Dates -
Genesis 7:11; 8:4,13,14 -- We are told how old Noah was when the flood began,
when the ark rested on Ararat, and when his family left the ark. To give dates
is to imply history.
Genealogies - Noah is mentioned repeatedly in Genealogies.
Genesis
5:28-32; 10:1,32 -- Genealogies including Noah and his sons are given
immediately before the account of the flood and immediately afterward! They are
necessarily included, because all subsequent people descended from them!
1
Chronicles 1:4; Luke 3:36 -- Noah and his sons are in the genealogies along
with Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and Jesus. If Noah was a myth, why should
we believe any of these other Bible people were historical characters? Nothing
is more historical than a genealogy.
Ezekiel
14:14,20 - Ezekiel lists Noah along with Daniel and Job. He says that a land
can become so wicked that God would not spare it even if those men all lived
there. But those righteous men would themselves be saved. Noah is here
confirmed to be a real historical character, just like Job and Daniel. And his
righteousness is also confirmed.
Hebrews
11:7 - Noah is listed with other Old Testament men and women of faith: Abraham,
Joseph, Moses, David, etc. Specifically, he is said to have prepared an ark to
save his family. Noah is just as historical as the other people in the chapter,
and the story of the flood is just as real as the other events in the chapter.
The
purpose of the account is to show the importance of obedient faith. But if the
writer was mistaken in thinking these stories really occurred, then how can we
be sure we need faith to be saved? Bible history and doctrine go hand in hand.
Matthew
24:37-39 - The coming of Jesus is compared to the suddenness in which people
were slain by the flood in Noah's day. Jesus Himself confirms the story of Noah
and the flood as historical fact. Whereas people today claim God could never
punish men by such a flood, Jesus flatly affirms that God did so. He also
claims this is totally in harmony with God's character. And finally, He uses
the flood to convince us He Himself will come again and will punish evil men.
If Noah's flood is a myth, how do we know God will punish wickedness?
2 Peter
3:3-7 - Some people in that day, like people today, denied that God would
destroy the world and punish evil men. Peter responds by reminding us that the
earth will be destroyed by fire just as surely as it was destroyed by flood in
Noah' day. If the flood of Noah never really occurred, how can we know Jesus
will come, the earth will perish, and evil men will be punished? Peter's whole
point would become nonsense. Again, doctrine and history are inseparable.
1 Peter
3:20,21 - The story of Noah is not just about the punishment of the wicked. It
is also about the salvation of the righteous. Peter reminds us that, in Noah's
day, people were saved by the flood; so baptism now saves us through the
resurrection of Jesus. But if Noah's flood was a myth, is our salvation from
sin by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ also a myth? Is the necessity
of baptism also a myth? History and doctrine are inseparably linked by inspired
men.
The
people and the events surrounding the flood are repeatedly confirmed by the
Scriptures. If none of this is historically accurate, then the Bible is so full
of error that it would be nonsense for the writers to claim to be historically
accurate or to be inspired by an infallible God.
The
very nature of what the writers themselves said will not allow us to claim that
they wrote mere legends. The Genesis account of the flood must be viewed as
historic truth or we must deny the Bible to be God's word. There is no middle
ground.
