Noah: Was the flood in his day global?
Have you ever seen a rainbow? Of course, you have! The rainbow is telling you that where you’re standing was once under water because of the flood that came in Noah’s day. How do we know that? Because of the promise God gave when He created the rainbow.
Genesis 9:13
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. [Emphasis added]
Is there any place in the world you can go and not see a rainbow? No, there’s not! And that’s telling us all that the flood in Noah’s day was global. It was a universal flood, not local and confined to the Mesopotamian Valley as some claim. Of course, there are others who are foolish enough to believe the whole story is fiction. If that’s true, that makes Jesus Christ a liar because He spoke of it as a fact of history. Please note our Lord Jesus Christ’s comments about it. Here in the context, He’s discussing His eventual return to the Earth.
Matthew 24:36-39
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Here He speaks of it as a historical fact.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [Emphasis added]
In Luke’s record of this we see much the same.
Luke 17:26-27
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. [Emphasis added]
Even though it had never rained before, Noah believed God. Before the flood the ground had been watered by a kind of heavy morning dew. It was also the subterranean waters that sustained life. Rainfall had not been a part of life.
Genesis 1:6-7
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. [Emphasis added]
Until Noah’s flood there had never been even a drop of rainfall.
Genesis 2:5-6
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. [Emphasis added]
Because of his faith in what God had told him about the coming flood, we find Noah listed with other “Hall of Fame” believers. This provides even more evidence of the truthfulness of all this.
Hebrews 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. [Emphasis added]
Therefore, the Genesis record is completely accurate. People have made jokes of this, but I can assure you it is no joke. It happened exactly as this is recorded in the Bible for our learning.
Romans 15:4
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. [Emphasis added]
The Bible gives us a full account of this universal flood.
Genesis 9:8-18
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. [Emphasis added]
It is interesting to note that a rainbow has seven distinct bands of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Seven in the Bible represents perfection. Every time we see one, we should be reminded that it is a symbol of God’s faithfulness to always do exactly what He has promised.
This universal flood involved waters that were approximately 22 feet over the top of the highest mountain.
Genesis 7:19-20
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. [Emphasis added]
The next great universal judgment upon the Earth will not be water, but fire. It occurs at the time of Christ’s Second Coming which will be at the end of a seven-year period of tribulation. It will be a judgment such as the world has never seen. Like the great flood, it also will be universal. The prophecy of it is given in the last chapter of the last book the apostle Peter ever wrote.
II Peter 3:8-12
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack [BRADUNO = slow] concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering [MAKROTHUMEO = patient, long-tempered (instead of short-tempered)] to us-ward, not willing [BOULOMAI = wishing] that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance [METANOIA = a change of mind].
10 But the day of the Lord [a reference to His return] will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? [Emphasis added]
The good news for us as believers is that we won’t be here to suffer this. All members of the Body of Christ will be in Heaven. To be sure you’re not here but in Heaven, receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. Believe the gospel [the good news message] that’s been given to us through the writings of the apostle Paul. That way you’ll be saved [delivered] from this judgment to live forever in a wonderful place of blessing.
I Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: [Emphasis added]
If you’re not ready for this coming time of judgment, you can get ready immediately. Just believe this message of salvation through Jesus Christ and you’ll be perfectly prepared for a wonderful life forever in Heaven. Also, every time you see a rainbow, let it be a reminder to you that God is faithful. Everything He has promised will surely come to pass. You can count on it!
