And, Friends, we come today to the Flood.  Now the entire human family had turned from God.  “There is none righteous; no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)  But here was one man who walked with God; who believed God.  Here is a man who still trusted God.  “By faith, Noah….”  

Now there is a striking contrast between the fact that the days of Noah are to be duplicated before the LORD comes again to the earth.  And that’s for His, not rapture, but coming to the earth to establish His Kingdom.  But there’s some remarkable parallels that have already taken place.  For instance, the way this chapter opens “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them.” (Genesis 6:1)  There was this tremendous population increase, and man had spread by that time pretty much over the earth.  He was in North America, he was here.  He was in Asia, in Europe, and in Africa.  He’d spread in every direction.  And today we have this tremendous population explosion, and men again will increase on the face of the earth.  

And then there is the fact that during great tribulation period, the Holy Spirit will no longer restrain evil.  Now he’ll still be there to convert men, but he’ll not be restraining evil on the earth we’re told very definitely.  And God’s overtures to men will be despised and rejected; and certainly they are today.  Isn’t it amazing that the only ones that are listened to today are the liberal protestant ministers and the Roman Catholics?  You hear nothing today of conservative man.  Now they’ve attempted to make some sort of an inroad, but they’ve had several conventions, and they’re trying their best to get back in the mainstream.  But we’ve come to the day that if you’re going stand for God, you’re going to find out that you will not be able to talk before a TV camera very often.  You’ve got to learn to protest and march and deny everything before that.  

Now, may I say to you, of course, the world in that day will be faced with the great problem of the rapture.  There will have been a great number of people that have left the earth.  And may I say also there were judgments in that day, and yet they did not heed them.  That was the warning that God had given.  Now, let’s look at the flood itself.  

PURPOSE & INSTRUCTIONS FOR BUILDING AN ARK

But first is the preparation that is made for it.  God is giving ample opportunity, and here in Verse 14, God says to Noah:

Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, 

and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.  

“Of gopher wood”: That’s an indestructible wood, very much like our redwood here in California.  “rooms shalt thou make in the ark,” and the word for “room” has the idea of “nests”.  Now the elephant would need a room, but may I say to you that the mole wouldn’t need quite that much room.  They can just give him a little dirt in a corner and that’s all that he would need.  And we’re told he “shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”  That is that it was to be waterproof.  Now, here were the instructions.

15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.  (Genesis 6:15)

The impression that most people have of the ark is the impression they were given by the little Sunday School card.  It looked like a houseboat.  And it was, to me, a very ridiculous sort of a travesty.  It was a caricature of the ark instead of picturing it like it actually was.  

To begin with may I say to you that the instructions for the building of the ark reveal that it was quite a sizable sort of an ark.  “And thou shalt make the ark and finish it, and it shall be three hundred cubits.”  Now, if a cubit is 18 inches, that ought to give you some conception of how long this ark was.  

Now the question arises, “How could they make it substantial in that day?”  Well, Friends, you’re not dealing with cavemen.  You’re dealing with a very intelligent man.  Noah was an intelligent man.  You see the intelligence that the race has today came right through that man, and he happened to be a very intelligent man.  Now he’s not making an ocean-going boat to withstand fifty foot waves.  All he’s doing is to have just a place for life—animal life and man to stay over quite a period of time, by the way, but not to go through a storm; actually, just to wait out the flood.  That was all.  And for that reason, it might lack a great deal, and as it did not have to be built as an ocean-going boat would give it a great deal more room.  

So three hundred cubits, and if a cubit is 18 inches, that’s 450 feet long.  That’s a pretty long boat by the way.  But the relative measurement is the thing that interests me.  And you put this down by, for instance, the New Mexico, one of our battle ships sometime ago.  But it was built 624 feet long, 106¼ feet wide, and the 29½ the mean draft.  Well, may I say that you put down the comparisons, and it’s practically the same.  So that you have not a ridiculous looking boat at all, but one that would compare favorably with the way they build ships today.  

We’re told here (in Verse 16):

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. (Genesis 6:16)

“A window shalt thou make to the ark…”  Now the window wasn’t a little slit made in the side of the ark.  Have you ever stopped to think about the stench that might be in there with all those animals in there over that period of time?  Well, “a window shalt thou make in the ark,” and the window went all the way around. And “in a cubit shalt thou finish it above.”  Now, from a cubit, from the top of the ark—from the roof, in the roof must have overlapped there quite a bit.  And underneath there was a cubit, 18 inches, that went all the way around the ark.  

Now that’s the way they ventilate a gymnasium today.  I noticed it at the state fair at Dallas.  The building in which the animals are have that window that goes all the way around at the top.  And, may I say, with all the animals they had at the state fair in Dallas, Texas, it wasn’t a bad place to be.  People were sitting in there eating their meals and sleeping there; very comfortable.  And the odor was not bad.  

I’ve heard that poor Noah had to stick his head out this little window to live.  Well, that’s ridiculous, but we’re not looking at that type of a thing.  That’s man’s imagination.  It’s not what the record says here at all.  And, Friends, quit reading Sunday School cards.  The pictures that were given to me when I was a kid I’ve had to unlearn practically all of the them, and that little ridiculous boat I wish we could get rid of it.

Now we’re told “and the door of the ark”—now it only had one door though. And that’s important.  Christ said He was the way. “I am the door to the sheepfold,” by the way (in John 10).  And He’s the door to the ark.  

. …and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

Now it was three decks here you see.  And then I think it had one on top or one on the bottom maybe.  That would make four decks.  And was there a door for each one?  I personally have not come to any conclusion here.  I’m rather of the opinion there was only one and not one for each floor.  But that, frankly, again, is beside the point.

Now God says (in Genesis 6:17):

And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.  

Now God is bringing the judgment upon the earth, upon animal and bird and man. 

But with thee (God says) will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, (And again you must understand by this time, one cow would represent the entire cow family; the Holsteins and the Jerseys and the Guernseys and all the others and then)…of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.  (Genesis 6:18-20)

Now that is something else that we need to pay attention to.  It’s repeated again in the next chapter.  That Noah wasn’t a Frank Buck who went out and bring ‘em back alive; he wasn’t a big game hunter.  He didn’t have to go after these animals; they came to him.  We’re told that, and we’ll see in the next chapter they did come to him.  They’ll come to you.  

Now why would they?  Animals in danger will do that.  I remember the first time that we went into Yosemite Valley when our daughter was just a little thing, and she’d never seen snow before.  And we put her down in the snow, and she began to whimper, but she quit when she looked over and saw a little deer—well, actually, I believe we could have gone over and petted that little deer, but we didn’t try because I knew something about the danger of them turning on you and being able to kick and kill an individual.  So we didn’t approach them any closer, but I mentioned that to the ranger.  He laughed; he said, “Yes, there’s snow up in the High Sierras right now.  And when there’s snow up there and there’s danger, they come down here and are as tame as any animal could possibly be.  But the minute that the snows melt and it becomes spring, he says they spring out of this area, and you couldn’t get in a country mile of any of them.  Why?  Well, because when an animal is in danger, it will come.  And at the time of the flood, I don’t think Noah had any problem at all.  I think they all came to him.  Now in Verse 21:

And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

Now he’s to do something very practical.  It took a lot of hay in the ark to feed these animals.  

Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.  (Genesis 6:22)

Now somebody’s going to say, “But some of those animals ate meat.  They’d eat each other.”  I don’t think so.  You say why.  Well, up to the time of the flood apparently both man and animals were not flesh eating.  They just didn’t eat flesh.  No carnivorous animals, I assume.  We are told of a day in the Millennium when the lion and the lamb will lay down together and the lion’s going to eat straw like an ox.  And that could certainly come; that probably was the original state of the animals.

CHAPTER 7

ENTERING THE ARK

Now will you notice we’ve come to Chapter 7.

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.

Why was he righteous?  By faith.  Just like Abraham later on was.  We’re told Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.  Noah believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.  And by faith the writer to the Hebrews said that’s the reason God saved him.  But have you ever noticed how gracious God is to this man in all of this time of judgment?  It says, “Come thou.”  The same invitation that the Lord Jesus gives today to all mankind.  “Come unto me all ye that are labor and are heavy laden; I will rest you.”  (Matthew 11:28) 

And then we’re told in Verse 7:16 here.

And they that went in…as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.

Isn’t that lovely!

CHAPTER 8

GOD REMEMBERED NOAH

And then Chapter 8 opens.

And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark…. (Genesis 8:1)

How lovely; how wonderful!  God could have very easily forgotten all about Noah.  He could have years later said, “Oh my, I forgot all about that fellow down there.  I put him in an ark and forgot about him.”  Had have been too bad, wouldn’t it.  But God didn’t forget.  “God remembered Noah.”  

God never forgets; He remembers you.  Only thing that He doesn’t remember is your sin if you come to Him, and your sins He remembers them no more.  What a beautiful thing this is!

Now Noah and the family enter into ark.  And did you know that this story of Noah, just like the story of creation, has wandered over the face of the earth.  And you read it like you read the creation story.  I wish that I could give you the Babylonian account.  I’m not entering into that I did of the creation account.  But all you have to do is compare them to see the difference; that these others are utterly preposterous and ridiculous, and they’re all based on this one, by the way.  And the very fact that most nations, most peoples have an account of both creation and the flood, doesn’t that tell you something, Friend?  That ought to tell you that there’s a basis of truth for that.  All of them wouldn’t come up with a record if they’d been making up the story.  And if you want to know which one is accurate, just make a comparison.  The Babylonian, of course, here is perfectly ridiculous.  And you have sort of a war going on among the gods; one against the other and that’s what brought the flood.  That’s not the way that the Bible tells it.  The judgment upon man for his sin makes sense, by the way.  

Now we’re told here (in Chapter 7:4-5):  

For yet seven days, God says, 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.  And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.

Now will you notice the fact that there came to Noah—and I should call attention to this; I was about the bypass it.  

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.   Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.  (Genesis 6:2-3)

“Of every clean best though should take to thee by sevens.”  Now this was the basis of a lawsuit years ago against Dr. Harry Rimmer when he offered $1,000.00 to anyone that could show a contradiction in the Bible.  And this was what was used in a court of law, and there were several liberal theologians that testified this was a contradiction.  

Why would it say two of each kind and now seven of each kind?  Well, all you have to do turn over to see Noah get out of the ark, and he was offering clean beasts as sacrifices.  Where would he have gotten the clean beasts, Friends, if he hadn’t taken more than the two?  It’s only the clean beasts that he took seven. And now we know why.  And those that were not clean were by two, the male and the female.  “And the fowls of the air by sevens, the male and the female” and that is for those that are clean.  “To keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.”

Now for seven days, the world could have knocked at the door of the ark and, frankly, they could have come in.  God would have saved them.  All you’d have had to do was believe God.  Now we’re told Verse 6:

And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.  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. 

That’s Verse 7 that I’ve just read.  Then we’re told here, Verse 9:

There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

No place does it say Noah went out and drove them in.  It wasn’t necessary.  They came to him.

…the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.  That’s Verse 11.  And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.  That’s Verse 12.

And now I drop down and read Verse 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.

Now we’re told that: 

And the flood was forty days upon the earth (Verse 17).  

Now the waters, though, prevailed—And I’m dropping down to the last verse; Verse 24 of Chapter 7:

 And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

Now that’s how long that the flood lasted.  Then we’re going to find out that it subsided another period of time, and we’ll talk about that next time.  

Now, may I—in the few moments that are left to me, may I say this.  What is the scientific historical evidence of the flood?  I’m not going to enter into this subject other than to say that there is one of the finest books—and I highly recommend it—called The Genesis Flood by Henry Morris and John C. Whitcomb.  Both of these men are thoroughly qualified to write on this subject.  Dr. John Whitcomb is a Ph.D. and he’s a professor of Old Testament at Grace Theological Seminary, and Dr. Morris is a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.  And these men have joined together and have written a book on the Genesis flood, and they show that this flood was universal and, also, that it was a great catastrophe; that there’s historical evidence for it.  And they answer this uniformitarian argument that has been put forth today, and I will not go into these different theories that have been advanced, and quite a few have been advanced for the flood.  But may I say there is an abundance of evidence for the flood, and they answer a great deal of this.

Now next time I’m going to pick up right at this juncture and probably give from their book one or two arguments, and then I’m going to move on from this.  I assume that today that there is this historical evidence for the flood and it’s not necessary for us to go into that.  And it’s been answered in this very graphic and scholarly manner.