One of the most remarkable and startling events in the Bible is the Noachian Flood. (Genesis 6-9.) It is one of those one-time events that will not be repeated. God promised man that he would not judge the world again in that manner. (Gen. 9:8-17.) Jesus believed that the flood really did happen. (Luke 17:26-27.) The story of the flood has been known throughout the world from generation to generation ever since it happened. More space is taken for the account of the flood than for the creation account. Bert Thompson wrote, "Next to creation, the Flood of Noah’s Day is the greatest single event in the history of our Earth." (Reason & Revelation, August 1998, 59.) The creation was constructive; the flood was destructive. Alfred Rehwinkel wrote, "The flood marks the end of a world of transcendent beauty, created by God as a perfect abode for man and the beginning of a new world." (R & R, 1998, 59.) It not only reaches back to the beginning, but also forward to the end. The Second Coming of Jesus will be like the flood. The flood has more in common with the Second Coming than the creation of the world in that both represent judgments on the ungodly and salvation for the righteous.

Some try to minimize the significance of the flood in various ways. One favorite way is to reduce the flood to a local event rather than a world-wide catastrophe. It is possible, of course, if God so desired that he could have flooded only the area where the ancient patriarchs lived. This area is present-day Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. The ark rested on Mount Ararat in modern Turkey. (Gen. 8:4.) But all the information given in Genesis points to a worldwide event.

There is the evidence of a great flood in every part of the earth. Many ancient countries have stories and traditions of a flood. The one closest to the biblical account is the Sumerian. It is the oldest tradition of a flood. Another one more fully developed is the Babylonian account known as Gilgamesh. Both of these traditions were discovered in the same area as the flood of Noah’s day. The evidence for a worldwide flood is found both in the written accounts as well as in the earth itself.

Here are some convincing arguments for a worldwide flood: 1) The depth of the flood. It covered all the high mountains. 2) The duration of the waters. It lasted over a year. 3) The geology of the flood. The fountains of the great deep were opened up. 4) The size of the ark. 5) The need for such an ark. If it were only a local flood, the people and the animals could have just moved outside the flood zone. 6) The testimony of the apostle Peter. He compared it to the destruction of the earth when Jesus returns. That will be worldwide. 7) The total destruction of the human race except eight souls inside the ark. It is estimated that one billion people lived outside Mesopotamia in Noah’s day. 8) God promised not to destroy the world again by such a flood. Yet we have many local floods today. Therefore, this flood must have been greater in extent and devastation than any other local floods.

Unbelievers not only seek to minimize the flood by claiming that it was a local flood, but they deny that it even happened. They say that all things continue as they were from the creation. No worldwide flood occurred. Peter said that they are willingly ignorant of the flood because they want to deny the Second Coming as well. (2 Peter 3:3-5.) They believe in uniformitarianism.

The flood of Noah’s day was an act of God. Some speak of events as being of "biblical proportions." The flood was not local, not normal or caused by natural events. It was a one-time catastrophic event. Jesus called it a cataclysm (Greek word, kataklusmos). (Luke 17:27.) We learn things about God from what he said and what he does. The flood teaches us many things about the nature of God. Would God destroy the world with a flood? He did.

"Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God. On them which fell, severity, but toward thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness. Otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off." (Rom. 11:22.)

One lesson that we best not forget is that sin and ungodliness was the only reason for the flood. The flood did not come upon the ancient world for any other reason. It was not because of some glitch in the geologic cycle. It was not because of some action by Satan. Satan was allowed to cause much pain and suffering against righteous Job. But he did not cause the flood against good people. It was sent as a direct judgement from God because of the rebellion and sinfulness of man.

Every major text in the Bible where the flood is discussed the cause of the flood is made clear.

"God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created." (Genesis 6:5-7.)

"But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark. They knew not until the flood came and took them all away. So shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matt. 24:37-39.)

"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. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:6-9.)

The reason scoffers do not want to admit that the flood even happened is because of the reason that sent this judgment. Scoffers mock the doctrine of the Second Coming for the same reason. They do not want to acknowledge that God will bring a severe judgment against their sinful lives.

"This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hates the light, neither comes to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth comes to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God." (John 3:19-21.)

Eight souls were saved in the ark while the majority was destroyed in the flood. Why? Aren’t all human beings about the same in their behavior? There is really no difference between Christians and sinners, is there?

Note how Biblical writers describe Noah and his family.

"But God spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly." (2 Peter 2:5.)

"These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect (upright) in his generations and Noah walked with God." (Gen. 6:9.)

"Though these there men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in Jerusalem, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God." (Ezekiel 14:14.)

It is clear that Noah and his family were saved because they believed in God and walked with him. The ones destroyed by the flood were ungodly. There is a difference between one who acknowledges God with his lips and seeks to honor God in his life. One person obeys the Gospel and another refuses. There is a great difference between the two. It is a serious matter when someone knows God’s will and rejects it. There is such a thing as a lost person and a saved one. The flood teaches us that.

"Therefore to him that knows to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." (James 4:17.)

Sinners are delighted when churches behave as they do. The world takes false hope when it rejoices in the sinfulness of religious people. That does not mean that everyone after all will be accepted of God. It means that all sinners, whether in the church or out, will be lost.

The apostle Peter wrote, "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished." (2 Peter 2:9.) This statement follows references to the Lord delivering Lot out of Sodom and Noah from the flood. (Verses 5-8.) The flood should teach us that God knows how to save those trust in Him.

The Lord sent an angel to rescue Lot and his family out of Sodom before he sent fire and brimstone upon those twin cities of the plains. He protected Daniel in the lions’ den. If we were there when Daniel was thrown into the den, we might have thought that poor Daniel would be devoured immediately. God knew how to deliver Jonah from being devoured by a great fish. God delivered all the Christians from Jerusalem when the Romans destroyed it in AD 70. Eusebius, the church historian, wrote that not one Christian was destroyed in the overthrow. It might look hopeless when a saint dies and is buried beneath the sod. But the Lord can and will raise them with a spiritual body to live eternally. God has saved his people in many different ways over the history of time. He put Noah and his family in a boat. He sent the Israelites across the Red Sea on dry land and closed the walls of water behind them.

God saves us in a way similar to the salvation of Noah and his family. That is, we are saved by water as they were.

". . . eight souls were saved by water, the like figure whereunto even baptism does also now save us; (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead." (1 Peter 3:20-21.)

The salvation of Noah and family is very instructive to us about our salvation.

"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; by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Heb. 11:7.)

There is a righteousness that comes by faith. Faith means that you trust God and therefore do what he says, even when you do not fully understand why. It must have been a tough thing to do to build an ark in full view of an unbelieving world. Surely they asked him what he was doing. Imagine Noah trying to explain to them what God was going to do. Then to tell them that he was going to put all the animals by pairs and sevens in the ark must have taken a great faith and determination.

We must tell the lost of our day that God is going to judge the world again at the Second Coming of Jesus. The dead are going to be raised and the living changed. The lost will be separated from God forever and ever. Unbelievers find much to mock. But it will happen just as God said.

Man is always involved in his own salvation. Faith puts him in a critical position between God and unbelievers. Faith means that he must act when God speaks. He either builds an ark, crosses the Jordan, flees Jerusalem when he sees the army drawing near, or submits to being immersed in water to wash away his sins. Grace describes well God’s part; faith describes well man’s part. (Eph. 2:8-10.)

God counts us righteous when we respond to Him by faith. The only way that man can really be righteous before God is to trust Him explicitly.

Everything changed on earth after the flood. Before the flood, the beauty of the original created world was seen everywhere. Afterwards, the earth was destroyed. God cursed the earth in Adam’s day. When Jesus returns, a new heaven and new earth will come forth. It will be like the one in the Garden of Eden. The tree of life will be available again. Rivers of water will flow from the throne of God to water Paradise. Man will be allowed into the presence of God again.

The apostle Peter made the connection between the Flood and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:4-7.)