2. All
flesh under the whole heaven died, including all that had the breath of life
and all men. The only ones that survived were the ones on the ark (6:13,17;
7:4,21-23; 8:21; 9:11,15). How can this be explained except by a worldwide
flood? In a local flood, some animals and almost surely some people in other
places would survive.
3. The
flood involved a steady downpour combined with fountains of the deep breaking
up for a period of 40 days, followed by a period of 150 days in which the
waters prevailed. A whole year passed before the ground was suitable for human
habitation (7:11,12,24; 8:3,5,14). Surely the result would create more than
just a local flood.
4. The
water covered all the high hills under the whole heaven. It prevailed over the
mountains by 15 cubits (7:19,20) and continued this way for 150 days (7:24).
Water naturally flows to the lowest level. It could not cover and remain above
the mountains unless the whole surface of the earth was covered.
5. Five
months after the flood began, the ark rested on Ararat (7:11; 8:4). But another
21/2 months followed before the tops of the mountains were visible (8:5). Forty
days after that, a dove sent out could find no place to land, because the water
still covered the whole earth (8:6-9). Again, clearly this required a worldwide
flood.
6. To
build the ark and place the animals on it would be absurd, if this was only a
local flood. In a local flood, animals elsewhere and probably people elsewhere
would have survived. God could have saved some people and animals to repopulate
the earth much more easily by having them migrate to where the flood would not
occur. Yet the account clearly says the ark was needed to save the people and
animals from passing from the face of the earth. (See 7:3,4,23.) Those who
claim that this is a local flood effectively deny that God is all-wise. They
make Him out to be more foolish than the average human!
7. We
are later told that all living things on the earth were descended from Noah and
the animals on the ark. See 9:1,18,19 (note the genealogy in chap. 10,
especially 10:32). If the flood was not worldwide, there would be other people and
animals elsewhere to repopulate the earth. [8:17,19]
8. God
promised He would never again send such a flood to destroy all flesh from the
face of the earth (8:21; 9:11,15). If this was just a local flood, God has
repeatedly broken this promise.
9.
Peter used the flood as a parallel of the worldwide judgment to occur when
Jesus returns (2 Peter 3:3-7). If the flood was not worldwide, then how do we
know the whole earth will be destroyed when judgment comes?
To deny
that the flood was worldwide is to simply deny the Scriptures. To claim this is
a legend is to make a mockery of the story. Once again, there is no middle
ground. We must accept the account as historic truth as written, or we must
simply deny the Bible is inspired by God.
(C) Copyright 2012, David E. Pratte You are free to keep copies of this material on computer and/or in printed form for your own further study. If you have any other requests about the use of this material, please read our copyright guidelines at www.gospelway.com/copyrite.htm.
