brief Ice Age, only one, that lasted about 700 years, but was not worldwide. The topic of the brief Ice Age will be covered in a later entry.

Now, let us take a look at what God's Infallible Word has to tell us about what happened next. "The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded." (Genesis 7:24-8:1, NIV) "The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible." (Genesis 8:3-5, NIV)

Psalm 104:6 says, "You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; the flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them." God rebuked the waters after nearly a year, and they receded.

When the flood waters receded, (they are still on the earth, but occupy different spaces - lakes, rivers, streams, ocean, the like, while some at various times is in the air due to the hydrologic cycle) God said to Noah, "Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you - the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground - so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it." (Genesis 8:17, NIV)

Here we see Noah and his family coming out of the ark onto what must have looked to them like stepping off a spaceship onto a foreign world, an alien planet. How the world changed due to the flood. Think of mountains, for example. If you have ever been to a beach, notice the ripples in the sand? Via Google Earth or Satellite Imagery, we can determine that mountains look as if they have "ripples" around them - they look as if they were in water for a period of time. The flood, of course.

God proceeded to make a covenant with Noah - "Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." (Genesis 9:11, NIV) Notice that God did not say, "floods will never occur again." He said, "there will never again be a worldwide flood." He chose a rainbow as a sign of this covenant - so each time you look into the sky and see a rainbow, know that it was the sign given to Noah and his family that he will never again flood the earth - a sure sign as any that God keeps his promises.

God also said, "The fear of you and the dread of shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl [bird] of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered." (Genesis 9:1-2; KJV) In other words, every creature upon the earth is for humanity. This includes birds, fish, the like.

Understand that before the flood, most likely, all that was eaten was plants. Fruits and vegetables. Healthy diet. Noah lived for 350 years after the Flood, (Genesis 9:28) so his diet was most likely healthy as well. The reason for the change in food consumption? Well, at a economic angle, it isn't that prices went up or down. It's that demand was high, and quantity was low. Since plants needed time to grow, and people tend to get hungry fairly easily, the meat that was up and walking around was "ripe for the taking."

The remaining dinosaurs (about 40 species), tigers, lions, and other creatures tended to think the same of man: there is a shortage of goods and services, so utilizing the substitution effect, the animals chose another food source: meat. They began to eat each other, eat humans after they had multiplied, and it has continued from there.

What can we learn from the flood? Well, I suppose if one were to write about the lessons that could be learned from the worldwide flood - be it moral lessons, scientific lessons, theological lessons, or what have you, it could fill volumes. Answers In Genesis has devoted much time to the topic of the flood, and has a better scientific understanding of these events than I. I would recommend you take a look at what they have to offer in this regard, as well as others.

The Great Flood is a defining moment in human history. While God will not destroy the earth again with water, he has said several times that when he re-forms the Earth after the Tribulation and the Millennial Reign of Christ, the Earth will be destroyed by fire before being replaced by the new, reformed Earth. Thankfully, the faithful will not need to worry about this coming destruction. (2nd Peter 3:7;10, among many other verses.)

As I said in the previous entry, I would love to devote another blog to the Flood, all that it implies, all the evidence, all the lessons we could learn, everything. However, I simply do not have the time, and as much as I would love to cover it on here, unless requested, there is always a plethora of subjects I feel I ought to cover and discuss.

There is another fire though, and while many Christians, though not all, thankfully, tend to gloss over the subject, I will not. Let me be blunt. Whether you die today, tomorrow, 50 years from now, or whenever, you are in danger of another fire. I assure you, this fire is very real. Jesus, time and time again, stresses the reality of this place: Hell. Do I want anyone to go there? No, that is one of the reasons I write the blog, is so that others may recognize that Jesus Christ truly is the Messiah, recognize that we all need forgiveness, and that if we confess our sins to him and turn to him, accepting him as our savior, we will be saved. (Romans 10:9) If you have never made a decision to turn to Christ, I urge you to do so today - you never know how much longer we have.

Think of it this way. You are hanging off a cliff, holding on with your hands, and as I offer you a rope to grab onto you, it is your choice whether to take the rope and be saved or to let go and fall to certain demise. Blunt and straightforward way of putting it, yes, but truth. My task is to inform you, the reader, of things concerning us, the Creator, and all of his Creation. If you don't believe that the rope can save you, why would you ever want to grab onto it?

I trust this entry of "The Truth" has proven both helpful and insightful. I realize that much of what we cover is considered "controversial," but is that not how the best things are determined? We look at the intricate layout of things, and determine what is fact, what is hypothesis, what is theory, and what is law. Decide for yourself. Decide today. As always, feel free to email vexx801@yahoo.com, visit the facebook page, or share your comment below. May God bless you, dear reader. Take care. Troy Hillman