Lesson 6 The Genesis Flood - Part II
A. Overall Lesson Objective
•To assess the start to the peak of the Flood, the primary results of the Flood and as confirmed by the New Testament.
B. Learning Competencies
•Water from above and below is loosed by God’s command to begin the Flood. The special 40-day rain period ends but the Flood is still prevailing without abating for 150 days.
•The timing, increase of water to the Flood peak, depth, and the length of time the waters prevailed (did not decrease) are recorded (150 days).
•The thoroughness of God’s purpose and results for the Genesis Flood are also documented by New Testament scriptures.
C. Lesson
Overview
The Flood rapidly becomes catastrophic in whole-earth terms. The ark becomes the only safe haven. The event is not complete in this chapter in the sense that the Flood waters are gone, but the event is complete with respect to God’s precise judgment: every living thing that had breath in its nostrils is dead. It is not by man’s observation; it is by God’s much more precise and accurate observation. The Perfect Overseer ensures that His intended results are recorded so we are not mistaken about the results. There was no way for people in the ark to know. There is never any argument from the crew of the ark that anyone else or any living land creatures survived. Only the few people in the ark will see the immediate results of the whole affair, but this is not recorded until the next chapter of Genesis. At the end of chapter 7, the floodwaters are still too high; the ark remains sealed for the safety of the surviving people and creatures onboard.
The Start of the Flood to its Peak
The catastrophe is incredible and shocking; what God has initiated will change the face of the earth. We have no comparison to this event today. Even giant tsunamis and the worst recorded flash floods, earthquakes or volcanoes are tiny compared to a global event. Yet the results are abundantly clear. About three-quarters of the earth’s surface is covered with sedimentary rock (laid down by moving water); fossils around the world from low to high altitudes show rapid burial of small to large creatures (like dinosaurs); there are abundant twisted rock layers that had to be somewhat pliable when quickly formed; land masses have no resemblance to the land mass briefly described in Genesis 1; and tectonic plates have fractured boundaries that look like the earth’s surface was shaken, split, and rearranged. Chapter 12 of this study will devote more time to the Flood record that we see, but the remainder of this chapter’s notes cover the initial physical actions and the general timing that are addressed in the scriptures. Like the instructions for other lessons, check the references when they are in bold and answer any questions that are in bold.
1.Overall Note. God’s primary objectives in providing this account, based on the repetition of His instructions to Noah and His stated judgment both before and after the event, were to save Noah, his family, and representative vertebrate ‘kinds’ of His creatures, but destroy all other living things on the face of the earth. In other words, His intention was not to provide a strict chronology of events or provide a detailed physical description of what happened. However, God does provide key details. The effects of the event are also recorded in 2 Peter 3:5-7, where the Flood is referenced as a comparison to what will happen at the “day of the Lord”.
2.The mechanisms to produce the Flood. See Genesis 6:17, 7:4, 7:7, and 7:10-11 and note the words that pertain to floodwaters.
a. Rain. Rain is one of the sources of water for the Flood, which can be seen from Genesis 7:4 and 12. This is the first scripture reference to rain falling, although there is nothing in scripture that says rain did not occur earlier. We know from Genesis 2:5 that rain had not fallen before this point in day 6 of creation. And the primary source of water for foliage or vegetation, at least in the Garden of Eden, seems to have been an elaborate system of aquifers and springs that eventually became rivers (see Genesis 2:6 and 10-14). Without any more detail in the Record, conjectures are possible and some work has been done to study the possibilities. What we can say is that the floodgates of heaven were opened in Genesis 7:11.
b. Fountains of the Deep. Just prior to Genesis 7:11 is the mention of the other source of floodwater: fountains or springs of the great deep. The same term is used much later in the Flood account, when God shuts them off. There is no technical description, so we do not know how these two sources worked with each other, but both were critical for the action that God required. And, the sources of the great deep must have been huge to be pouring for five whole months, covering the highest mountains on the earth at that time in combination with the rain.
c. Continental breakup. Many creationist researchers think that the breakup of the continents was somehow connected to the onset of the Flood, helping release the sources of water. Others have different models. But without more detail from the Word, we do not know for sure. No single model can be regarded as a reliable representation of what happened, and all such models should be held loosely. [Research note: geological models; then also continental drift.] One thing is sure: the resulting floodwaters were sufficient to do exactly what God intended.
d. The Facts from the Word about the Flood. Check the following points by checking the scripture that is noted:
i. Genesis 7:17. Period of rain and fountains of the deep “increased”.
ii. Genesis 7:18. The ark floated on the waters.
iii. Genesis 7:19-20. The waters rose to 15 cubits (about 7 m) above the highest pre-Flood mountain peak. (Note: the estimated draft of the ark with cargo would have been approximately one third of its height, or 10 cubits.)
iv. Genesis 7:19, 20 and 24. The floodwaters, which would be at the peak depth above the highest mountain near the ark, continued without abating for 150 days. (The mountains were probably much lower than mountains in the post-Flood period.)
v. Genesis 7:22-24. The death of all land vertebrates outside the ark is noted. If verses 23 and 24 are taken together, it is plausible that the death of the last of these did not occur until day 150.
vi. The terms in the verses about how the floodwaters prevailed makes it difficult to schedule the exact timing of the peak waters. Creation scientists and Hebrew scholars have carefully considered the possibilities; they have not come to a singular conclusion. In any case, the current conditions of the earth surface and the seabed show incredible changes compared to the brief description of the dry earth that was present before the Flood. It is reasonable to say that events anywhere on the globe were continuously cataclysmic. Local fluctuations as the waters increased are very probable. His intended result was certain: all living creatures He had specified, without exception, except for those on the ark, would die. He made sure: the floodwaters prevailed for 150 days while the destruction was made complete (Genesis 7:24). [Research note: Where did all the water go?]
D. Assignment
Read Genesis 8 and make a list of events and points from the information contained in the first five verses.
E. Learning Activity
Today’s geography is essentially the geography after the post-Flood Ice Age (Ice Age covered in Lesson 10). The changes due to water forces and earth movement have not been repeated since that time. With the previous sections in view, answer the questions to get some appreciation for water forces:
🦕 CT? Energy of a water wave in a simple form is a function of velocity squared and mass. Without getting too complex, consider a small wave, a tropical storm wave, and a Genesis Flood wave, where each parameter goes up around 10 times from the smallest wave on a calm ocean to a tropical storm wave to a wave from the violent rising waters of the Genesis Flood. What is the change in energy like among these three examples? Now consider anything on dry land that is subjected to dozens of waves per hour over weeks as the violence of the Flood continues to increase. A typhoon or hurricane, by comparison, is a short event. What is the length, height, and wave numbers for Tsunamis? With the answers in view, discuss wave force (among many others that could be discussed) in the Genesis Flood as the depth of water increased and wreaked havoc over the land in response to God’s command. Use existing reference materials to see actual results of water forces for the largest modern era storms, then describe the Genesis Flood conditions by extrapolation.
F. Concluding Assessment
The Genesis references to the Flood from its start to its peak were extraordinary and not to be repeated. Several New Testament references confirm the effects.