Lesson 26
Introduction
In this study about the Flood we will approach it as though we were reading entries in a diary. This will assist us in getting some perspective on this historical event. Old Testament months were 30 days long (a 360 day year); therefore we cannot simply count the days by our Gregorian calendar. The dates used here are taken from ‘The Annals of the World’ by Bishop James Usser (1658), there may be some variation between him and other commentators so we cannot be dogmatic about them, but they do at least help us get a timeline view regarding the days of the Flood.
Sunday 30 November 2349 BC (Genesis 7:1-9)
Over the last 120 years Noah had been building the Ark, now God told him that he should prepare to enter the Ark. He had explicitly obeyed the Lord in every detail. This is what true faith is (Hebrews 11:7). Noah, the first weather forecaster, had preached God’s word throughout all these years. During the following seven days all the animals and supplies were brought into the Ark. Noah was 600 years old at this time. We can almost hear the mocking and ridicule Noah’s family must have received as they waited for the Flood. During these last 7 days the door was still open, but no one accepted the way of salvation. These 7 days were days of grace and invitation. Notice that God asked Noah to “come” into the Ark instead of “go” into it; so where was the presence of God to be found? No one can experience the presence of God until they come to Christ. “Come” is an invitation not an enforcement of God’s will (Matthew 11:28). Everything was going to be destroyed.
Sunday 7 December 2349 BC (Genesis 7:10-16)
When the seven days of grace were up the water started to appear on the surface of the earth. It was at this point that God closed the door and sealed Noah, his family and the animals in the Ark. No doubt those outside realised their mistake. They would be repenting as the water quickly rose and the storms broke over their head, especially as it was the first time it had ever happened. But once God closes the door there is no way in (Revelation 3:7). The “fountains” of the deep refer to underground water reservoirs, whilst the “windows of heaven” speak of the water canopy that once covered the earth’s atmosphere in gaseous form. At some point the water would have exploded upon the earth since the words “broken up” relate to immense underground pressure building up until the earth erupted. This would have triggered seismic and thermal activity resulting in earthquakes and volcanoes emitting larva and ash.
Thursday 15 January 2348 BC (Genesis 8:1-3)
It continued to rain for forty days and nights until even the highest mountains were covered (Genesis 7:17-24). There may not have been a Mount Everest at this time; it was probably the result of the re-formation of the earth’s topology caused by the Flood. The water was about 22.5 feet above the highest point, which means that every living thing was now dead. The earth remained covered for 150 days. God brought a wind to dry up the land and to drive back the waters (see Psalm 104:6-9). We still see the effect of this wind in the currents of the seas and oceans as well as in the atmosphere.
Wednesday 6 May 2348 BC (Genesis 8:4)
After 150 days the water started to decrease so that the Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat (or the mountains of Ararat) in modern day Turkey. Ararat is 17,000 feet high, so the notion of a localised flood is impossible to accept. They had been in the Ark for about 5 months so there must have been great excitement as they felt the Ark hit solid rock.
Sunday 19 July 2348 BC (Genesis 8:5)
It took another 45 days before the tops of all the mountains could be seen. This means that Noah must have been opening the window daily to see what the conditions were like.
Friday 28 August 2348 BC (Genesis 8:7)
Noah sent out a raven to see if the land was dry enough to live on, but the raven did not return. This exercise did not profit Noah, but the raven probably enjoyed all the dead meat! We may deduce from :10 that Noah waited 7 days for the raven to return.
Friday 4 September 2348 BC (Genesis 8:8-9)
A dove was sent out, but it quickly returned because there was nowhere to build a nest. Also, since she eats vegetation, there was no food for her.
Friday 11 September 2348 BC (Genesis 8:10-11)
The dove was sent out again a week later. This time she returned with a fresh olive leaf in her beak. She was obviously eager to build a new nest, but the circumstances were not good enough for her. Noah waited another seven days.
Friday 18 September 2348 BC (Genesis 8:12)
This time the dove did not return. It was a sign to Noah that the earth was now dry and ready to be restored, but he waited a further 57 days before actually stepping out from the Ark.
Friday 28 October 2348 BC (Genesis 8:13)
Noah was now 601 years old. Today he removed the covering (part of the roof) from the Ark and saw that, as far as the eye could see, the earth was now dry. It may seem like a good time to disembark, but he had to wait for God’s command. The topology of the earth would be different than before the Flood. Now there would be deep valley and high mountains. Most of the water would have gone underground, but some moved to form the ice caps at the Poles and the vast oceans of the world. It is also possible that the earth’s axis had been changed to bring about the seasons as we know them today. There was an Ice Age, but not millions of years ago, instead it occurred in the days of Noah and may have lasted several centuries.
Thursday 18 December 2348 BC (Genesis 8:14-19)
The God who shut the door, no doubt opened it so that Noah and the animals could once again inhabit the earth. They had been on the Ark for just over a year, so it must have felt good to walk on dry ground once again. God told them to multiply and fill the earth. He had invited them to “come” into the Ark, now God commands them to “go” into all the world. This is exactly the method Jesus uses with those He has saved (Mark 16:15).
Conclusion
This was a new beginning for them all. How long would the purity last? It took God 6 days to create the world, but it needed 371 days to cleanse it from the wickedness and evil. Man still does not understand the extent of sin in the world. It is so deeply rooted that it will need another catastrophe to sort it out … “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:6-7). The lesson we learn from history is that we never learn from history!