Flood, worldwide
A WORLDWIDE FLOOD?
"All the high hills that were under the whole heaven were
covered" (Gen 7:19) and "every living substance was destroyed which was upon the
face of the ground". "Under the whole heaven" is found in Dan 7:27, where the
kingdom of God covers the whole earth.
Possible objections:
- the ark, big though it was, would not seem to be large enough to hold that
many animals and a years' supply of food;
- how were these animals brought
from remote, possibly bitterly cold parts of the earth to hot Mesopotamia?
- what kind of food could Noah store in the ark for a year to feed all of
these diverse species?
(1) Depth of flood: Gen 7:19,20.
(2) Duration of flood:
2/10: Went into ark (Gen 7:4,10).
2/17: Rain began (Gen 7:11), lasted 40 days (Gen 7:12).
Waters lasted 150 days (Gen 7:24; 8:3).
7/17: Ark rested on Ararat (Gen 8:4).
1/1: Ark's covering removed (Gen 8:13).
2:27: Ark vacated (Gen 8:14-19).
Thus time in ark was 1 year 17 days: 5 months afloat, 7 months
on Ararat. A local flood could not possibly last for such a long time.
(3) Vast geological disturbances: Gen 7:11.
(4) Size of ark: Gen 6:15.
(5) Need for ark.
(6) Peter's witness: 2Pe 3:3-7.
(7) Widely-distributed human race:
(a) Purpose of flood: to punish the whole race of man: Gen
6:5-13.
(b) Only Noah, etc, spared: Gen 6:17,18; 7:23,24;
8:1.
(c) Jesus: "all men": cp Gen with Luk 17:26-30.
(d) Noachic covenant was with all men: Gen
9:1-17.
(e) Longevity of antediluvians.
(f) Widely-scattered human fossils.
Assume 10 generations, 18 children per generation: Then 10th
generation = 774,840,979 (2 x 9 to the 9th power), excluding all previous
generations.
