Was Noah's Flood Global?

The Blog Bible Study
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Jovern, welcome and thanks for joining us. Let me try and help, but I’ll use the KJV.

Gen 9:11 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.

The Bible said, the flood ‘destroyed the earth’.

However, that’s not the case at all. The earth was not destroyed, otherwise, Noah and the Ark would not have survived, and we certainly would not be here today. So that brings us back to the word “earth”.

“Earth” is once again the Hebrew word “אֶרֶץ” (erets), which twice as often was translated as “land,” instead of “earth”. God promised Noah, that He would never again send a flood to destroy the animals and land, (see: 7 Important Questions About Noah’s Flood).

Most Christians don’t realize someone translated Hebrew into English for them, or, they expect it to be perfect, and that’s just not the case. Anytime man gets involved in something, you can expect mistakes. This is why I highly recommend the book, “How We Got The Bible,” (Neil Lightfoot) it’s basic, but gets the point across, (see: How We Got The Bible And It’s History).

Moreover, the Bible never said God invented the rainbow in Genesis 9:12. God simply told Noah, the rainbow would be a “token,” which just means a “sign”. It would be a reminder to last for all time. For what it’s worth, I looked at several Bible commentaries I have this morning, not one scholar believed the rainbow came into existence at that time.

Gen 9:19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

Once again, the word “earth” is the Hebrew word “אֶרֶץ” (erets), which twice as often was translated as “land”. Noah’s sons overspread the “land,” creating their own nations as Genesis 10:5 explains.

Jovern, if this subject comes up again in your circles, consider framing your own questions in a respectable way. For example, and as covered in the series.

If God flooded the entire earth, and we all came from Adam, and later Noah:

  • Why are there so many races?
  • Can multiple races come from one single race couple?
  • How did the animals get back to their original environment?

God never said a supernatural act caused all races to come from Adam, and later, Noah.

God never said a supernatural act caused the animals to return to their original environment.

So then, why do they assume those beliefs?

Those assumptions are far worse than just understanding basic Hebrew. :+1:t3:

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Hi Jovern, I definitely understand your position of wanting to fully comprehend the Bible. Please see my above posts for more information about the flood but the overall conclusion is that the flood did cover the whole earth killing as the Bible says all flesh on it (meaning those not in the ark), and all current humans descend from Noah, his sons and their wives. A quick new piece of information I would call to attention is the promise of the rainbow. This promise, when reduced to a localized area, is quite vague and contradicts what we see today. This promise does not tell us where Noah was when the flooding began and only gives a rough location for where he landed once it subsided. This would not tell us specifically where God would not flood if it where a localized promise. If He meant it for anywhere on earth this would not be a kept promise as we have had floods as recent as hurricane Katrina and more. The only way this reads logically is for it to have been a global flood. I think it’s great to discuss these topics rather than silence people for asking questions, please reply if you’d like to discuss further.

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Jovern, Good mornin, Brandon has explained it wonderfully. I use to come from your perspective as well.

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'scientists ’ that set out to disprove the flood wound up finding salt water fish and mammal fossils in mountain ranges hundreds of miles from the sea. Several of these scientists stated that the more they studied and explored, the evidence increased that a great flood actually happened at some point in the past. We have to remember that a day to God is as a thousand years and a thousands years is as a day.

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Hey Capt. good luck on the sour dough. I love baking bread. please share some tips on sourdough. No disrespect intended , but I think people spend way too much time over analyzing every scripture. Not sure if the mountains were shorter at the time, Mostly because It it was 7000 God years ago. and I don’t care. the wonders and secrets of the world are far beyond mans comprehension. Mans greatest wisdom is foolishness to God. So I just go with it and not attempt to second guess scripture. I know when I first read the gospel, Jesus words and parables made no sense at all. as I continued reading Mathew over and over I began to realize that he used simple common sense analogies that even the dumbest person [like me] had experienced and could understand. All of them as simple as they are, 'are profound and perfect wisdom. What I began to realize with tears streaming down my face was that he was talking directly to me and that I was beginning to know him.
I was actually walking with him, as if I was there. I get it! The book of James slapped my face and convicted me, and I really needed that. By the time I got to Revelations I was not the same man. I prefer to be guided by faith and my heart
Philippians 4;8 Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true. Whatsoever things are 'honest. Whatsoever things are 'just. Whatsoever things are 'pure. Whatsoever things are lovely. Whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK on these things. Amen

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Hey Kevin, first of all the flood was approx 4300 years ago & the mountains of today are nearly 30k’ so they would have had to be mere hills to keep the waters from freezing that surmounted them. Also, the elevation of the polar ice caps would have to be much higher than it is today as well as be consistent in it’s altitude.

The fossils found of sea creatures around the world attest to a previous earth age when the waters covered the earth. Gen. 1:2

Philippians 4:8 is one of my favorite verses. I quote if often in my mind when the thoughts of our world seem overwhelming.

2 Timothy 2:15 encourages us to study God’s word. Scholars who devote their lives to study understand that the starting point of interpretation is understanding the original author’s intent as well as how the original audience would naturally have understood the message.

Even the NT at 2000 years ago is still ancient near east culture. Their understanding of the OT should be the way we would presume they understood the NT as it’s writers were educated spiritually by the OT and their ancient near east culture.

Even today when someone of a different culture comes to the USA for instance, many of our figures of speech and “street language” make it difficult for them to understand us even if they have studied English and learn it to one degree or another.

So reading God’s word is great, but as one continues study brings forth much deeper understanding and in fact never ends as God’s word is living.

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4 posts were split to a new topic: If people have to know all of that to be saved, well, you are gonna be lonely in heaven

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Mount Everest was created because of the catastrophe of the flood and what happened to the earth. We need to stop looking at the flood as a bath tub filling up with water. This argument of yours doesn’t work.

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Are you saying Dinosaurs etc became extinct/died out before the “creation week”?

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I’m saying the dinosaurs became extinct when the earth “became” void, (tohu) Gen. 1:2 Or at least that’s what makes the most sense. Many scholars now agree that Gen 1:2 should be translated Became void, not was void.

Also, I believe the creation story his extremely allegorical. Adam & Eve didn’t eat literal fruit from a literal tree anymore than it was a literal talking snake that deceived them. Not to mention Eve was already deceived when she “saw it was good for food and to make one wise” etc.

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3 posts were split to a new topic: Creation week: Dinosaurs and man didn’t walk together?

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If the flood ‘in the days of Noah’ was local, why did God tell Noah to take birds upon the ark?

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Not all birds can survive on the water, and some don’t fly.

To think every species of bird, global flood, was on the ark is impossible. Noah was told to take the fowl by sevens. There are 9000 species of birds. (Robins don’t breed with Blue Jays to create Rob Jays.)

9000 x 7 = 63,000 birds.
If every pair of birds were in a cubic foot cage, which is too small for many of the fowl, it would take 31,500 cages.

If you stacked them up 50 high, 50 feet high, (the ark was about that height) you would have 630 stacks, 50 feet high. The length of those 50-foot stacks would be about 210 yards long. The Ark was only about 510 feet long, 170 yards.

The space required for all the birds, there food, etc., would be enormous. This space doesn’t even compare to what it would take for all the global land animals.

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Hence, taking birds on the ark. My point…if it was local, they would of moved, birds sense rain.

Genesis 6:19-20
“They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive.”
Fowl by 7s?
Mate, you know that’s not a good argument bro, you know! There are 9000 species of birds…TODAY. It’s a huge reach to say 9000 species of bird lived 4000+ years ago and that’s your argument to argue your opinion?

You know that’s not a good argument.

So, because that argument doesn’t work, logically…
{“If the flood ‘in the days of Noah’ was local, why did God tell Noah to take birds upon the ark?}

You’ll have to find another argument.

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We will just have to agree to disagree.

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Really? That’s your response to me saying your 9000 species angle doesn’t work?

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Let’s start over…

“If the flood ‘in the days of Noah’ was local, why didn’t God tell Noah to walk where the flood wouldn’t reach? It took Noah roughly 80-100 years to build the ark, if the flood was local, Noah could of been well out of the way of the flood waters if he walked ‘away’ 80-100years (he wouldn’t of even needed to walk that long).

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Brandon, Nobody likes to discover that they have been wrong about a subject. Embarrassment produces anger as evident in the replies, including my own. I replied before reading your explanation in it’s entirety. Ignorance is the lack of knowledge, instruction’ and produces error. Your explanation concerning the flood, was common sense and sound logic.
Darn it! :angry:

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These are ancient near east text written 1000s of years ago. To read them in a wooden literal sense is naive. Obviously by the typology insinuated in later scripture there was a reason God told Noah to do what he did and not just migrate to another location etc. It was judgement on the people destroyed by the flood. This is where the emphasis should be in our study, not the magnitude of the flood itself IMO. Unless the laws of physics and genetics where completely different than they are now, a worldwide flood is untenable for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which the earth would become an ice cube if the water was at an elevation to cover all mountain peaks.

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2 posts were split to a new topic: This is my response concerning Romans 5