The Doctrine Of The Flood
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, June 15, 2026 (Donate)
The Flood of Noah's day was one of the most important—and devasting—events
in world history. According to Genesis 6–9, God sent a worldwide Flood to judge
mankind because of its wickedness and violence.
Yet God also showed mercy by saving Noah, his family, and representatives of the animal kinds aboard the Ark. The Flood explains much of the world we see today, including many geological features, fossils, and the reshaping of earth's surface.
Why Was The Flood Global And Not Local?
The Bible describes the Flood as covering the entire earth,
not merely one region. Genesis 7:19-20 states that all the high hills under
the whole heaven were covered by water. The waters rose so high that even
the mountains disappeared beneath them by no less than 15 cubits. A cubit is
from fingertip to elbow and was usually 18-21 inches in ancient times (which is
22.5-26.25 feet).
If the Flood had only been local (a river or lake flood),
Noah would not have needed to build a massive Ark. God could simply have
directed Noah to move to another area. Furthermore, Genesis repeatedly says
that all flesh on the earth died except those on the Ark. The
language used throughout Genesis 6–9 describes a judgment affecting the entire
world.
Consider also the rainbow promise. It makes no sense if the Genesis Flood was a local flood since local floods happen all the time! The New Testament also treats the Flood as a worldwide
event. For instance, the Apostle Peter referred to the world that then existed
being destroyed by water (2 Peter 3:5-6).
The Flood Accounts For Most Rock Layers That Contain
Fossils
Around the world, billions of dead creatures (land and sea
life) are buried in sedimentary rock layers. This is what we expect with a
global flood where water overtakes the land and sediment and mud and mix and
form layers. Fossils are usually formed when plants or animals are buried
rapidly (to seal out the oxygen) before scavengers, bacteria, and weathering
can destroy them.
The Flood provides an amazing explanation for the vast fossil record from Cambrian layers to the Miocene. Massive amounts of mud, sand, and sediment would have been carried by moving water and deposited across continents—some huge patches that stretch across continents and some smaller patches too. As animals and plants were suddenly buried, or broken apart, transported then buried—many became fossils, where others rotted and decayed.
Marine fossils are found on mountaintops, giant fossil
graveyards are found around the world, and many fossils show evidence of rapid
burial. The Flood explains how such enormous numbers of creatures could be
buried quickly over large areas.
The Flood Reshaped The Earth
The world before the Flood was likely very different from
the world we know today. During the Flood, enormous geological forces reshaped
the earth's surface.
Many creation scientists believe that the Flood was
associated with major tectonic activity, including the movement of continents,
the uplifting of mountain ranges, and the sinking of ocean basins (consider Psalm
104:8-9). This activity helped produce many of the major features we see today.
High mountain ranges such as the Himalayas, Rockies, Mountains
of Ararat, and Andes likely reached much of their present height after or near Day
150 of the Flood. Deep ocean trenches and basins were also formed. Vast
quantities of moving water carved valleys, deposited sediments, and reshaped
landscapes across the globe—especially during the runoff phase of the Flood.
Features such as the Grand Canyon are often viewed by
creationists as evidence of powerful water erosion occurring during (or possibly
shortly after) the Flood rather than over millions of years.
All Land-Dwelling And Air-Breathing Animals Died By Day
150
Genesis records that the waters prevailed on the earth for
150 days (Genesis 7:24) and then the Ark struck the uplifting Mountains of Ararat.
During this period, every land-dwelling, air-breathing creature outside the Ark
perished.
The Bible specifically states that everything on dry land in
whose nostrils was the breath of life died (Genesis 7:22-23). This included
people, land mammals, reptiles, birds, and other air-breathing creatures not
protected aboard the Ark. Only Noah, his family, and the animals on the Ark
survived.
Noah And The Animals Were On The Ark For Over A Year
Many people imagine the Flood lasting only forty days and
forty nights. While it rained for forty days and nights—this was the initial
rain that finally lifted the Ark to start floating. The entire Flood event
lasted much longer—many putting it at 370/371 days depending on rounding (in
other words, do you count the first and last days as full days [371] or half
days [370]?).
This is also based on using a 360-day year (30-day months)
which many ancient did. They would add in an extra month every 6 years to reset
the calendar back to a 365-day actual year. But a 360-day calendar is implied
as the 150 day was exactly 5 months—which means 30 days each (see: Genesis 7:11;
Genesis 7:24-8:4).
According to the biblical timeline, Noah and his family
entered the Ark before the Flood began and remained aboard for more than a
year. During that time, God protected and provided for everyone aboard. The Ark
served as a place of safety in the midst of worldwide judgment.
Which Animals Were Taken On The Ark?
God instructed Noah to bring representatives of the
land-dwelling, air-breathing animal kinds onto the Ark.
For most animal kinds, Noah brought two animals—a male and
its mate (Genesis 6:19-20). These pairs would later reproduce and repopulate
the earth.
For clean animals, God instructed Noah to bring seven so
that there would be sufficient animals for reproduction and for sacrifice after
the Flood (Genesis 7:2-3).[1]
Noah later offered sacrifices to God after leaving the Ark (Genesis 8:20).
These animals were representatives of created kinds rather
than every species that exists today. After the Flood, the descendants of those
animals spread across the earth and diversified into the many varieties we see
now—and many have gone extinct since then—including dinosaurs.
The Flood Explains Many Features Of The Modern World
The Flood helps explain many features found on earth today. It
accounts for most fossils because countless organisms were buried rapidly by
sediment.
The Flood also helps us understanding the formation of vast
coal deposits, many oil reserves, and petrified wood. Large amounts of buried
plants and animals would have been subjected to pressure and other processes
during and after the Flood.
The Flood also helps explain many modern geological
features, including:
- River valleys
- Canyons
- Lakes
- Inland seas
- Coastal plains
- Sedimentary rock layers
- Fossil graveyards
- Extensive erosion surfaces
Creationists also point to the Flood as a reason for the
increased saltiness of today's oceans. Large amounts of minerals and dissolved
materials would have been carried into the seas during and after the cataclysm.
Furthermore, the Flood explains why the original Garden of
Eden cannot be located today. The world was so dramatically altered that the
pre-Flood landscape was destroyed, scattered, and buried beneath amidst Flood
sediments.
God Judges Sin But Provides Salvation
The Flood teaches an important spiritual lesson. God is holy
and just. He judges sin.
The people of Noah's day had become exceedingly wicked.
Violence and corruption filled the earth (Genesis 6:5, 11-13). God's judgment
came upon the world through the Flood.
Yet the Flood also demonstrates God's mercy. God provided a
way of escape through the Ark. Anyone who entered the Ark would have been saved
from judgment.
In many ways, the Ark points forward to Jesus Christ. Just
as Noah and his family were saved by entering the Ark, sinners today can be
saved by trusting in Christ. God provides salvation from judgment through His
Son.
Conclusion
The Flood was a real historical event that changed the world
forever. It explains much of the fossil record, many geological features, and
the dramatic reshaping of the earth's surface. It reminds us that God takes sin
seriously and that His judgments are real.
At the same time, it shows God's mercy, because He provided
Noah and his family a way of salvation through the Ark. The Flood stands as
both a warning and a testimony to God's justice, grace, and faithfulness.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing
evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as
a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science
was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one
year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and
scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over
25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
*Images generated by ChatGPT
[1] Some
suggest seven pairs but most have seven individuals in the same way we have two
unclean individual animals, and not two pairs (i.e., four or each unclean animal)
