It Rained 40 Days And Nights

Genesis 7:10–24
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There are books written by liberal theologians that take the position  that the  Flood was local. They say that it was confined to the Tigris - Euphrates valley and formed sort of a big swimming pool over there, and that is all there was. May I say that the Bible makes it very clear that there was a universal Flood that covered the whole earth. God said the earth was filled with violence and He would destroy it. It is inconceivable that the Great Flood was anything else but a universal judgment of God upon a universally wicked society. After all the preparations had been made the Flood came. On the one hand there was a torrential rain for 40 days and nights (vv. 17-18). On the other hand the springs and fountains of the earth gushed forth water. It is also interesting to note that after Noah and the animals had gone into the Ark that God allowed an entire week to pass (v.10) before the storm came (vv. 11-12). Perhaps this was done to give the world more opportuni­ty to repent and join Noah his family and two of every creature were in the safety of the Ark (vv. 13-16).

The Flood was the mightiest catastrophe and physical phenomenon the world has ever experienced. Since there had been no rain on the Edenic earth (1:5) this was the first and mightiest rain the earth had felt. Gradually the water level rose higher and higher until the earth’s highest mountains were covered (vv. 19-20). Everything living (outside the ark) was destroyed. Only marine life survived (vv. 21-23). From the initial storm until God commanded Noah to leave the ark was one  year and ten days. The heavy rain lasted 40 days but the waters continued rise for 110 days which was  a total of 150 days  (v. 24). At the same time there were gigantic upheavals such as earthquakes and volcanic activity which shifted the earth’s surface which caused chains of mountains and  rivers to be formed. Everything living on the earth (outside the ark) was destroyed. Only marine life survived. Sin had infected every aspect of life, and nothing short of a new beginning would suffice.

Application

It is important to believe that the Flood covered the earth just like the Scripture says. I must either accept the Bible or end up making excuses for it.