June 29, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: Philippians 1-2

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

I found some interesting notes regarding the canopy which surrounded the earth prior to the flood.  In summing up a lot of material, at the tower of Babel God separated man and scattered him all over the world.  In scattering man, He did not wipe out mans memory.  The stories of the earth being surrounded by a watery ocean atmosphere where there was not any rain is a common theme through the ancient peoples:

“India also has religious literature filled with references to a water heaven, which could possibly be interpreted as a liquid ocean. In the Persian sacred book, the Zend-Avesta, a flood legend is told: during the 900 years of the first man’s life, there was neither cold nor hot wind nor disease nor death. The Polynesian Islands of the South Pacific are rich in traditions that speak of a flood with a concept of a water heaven. In the oldest known civilization, ancient Sumer, we also find accounts of the water heaven. Their creation description also recounts the ancient theme of the separation of the water heaven from the Earth.”^[1]

“Insight from “Mabbul.”

“Mabbul,” a Hebrew word found in scripture, gives additional and valuable insight to the nature of the Flood and the pre-Flood canopy.

Although “mabbul” has been translated in English as “flood” in Genesis 6 and 7, it has an additional meaning of “inundation,” or even “destruction from above.” This interpretation helps us to better understand the cause of the Flood, as well as the nature of the global arrangement at the time of creation.

“Mabbul,” then, is the specific term for “the waters above.” Our English versions of the Bible may do better to translate it as “the canopy.” The word is found 13 times in the Old Testament and is commonly translated as “flood,” which doesn’t provide a complete revelation of the word’s meaning.⁸

The Flood not only involved the death of man and beast on Earth, but it also involved destruction in the heavens. (See fig. 24.) The “waters above” (canopy—mabbul)—or the heavenly ocean—broke forth upon the Earth below, causing a catastrophe both in the heavens and on the Earth. This interpretation harmonizes well with the many ancient traditions previously mentioned.”^[2]

I found this interesting, the really hard concept to figure out is where all the water came from that covered the earth if we do not believe in a blanket of water surrounding the earth.  Considering this, if the earth was surrounded by a body of water, there would not have been wind, rain, climate shifts in temperature or rainbows.  Depending upon the thickness of the water surrounding the earth it would have been an effective filter which would both filter the atmosphere as well as protect the inhabitants of the earth from sunburn and the rays from the sun.  It would have caused a greenhouse effect where the entire would world would have had a constant temperature which would have made it impossible for seasons to exist, there would not have been any winter or summer, no snow or ice.

One of the problems that are raised by some is the impossibility of getting two of every animal into the ark, and seven of some.  What they fail to take into account is that God probably did not see the point of preserving dinosaurs since they were created to live in a tropical environment, foraging for food I an extremely plush environment.  It has been noted that in order to get all the species into the ark it would only take 300 animals.  When God allowed them to multiply and replenish the earth, the variations of the species was brought into effect so that they could live in varying climates.

Enough comments on the findings, on with the study!

Genesis 7:1-24 (NASB95)
¹ Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. ² “You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; ³ also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. ⁴ “For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” ⁵ Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him. ⁶ Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth. ⁷ Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. ⁸ Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, ⁹ there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. ¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. ¹² The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. ¹³ On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, ¹⁴ they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds. ¹⁵ So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. ¹⁶ Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him. ¹⁷ Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. ¹⁸ The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. ¹⁹ The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. ²⁰ The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. ²¹ All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; ²² of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. ²³ Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. ²⁴ The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

^[3]

When God gave Noah the design for the ark, hydraulic power was not available.  Therefore God closed the door in verse 16.  It is also thought that this was a failsafe by God because you can be sure that once the floods started falling, people were beating at the door trying to get in.  Noah was a righteous man, and the thought of men dying had to be extremely hard for him.  Wouldn’t you think that as men on the earth observed the animals lining up on their own to enter the ark, and Noah and his family loading up in the ark, something would seem wrong.  We know from verse 10 that God gave man a warning, once it was loaded, it sat for one week as a testimony against the world of the coming judgment..

Another note, the water fell for forty days and nights, which is just over a month, it stayed at maximum flood stage for over five months. 

One thought on the water covering the highest mountains is that  the mountains of the pre-flood earth was not very high.  When God opened the deep in order to drain the water off the earth, the mountains were forced up to their current height. 

God destroyed every man and beast that was upon the face of the earth, the only survivors of the flood was the marine life. 

There is a lot of debate over the validity of the flood, the evidence screams out all over our land as well as the world.  There have been fossils found on the highest mountains showing that the entire earth was indeed covered with water.  If you travel through Texas, look at the Buttes, they are an obvious result of tremendous erosion, the grand canyon also falls into this category. 

I am going to close here, if you wish to add comments, be sure to write in.

Father as we consider this passage today, open our eyes so that we can understand Your word. Praise You for the evidence that has been preserved by science that validates this story.

In Him,

Joe Turner.