Tag: noah’s ark

A Brief Outline of the Books of the Bible – Genesis

Creation is first treated of; then innocence, lordship, and marriage, the figure of union with Christ. Next we have the fall, man’s sin against God, and then in Cain man’s sin against his brother. There is, at the same time, a witness of certain righteous persons: Abel in sacrifice, Enoch in life, and Noah in testimony of approaching judgment. You then get the complete corruption of the whole system, and the deluge.

GENESIS.

Ilay-preachingn this book we have all the great principles of God’s relationship with man, without bringing in redemption which makes a people for God and a dwelling-place for God in man.   You never, save in chapter 2:3, get the word “holiness” in Genesis; and you never have God dwelling with men.

Creation is first treated of; then innocence, lordship, and marriage, the figure of union with Christ. Next we have the fall, man’s sin against God, and then in Cain man’s sin against his brother.   There is, at the same time, a witness of certain righteous persons: Abel in sacrifice, Enoch in life, and Noah in testimony of approaching judgment.   You then get the complete corruption of the whole system, and the deluge.

Having had in Enoch a figure of the church, we get in Noah deliverance through judgment.   Then a new world begins, God entering into covenant with it, and government introduced to prevent violence.   But the governor fails, and God’s plans as to the races of men are brought out.  We find God making nations, in consequence of man’s attempt to remain united so as to be independent.   In the midst of these nations we have, in Nimrod, imperial despotic power in an individual.  It is connected with Babel, the place of man’s wickedness.   In point of fact, the division of mankind into nations comes by judgment.

Shem’s family having been owned on the earth – the Lord God of Shem, national existence is recognized as God’s principle of the constitution of the earth.   He now begins an entirely new thing.   He calls out an individual to be the head of a blest race.   Whatever individual saints there had thus far been, there had been no counterpart of Adam as the head of a race.   Abraham was called out to be this.   Election, calling, and promise are connected with his calling.  Consequently you have Abraham here, as a stranger and pilgrim, with nothing but his tent and his altar.   He fails, like everybody, but God judges the world – Pharaoh’s house – for him.

We then get the distinction between a heavenly-minded and an earthly-minded man; the world having power over the earthly-minded (Lot), and the heavenly one (Abraham) having power over the world.  In connection with this we have in Melchizedek the future priest upon his throne, linked with God’s supremacy over heaven and earth.   Abraham’s separation from the world having been demonstrated, Jehovah presents Himself to Abraham as his shield and reward.   We first get the earthly inheritance and people, that is, in promise.  Abraham looks for the promise in a fleshly way, and that is all rejected.   We have then the promise to Abraham of being the father of many nations, God revealing Himself as God Almighty.   We have also His covenant with Abraham, and the principle of separation to God by circumcision.   Chapter 18 gives the promise of the heir, the judgment of the world (Sodom), and the connection of a heavenly people (Abraham) with God, by intercession.   In chapter 19 we have the connection with the judgment of the earthly people (Lot), saved as by fire through the tribulation.

What follows this, in chapter 20, is the absolute appropriation of the wife, whether Jerusalem or the heavenly bride, as the spouse of the Lord.  The old covenant (Hagar) is cast out, and, the true heir (Isaac) comes.   He takes the land (chap. 21).

Chapter 22 begins another series of things. The promised heir having being offered up, the promise is confirmed to the seed.   Sarah dies (chap. 23): this is the passing away of the old association with God on the earth.  Hence, in chapter 24 Eliezer (in figure the Holy Ghost, or His work on earth) is sent to take a wife for Isaac (Christ), who is Heir of all things.  Isaac is not permitted to return to Mesopotamia.   So, Christ, in taking the church, cannot come down to earth.

However, the moment we get Jacob, we get the head of the twelve tribes.  He goes to Mesopotamia for Rachel and Leah, typical of Israel and the Gentiles.  Jacob is the elect, but not the heavenly people.   He goes back to Canaan, gets the promises, with all sorts of exercises, as Israel will, but, if he does, he must give up old Israel (Rachel) to get Benjamin, the son of his right hand.

In the brief notice of Esau’s offspring we find the world in vigour and energy before God’s people are.   Then another history commences, that of Joseph.  This portrays Christ, though connected with Israel, rejected by Israel, and sold to the Gentiles.  He now comes to be the head, having the throne, and governing all Egypt.  God has done with Israel, receiving a Gentile wife, and calls his children by names typical of Christ’s rejection and blessing outside Israel.   He receives back his brethren in the glory.  This part closes with two distinct testimonies, the will of Joseph about his bones, and Jacob’s prophecy that they will all be back in the land and the promises to Israel be fulfilled.

Lightly edited by Sosthenes, May 2014

The Irrationalism of Infidelity – The Flood

Scripture uses language that is unique to this event – “all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened”. (

noahsarkObjection: Where did the waters of the flood come from?

Answer:  It is argued that the water in the deluge came from the clouds, and perhaps from the sea.  These are, of course, the same – one cycle.  Scripture uses language that is unique to this event – “all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened”.  (Gen 7:11)   The passage speaks neither of clouds nor sea.   It speaks of the fountains of the great deep being broken up, and the windows of heaven opened.   It is never said the water drained back into the sea, but that “the waters returned from off the earth continually.”  (Gen 8:3) .  It also ways that the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.   Call that a “miracle” or what you will; certainly some very overwhelming outbreak of waters came from an extraordinary source. According to the narrative of creation in Genesis 1, what had already been created was one vast mass of waters, called “the deep.”  It says, “And darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Gen 1:2)   The unknown mass of waters which engulfed the earth is not stated, or the what the waters were that were above the firmament or expanse.  The waters of the deluge must have come from either above or below the earth, not from on it.   The ark was big enough.  A vessel of more than 42,000 tons, being 450 feet long, 75 broad, and 45 high (135x23x14m) could easily have received the animals that did not live in water.   Note by Sosthenes   At JND’s time there were many things he could not have known.

  • It is now known that many comets and their tails are made of ice.  If the earth had gone through the tail of a gigantic comet then there would have been an enormous amount of water around for a limited period of time.
  • It is also known that many planets and exoplanets, including the earth have an enormous amount of water in tier crusts.  These were ‘broken up’, so the water could have been released on to the earth.  However how the water disappeared would remain a mystery.  But nothing is impossible to God.
  • It has also been calculated that there were 35000 species on the earth at that time.  The ark has been estimated to be just sufficiently large to accommodate 70,000 animals and provisions for them.
  • At that time when the largest boats were sailing men-of-war, the idea of a boat that size was not conceived.  Now in the days of supertankers the ark is a modest construction.

 

The Irrationalism of Infidelity – Noah’s Ark

hardy deniers of the flood simply expose their desire to raise objections for their own sakes.

noahsarkObjection: Noah’s ark is a myth

Answer: Accounts of the deluge and the issue of the human race from one family are not limited to the Bible.  Ancient eastern writers confirm the account of Moses even to the sending forth of the birds.

Traditional mythology of Egypt, Greece, and all the neighbouring countries preserve the various facts and words connected with the flood.  A sacred ship is carried in procession in many places, and the word ‘ark’ is used for a place of protection (Moses, the Ark of the Covenant).  Eight persons were saved and eight has become a ‘lucky’ number in the Middle and Far East.

The East preserves the general historical account that the various colonies of the human race stemmed from Noah.  In Greece and elsewhere history starts with the first king of the appropriate colony, but associated with a ship.

[The Chinese Miao Legend states that a single human couple escaped the deluge in a wooden drum, and then gave birth to the first members of post flood humanity – Sosthenes from RL Hales http://creationism.org/csshs/v06n2p04.htm]

After the deluge the population of the earth must have increased rapidly, indeed amazingly fast, in proportion to the space over which the population spread.

So hardy deniers of the flood simply expose their desire to raise objections for their own sakes.

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