For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. (Isaiah 54:9)

The Miracle Of A Global Flood

The Bible is a book of miracles. From the first page of Genesis to the conclusion of John in the Revelation, God’s handiwork through the power of miracles is established time and again. Everyone who comes to the Bible is faced with the choice of believing the miracles or denying them. Genesis 1 is the beginning of all miracles as Moses tells the story of creation. God spoke the universe into existence in a series of six days from nothing. The power of the spoken word illustrates the magnitude of God’s divine power. Many centuries pass from Adam to Noah, and the second greatest miracle happens when God brings a flood of water upon the earth that covers the tallest mountains more than twenty feet. How is that possible?

Nothing has changed in the size of the earth from its beginning. The Earth is not a perfect sphere but an oblate spheroid with the widest points at the equator (3,963 miles) and a polar radius of 3,950 miles. Measuring through its center, Earth is 7,926 miles. At present, the land mass of Earth is 57,308,738 square miles out of a surface mass of 196,900,000 square miles. Contrary to a popular song, it’s not a small world after all. Earth is a massive sphere where God placed Adam and Eve, and humanity began to thrive. In the days of Noah, God covered 196,900,000 square miles with water to a depth covering the tallest mountains by more than twenty feet. Using present-day Mt. Everest as a guide, the water would have been approximately 29,052 deep, covering the whole earth.

The creation of the universe was an impressive miracle, and the second miracle of scripture is no less impressive. It is beyond the wisdom of man to imagine a flood so extensive to cover the face of the earth with such force, volume, and destruction. Isaiah declares the flood covered the world because that is what God did. The Lord speaks through the prophet to tell His people of His power. Many more miracles follow in holy writ, leading to the greatest miracle in the resurrection of God’s Son from the dead. If a man does not believe in the power of the flood in the days of Noah, he will not believe in the power of the resurrection of Jesus. Faith requires the belief and acceptance of the word of God to the magnitude of the flood to cover the earth.

Moses did not witness the flood. He wrote about it with stunning words of divine revelation. He had heard the stories of the flood all his life, but when the Lord revealed the details of the flood through revelation, it must have astounded the mind of Moses. How could such a flood take place? Without knowing the scientific analysis of the earth’s size, Moses could appreciate the volume of water required to cover the earth. Men like Isaiah read about the flood and believed God had the power to perform such an act. The flood covered the earth. What a concept. It proved to hearts of faith the divine power of a God full of grace.

To deny the flood is to deny Jesus Christ. During the ministry of Jesus, the Son of God spoke of the days of Noah as the days before the flood. Jesus said the flood came and destroyed all those outside the ark, and only Noah and his family were saved. The flood that Jesus spoke of covered the earth. If God has the power to cover the earth with a flood, He has the power to save the world through His grace. Noah and his family were saved by God’s grace and mercy. Believing the word of the Lord and obeying the command of God, Noah saved himself and his family.

The story of the flood is the story of the gospel. God’s grace warns of a coming destruction. It will never be a flood, but a judgment of fire is coming. God has told the world it is coming. The Lord has also instructed men what to do to be saved. Through the knowledge of the Bible, the gospel of salvation has been preached, showing all men how to save themselves. Like Noah, those who believe in the gospel must respond to the grace and mercy of God by being obedient. Peter likens the flood in the days of Noah to salvation through Jesus Christ, where eight souls were saved through water. In Jesus Christ, baptism is where one is saved from their sins. When a man believes God can cover the earth with a flood, he will accept the word of the gospel and obey.