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PT6 14 Jun 09 THE FLOOD OF NOAHS DAY HAS MEANING FOR US SONG 215 If you were to take a journey to Eastern Turkey and go near to the borders of Armenia and Iran, you would find yourself in the region called Ararat. It was in this region that that the gigantic vessel in which Noah and his family survived the Flood. This was in the year 2369 BCE. The Bible does give the exact location of whereabouts the ark alighted when the Flood receeded. It just reveals that Noahs ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8: 4) One could speculate it would have been on the prominent highest peak now called Mount Ararat. But this is a frigid peak some 15000 ft above sea level and we must remember, Noah and his family lived aboard the ark for several months after it landed. It also seems unlikely that after disembarking that they and the many animals which were on board would have to climb down from a towering summit like mountaineers to find suitable terrain to live on. Today, of course, although there has been much enthusiasm and numerous expeditions, there has been no conclusive proof found of remains of the ark. You may have wondered: Did the Flood really occur? How can we be sure? Is there solid evidence that can help reasonable people today to put faith in the Bible account about the Flood? Yes, indeed, there is. Jesus Christ himself. Jesus plainly stated: Noah entered into the ark, and the flood arrived. (Luke 17: 26,27) This is the best possible evidence. Why would that be?

2. Well, Jesus was in heaven before he came to the earth (John 8: 58) Jesus watched the building of the ark: he saw the Flood. Which evidence seems more convincing to you? The real eyewitness testimony of one who is the Son of God? Or the dim possiblility of explorers finding some ancient pieces of wood on a mountain top? 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Wealso know there was a global flood, why? because the Bible clearly teaches it as a factual event. If we look in the book of Genesis we find the account is narrated as Biblical history Chapter 6 tells us what the pre-Flood world was like READ CH 6 verses 5, 6, 7 This chapter also includes Gods detailed instructions to Noah on how to build the Ark He was given measurements and building techniques that are still used today in building ships and for their stability in water. How unreasonable it would be to believe that Noah spent perhaps 50 or 60 years building a huge vessel half the size of the ocean going liner Titanic for the survival of his family and a few animals through a mere flood! If only a comparatively small area of land was affected, why the need of bringing into the ark specimens of every living creature of every sort of flesh in order to preserve offspring alive on the surface of the entire earth? Definitely this was a global deluge, the like of which has never occurred before nor has since. Genesis CH7 describes the loading of the Ark and the actual Flood whereas Chapters 8 and 9 relate to the drying up of the waters, the unloading of the ark and the Creators covenant never again to bring a deluge to bring all flesh to a ruin.

3. The rest of the Bible presents the Flood as real, and a historical event. Two prophets who accepted Noah as a historical person and referred to him are Isaiah and Ezekiel READ Isaiah 54: 9 Ezekiel 14: 14 Paul and Peter as well as Jesus accepted the Flood as historical and used it as a warning for example The conclusion we reach is, that: The Bible presents the account of a global Flood, not as a parable or fable but as a real historical event. 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Accepting the Flood helps to explain a number of otherwise unexplainable facts Excavations all over the world have uncovered bones and carcasses of thousands of buried animals, often animals that would not normally herd together. Also amazing are carcasses of tens of thousands of animals unearthed in the cold north; not animals now native to that region. In the United States, England, France, southern Spain, Germany, Russia huge fissures in the earth have been found filled with the remains of large numbers of animals. These include mixtures of bones of the elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, reindeer, horse, hog, bear, and many others. In Palermo, Sicily, one such cavern yielded more than twenty tons of bones for commercial purposes. Often these fissures are located on isolated hills at considerable height where animals would be expected to flee from floodwaters as they increased. With regard to the variety of animal remains found in one bone cave, the book Earths Most Challenging Mysteries asks: What made rabbits run into the same cave as coyotes? And an antelope with a wolverine and a grizzly bear?

4. Bones of the mastodon were found, also a few reptiles . . . The whole mass of bones was covered and preserved by a flood deposit of gravel and rocks. An extraordinary testimony to the widespread watery destruction of animal life is the remains of the mammoths found throughout northern Siberia and into Alaska. Some estimate as many as 5,000,000 of these creatures were rapidly buried and quick-frozen in icy muck. They are sometimes found in a nearperfect state of preservation, with undigested tropical vegetation in their stomachs and between their teeth. As to the type of catastrophe that could sweep away creatures over so widespread an area, Earths Most Challenging Mysteries observes: There is one significant fact that is always connected with every dinosaur fossil and every mammoth fossil, and that is that every fossil is almost invariably dug out of water-laid sedimentary rock. It is noted, with regard to the Yukon district of North America: The presence of bones, trees, peat, and other debris all mixed together down to a depth of nearly 100 feet, points to a cataclysmic flood of tremendous proportions that must have moved across the land, grinding the bodies of the animals with stones and trees and spreading the whole out over the Yukon Valley. What does this tell us? Even areas in the cold north once enjoyed a warm climate. The Biblical Flood account would explain all these circumstances How? It explains where the floodwaters came from GEN 7: 11 A vast quantity of water vapour could have served as an insulating moisture blanket covering all the earth. This could account for the earth-wide warm climate that evidence shows once existed. The rupturing of this blanket meant polar regions, that were once moderate were suddenly plunged into deep-freeze conditions, catching animals unaware.

5. The pre-Flood mountains may have been much lower than they are now. In time ocean floors sank and land surfaces rose to accommodate floodwaters on earth. It has been estimated by some that water pressures alone were equal to 2 tons per square inch, sufficient to fossilise fauna and flora quickly FOSSILS --- the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 In our research there is no reason to doubt the historical genuineness of the Flood But what we want to know is what meaning does the Flood have for us? It tells us that the ancient world of that time was destroyed because of its extreme ungodliness Wickedness had been manifested from the time of mans expulsion from paradise Wickedness definitely intensified with the passing of time Why? The Bible alone supplies the answer READ GEN 6: 1-4 These sons of God were spirit creatures, not just ordinary men who married women These materialised angels fathered sons who were called Nephilim That name literally means fellers, bullies or tyrants Their fathers forsook God-assigned positions; So, why would they or their offspring obey any other laws of man or of God? Obviously they wouldnt. Also in this chapter 6, we note repeated emphasis on extreme ungodliness Now, not all persons back there were equally bad, there would be many good people, but what was wrong was they were involved in their own daily pursuits and ignored as of little importance the divine warning Noah gave

6. Do you begin to appreciate how this has meaning for us? God has no less reason to act against this present ungodly world Jehovah remains constant; similar circumstances would prompt similar reaction Today, just as then, violence abounds; as does war, crime and lawlessness The world today is just like the ancient one is filled with sexual perverts. Daily the newspapers that we read are full of such reports. God still condemns these perversions. Demon influence, for example is as strong today as it must have been back then The flourishing of astrology as seen in magazines , the study of the occult and the use of Ouija boards is rife today. Subtle demonic influence is manifested in religious teachings, as is the way religious leaders are tampering in political affairs of the world? Speaking of Noahs day, the apostle Peter had this to say - Destruction of that ungodly world set a pattern of things to come. 2 Peter 2: 5, 6 Illustrate a pattern So we can reason that fulfilment of that pattern in the future will also be vast and global. The Flood did not destroy the literal earth. It was the ungodly world of men that was destroyed and so it will be in the near future when the spirit that motivates ungodly men will be reduced to nothing. As Jesus predicted, most people today are apathetic towards divine warning because this warning is directed primarily toward believers Therefore this should have special significance to us, for scripture tell us that we are living deep in the last days. (2 TIM 3: 1-5) Peter emphasizes that this should affect our thoughts and deeds. The fact that the Floods destruction of an ungodly world was a pattern for the destruction God will bring in our time gives it real meaning for us and involves our very lives. If you remember, only Noah and his family survived destruction of the ancient ungodly world; How can his example show us how to be preserved through the end of this system?

7. Noah demonstrated by action that it was possible and practical for a person to listen to Jehovahs Word and harmonize his life-style with Gods will By his obedient actions, Noah proved that his contemporaries were wrong He condemned the world of that time by his faith He paid attention to the Word of God and obeyed it The world of ungodly people did not do so and proved deserving of being condemned to destruction The world in which we live has been condemned to destruction As in Noahs days, there will be survivors What will determine either ones survival or ones destruction? In Noahs days, those who centred their lives on personal pursuits were destroyed Noah and his family centred their lives on doing Jehovahs will: constructing the ark and preaching and they were survivors Obviously, we wish to be a survivor, as did Noah. So we need to be like him and his family. To do this we need to ask Can people around you and I see us as different from the world? Does Jehovah view us as different from the world? Do we walk with God? Are we holding to His righteous standards? Are we exerting ourselves as preachers of righteousness? Is it obvious to all observers in heaven and on earth that we have strong faith by your actions and conduct? There are 4 specific points that have been covered about the Flood of Noahs day that should have meaning for all of us. 1. The Flood was a real event that can be located in history 2. Noah was a real person, a faithful and true servant of God. 3 He and his family were preserved out of a world of ungodly people by faith. 4. At ROM 15: 4 Jehovah had this account recorded in the Bible out of consideration for us. He tells us why he destroyed an ancient ungodly world and why Noah was preserved. He uses it as a pattern for us to follow, helping us to have faith like the survivor Noah and be preserved through Armageddon and right on into His New Order of Righteousness with everlasting life in view.