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Sunday, August 14, 2011

Noah, The Ark, and the Flood: Why its Important

The Biblical account of Noah, the Ark and the flood in Genesis 6-9 has important implications for the Christian life.  Below are some key reasons as to why we need to consider it more closely.

1. Jesus uses the Flood to explain the end times
Luke 17:26-27 26And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.  27They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.  Without a doubt Jesus was drawing parallels between the culture of Noah and the days preceeding His second coming. 

2. Peter uses the Flood to explain Earth’s Past and Future
The Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3 warns his readers about how there will be scoffers in the last days who will ridicule, among other things, the reality of the historic worldwide flood recorded in Genesis.  He writes in 2 Peter 3:3-7 3Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,  4And 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.  5For 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:  6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:  7But 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. 

The world-wide flood for instance can explain why geological features of the earth took moments, not millions of years, to form.   In fact the world-wide flood event has been used by specialists called "Creation-Scientists" to explain everything from the existence of comets, to the craters on the moon, to the tilt of the earth to the possible explanation for the dissapearance of dinosaurs.  The evidence for a world-wide flood (see last blog) can be a useful in counter-acting the humanistic world-view of evolution.  Websites such as "answersingenesis.org" are great tools that utilize the flood in describing the history and destiny of our world in light of the scriptures. 

3. It shows that God never forgets His people
Genesis 8:1 tells us that God remembered Noah.  This idea of God remembering His people is quite pervasive throughout the Old Testament.   When God is "remembering”, He is bearing forth upon Himself and in Himself the name of His people.  When one does a word study for this word "remember", it speaks of a continual granting of kindness, graciousness and compassion in extenuating circumstances.  The idea of God remembering somebody occurs in key theological and historical events throughout the Old Testament:

Gen 19:29 – God “remembers” Abraham      Gen 30:22 – remembers Rachael
Exod 2;24 – remembers the Israelites             1 Samuel 1:19 – remembers Hannah
Job 14:13 – The cry to remember Job              Psalm 132 – the cry to remember David

Undoubtedly this idea carries its way into the New Testament, where Christ’s resurrection is the prime example of “remembering”, since God did not forsake his body to see decay (compare Peter’s comments in Acts 2:27 on Psalm 16:6-8)  Indeed Christ's promise to never leave nor forsake His people is embedded in His committment and love for them. (please compare Matthew 28:20 and Hebrews 13:5)