How does Genesis 7:21 align with scientific evidence of a global flood? Genesis 7:21 In Focus “Every creature that moved upon the earth perished—birds, livestock, animals, every creature that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind.” A Flood Of Global Scope Required By The Biblical Data 1. Depth: “All the high mountains under all the heavens were covered” (7:19). 2. Duration: 150 days of prevailing waters (7:24) cannot match a riverine flood. 3. Need for Ark: A localized flood would allow migration instead of constructing a vessel of Titanic-scale. 4. Covenant Sign: The rainbow (9:13) is given as assurance against a recurrence of the same kind of Flood; localized floods still occur, implying the original was unique in scope. Geological Corroborations Of A Global Catastrophe Worldwide Sedimentary Blankets • Continental-scale rock layers such as the Tapeats Sandstone (Grand Canyon), the Coconino Sandstone (spanning Arizona to Colorado), and the Dakota Sandstone (stretching from New Mexico into Canada) indicate rapid, high-energy deposition over vast areas. Laboratory flume studies (Austin & Morris, 1994) demonstrate that such cross-bedded sand can form within hours under fast-moving water. Marine Fossils at High Elevations • Ammonites and trilobites are found in the Himalayas; marine mollusks litter the Andes at >12,000 ft. Their presence shows ocean water once covered present-day mountains, consistent with vertical tectonic uplift after inundation. Polystrate Fossils • Upright tree trunks traverse multiple strata in Nova Scotia, Tennessee, and Queensland. A standing trunk cannot survive the thousands of years uniformitarianism assigns to each successive layer. Rapid burial in a single, high-energy event accords with Flood dynamics. Rapid Fossilization and Soft Tissue Preservation • Carbon-14 in dinosaur bone collagen (Thomas & Nelson, 2015) and pliable blood vessels in a T. rex femur (Schweitzer et al., 2005) point to recent burial. “Every creature…perished,” then was rapidly entombed, inhibiting decay. Megasequences and Marine Transgressions • Six continent-spanning megasequences (Sauk through Zuni) recognized by secular geologists (Sloss, 1963) match progressive Flood stages: initial inundation, zenith, recession. Hydrological Mechanisms Compatible With Scripture • “Fountains of the great deep burst forth” (7:11) harmonizes with Catastrophic Plate Tectonics modeling (Baumgardner, 1994): rapid subduction, mantle plumes, and hydrothermal super-critical water jets driving 46,000 zettajoules of energy—adequate to flood and reshape the entire planet. • “Windows of the heavens were opened” describes torrential rainfall fueled by rapid evaporation from newly heated oceans (vapor canopy unnecessary). Rapid Mountain Building After The Peak Flood Isostatic rebound and catastrophic plate collision post-Flood explain modern mountain ranges. Computer simulations (Snelling, 2009, ch. 55) show 40–80 days suffice for present elevations if plates move at meters per second under Flood-induced mantle convection. Ice Core, Radioisotope, And Sediment Rate Reevaluations • Ice cores exhibit rhythmic layers, yet multiple rings can form in a single storm. Post-Flood Ice Age modeling (Oard, 2005) compresses the deep Greenland sequence into <700 years. • Radioisotope dating assumes closed systems and constant decay. RATE project helium diffusion (Humphreys et al., 2003) reveals 58% helium retention in zircon crystals that should have none after 1.5 Ga, indicating accelerated nuclear decay during the Flood year. Biological And Genetic Bottleneck Evidence • Mitochondrial DNA studies show humanity descends from a single female line (mitochondrial Eve) and one male line (Y-chromosome Adam) within a timeframe compatible with a post-Flood world population of eight (Genesis 9:18–19). • Animal baraminology demonstrates each Ark “kind” could diversify rapidly into today’s species by genetic recombination, not macro-evolution; Kenyan and Indian elephant interbreeding underscores this plasticity. Archaeological And Ethnographic Parallels • Over 300 Flood legends—the Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic, Sumerian Eridu Genesis, Hawaiian Nu-u narrative, Chinese Håi-King—share common motifs: divine judgment, righteous survivors, vessel preservation, mountain landing, animal release, rainbow or bird sign. Cross-cultural memory speaks to a single historic cataclysm. • Ziggurat-style boat depictions on pre-Mosaic cylinder seals align with a barge-like Ark (Genesis dimensions approximate a 1:6 beam-to-length ratio identical to modern cargo ships for stability). Synthesis Genesis 7:21 documents a global extermination event. Geological megasequences, paleontological anomalies, tectonic modeling, genetic bottlenecks, and worldwide cultural memory converge to confirm a planet-wide catastrophe that perfectly fits the Biblical narrative’s scale, timing, and aftermath. Scripture’s claim stands uncollapsed under scientific scrutiny; instead, nature’s record and God’s Word harmonize, bearing unified witness to both the Flood’s reality and the Creator’s sovereign authority. |
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