God wanted to establish a covenant with Noah whom God wanted to save together with his wife, his three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), and their wives
(Gen 6:10, 18).
Noah wasn't perfect (Gen 9:20–21). He became an heir to the righteousness that came by faith and not by good works, and by faith he built an ark to save his family
(2 Pet 2:5, Heb 11:7). Noah put his faith in God and trusted him. He did all that God commanded him to do (Gen 6:22). Noah was blameless (Gen 6:9). It means that in his daily contact with people, they couldn't find fault with him. Among men his dealings were honest and sincere. It doesn't mean that he was sinless, we are all sinners (1 John 1:8,10). That Noah walked with God (Gen 6:9b) means that he included God in all areas of his life. Noah's faith in God was the key to Noah's standing with God and with Noah's standing with man. All others had surrendered to the lust of the flesh and and didn't want to follow God. See time 7:11–8:34 in
Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │December 2023.
God gave detailed instructions on how to build the ark (Gen 6:14–16). The people of the time before the Flood could forge all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron
(Gen 4:22). They could build cities so they didn't live in caves (Gen 4:17). Because they reached high ages (Gen 5:3–32), they were able to achieve a high level of knowledge in, for example, building different kinds of boats. It's therefore likely that it was possible for Noah to build such an ark together with his three sons, and probably with the help of skilled workers some of the time, see the video:
The dimensions of the ark, given by God, made it very stable, see the videos:
Noah brought one pair of every living creature into the ark and also food for the animals and his family (Gen 6:19–21). He took seven pairs of all the clean animals and one pair of the animals that weren't clean (Gen 7:2). He took seven pairs of the birds with him in the ark (Gen 7:3). God saw to it that they entered the ark and closed after them (Gen 6:18b, 7:7–9, 15–16).
Noah brought one pair of every living creature into the ark and also food for the animals and his family (Gen 6:19–21). He took seven pairs of all the clean animals and one pair of the animals that weren't clean (Gen 7:2). He took seven pairs of the birds with him in the ark (Gen 7:3). God saw to it that they entered the ark and closed after them (Gen 6:18b, 7:7–9, 15–16).
There were one pair and seven pairs of each kind, not of each species. See this explained at time 6:43–11:30 in Science Confirms Biblical Creation - Dr. Jason Lisle.
God made it rain for 40 days and 40 nights and let water naturally come up from the ground for 40 days (Gen 7:11–12, 17–18). Water covered the whole Earth so that all the high mountains were covered (Gen 7:19–20,
2 Pet 3:5–6). Every living creature in the land died, except for Noah and his family (Gen 7:21–23). The water then prevailed on the Earth for 150 days
(Gen 7:24). God caused a wind to blow over Earth, which caused the waters to subside, and the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (Gen 8:1–5). The waters receded when the mountains rose and the valleys sank (Psalm 104:5–9).
Noah was in the ark with his family for about a year (Gen 7:11, 8:3–5, 13–14). During this time, olive trees began to grew up. This enabled a dove to return to the ark with a fresh olive leaf (not a branch) (Gen 8:11).
2 Pet 3:5–6). Every living creature in the land died, except for Noah and his family (Gen 7:21–23). The water then prevailed on the Earth for 150 days
(Gen 7:24). God caused a wind to blow over Earth, which caused the waters to subside, and the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (Gen 8:1–5). The waters receded when the mountains rose and the valleys sank (Psalm 104:5–9).
Noah was in the ark with his family for about a year (Gen 7:11, 8:3–5, 13–14). During this time, olive trees began to grew up. This enabled a dove to return to the ark with a fresh olive leaf (not a branch) (Gen 8:11).
It wasn't a local Flood, but a global Flood that covered the whole Earth (2 Pet 3:6),
see time 50:14–51:58 in Understanding Genesis || Guest Speaker Dr. Jason Lisle.
see time 50:14–51:58 in Understanding Genesis || Guest Speaker Dr. Jason Lisle.
Presumably there was only one supercontinent surrounded by an ocean of water
in the beginning, before the Flood (Gen 1:9), see time 1:51:53–1:53:03 in
Science Confirms Biblical Creation - Dr. Jason Lisle. Continental drift may have begun during the Flood. Afterwards we got a new landscape (Psalm 104:8–9),
see also The Ice Age in a Biblical Perspective.
in the beginning, before the Flood (Gen 1:9), see time 1:51:53–1:53:03 in
Science Confirms Biblical Creation - Dr. Jason Lisle. Continental drift may have begun during the Flood. Afterwards we got a new landscape (Psalm 104:8–9),
see also The Ice Age in a Biblical Perspective.
Noah built an altar to the Lord and took part of all clean animals and part of all clean birds and offered burnt offerings on the altar (Gen 8:20). This shows that he knew that he was a sinner who needed the atonement of blood. Expensive sacrifices are pleasing to God. God made a covenant with man in which he promised not to kill any living creature again (Gen 8:21–22, 9:9–11, Isaiah 54:9a).
The rainbow became a sign of that covenant (Gen 9:12–17). Man was now allowed to eat meat if they first lost it from blood (Gen 9:3–4).
The reason for draining it of blood is that the life of a living being is in the blood.
This rule later became part of the Mosaic Laws (Lev 17:10–14).
The reason for draining it of blood is that the life of a living being is in the blood.
This rule later became part of the Mosaic Laws (Lev 17:10–14).
God told them to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the Earth (Gen 9:1, 7).
God had given the same instruction to Adam and Eve (Gen 1:28).
Jesus confirmed that the Flood was a true historical event when he spoke of his second coming (Mat 24:37–39, Luk 17:26–27). The same condition in man will be seen at that time. This means that if you believe in Jesus and what he said, you must also believe in the Flood. The Flood later resulted in the only ice age that we have had on Earth, see The Ice Age in a Biblical Perspective.
In the Bible we see that life expectancy began to decrease sharply after the Flood:
- A genetic bottleneck for a shorter lifespan in Noah's wife, see time
2:12:56–2:14:30 in "Astronomy Reveals Creation" with Dr. Jason Lisle. - Each new generation of individuals has about 100 new mutations compared
to the generation before. When a few individuals of humans form a new population, a strong inbreeding effect occurs. Before the Flood, people could
do things we can't do today without significant risk, such as marrying a close family member. To do this in this day and age is to invite genetic difficulties. When the gene pool was younger, people often married within their family units without significant risk of genetic difficulties, see The Origin of Man
and after creation at time 36:26–37:19 in
Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │ January 2024. - The Earth after the flood was dramatically different than it was before. The differences included changes to the climate, such as atmospheric changes, changes in the hydrological cycle, geologic features, and a significant increase in harmful radiation reaching the ground level. This may be the reason why human diets had gone from a purely plant-based diet to one where meat was eaten.
- The first-century historian Josephus claims that humans once lived very long lifespans. He attributes their longevity to the mercy of God and the fact that the food they ate was much better at prolonging their years on Earth than after the Flood.
See also The Old Testament of the Bible.
