I’ve been thinking a lot about Noah and the ark lately. Probably because I’ve been up to my ears in Genesis. But also because I’ve been wondering what it was like in his days. Because in the Bible it talks about the end days (When Jesus will come back again.) being like those of the days of Noah.
"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.“
Luke 17:26-27 NIV
I’m going to go through a few different thoughts revolving around Noah and the Ark. I've found these things to be more controversial, which they shouldn't be, but just know these are my thoughts and also things I've researched.
When I was in highschool, I went to this weekend-long Christian Concert called Life Light and I remember seeing a hat with the funniest saying on it: Evolution is when scientists make monkeys of themselves, which I can't help but laugh at because it's so true. God made each animal uniquely and he created us individually. We didn't come from them.
Before The Flood - Vegetarian
Did you know that before the flood, God had instructed humanity to eat plants. He never instructed them to eat meat? Not until after the flood.
'Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ' - Genesis 1:29
After The Flood - Meat
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
“But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. - Genesis 9:1-4
Isn't that crazy? So they were encouraged to have a plant-based diet before the flood and after the flood they were allowed to eat meat. I mean, not to say that people before the flood who didn't follow God's word, didn't eat meat, because they could have.
Building The Ark: Noah's Age While Building It + When The Flood Came
Noah was 500ish years old when he built the ark and then 600 years old when the flood came. The exact amount of time it took him to build the ark, isn't known exactly whether it was 75 years or 100 years, but can you imagine what it would have been like to build a huge boat and then have people walking past it, making fun of him about building a big boat when there's no water? I'm sure it was irritating for Noah and his family.
Was It A World-wide Flood?
Now, there are many arguments between people about whether the flood was really a world-wide flood or if it was just a local flood.
I know that Genesis 7:20 states: The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.
So how much is fifteen cubits?
It would be 22.5 feet.
So the flood waters covered the mountains. If it covered the mountains, there's no way it was just a local flood, because it would have gone past the mountains to other areas as well. The Flood wasn't stopped.
Plus, another great thought when it comes to the flood, God promised never to flood the earth like this ever again.
"I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed 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 the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.- Genesis 9:11-15
So if, the flood was a local flood, (which we've had many of throughout the earth) God would have broken his promise many times. In Genesis 9:11, God said he'd never send a flood to destroy ALL life and the earth. Which means the whole world.
So according to the Bible, Noah’s flood was a world wide flood. I believe that. Plus, that also verifies why on the top of mountains all over the world fossils of sea animals and fish have been found. When I was traveling with my husband and his parents in White Fish, Montana and we went up a mountain. There I found a fossil of a fish. It was so surprising. And then I also heard that an Everest explorer found fish and sea fossils up there too.
Animals Came Two By Two
Imagine all the animals showing up out of the blue at the ark, for Noah to put on the ship. Can you imagine? One day the zebras, horses, monkeys, and tigers showed up. I can't imagine what that would have been like.
But, I always thought that animals came from all over two by two, but that isn't the case. I didn't realize this until last year when I was doing the Daniel Fast for the first time. So, in the Old Testament theres a lot of talk about the Clean and Unclean animals.
Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. - Genesis 7:2-3
So that'd be 14 clean animals of each kind and two of the unclean of each kind. Isn't that shocking? Plus, that's a lot more animals.
Hand Print In Stone?
There was a hand print found in the same layer of Cretaceous rock with the Glen Rose dinosaur footprints.
This implying that maybe humans were living when dinosaurs were. Which honestly, I believe was true, because in the Bible it mentions these huge beasts. Of course they had other names and not dinosaurs. But I think they were dinos. And if you think about all the mention of dragons throughout history, what if they were dinosaurs? I mean it kind of makes sense? Of course, I don't know everything about this because I'm only human, but these were some thoughts that came to mind while I was reading.
“Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword. - Job 40:15-19
There's lots of commentary pointing to this creature being a dinosaur. Plus, another thing to keep in mind, is that fossils don’t form from dying of normal circumstances but from being covered fast. Isn't that insane?
Why A Dove & Raven?
I've always loved the image of Noah coming out of the ark to let out a dove and also a raven. But as I was studying this time, I got to wondering about the meaning behind it and why? Why did he send out both birds and what were the meanings of it.
The Raven: Is a flesh eating bird. A scavenger. Leviticus 11 says it's unclean.
The Dove: A clean bird that eats seeds and plants. A clean bird. Symbolizes the Holy Spirit.
In the time after a world-wide flood the biggest health concern would probably be disease. And so one way to gauge for that would be with a raven. Since the raven is a flesh-eating bird, he could send it out and if it came back and was smothered in blood or had flesh in it's talons, he'd know it wasn't safe to come out yet.
When the dove went out it wasn't to look for flesh, but for living plants. That things are living again.
So interesting. I hadn't really known that until I looked into it more.
A Conclusion:
As I said earlier, these can be a bit more controversial, but some of these topics aren't discussed in the Bible. But I wanted to share my thoughts, research, and also some things I've found whether you believe in evolution or believe in creationism.
