#1 Is the Biblical account of the flood in Genesis 6, 7 meant to be taken figuratively or literally?

 

Possibly the most conclusive answer is found when considering how other inspired men in the Bible regarded the flood record - historical or fictional.  Check the statements of these prominent Bible figures: 

 

                              Jesus - Matthew 24:37-39

                              Paul - Hebrews 11:7

                              Peter - 2 Peter3:3-7

                              Isaiah - Isaiah 54:9

 

The weight of evidence is consistent and sufficient: the flood really happened. Even if the Biblical record were unavailable, the combined voices of geology and anthropology vindicate a literal, worldwide flood.

 

 

#2 Was the flood local or universal in coverage?

 

Geological evidence worldwide supports a turbulent, global deluge. Biblical evidence suggests the same:  "And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered." Genesis 7:19

 

 

#3 Is it possible to know the date of the flood?

 

If the genealogical data of the Hebrew Genesis text is complete, the flood occurred about 1,650 years after the creation of the world. Assuming that there were about four thousand years from Creation to the time of Christ, the flood would have happened during the 24th century B.C. Inadequate or questionable information makes an exact computation impossible.

 

 

#4 How old was Noah at the time of the flood?

 

Noah was the last of those with a life-span of nearly a thousand years. At the time of the flood he was 600 years of age. Genesis 7:6 He lived 350 years after the flood, dying at the age of 950 years. Depending on the ages of Noah's children, it is possible that Shem, Ham, or Japheth could have lived contemporaneously with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

 

 

#5 How many people were living on our planet at the time of the flood?

 

Even an approximate number is not known. Some suggest, however, that there may have been as many people living at the time of the flood as are alive today.

 

Several factors contribute to some interesting possibilities. First, antediluvians lived for centuries, making it possible for several generations to be alive at the same time.

         

Second, given a lifetime of eight or nine centuries, the time of childbearing for an antediluvian mother may have easily spanned 400 years. Consider that in our modern age, with human life span under 100 years, the population of the world quickly increased from 3 billion to 6 billion people in just a few decades.

 

 

#6 Is there any other historical reference to a flood aside from the Biblical record?

 

It would be quite unlikely for a universal flood to have occurred without traces of it also appearing in the annals of secular history. Anthropologists and historians have discovered more than eighty legends and traditions gathered from tribes and nations the world over. Probably the most noted of these is the ancient Babylon Gilgamish Epic.

 

Although varying in detail, these flood traditions tell the same story - the earth engulfed with water and only a handful of survivors. With these worldwide traditions added to the geological and Biblical evidences, it is difficult to honestly deny a global deluge.

 

 

#7 What is the scientific evidence of the flood?

         

The world could hardly have experienced a devastation of such magnitude as the flood without bearing the scars. Geological studies of the earth's surface everywhere demonstrate the result of enormous volumes of water in violent action.

         

In this age of crisis in energy, many are unaware that existing deposits of crude oil and coal are a direct result of the floods convulsive action. Coal and oil fields are simply massive amounts of vegetation (mammoth pre-flood forests) and animal matter buried under great pressure beneath the earth's surface. These deposits are found worldwide, even as far as the northern slopes of Alaska.

         

Every great mountain range in the world contains various fossil forms of ocean life buried in sediment sometimes thousands of feet in altitude. The oil shale of Colorado and other inland states, brought to public attention by the energy crisis, are composed of uncounted millions of vertebrate fishes trapped in sediment.

         

Yet unmentioned is the evidence of the great interior basins of the world, the bone-filled fissures of England and Europe, and the continued discovery around the world of dinosaur skeletons and other pre-flood animals that did not survive the flood.

 

 

#8 Where did all the flood’s water come from?

         

The waters of the flood were from two sources, triggered by the Creator himself: (1) the violent eruption of the earth’s vast underground water network and (2) the falling of huge rain sheets from the sky. Genesis 7:11

         

Some have wondered how the sky could have continued producing such huge volumes of water. The record of the earth’s creation suggests an interesting possibility: “And God made the firmament [atmosphere}, and divided the waters under the firmament from the waters above the firmament: and it was so.” Genesis 1:7

         

Based on this information some have speculated that a thick water shield above the atmosphere surrounded the earth prior to the flood. Not only could such a shield have diffused the sun’s rays evenly around the globe producing a worldwide tropical climate, but it could also have moderated the earth’s weather and served as a protective filter from dangerous outer-space radiation.

         

The flood’s sustained “sky burst” may possibly have been the result of the collapsing of this water shield. In the end, except for those inside the Ark, the vast population of the world was drowned by these flood waters.

 

 

#9 How is it possible to be sure that the predicted future destruction of the world is not really just a hoax?

         

Anyone can make a forecast about the future of the world. But the validity of any prediction is only as sure as the character and past record of its source. The Creator’s prophetic reputation is impeccable; the flood and a host of fulfilled Bible prophecies stand as incontestable witnesses.

         

None other than the earth’s Creator, on whose behalf Noah spoke, is forewarning the world’s population in our time of an approaching climax. Check out these graphic predictions:

 

                     Jeremiah 25:30-33; Isaiah 24:1,3-6,19-22;

                     Matthew 24:27-31; 2 Peter 3:9-14; and Revelation 6:12-17

         

The ultimate proof of any prediction is its fulfillment. But to wait for the passing of an event with the magnitude of the one described here is to court personal disaster. The question then in our time is whether Biblical prejudice, personal pride, or a spirit of skepticism will be allowed to choke one’s ability to purposely respond to the Creator’s appeal.

 

 

#10 How will the time before the coming destruction of the world compare with the days before the flood?

         

The days ahead will be a carbon copy - an unbelievable replay of those days of violence and pleasure-seeking before the flood. Matthew 24:37-39 Already our world bears an uncanny resemblance.

         

The depth of intensity of the days ahead, however, will far surpass that of the pre-flood times. Why?

        

Even now an air of finality permeates the mood of world events. The long-predicted showdown of the Creator with Satan is gaining fast momentum. Because Satan knows that his days are numbered, his efforts are intensified by his desperation. Revelation 12:12

         

Because of this the end-times will be marked by overpowering delusion and deception. The people of the world will increasingly witness miraculous signs, mysterious wonders, counterfeit religious personalities and misleading religious movements - all generated and propelled by Satan to mislead the nation’s populations. Matthew 24:24

         

Even more dangerous to a person individually is Satan’s continued drive to stupefy and confuse the ability to perceive the issues and appreciate the Creator’s life-saving appeal. A battery of modern secular delusions - ease, social preference, material gain, pleasure-seeking, intellectualism, indulgence of appetite and addiction - are breeding a deathly spell of indifference and unbelief.

 

#11 Can I escape the future destruction of the world?

         

YES! if you choose.  When the issues of life and death, truth and error, have been fully exposed to the world’s population and every person’s choice has matured, then it is that the Creator’s time has come to personally return to this planet, finalizing His account with sin. Revelation 22:12

 

His return to this planet will be the most daring mission of rescue the world and the universe will ever witness. 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. To be included in that magnificent pageant of rescue is the only escape from the coming destruction of the world.

         

Decide now to break away from the present self-willed direction of your life. No matter what your past, become instinctively aware that the Creator loves you deeply. Consider yourself on His side. Become acquainted with His terms of rescue and be willing to act on them regardless of any earthly consequences. Begin to live in an air of expectancy about the future.  Titus 2:13

         

Since the beginning, Jesus, the Creator, has been winning the battle against Satan. Why not pick a winner while there is still time?