Topical Bible: The Earth: Once Inundated

◄ The Earth: Once Inundated ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of the Earth being once inundated is primarily derived from the biblical account of the Great Flood, as detailed in the Book of Genesis. This event is a cornerstone narrative in the Bible, illustrating both divine judgment and mercy. The Flood narrative is found in Genesis chapters 6 through 9 and is a pivotal moment in the biblical history of humanity and the Earth.

Biblical Account

The account begins with God's observation of the pervasive wickedness of humanity. Genesis 6:5-7 states, "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.'"

In response to this corruption, God decided to cleanse the Earth through a flood. However, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). God instructed Noah to build an ark to preserve his family and pairs of every living creature. Genesis 6:14-16 provides specific instructions for the construction of the ark, emphasizing its dimensions and materials.

The Flood

The Flood itself is described as a cataclysmic event. Genesis 7:11-12 records, "In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights." The waters rose and covered the highest mountains, and all living creatures perished, except those on the ark (Genesis 7:21-23).

Covenant with Noah

After the waters receded, God established a covenant with Noah, promising never to destroy the Earth with a flood again. Genesis 9:11-13 states, "I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.'"

Theological Significance

The Flood narrative is rich in theological significance. It underscores the themes of judgment and redemption, illustrating God's holiness and justice in response to sin, as well as His grace and mercy in providing a means of salvation through Noah. The ark is often seen as a type of Christ, offering refuge and salvation from judgment.

Historical and Geological Considerations

From a conservative Christian perspective, the Flood is often viewed as a historical and global event. This view holds that geological formations and fossil records can be interpreted as evidence of a worldwide flood. The narrative is also seen as a testament to the reliability and authority of Scripture.

New Testament References

The New Testament references the Flood as a historical event and a foreshadowing of future judgment. In Matthew 24:37-39 , Jesus compares the days of Noah to the coming of the Son of Man, emphasizing the suddenness and unexpected nature of divine judgment. Similarly, 2 Peter 3:6-7 speaks of the world being deluged and destroyed by water, serving as a reminder of the coming judgment by fire.

The account of the Earth once being inundated serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty, the seriousness of sin, and the hope of redemption through divine grace.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 7:17-24
And the flood was forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of Nature, and of the World; and a Censure of the Stoics and ...
... and gone into the deep; marshes have inundated fruitful plains ... down, and the innermost
bowels of the earth are dug ... So that we are at once wicked and impious in ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap iii of nature and of.htm

The Power of the Holy Ghost
... King of kings and Prince of the kings of the earth.". ... I know a village, once perhaps
the most profane in England"a village inundated by drunkenness ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/the power of the holy.htm

On the Consecration of Gods, on Account of the Benefits which they ...
... have less strength or comeliness than he once had ... slaughtered countless thousands
of men, has inundated plains with ... and brought forth from the earth corn itself ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xviii on the consecration of.htm

Jesus Before Caiphas.
... Answer at once: speak out,"art thou dumb ... to remain in some particular part of the
earth, and who ... the midst of the bitter affliction which inundated the heart ...
/.../chapter viii jesus before caiphas.htm

The Survival of the Fittest.
... the Babylonian Noah kissed the earth and, after ... which these conquerors had inherited,
inundated Judah. ... The practical question which at once suggests itself is ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kent/the making of a nation/study iv the survival of.htm

Chapter xix
... so broad a fissure in the earth's crust, would at ... be the assumption that the Jordan
once flowed through ... area covered by the conflagration was slowly inundated. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xix.htm

La Brea
... in the air, which they fill with earth, and kindle on ... and in the greater part of
the inundated lands between ... on dry ground, and the vegetation changed at once. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter viii la brea.htm

Chapter xiv
... the Dead Sea, was in those days not yet inundated by the ... here that Mamre, Eshcol
and Aner at once took ... of El Elyon, the Creator of heaven and earth, And blessed ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xiv.htm

Paragraphs from Notable Speeches
... some substantial extent by this means, at once, than not ... upon the high places of
the earth and of ... no lingering spring, no broken crevasse, no inundated city or ...
/.../paragraphs from notable speeches.htm

Babylonia and Assyria
... future Babylonia was a pestiferous marsh, inundated by the ... But a later generation
restored once more the ancient ... like a shadow all things in heaven and earth. ...
/.../early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter vi babylonia and assyria.htm