Genesis 7: 1 to 16

In our last lesson in Genesis chapter 6, we found that the construction of Noah's ark presented us with several types of Jesus Christ, our Ark of safety.

Today, before we go on to Chapter 7, I would like to spend a few more moments reviewing these beautiful types.

Gen.6:14 " Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."

No doubt the pitch mentioned here was some kind of tar applied to the ark to seal the joints and keep out the water.

But more than that, this pitch is a type of the wonderful work of Jesus Christ.

The Hebrew word used here for pitch is Kaphar (Kaw-far).

But this same word is also translated "atonement", which of course means "to cover".

None of the flood waters of God's judgment could touch Noah and his family because of the application of this pitch on the outside and inside of the ark.

So in type, sinners who by faith are now in Christ are covered by the atoning work of Jesus, and because of this, they are safe from God's righteous judgment.

On the outside of the ark, God looks upon the work of atonement and is satisfied.

On the inside of the ark, those who are in Christ, look upon the work of atonement and are assured of safety.

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V 16 says " A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it."

That little window had several lessons for us.

Because it was located on the top of the ark, and afforded a view of heaven, it speaks to us of prayer.

It looked up to God, not out to judgment.

No, Noah and his family never actually saw the awful consequences of the flood waters of judgment, for there was only one window and it looked straight up.

In like manner, those who are in Christ Jesus, the Ark of safety, will never see judgment.

Rom.8: 1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus--"

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And although the ark was three stories high, and had the dimensions of an ocean liner, there is no mention of a deck.

So there was no possibility of Noah and his family falling off.

If you are in Christ, you are kept by the power of God.

As a Christian, you cannot fall off of the ark, because you are in the ark.

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And then verse 16 tells us there was only one door in the side of the ark, and it was a door that had to be entered by faith.

When the door was open, there was no sign of a flood, but when God's judgment finally came the door had been closed forever.

And, in spite of the fact that the ark was 450 ft. long, was three stories high, and a full cargo of animals and food needed to be loaded into it, there was only one door.

Here again we see a type of our Lord Jesus, Who is the one and only door by which we can escape God's judgment.

And, Jesus told us clearly "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

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In our last lesson we saw Noah and his family safely housed in the ark, and riding high upon the flood waters. 

However, for today's lesson, we are going to back up a little and have another look at the old world that Noah had left behind.

And before we leave this Antediluvian world, I would like to make a comparison between its weather system and the one that Noah was going to be greeted with when he stepped out of the ark.

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First of all let me say, that the information we are going to be looking at is only theoretical.

Much of what I am presenting here is not actually found in Scripture.

However God has given us hints and clues in Scripture, and from these references, and from other physical clues left behind in our world, Christian men have developed reasonable theories of what they believe the Antediluvian world was like.

One of these men is Henry M. Morris.

And by the way, he is one of the Bible expositors that I will be depending upon for a lot of information in the lessons ahead.

He is a creationist, an apt student of the Word, and for 13 years was the chairman of the civil engineering department at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

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In previous lessons we have already noted the complete absence of rainfall at the beginning of creation.

This condition probably lasted throughout the entire Antediluvian age.

 Gen.2:5-6 "-- for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
⁶   But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."

We also noted that in the beginning there was a great quantity of water above the earth.

Gen.1:6 "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."

The word translated "midst" here indicates a more or less equal division of the waters.

This of course is completely unlike our present-day system were less than 1% of the earth water is in our atmosphere.

So this verse indicates a great canopy of water, probably in vapor form, surrounding the earth above the earth's atmosphere (or firmament).

The canopy would have protected the earth from the intense rays of the sun and produced a greenhouse effect that would have ensured a universally temperate climate.

This great body of water could not be made up of water droplets, as is the case in clouds or fog, for Genesis 1: 14-15 tells us the stars were clearly visible.

This would only be possible with a canopy of water vapor, which even in vast amounts is completely invisible.

Such a canopy would serve many purposes.

1.  As mentioned, it would defuse and distribute solar radiation evenly around the earth maintaining an essentially uniform and pleasantly warm climate all over the world.

2.  With this nearly uniform temperature, the movement of great air masses would be inhibited, so severe winds, which can be so violent today, would be virtually unknown.  Yes, there would be no tornadoes or hurricanes to worry about.

3.  Also with this canopy in place, there would not be sufficient solar radiation to produce enough evaporation for rainfall.

4.  This canopy of water vapour would also be highly effective in filtering out ultraviolet radiation, cosmic rays, and other destructive radiation from outer space. So you could put away your sunscreen.

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Now, some people have questioned this theory, saying that the heavy vapor canopy resting upon the atmosphere would greatly increase the air pressure on earth.

This no doubt would be true; however that should cause no problem for man or beast, provided their internal pressures had time to adjust correspondly.

Even today we have sea creatures crawling on the ocean's floor that live quite happily under hundreds of pounds of water pressure.

This is because the internal pressure in their bodies equals the external pressure applied on them, so there is actually no strain at all put upon their bodies.

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Then of course there is the problem of how the rivers would be supplied with water if there was no rainfall.

As you know, in our present system, the weather patterns are controlled principally by the heat of the sun.

By the process of evaporation, everyday thousands of tons of water are lifted from our oceans, seas and lakes to become water droplets in the form of clouds.

Again, because of the heat of the sun and the rotation of the earth, we have wind patterns and temperature changes that carry the water to the landmasses and precipitate it in the form of rain.

Then the rivers are fed by runoff and flow, by the force of gravity, into the ocean again.

So the question naturally arises, if there was no rain, and no wind, then how were the rivers supplied?

Well of course we can only theorize, but it seems quite obvious from Gen. 7 that there must have been giant reservoirs of water under the earth.

And, no doubt these reservoirs were those referred to in Gen.7:11 "--the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up"

These subterranean reservoirs could then have supplied the rivers through underground channels, with their waters being propelled, not by solar energy but by the tremendous thermal energy that still exists in the center of our earth.

Powered by such an unlimited source of heat energy they would then emerge as fountains or Artesian springs to supply the rivers.

So instead of solar heat circulating water over our heads as it does today, you would have a subterranean thermal loop circulating water below the earth.

And I suspect that some of these tremendous water reservoirs, although mostly destroyed at the time of the flood, and of course now empty of water, still exist in the form of underground grottos that cave exporters visit today.

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Well I better close this subject for now, and possibly revisit it again later.

I think Noah, who already knows all about these things, will be anxious to get aboard the ark, and leave the Antediluvian age behind.

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God had spoken clearly to Noah in chapter 6:13 -14 concerning the coming judgment --- "And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
¹⁴   Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."

Then, as far as we can tell from the scriptural record; there was a 120 year period of silence.

At least there were no recorded incidents of any added revelation from God.

So, without any further instructions for over a century, Noah preceded steadily and faithfully with his work; building the ark and preaching to his generation.

Hebrews calls Noah's actions a work of faith

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house;"

And 2 Peter tells us Noah was "a preacher of righteousness"

So it appears that Noah directed his life for the next 120 years on the basis of this single revelation from God.

In complete obedience to his Maker's commandment, he built the ark, and with all the urgency possible he preached the coming judgment year after year, without one single convert, accept his own family.

No wonder the Holy Spirit put him with the heroes of faith in Hebrews Chapter 11.

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Finally, the ark was completed and all the animals were assembling.

The 120 years would be up in just a few days.

Grandfather Methuselah, who had served God in the midst a wicked generation and had lived longer than any other man, was now on his death bed.

Many Bible expositors believe that the name Methuselah means "when he dies it shall be sent"

If this is correct then for 969 years God had been long-suffering with mankind.

And in 2 Peter 3: 9 it says that in this present age of grace, God "is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

And He had been long-suffering with Noah's generation also, for 1 Peter 3: 20 tells us "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing"

So while God waited patiently for 969 years, during which Noah preached for the last 120; men mocked God.

They continued in their evil ways, little thinking that Methuselah was God's time clock, ticking away the remaining minutes of grace.

And in our day, men still mock God and ignore His warnings.

Yes, 2 Peter 3: 3-6 speaks of our generation with their supposed knowledge of evolution and their denial of the flood of God's judgment.

They scoff at the second coming of Christ, and ignore any possibility that there could be a Creator who would hold them accountable for their actions. ---

2Peter 3:3-6 "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
⁴   And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
⁵   For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
⁶   Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:"

So you see, we are living in the days of Noah, and like that faithful man, we should warn the lost around us.

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Noah preached, and Noah built, and finally the day drew nigh.

As we have noted, Methuselah was nearing the end, and with him the last few days of grace were running out.

Then, after more than a century of silence, God spoke once again to His faithful servant Noah.

Gen.7:1 "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."

God said "thee have I seen righteous"

However, although Noah was a godly man, his own works had not made him righteous before God.

Noah's righteousness was counted to Him, because of his faith.

Just like Abraham, Noah was a man who believed God, and Hebrews 11: 7 attests to his faith --- "By faith Noah, being warned by God of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house;"

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And did you notice that in Gen.7:1 God said--- "Come thou and all thy house into the ark;"

Yes, God said "come thou", not go thou into the ark.

So God was with Noah in the ark.

Although the flood would soon be unleashed with devastating fury, Noah and his family would be safe with God.

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And even though Noah was the spiritual leader in his family, it was the personal faith of each member that saved them.

Each one voluntarily chose to enter the arc and renounce the world in which they had lived so long.

Yes they were leaving a wicked world, but they were also leaving their own possessions behind, which could have been considerable. 

It is possible, no doubt probable, that Noah was a rich man, for logically speaking, how could he afford to finance such a project as the building of the ark if he did not have considerable wealth?

So, unlike Lot 's wife, they all left their homes and herds without a backward look.

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V2-3 " Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
³   Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth."

Some have argued for a non universal flood, holding the theory that the waters upon the earth were only local in nature.

The answer to that question is found right here in these verses.

The stated purpose for bringing the animals into the ark was "to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth."

If the flood was only local in nature, than as far as the animals were concerned, the ark would have been unnecessary as a means for the survival of their species.

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And notice the specific instructions as to quantity.

Of clean beasts there were to be seven, three pairs and one extra.

Probably the three pairs were to encourage the relatively greater multiplication of the clean animals after the flood, as they would be needed for food.

After all, the human race was likewise to be recommenced with three young couples not with just one, as was the case with Adam and Eve.

So no doubt God was equipping the world with a food source sufficient for mankind.

Another possibility is that the three pairs of clean animals would allow for a greater variety of genetic factors, so that more varieties could be developed later as needed.

Then of course the seventh clean animal as we will see later was for sacrifice.

And the unclean animals that were not appropriate as a food source for man would only require a single pair to be taken aboard.

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V4-5 " For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
⁵   And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him."

God gave Noah a week to make final preparations.

To assemble the animals in their stalls, to finished gathering the provisions for man and beast, and perhaps by this activity to give a final warning to the world of the ungodly.

The door was still open, but no one entered.

Only Noah and his family made their preparations assured by God that in seven days a tremendous rain would destroy every living substance "from off the face of the earth."

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Under our present atmospheric conditions, a worldwide rain lasting for 40 days would not be possible.

There just isn't that much water available in the heavens.

This phenomenon required and utterly different source of atmospheric water then what is available today.

So, we are quite certain that this supply of rain came from the "-- waters which were above the firmament"; in the form of a tremendous thermal blanket of invisible water vapour.

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The words "every living substance" in the original text literally means "all existence," or "all that grows up."

So it seems that the destruction not only included the animals, but plant life as well.

The violent flood waters would have destroyed "every living substance", uprooting lush forests and washing away meadows, and finally burying them, along with man and beast, in the sediments (where they would one day become coal beds) or be left laying on the surface of the earth to go back to dust.

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  "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark"

And Noah proceeded to do "all that the LORD commanded him."  just as he had always done for over 100 years.

Here was the final test, and Noah obeyed without hesitation.

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V6-9" And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
⁷   And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
⁸   Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
⁹   There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah."

The date of this significant event was marked by Noah's age. 

When Noah was 600 years old he and his family entered into the ark and the flood began.

This date in effect terminated the Antediluvian age and began a new age.

The entrance of Noah's family and the animals into the ark cut them off, once and for all, from the world outside.

From that moment on, the new order had begun for all those with whom God would deal in grace.

As if to emphasize the fact that God's commands had been carried out to the letter, all that entered the ark were recorded in these verses.

It was sort of a balancing of the ledger.

Noah, his sons, his wife, his son's wives, and the animals, all present and accounted for.

Everything had been done as commanded.

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V10-12 "And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
¹¹   In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
¹²   And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights."

Strangely enough, the exact date is given here-- "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month"

Although we do not know which calendar was in use at that time, the fact remains that it was a definite day.

On the 17th of the month, the last day of God's grace to that Antediluvian civilization came to an end.

The seven day period of grace had passed away, and the time of judgment had arrived.

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Today, there is another age of grace that is fast running out, and although we look for the Lord's return, for some of our friends and neighbours, the day is coming when the door of the Ark will be forever closed.

Time is running out.

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So on the 17th of the month "the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."

The implication of these few words are enormous.

This was not merely a rain storm, but in fact, two great reservoirs of water that had been separated by the firmament, suddenly came together as they had been before the second day of creation.

The great fountains of the deep were fractured, probably by volcanic eruptions, and the water poured forth.

The tremendous reservoir of water above the atmosphere condensed and poured down for 40 days and 40 nights.

Nothing like it had ever happened before nor has ever happened since.

V13-16 " In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
¹⁴   They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
¹⁵   And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
¹⁶   And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in."

So on the very last day, after the seven days of grace were fulfilled, on the day in which the flood began, Noah and his family entered the ark.

Also, on the fateful day when the last child of God is added to the bride of Christ, the day of grace will be over, and I believe that day is fast approaching.

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Once all were inside the ark, for evidently Noah had been the last to enter, a remarkable thing to place, -- "the LORD shut him in."

The door of the ark was shut and cealed, without the help of any human hand.

This provided a final assurance to Noah and his family that they were in the will of God and under His protection.

From that moment on, the old world was forever dead to them.

Henceforth, their life was to be a new life and they were headed toward a new world.

Had the flood not destroyed the world of the ungodly, no doubt the ungodly would have destroyed them.

But now they were safe.

And so also is every believer, for Christ has died and rose again " that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:"