Henry B. Smith, Jr. <\/b><\/p>\n
In the 600th year of Noah\u2019s life, on the 17th day of the second month\u2014on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened (Gn 7:11). <\/p>\n
For centuries, the Biblical Flood described in chapters 6\u20138 in the book of Genesis was considered global, cataclysmic and historical. Since the late 18th century, however, the historicity of the Flood has come under constant attack, and is now rejected as a fable by most people in Western societies. Even some in the Church have rationalized the so-called \u201cevidences\u201d against the Flood, trying to reinterpret it as local event. This has been most unfortunate, because Noah\u2019s Flood is one of the most significant events in the history of the world, impacting interpretations in the physical sciences, history, archaeology and Biblical studies. My purpose here is to briefly review the implications on some of these fields of study. <\/p>\n
1) Geology.<\/b>1 Clearly, if the Flood of Noah\u2019s day was a recent and worldwide event, it would have drastically affected the topography and geology of the entire planet. Major geological structures and topography are much better explained by recent catastrophism, not slow processes over eons of time. Mountain formation, ocean floor topography, plate tectonics, river valleys, volcanism, canyon formation, the formation of coal deposits, lakes and a plethora of other geologic features are dramatically impacted by the reality of a recent, cataclysmic Flood. The formation of these and many other structures will be misunderstood if not interpreted via a young earth\/Flood model, a framework that the Bible plainly presents in its teaching. The dogma of uniformitarianism dominates all current paradigms, so the Flood is rejected out of hand. Additionally, the Flood is a very plausible triggering mechanism for the Ice Age, which required a set of unique and simultaneous circumstances unexplainable by uniformitarian principles.2 <\/p>\n
2) Biology. <\/b>The Bible tells us that God sent two of each kind of land animal to the Ark so that they would be preserved during the Flood (Gn 6:19\u201320). When the Flood ended, the animals dispersed from \u201cthe mountains of Ararat\u201d (Gn 8:4) and began to repopulate the planet. The history of animal habitat and genetic distribution across the planet must be understood in the context of the Flood and its immediate aftermath, or erroneous conclusions will result. The Flood or its subsequent affects serve to explain animal extinctions on a massive scale.3 This includes dinosaurs, which have been hijacked by the evolutionary establishment as a propaganda tool against the Scriptures. Most of the dinosaurs were simply unable to survive the adverse environmental conditions that existed after they left the Ark. <\/p>\n
The Flood would also have drastically impacted the entirety of the plant kingdom, which most likely survived via floating mats of vegetation and other mechanisms. Since the Flood lasted for a period of 371 days, the carbon cycle of the entire earth was completely disrupted in a relatively short period of time. This state of affairs would drastically affect the results of C-14 dating methods as one moves back in history closer to the Flood. Rejecting the historicity of the Flood leads to erroneous assumptions built into the C-14\/C-12 ratios4 needed to calculate dates. Again, ignoring the historicity of the Flood and its consequent effects on the entire planet leads to flawed conclusions. <\/p>\n
3) Anthropology and Archaeology.<\/b>5 Almost all current scientific paradigms assert that man evolved from primitive life forms into humans at some point in the distant past. This dogma is so deeply entrenched in the mind of the scientific community that no other paradigm will even be considered. Therefore, when \u201cprimitive\u201d remains of ancient human societies are discovered, it is automatically assumed they are from an earlier time when man was less evolved. The Bible, however, plainly teaches that man was created fully formed and with a sophisticated intellect right at the beginning of creation (Mk 10:6, Gn 1:27). When God decided to judge the world because of its great wickedness (Gn 6:7, 2 Pt 2:4\u20135), Noah and seven others from his family were spared in the Ark. All human beings alive today are descendants of Noah\u2019s family. If this fact of history is rejected, once again false conclusions will be drawn. <\/p>\n
Noah and his immediate descendants entered a brand new world, a world that had lost most of its technical knowledge and civilization. Although Noah and his sons were certainly quite intelligent, they did not carry the full knowledge of all human society wiped out in the Flood. In a real sense, they were starting over (much like a modern man being stranded on a deserted island, isolated from civilization, yet not a primitive brute), so the technologies and level of civilization of humanity were no doubt more \u201cprimitive\u201d in the immediate post-Flood world. Living in caves and using more \u201cprimitive\u201d tools to survive would have been perfectly logical for humans living in a new and barren world. Neolithic and other ancient remains predating the explosion of civilization in the third millennium BC therefore need to be reinterpreted in a post-Flood context. <\/p>\n
The errors of evolutionary interpretations are further compounded by a rejection of the Tower of Babel incident (Gn 11), which fractured the human community and sent various people groups all across the globe. Genetic distribution in human culture was vastly affected by this event. People groups were separated because they could not communicate with one another and therefore the human gene pool was split apart. Cultural identity began with similarity of language and expanded to include physical fea-<\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 19:4 (Fall 2006) p. 98<\/p>\n
tures such as skin color and various other physical, yet superficial, differences. Modern anthropology and archaeology are entrenched in a paradigm antithetical to the Biblical young earth\/Flood\/Babel paradigm and therefore have continuously drawn incorrect conclusions from the data in their respective fields.6 <\/p>\n
4) Biblical Studies\u2014The Plain Meaning of the Text. <\/b>One interesting aspect of the Genesis Flood is the unique use of language7 in Scripture when referring to the Flood. <\/p>\n
In the Old Testament, the authors utilize a unique Hebrew word, mabb\u00fbl<\/i>, when referring to the Flood. This word is used mainly in the Flood narrative, Genesis 6:17; 7:6\u20137, 10, 17; 9:11, 15. Genesis 9:28; 10:1, 32 and 11:10 utilize mabb\u00fbl<\/i> when referring to the Flood as a past event. Psalm 29:10 is the only other passage in the Old Testament where mabb\u00fbl<\/i> is found. This psalm of David describes the \u201cvoice of the LORD,\u201d referring to His authority and power. In this context, David speaks of the LORD\u2019s power over the mighty waters and the cedars of Lebanon. He continues in verse 10, \u201cThe LORD sits enthroned over the flood [mabb\u00fbl<\/i>]; the LORD is enthroned as king forever.\u201d The context asserts the great power and majesty of God, which is required to be in control of a cataclysm like Noah\u2019s Flood.8 <\/p>\n
In the New Testament, we find several references to the Noachian Deluge. The unique Greek word used in these passages of Scripture is kataklusmŏs<\/i> and its derivatives. Strong\u2019s Concordance defines this word as meaning \u201cto dash, wash down, to deluge, surge of the sea, inundation, flood.\u201d9 From this we derive the modern English word \u201ccataclysm.\u201d <\/p>\n
Jesus describes the time of His return as analogous to that of the Flood in Matthew 24:38\u201339: <\/p>\n
For in the days before the flood [kataklusmŏs<\/i>], people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood [kataklusmŏu<\/i>] came and took them all away.10 <\/p>\n
The immediate context indicates there will be universal and worldwide ignorance about the time of Jesus\u2019 return, just as there was a universal and worldwide ignorance regarding the coming inundation in Noah\u2019s day. A local flood was not in Jesus\u2019 view. <\/p>\n
The Apostle Peter certainly recognized the universal and cataclysmic nature of the Flood when he wrote: <\/p>\n
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood [kataklusmŏn<\/i>] on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others…11 <\/p>\n
Of further interest are references to the Flood in the Septuagint, the third century BC Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. In every instance where mabb\u00fbl<\/i> appears in the Hebrew text, the Septuagint translators used kataklusmŏs<\/i> as the Greek translation. Genesis 7:6, 17; 9:11 are translated as kataklusmŏs.<\/i> Genesis 6:17; 9:15, 28; 10:1, 32; 11:10 and Psalm 29:1012 are translated as kataklusmŏn<\/i>. Genesis 7:7, 10 and 9:11 are translated as kataklusmŏu.<\/i> In each instance, the Septuagint translators recognized the unique nature of Noah\u2019s Flood and used derivatives of this specific Greek word to communicate that fact. <\/p>\n
It appears that the New Testament authors picked up on this usage, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit continued using it when they authored the New Testament in the first century AD. Jesus Himself verified this usage when speaking of His return in Matthew 24 and Luke 17. For the Christian, there should be no doubt that Jesus verified this usage and its clear meaning (universal and cataclysmic, not local) by virtue of His absolute authority.13 <\/p>\n
This is just a small sampling of the impact of the Flood on Biblical studies and the historical realm of the physical sciences. In this issue of Bible and Spade<\/i>, you will read research regarding the landing place of Noah\u2019s Ark. It is ABR\u2019s position that the Flood in Genesis 6\u20138 was a recent, global, cataclysmic event and there is no hermeneutical, exegetical or Biblical justification for reinterpreting it as some localized event in Mesopotamia.14 To do so is to contort the Biblical text in a way that cannot be justified. We must remain true to the plain meaning of Scripture. If we cannot fully understand how a universal, cataclysmic Flood occurred, we must<\/i> still submit ourselves to the authority of Scripture and adopt the attitude of Martin Luther: \u201cif you cannot understand how this was done…then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are.\u201d15 <\/p>\n
Noah\u2019s Flood must be given its proper place in the history of the world and in Biblical history. Ignoring or dismissing its historicity impugns what God has plainly said, a serious sin indeed. The spiritual lessons are obvious as well. God is gracious and merciful, but takes sin very, very seriously. Let us give the Flood its proper place in our Biblical studies and as an important factor in developing a Biblical worldview. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Henry B. Smith, Jr. In the 600th year of Noah\u2019s life, on the 17th day of the second month\u2014on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened (Gn 7:11). For centuries, the Biblical Flood described in chapters 6\u20138 in the book of Genesis was … Continue reading “THE
\nGENESIS FLOOD:
\nAN INTERPRETATIVE KEY TO THE PAST”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15437\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}