Genesis 7:1-24 "Noah and the Flood"

Good Evening, Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Please take your seats… and let’s open with a word of prayer.

Tonight we continue in Genesis. Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 7. Verses 1-24 this evening.

We’ve entered into the section of Genesis where Noah’s account comes front and center…

In the days of Noah…

Gen 6 describes the world having experienced population explosion (V1)…

Sexual perversion (V2)… which scriptural support as we discussed two sermons ago… suggests was due to demonic infiltration through breeding with human women (V2)…

… resulting in giants or Nephilim… demonic half breeds intended to corrupt the human gene pool…

… in order to destroy God’s Gen 3:15 Messianic prophecy that foretold of the Seed of the woman who would destroy the authority of the seed of the serpent.

Plus… the human race was already morally corrupt through the influence from the ‘Way of Cain’…

So… demonic influence plus the way of Cain… and the result was ‘every intent of the thought of mankind’s hearts were only evil continually.’ (V5)…

And, this resulted in an earth that was filled with violence (V11)…

All of which could not have surprised God… for He knows all, but it affected God… it caused Him sorrow to see mankind in such a sinfully corrupt state.

A day is coming when the earth will reach this level of depravity again.

As Jesus said in Matthew 24:37 “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

There’s a typology… between the days of Noah… and the day just before Jesus returns in his Second Coming…

The world will grow worse than even what we see now.

The church will be removed at the rapture… the Antichrist will be revealed… and the tribulation will begin where God’s judgment will be poured out upon a wicked world.

Israel though… like Noah… will be preserved during that time of judgment.

God determined that… due to the almost total state of corruption… all flesh on earth had to come to an end… which we discussed was to preserve life that would bring forth the Messiah…

Thus, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” (V8)

Noah… did not earn grace, but found grace… like all of God’s children.

And he was described as “a just man” (a man of faith who believed God) and “perfect in his generations” (referring to his pure genetic profile)…

And, Noah and his family were called to save the world… for it would be through their line… several generations later that Jesus would be born… the Savior of the World.

We closed Chapter six reading that God called Noah to build an Ark… by def. a “box”… and provided the schematics to preserve Noah… Mrs. Noah… their three sons and daughter-in-laws… eight souls in all… through the deluge… the Flood.

Which is what we are looking at tonight in a message titled “Noah and the Flood.”

In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage.

Genesis 7:1-24 “Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” 5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.

7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, 9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

13 On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark—14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.

17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.”

Praise God for His word! Please be seated.

Some of the most profound words that we read in Chapter 7 are found in V1… where the LORD says to Noah, “Come into the ark...”

The LORD did not say “Go into the ark”, but “Come into the ark.”

God did not send them forth to face the flood alone… God invited them to where His presence was.

He was with them on the ark.

I just preached a message at my sending church in Maryland… where Jesus was in the boat with the disciples.

Sleeping nonetheless after a long day of ministry, but in the boat with them.

In Isaiah 43:2 the LORD declared, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

God protects us and is with us… during the storm and in the fire.

It’s reassuring to us Christians to know that repeatedly in scripture God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Gen 28:15, Deut 31:6, 8; Josh 1:5; Heb 13:6)

Some of Jesus’ last words to His disciples were, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:20)

His presence is with us… no matter the storm of life.

God invited Noah into the Ark.

The word Ark Heb. Tabnah… appears 28x in the OT, but only in two contexts. Noah’s Ark… and Moses’ Ark.

Which… I guess is not surprising, but it just grabbed me as interesting.

Moses was put in an ark of bulrushes on the Nile river at three months old according to Exo 2:2- 3

And, that’s the only other use of Tabnah in the Bible.

The Ark of the Covenant was a different Hebrew word. Aron… and by def. was a “chest.”

Versus Noah’s Ark which was a box meant to float upon the water.

And as God invites Noah and his family into the ark, God tells Noah His reasoning why Noah was chosen… “… because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.”

Noah was righteous… meaning “just, blameless, innocent.”

Gen 6:9 declares, “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.”

He was ‘just’ pointing to His vertical relationship with God.

Which is an assessment only God can provide by one’s faith.

And, Hebrews 11:7 confirm Noah’s faith… “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

Noah was also ‘perfect’ speaking about his genetic purity.

And, he ‘walked with God’ highlighting his observable character and righteousness that other people witnessed.

Even to the point that Ezekiel 14:14 highlights Noah, Daniel and Job as examples of righteousness.

In fact Noah not only lived a righteous life, but was called a “preacher of righteousness” in 2 Peter 2:5.

Noah spoke about God…

He had 120 years to share with people about impending judgment… and an ark that would save them, but no one believed.

It’s the same today. There’s not just one… but, many with a Noah like spirit… who preach righteousness to an ungodly world…

… and yet… still many people ignore the message of salvation.

In Noah’s day and today… people are either in the ark or they’re out of the ark.

If out of the ark, they are subject to God’s judgment.

If in the ark, they were safe.

Today Jesus Christ is figuratively our ark.

He saves… from an even far greater and eternal judgment than that of the flood.

You are either in Christ and safe from God’s wrath… or you are out of Christ and subject to judgment.

There is no middle ground.

People in Noah’s day and today… have a choice to believe or reject the message.

And for us… we are to be like Noah… to preach the message of righteousness and invite people into the Ark.

In vv 2-3 again we read, “You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.”

If you think back to Gen 6:19 Noah was instructed to bring “two of every sort into the Ark.”

Now God provides additional details… to take “seven of every clean animal” and “two of each unclean” animal.

And God states the purpose… as He did in Gen 6:20… was to keep the species alive.

And, this supports a global flood… because if the flood were only local… animals could just migrate, but they too needed to be delivered in the safety of the Ark.

It would seem that seven of every kind was reserved for clean animals that would be domesticated… and those used especially in the sacrificial system.

Which later would be specified in Mosaic Law (Lev 11 for ex.).

If there were only two clean animals, and one was sacrificed that would be the end of that species, so there was seven.

Seven… allows for three pairs for even greater multiplication of clean animals post flood.

Three pairs plus one… and maybe that extra one was for sacrifice.

And can you imagine the drama this caused on the Ark?

The poor sheep on the Ark were probably wondering the whole time… “which one of us is it gonna be?”

If you visit Ark Encounter… down in Kentucky… and you go to the second level, they have an animal therapy unit set-up to help the animals with emotional trauma.

I just made that up. That’s not actually true.

That would be for today’s animals. They were much more robust in Noah’s day.

Now… in V4… we begin to get a timeline of the flood… “For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”

God now gives Noah a seven day heads up for last minute preparations…

To get all the animals in their stalls…

To gather final items for food…

To declare any final warnings to the people…

Perhaps it was here that Methuselah died… and seven days was set for mourning according to Gen 50:10.

If you recall, Methuselah’s name means “When he is dead it shall be sent”… so the prophetic thought was his death would bring the flood.

With today’s atmospheric conditions… a worldwide flood lasting forty days and nights would be impossible.

But, in Noah’s day… one theory is there was a “water vapor canopy”… which some think are described in Gen 1… on Day 2.

And somehow… God… with a word… with a thought… with the exercising of His will… for the first time on Earth… rain would fall… rain would downpour for forty days and nights.

And, it was not just a natural occurrence. In V4 God declared, “I will cause it to rain.”

The rain leading to the worldwide flood was the will of God.

And a second “I will” declaration is also read in V4… which is God’s reminder “I will destroy… all living things...”

Which again… demands for a worldwide flood… not a local flood.

The time for God to cleanse the earth of evil… to preserve the Messianic line had come.

It was the end of the 120 years that God granted mankind in Gen 6:3…

And… we can only imagine all the work put in by Noah and his family to build the Ark… and proclaim truth in the midst of a very dark time.

How much mockery did they receive?

From a people and world that knew no rain… and yet Noah build an Ark the size of a Container Ship.

And there are times when God puts things in front of us and we may not have all the answers…

… and people may think we’re crazy… and question and mock.

But God may lead us in a way where we know where to go…

… and still cause us to walk by and take leaps of… faith.

There was a time in the Philippines when it was clear God was directing us to have a more permanent home for our ministry.

One guy tried to rent us a place at an inflated price and take advantage of us.

And the locals got mad at him and told us we could build on another plot of land.

I remember having just enough money to renew our Visas, but reasoned that God had clearly led us to build… and provided the land…

SO, we took a step of faith. I reasoned that if God provided the money for the Visas (which He did… $5000 from one person)… then He would provide the money for the building.

I also remember distinctly that as I was driving with our local contractor (Victor) to make our first purchase of materials.… my wife called me to let me know a guy emailed at that time committing to provide all the funds for the building.

Literally… as we stepped out in faith… God provided the funds.

Which was good, because I didn’t know how to pay for both visas and a building. But, God did. He provided.

That was one of the most profound experiences I’ve ever had with taking a step of faith… and God providing in that very moment.

And in those 120 years for Noah… how many times did God show up?

Providing materials… providing extra hands to help with the labor of construction…

Answers in Genesis suggests Noah likely had help from family members… his grandfather Methuselah and father Lamech were alive for the bulk of the construction period.

Did Noah hire people? The Bible states eight people entered the Ark, but does not specify how many helped build it.

That would have certainly afforded an audience for him to preach righteousness to.

Maybe some of you work for a company where the boss begins the day in prayer… or where people gather for Bible studies.

I know of several companies like that here in Indiana.

Maybe your thinking, “I wish my company was like that.” Maybe you’re supposed to start a prayer group at work?

God may have given Noah insights on using cranes, scaffolding, and employed animals to lift or haul heavy items as well.

God is our provider… and HOW He provides can come through provisions… insights… through people… many and diverse ways.

But the TIMING of WHEN He provides… often occurs when we walk in HIS WILL… and take steps of faith.

And indeed Noah did all these things… in fact we read just that in V5 “And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.”

We read a similar phrase in the last verse at the end of Chapter 6.

And, it’s no small phrase. To do what God calls one to do… even to be a believer… requires a break from the world.

It requires a sacrifice from the ways of darkness.

To be obedient and faithful to God and holy living… one must put aside certain things that are clearly against God.

In my college years… friends knew me to say yes to parties… clubs… drinking… drugs…

But, at some point… I began to do what the Lord commanded me.

And that required setting boundaries with former friends… that I was not going certain places anymore.

And that caused a break in friendship.

It’s no small thing to do according to what God commands, but there is no better road to walk… for it is the only road that prepares us for eternity… and heavenly rewards that await the believer at Christ’s Bema Seat.

Noah was given a mountain of a task. Build an ark. I mean… can you imagine building an Ark.

You live in a time where life is long… where technology is different… certainly not modern… and you have 120 years to build an Ark… to save human and animal life… and to save your family.

Feels like a lot of pressure. Where to even begin?

But, Noah began regardless.

We don’t even know what Noah’s occupation was prior to God’s calling on his life.

Was he in construction? Was he a farmer? One who worked with metals? The Bible is silent to Noah’s skill set.

But God often pulls people from one sector of life and places a calling for them to be His chosen vessel for His purposes.

Just consider Jesus’ Twelve Disciples… fishermen… a tax collector… a zealot.

Consider my life and your life… and how God has led us.

Foolish things of the world… at least… speaking for myself… whom He called to confound the wise… so He gets all the glory.

The Bible is not only silent about Noah’s past career, but also silent about his feelings towards building the Ark.

We read that Noah did… He was obedient.

We don’t read that Noah complained or rebelled against the command of God.

Only “Thus Noah did” in Chapter 6… plus “And Noah did” here in V5 of Chapter 7.

And those three simple word cover a lot of ground.

Many years… many trials… much preaching… much mocking… many stories of God’s provision… and more.

Many of which are not recorded in the Bible… you’ll have to get the ‘rest of the story’ from Noah… when you meet him in glory.

Ask him about it in heaven… you’ll have all of eternity to catch every last detail.

Heaven is such a peaceful thought… the pressures of time… and sin… and trials… all will be vanquished. They will be no more.

In V6 we read another account of the long lives of the people in the pre-flood world, “Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.”

Here he was 600 years old when the floodwaters came… so he was just a young 480 years old when he began building the Ark.

And Noah (according to Gen 9:29) lived to be 950 years before he died.

So… at age 600… Noah had quite a bit of life left in him.

In today’s economy of average lifespans… Noah would have been roughly 45 years old… assuming an average age of 72 for males.

As we read this verse and V7 “So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.”

As we read these verses… they are very solemn… for they mark the end of an age.

The Antediluvian world would come to an end… and the postdiluvian age would begin.

The world before the flood certainly was a rebellious time against God… where many walked in the Way of Cain… seeking to establish himself without God.

It was also a time of great invention… craftsmen of bronze and iron… musicians who played harp and flute… farmers who cared for livestock and agriculture.

But… it had become corrupted… sadly even the line of Seth… of whom we read at the end of Chapter 4… “Then men began to call on the name of the LORD”…

… even of that once godly line… only a faithful remnant remained in that line… one man… Noah…

No other Sethites besides Noah’s sons… and perhaps daughter-in-laws got into the Ark.

And so… these eight souls would cast themselves completely on the mercy of God… as the waters of the flood began… they had to fully trust God to preserve them in the Ark.

My mind would be racing thinking through a checklist of whether we constructed the Ark correctly.

Did we finish construction of all areas? Was pitch properly applied?

Did we have have the needed provisions? And, I would gather the family to pray for our safety, and thank God for our calling.

At some point there is no choice but to surrender all to God and trust Him to carry you through the storm.

1 Peter 3:20 gives us this glimpse of that time...“… the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”

For God… we read in Chapter 6… that He was sorrowful over the corrupted condition of mankind.

The Divine… God is longsuffering… meaning patient, but a time comes when iniquity reaches full maturation and He judges.

God prophetically told Abram in Gen 15 that 400 years would pass in Egypt “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

God waited to bring the Israelites in the land of Canaan through an act of divine longsuffering for the Amorites.

God often waits until there are no more righteous souls in a land before He passes judgment…

This was true for Sodom and Gomorrah… but once God removed Lot… judgment came.

God sent Jonah to wicked Ninevah… and they repented… and stood for about another 150 years before judgment came.

In the lives of each person still today… Romans 1 shares how God is righteous for revealing Himself to the world through creation…

But… His longsuffering has a limit. If nations or people foolishly do not glorify Him… nor are thankful… and suppress the truth of God… and become futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts become darkened…

God’s patience has a threshold… eventually God gives them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts…

God give them up to vile passions…

God gives them over to a debased mind.

If one sears their conscience against God… God eventually honors their request for a life without God.

And, in Noah’s day… and today… this causes God sorrow. We might say in human terms… ‘it breaks His heart.’

God loves the world… and foretold long ago in Gen 3:15 of a coming Savior who would defeat the Serpent… and restore relationship with Him…

He would redeem… even ransom those who believe in the Messiah out of the slave market of sin.

We know that One… as He has been revealed by name and mission… Jesus Christ.

And to enter into the Ark of His eternal safety… like Noah… you have to believe.

God didn’t force anyone to get into the Ark when the flood came.

And, God doesn’t force anyone today to believe that Jesus Christ is the One who died for our sin to be forgiven.

And, that by faith in Him… He took the judgment for our sins… and we inherit His perfect righteousness before God.

Your job is to trust Jesus Christ.

And, there is great rejoicing in heaven even over one sinner who repents… who changes their mind from disbelief to belief… (Luke 15:7).

And, for all the hard hearts who reject the Ark… God still today is sorrowful.

For Noah and his family… I imagine as they entered the Ark there were mixed feelings… both of relief and of grief.

Noah was a preacher of righteousness to a world lost in darkness… and he had very few converts.

But, He was faithful… His job was to be a watchman on the wall and to sound the trumpet of coming judgment.

But, I still imagine he felt grief over all the lost souls who chose the broad road of destruction… versus the path of life.

And, I imagine they also felt relief… even thankfulness.

The world had grown so demonically corrupt that it would have eventually swallowed them whole.

And it always strikes me how in the verse we read in 1 Peter 3:20 that Noah’s family was “saved through water.”

The water of God’s judgment destroyed all who were outside the Ark.

But, it saved those who were inside the Ark… from those who were outside the Ark… who had reached that hopeless tipping point of utter and complete iniquity that warrants God’s righteous judgment.

Now… don’t confuse the water as the means of salvation.

The water was judgment. The means by which they were saved… or delivered was by being in the Ark.

They had to trust God to preserve them in the Ark.

And, in this… the Ark is a type for Christ who also is the only means by which we are saved… and we have to trust Him for our eternal salvation.

Those who were in Noah’s Ark did not experience the waters of judgment.

And for people today… John 5:24 declares, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

Believe in God… believe in Jesus Christ… and you shall not experience God’s wrath on sin, but only eternal life.

In vv 8-9… we get that classic Noah’s story feel of the animals entering the Ark two-by-two… “Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, 9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.”

And, I would assume for the clean animals… of which was seven… all the seventh wheels must have paired up…

Male and female they entered to preserve life.

Animals understand male and female. Sadly, many people have been deceived to think the simplicity of male and female had evolved into 72 or 112 or even an infinite number of genders… which is a lie.

How miraculous was the order in which pairs of animals entered the Ark? The animals don’t stampede, but decently and orderly enter the Ark of God.

No large mammals stepped on the creeping things.

God is a God of order. In 1 Cor 14 we are instructed to practice spiritual gifts “decently and orderly.”

If the animals can enter the Ark in an orderly fashion… even us Charismatics can conduct a church service honoring to God that is decent and orderly.

And, notice the words “they went into the ark to Noah.”

Noah didn’t have to goad them into the Ark… he was already there. Noah didn’t run around with a butterfly net. He didn’t have to perform the impossible to lasso and wrangle all the animals.

They came to him. It was a miracle of God… somehow God moved on all creation…

And, just as God laid out the plan to Noah in Gen 6, so it was. God’s will be done… and it is so.

Everything here unfolded just as God predicted.

And, this stands as an assurance to us that we can trust that everything in Revelation, and Daniel, and Ezekiel, and Matthew 24-25… and so forth… will come to be just as God predicted.

God will preserve His people and Jesus will return.

Now in vv 10-12 we read, “And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.”

Notice that the flood came exactly how God predicted it would after seven days in V4. And notice how specific in V11 Noah’s age was… on the 17th day of the second month in his 600th year.

This specificity helps us to understand the total duration of the flood was far greater than forty days and forty nights… which was more specifically how long it rained.

If we compare V11 to Genesis 8:14-16 which reads, “And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried.”

It was then Noah and family received the command from God to “Go out of the ark.”

So they entered the Ark on the 17th day of the second month in Noah’s 600th year… and exited on the 27th day of the second month in Noah’s 601st year.

Jewish years were 360 days + 11 additional days (from the 17th to the 27th)… and scholars like Henry Morris calculate a total of 371 days total in the Ark.

One article from AIG titled, “How Long Did the Flood Last?” suggests the calendar may not have been a 360 day calendar and the actual duration of the flood was 365 days.

So… if you love geeking out on details… go search for that article on the Answers in Genesis website.

A few details about the flood…

We read there were forty days and nights of rain…

In V24 it states the “waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.”

So the flood did not immediately subside, which makes sense.

Genesis 8:3–4 highlights that “the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.”

Mountains (plural)… not specifically Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey, but we’ll come back to that more in Chapter 8.

But, waters were receding and additional calendar months and days are provided in Gen 8:3-4 for tracking the length of the flood.

Genesis 8:5 also reads, “And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.”

So from the seventh to the tenth month waters continued to recede where the mountains were now seen.

We’re just doing a fly over tonight, but hopefully it’s helpful for you to have an idea that Noah’s family was in the Ark for about a year… and if you want to dive deeper… I recommend checking the many article on the Answers in Genesis website.

Notice in V11 the phrase, “all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”

Not only did it rain from above, but we also just read that fountains of the great deep were broken up… indicating there were underground water sources (fountains or springs) below the earth’s crust.

We get some shadows of this in Proverbs 8:24 “When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.”

And Job 38:16 “Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?”

So… rain fell and subterranean reservoirs were broken up and water flowed to the surface of the earth from above and below.

And again… there is so much scientific depth and theories about these underground fountains…

And continental shifts that happened during this time…

And, Canyons like the Grand Canyon… being formed in a short period of time caused by massive waters carving out the land… versus less water over millions of years as taught by secular scientist.

So much depth. Huge rabbit trail… and tons of great resources to study.

You can even call the Answer in Genesis library for recommendations.

Another great source for trusted books is to call the book store at Calvary Chapel Philly. They’re wonderful and super helpful.

Buy “The Genesis Record” by Henry Morris… it’s a wonderful and in depth book on Genesis.

Anyhow… moving on in vv 13-16 Noah’s family (eight in all) enter the ark… plus all the animals… the final seven days of grace had come to an end and judgment had come.

These verses are very similar to what we’ve read prior about the animals entering two by two, but what stands out is the phrase at the end of V16 “and the LORD shut him in.”

Don’t overlook these words. Circle, underline, or highlight them… whatever your method for emphasis.

These words stand as a great assurance of God’s hand of protection being upon them.

We don’t know HOW the LORD closed the door behind Noah, but God somehow… even be it through a word… shut and sealed the door without the help of human hands.

And being that the door was supernaturally shut… I don’t imagine it could be opened with human hands.

Once the rain started it was too late… even with a few drops if one were to run to the Ark… who can open a door that God has shut?

In the parable of the Ten Virgins in Matt 25… once the ‘door was shut’… the virgins who were not prepared for the bridegrooms coming… they were shut out.

It was too late. And Matt 24-25 appropriately pictures the future tribulation… the final seven years of life on earth… before all decisions are final.

In Revelation 14:6–7 John writes, “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

God provides the gospel for every person to accept or reject during the tribulation… and God is just to judge all who reject truth and salvation in Jesus Christ.

And, while we will never see the tribulation… every person is appointed a day to die…

And, on that day… anyone who didn’t enter our ark of salvation… faith in Jesus Christ… the door is shut. It’s too late. There’s not a second chance once one dies.

So, we need to be preachers of righteousness… watchmen on the wall… warning of coming judgment… and salvation through believing in Jesus Christ.

But, for Noah’s family… they believed… they entered the ark… and they could rest assured that they were in God’s will… and His ark of safety would carry them through.

And again… we see a parallel to Christ.

Just as the old world would forever be dead to Noah and His family… and they were being preserved in the Ark of deliverance.

So too did Christ give “… Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father…” (Gal 1:4)

As we close out… in vv 17-24, we see great evidences for a worldwide flood… also called a universal flood… not just a local flood.

Again we read, in vv 17-24 “Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. [that’s the third time the word “prevailed” is used for emphasis… and “earth” has been mentioned four times all intended to emphasis the global flood.] 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.”

So God fulfilled all that He spoke to Noah… and this is the account of Noah and the Flood.

Worship team please come.

Next time… we pick up beginning to look at the post-flood world.

Read ahead.

Let’s Pray!

If you need prayer for anything, please see us before you go.

May the Lord bless you… and keep you… and give you peace as you close out the week ahead.

God bless you as you go.