This Is the Condition of Man Before the Flood • in Genesis 2 God

______GENESIS

INTRODUCTION: • This is the condition of man before the flood • In Genesis 2 God commanded man to fill the earth and man filled the earth with violence • Because man allowed mankind to be corrupted through sexual union with fallen angels man was on a path of self-destruction • The Bible says all flesh was corrupted... which includes animal life • Some suggest fallen angels had sexual unions with animals which explains why God said sex with animals is forbidden (Exodus 22:19-20) • In Genesis 6:13 God says the end of all flesh has come before Me • God holds man responsible because He gave man the authority to rule and reign over the earth • So God tells Noah He will destroy man whom He created with the earth and every living thing... • Something to keep in mind... there is no such thing as personal sin • All sin has far reaching consequences that we don’t see

Genesis 6:14–16 (NKJV) 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

• “Ark” is the noun “tevah” which means “a chest-shaped vessel” • According to God’s instructions, the dimensions were to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high

The question is... how long is a cubit? • The Babylonian royal cubit is 19.8” • Th Egyptians had a longer cubit (20.65”) and a shorter cubit (17.6”) • Most writers believe the Biblical cubit is 18”, the length of the tips of the fingers to the elbow... however the Hebrews had 2 cubits • Solomon’s Temple was built according to the cubits of “the former measure” (2 Chronicles 3:3) speaking of the royal or long cubit (20.4”) • The Hebrews also had a common cubit (17.5”)

• Based on the time that Moses wrote the book of Genesis, the cubit Noah used was most likely the common cubit (17.5”) • [SLIDE 2] This is a built to scale replica of the Ark in Kentucky using the Royal Cubit or 20.4” • This Ark is 510 ft. long (300 x 20.4), 51 feet tall (30x20.4) and 85 feet wide (50x20.4) • [SLIDE 3] Shows the inside of the Ark with 3 decks according to the scriptures • It’s over 100,000 square feet of space, which is more floor space than 21 basketball courts • It’s been estimated the Ark could hold 125,000 sheep

The Ark is a type of salvation (Hebrews 11:7) • The Ark was to be covered with “pitch” (“kopher”) which is a derivative of “kaphar” (covering) • “kaphar” is the same word used for “atonement” in Leviticus 17:11 • Thus we have the first mention of the atonement in it’s most basic form • The covering around the Ark keeps Noah and his family safe from judgment just like the atonement (blood of Jesus) keeps us safe from judgment • The Ark had one window (“tsohar”) which allowed daylight and ventilation to preserve life representing the work of the Spirit who illuminates the darkened minds of unbelievers • The Ark had only one door representing there is only one way to be saved... • [SLIDE 4] Here’s a picture of the One Door in the Ark

John 10:9 (NKJV) 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 14:6 (NKJV) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

• The Bible says the preaching of the cross is foolishness to them who are perishing • There is no doubt Noah’s preaching about a coming flood must have been ridiculed... but when the floods came... everyone realized Noah was right... but it was too late THROUGH THE BIBLE / GENESIS © 2019 Holland Davis ______GENESIS

Genesis 6:17–21 (NKJV) 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”

Now we understand WHY the ARK is being built • Everything that is on the earth is going to die... including vegetation • BUT God says I will establish My covenant with you • Only those who enter the Ark will be saved

The word “covenant” is “berit” • A covenant is an agreement or contract between 2 people that governs their relationship... • There is always one person making the Covenant and another person receiving the benefits of the Covenant • It’s important to understand the relational foundation to covenants • A covenant cannot be broken because a relationship never ends • However, like a relationship, if you break the terms of the covenant there are consequences

In the Bible, God makes 8 Covenants with man... • We will name them but not study them in depth • Adamic Covenant (Genesis 3:14-19) • Noahic Covenant (Genesis 8:20-9:17) • The Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) • The Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 20, 21, 25 and 31) • The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:4-17) • The Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10) • The New Covenant (Hebrews 8:7-13) • 6 of these covenants were given to an individual

• 4 are distinguished by a sign... that is your homework to find out which 4 and what is the sign

There are 2 types of Covenants... conditional and unconditional • A Conditional Covenant is dependent on the faithfulness of the recipient for it’s fulfillment • An Unconditional Covenant is dependent on the faithfulness of God for it’s fulfillment • The Covenant God is making with Noah is unconditional which means it is totally dependent on the faithfulness of God

The Covenant God is making Noah is for salvation • God tells Noah... I’m going to save you, your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives with you • Salvation comes to Noah and his household... where do we hear that? • 2 places... Luke 19:9 and Acts 16:31 (Remember the OT / NT Seamless)

Vs. 19-21 God gives instructions to Noah for the preservation of animals • God commands Noah to bring 2 of every living thing of all flesh... male and female... each after their own kind (there is no missing link) • Noah was also to gather food for animals • Authorities on biological taxonomy estimate there are less than 18,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians living today • You could double this figure to allow for known extinct land animals as recorded by the fossil record • Based on 2 of each species, it’s been estimated there were between 72,000 and 75,000 animals on the Ark... how is that possible?

[SLIDE 5] God brought the animals... they will “come to you” • God created in animals genetic migratory and directional instincts • God used this genetic trait to bring them to the Ark • The animals God brought to Noah were not full grown including larger animals like giraffe’s and elephants • Based on the size of the animals and the capacity of the Ark, no more than 60% of the Ark’s capacity was used to house animals and that includes animals that were used for sacrificial offerings

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

• This last verse summarizes 120 years of God’s mercy while Noah preached righteousness to those who disobeyed God • 3 more times in Genesis we are told Noah obeyed all God commanded (Genesis 7:5, 9, 16) • Noah’s obedience to God was the demonstration of his faith in God and the indication of his fellowship with God • 7 times we read that God spoke to Noah... Genesis 6:13, 7:1, 8:15, 9:1, 8, 12, 17)

Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV) 7 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.

There is always a connection between faith, obedience and fellowship • That is why James says... show me your faith without your works and I’ll show you my faith by my works (James 2:18) • If your walk with God isn’t characterized by obedience to His Word then you have to ask yourself... do you really believe God’s Word? • Could you imagine what would have happened if Noah didn’t obey God? • His entire family would have died in the flood... Noah included • In a time when I believe the coming of the Lord is getting closer and closer... this is a time for believers to be doers of the Word • But if you don’t know what the Word says... you can’t do it • Noah heard God’s Word and he believed God and obeyed all He was commanded to do and that was the proof of their relationship

Genesis 7:1 (NKJV) 7 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.

• Why was Noah declared righteous in his generation? FAITH • Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness

• God said to Noah... I have seen that you are righteous before Me • NOTICE: God invites Noah to “come into the ark” and Noah enters • God would be in the Ark with Noah • While the world is being judged, Noah is in the Presence of the Lord • Thus, the Ark is a type of salvation... all who are in Christ (who are born again) will escape judgment • Noah is a type of Jesus Christ... through Noah’s obedience salvation comes • The judgment is a type of the Great Tribulation Period that come upon the whole earth... God will literally destroy 25% of the population and then 1/3 of the remaining population • However, While the earth is being judged, we will be safe in the Presence of the Lord during the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Genesis 7:2–6 (NKJV) 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.

• Noah was 600 years old when the flood happened • 6 is the number of man and Noah was the last man standing before God • God instructs Noah to bring 7 of every clean animal (male and female) • 3 pairs and 1 male animal to be used for a sacrificial offering • 2 of every unclean animal (male and female) • 7 of every bird (male and female) to keep the species alive • God then informs Noah judgment is coming in 7 days • It will begin with 40 days and 40 nights of rain and all living things that were created will be destroyed

Genesis 7:7–12 (NKJV) 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

THROUGH THE BIBLE / GENESIS © 2019 Holland Davis ______GENESIS 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.

Noah and Noah’s obedience is the focal point • Through Noah’s obedience (one man) his entire family, the animals, all living things are saved • Vs 7-9 elaborate on vs. 5 giving the details of Noah’s obedience • But I also want to point out a subtlety in God’s name • Vs 1 the LORD (YHWH) says to Noah... come into the Ark • Remember, YHWH is the name God uses when He is operating as the Covenant making God (Genesis 6:18) • Vs 9 God (Elohim) commands Noah the flood is coming • Elohim is the name God uses when He is operating as the Sovereign God of Power who enforces His commandments and law

God is about the reconcile the books and a date is given • The 600th year of Noah’s life, 2nd month, 17th day • The Jewish Calendar begins on the first day of Creation • This would make the date of the flood... 1655 years, 1 month and 17 days after Creation but where do we get the 2nd month? • To understand this, you must understand there are 2 Jewish Calendars • A Civil Calendar that begins with Rosh Hashanah in October and the Jewish Calendar that begins with Nissan in March or April • The Jewish Calendar starts with the first day of Creation • It appears Moses superimposed the Jewish calendar on the dates of the flood and since Creation occurred in Nissan (March / April) the Flood occurred on the 17th of Sivan (May / June) two months later

On this date... all the fountains of the Great Deep were broken up • There is a law of nature... the Principle of Least Action • It says that nature normally operates in such a way as to expend the minimum effort to accomplish a given result • It’s also known as the path of least resistance • Prior to the flood, the geography of the earth looked different than today

• There was more land, more vegetation, no great oceans that divided the continents, the oceans were interconnected with each other through subterranean reservoirs and underground rivers • The earth’s core provided internal heat that powered the entire system • Immanuel Velikovsky, Earth in Upheaval talks about evidence of a great catastrophic event at the bottom of the ocean evidenced by lava flows... signs of the earth’s crust giving way to tremendous pressure • The word “broken up” means to burst from great pressure, literally to cleave open • When the earth’s temperature increased, the thermodynamic pressure created caused the crust to burst • This accounts for the volcanic eruptions at the bottom of the oceans • The earth’s crust was destroyed and the subterranean waters exposed forming the ocean we have today

The windows of heaven were opened • It rained 40 days and 40 nights • In Genesis 1:7 we read about the waters above the firmament • Prior to the flood the atmosphere had an invisible layer of water vapor that created a greenhouse affect • The climate around the world was ideal, mild, a water vapor kept the vegetation hydrated and healthy • When the windows of heaven are opened, the water in the water canopy collapsed suddenly and intenstly in the form of rain

Genesis 7:13–16 (NKJV) 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.

• Notice... the LORD shut him in • YHWH, the Covenant making God who keeps His promise to man Shut the door of the Ark

• The root word means “to shut up, to shut off” and it signifies two things that happened when God shut Noah in • First Noah was shut off from the world that was being judged • When you are in Christ, you are shut off from the world... no longer part of the world that is under judgment because the god of this world is judged • Second, and I understand I am taking liberties with the translation but it works... the cry for justice because of man’s wickedness was shut up • When you are in Christ, the accuser who condemns you before the Father is shut up because the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in Christ Jesus • This is what happens when you are born again... you are shut in, sealed, secured by God Himself... you are shut off from the world that is under judgment and the accuser is shut up from condemning you any longer

Genesis 7:17–24 (NKJV) 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.

• Vs. 18 tells us the high hills were covered • Every inch of the earth was between 21 to 25 feet underwater (depending on what cubit measurement you use) • This lasted for 150 days... and all flesh died that moved on the earth • Birds, cattle, beasts, every creeping thing and every man • All vegetation would be wiped out, all insect life would be wiped out • Species of birds who can remain in flight for up to 6 months would die of starvation due to the lack of insect life

• The longest man has lived without food is 74 days and the longest recorded time a man has tread water is 3.5 days • After 150 days... all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life died for lack of food or drowning • Only those who were in the Ark lived... a type of salvation... only those who are in Christ will live

Genesis 8:1–5 (NKJV) 8 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And 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. 5 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.

Vs. 1 says God remembered Noah... did God forget Noah? • Remembered is “zakar” and it has 3 shades of meaning • The first is to remember or pay attention to • The second is to remember accompanied by action • The third is to speak out loud, to recite, to invoke • This third meaning is closest to what is going on in vs. 1 • God invoked, spoke out loud His Covenant with Noah and a wind passed over the earth, the waters subsided, the fountains of the deep, the rain stopped and the water receded

In the 7th month... the month of Tishri, the 17th day of the month • The Ark rested on the mountains of Ararat (not Mount Ararat)... the Hebrew spelling of the name Urartu • The mountains of Ararat (located in ancient Armenia) correspond to the ancient Kingdom of Van (Urartu)... now part of modern Turkey • There continues to be some controversy over the discovery of the Ark • Josephus wrote the ark rested on a mountain in Armenia called Baris • Early Syrian tradition placed the Ark on Mount Judi (there’s 5 Mt. Judi’s) • In the 1980’s a large structure was found that was promoted as the Ark located in Durupinar, but later disproved to be a natural rock structure

• According to Jewish Rabbinic tradition, the ark was looted and the remains used for idol worship • We don’t need an Ark to show evidence of a worldwide flood and the stories in every culture of a boat that carried a family to safety

The waters continued to subside until the month of Tevet (10th month) • On the 1st day of the 10th month, the tops of the mountains could be seen • But it says the Ark rested in the 7th month (Tishrei)... the word rested means to cease to move which simply means the boat was anchored in the 7th month and it took 3 more months for land to appear

Genesis 8:6–14 (NKJV) 6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried.

• When Noah was 601 years old on the first day of Nissan (1st month), the waters receded from the earth • In the month of Iyar (2nd month) on the 27th day the ground was completely dry • [SLIDE 6] Here’s the timeline for the flood • [SLIDE 7] The Flood as a Type of Revelation (if there is time)