The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-Two - D Nov 01, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T009_20201101.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Acts 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. Today, we will continue to look at 'the times of restoration of all things.' The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday November 1st 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 22D This is the Day 1). De 32:8 When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel. We have seen in previous studies that following the flood of Noah, Noah’s son, Shem, was the only one of Noah’s sons who was blessed, and in possession of a God. a). And we had seen that if Ham and Japheth wanted to receive God’s spiritual blessings, then these blessings would have to come through Shem, the brother with a God – Ge 9:26 And he said: “Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.” And also, as we know, it is through the lineage of Shem that we come to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, also the only ones with a God, to whom the promises were given – Ge 12:1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” And through the 12 sons of Jacob came the children of Israel, the only nation with a God, those who will bring God’s spiritual blessings, as God’s witnesses, to the nations during the Millennial Kingdom. b). And as we see, following the flood of Noah, God both separated and distributed the families of Noah’s sons into nations, with specific boundaries, according to the number of the children of Israel. c). And the separation of these sons of Noah was both in terms of language and geography, as we can see here with respect to the lineage of Ham – Ge 11:9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. This same scattering over the face of the earth is seen with respect to the lineage of Japheth in – Ge10:5 From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. And also, with regards to the lineage of Shem – Ge 10:31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. And the entire process has been summarized in the next verse – Ge 10:32 These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. The word translated ‘separated’ in Genesis 10:5 and ‘divided’ in Genesis 10:32 are the same Hebrew word ‘parad’, a word that means to separate, with the idea of scattering abroad and within this context has to do with the sons of Noah and their descendants. d). And it is with Shem’s great grandson, Peleg, that we find this – Ge 10:25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. Now, the name ‘Peleg’, itself means ‘division’, but the word translated ‘divided’ in Genesis 10:25, is not the Hebrew word ‘parad’, which we saw previously. Rather it is the Hebrew word, ‘palag’, which means to split or cleave. e). So then, as we put the use of these 2 different Hebrew words together let’s keep in mind what we know from Day 3 of the restoration in Genesis Chapter 1 – Ge 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. When the dry land appeared, it was one land mass, and it was this one land mass that was again flooded in Noah’s day, and the same one land mass, although with a different topography to that which it had before the flood, onto which Noah and his sons were placed after the flood. f). Noah’s sons were then divided into nations by language and then these nations were distributed to different locations on the land mass. And then in the days of Peleg the land mass itself was split up to produce the continents and the islands that we are familiar with today. g). And as we have seen, this was all done by Divine design for a very specific purpose - Acts 17:26 And He has made from one blood [one man] every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; If we take the idea of the nations groping for the Lord in the hope that they might find Him, back to the situation that existed with Noah’s 3 sons and the promise given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we will realize that the Lord can only be found by those nations through the one nation that has a God, the children of Israel. h). And it would appear that both through the division of the sons of Noah by language and geography that the Divinely perfect way for Israel to be God’s witnesses and the bearers of His blessings has been established. i). The divisions seen following the flood of Noah provide the type for that which will happen following the destruction of Gentile world power at the end of the 75 days, as we move into the Millennial Kingdom. j). The unsaved Gentiles who remain alive after the destruction of Gentile world power will once again by divided and distributed throughout the earth, presumably in accordance with how God did it following the flood, in order for the children of Israel to fulfill their calling to be God’s witnesses to these nations, being the bearers of God’s spiritual blessings to them. k). And that which will be seen with the division and distribution of the unsaved Gentiles following the destruction of Gentile world power provides one part of ‘the times of restoration of all things.’ 2). Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. We had begun to see last time that ‘the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began’, will also include the physical condition of the planet, that which is to be ruled over, that is presently under a curse. a). This will be a restoration that will bring conditions on the earth back to the way they were in Eden, before the flood of Noah. And with this restoration in mind let’s note something from these verses – Ge 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Ge 8:1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. The word translated ‘wind’ at the beginning of Chapter 8 is the same word translated ‘Spirit’ in Genesis 1:2. And although it is a word that can be translated either as wind or Spirit, we really need to understand that the beginning of Genesis Chapter 8 is a direct parallel with Genesis Chapter 1. Both deal with how God began a process of restoration following a worldwide flood. b). When God intervened in Genesis Chapter 1 to bring about restoration, it was through the action of His Spirit, and when He intervened again in Genesis Chapter 8 to bring about another restoration, it would have to have been in exactly the same way, by His Spirit, as this is the way that had previously been established. And unless God had intervened in this way, in both instances, the earth would have remained covered with water. c). In Genesis Chapter 1, through the work of the Spirit, the flood waters that covered the earth were divided - Ge 1:6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. Prior to the flood of Noah, the quantity of water that had previously covered the earth was to be found ‘above the firmament’, presumably as a water vapor canopy that encompassed the entire globe, and ‘under the firmament’ in subterranean caverns and as seas. d). And it is this exact same quantity of water that again covered the earth during Noah’s flood – Ge 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. As the flood of Noah began, ‘all the fountains of the great deep were broken up’ – all the water that had been stored beneath the earth’s surface now began to gush upwards. ‘And the windows of heaven were opened’, the water that had been stored as vapor above the firmament condensed and fell to the earth as torrential ‘rain’ – Ge 7:17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days. At the end of 40 days of torrential rain from above, and gushing fountains from beneath, the highest mountains on the earth at that time were covered to a depth of 15 cubits [approx. 25 feet] and all life, save those in the ark was extinguished. e). But let’s note that the flood did not end after 40 days, but that ‘the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days’ – 110 days in addition to the 40, and throughout that time the torrential rain continued, and the subterranean waters continued to gush upwards. This could only have resulted in a vast quantity of water, perhaps 3 times as much as covered the earth after the 40 days now covering the earth’s surface. f). Only when the full 150 days were completed did the torrential rain stop falling and the subterranean waters stop gushing upwards. g). And it was only then that God intervened and caused His Spirit to pass over the earth, bringing about a subsiding in the waters – Ge 8:1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind [His Spirit] to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. As we have seen, God dealt with the waters from the original flood at the beginning of Genesis by placing what could only have been a vast quantity of water, just think about how much fell in the 150 days of the flood, above the firmament and storing what could only have been an equally vast quantity, just think about how much came up in the 150 days, below the firmament in subterranean caverns and as seas. h). But what about following Noah’s flood? Quite clearly no water was placed above the firmament as there is none there today. So, what happened to all that water? It didn’t just disappear. The amount of water that existed after the flood is still here today. So, what happened to it? i). The answer is to be found in the Psalms – Ps 104:5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, That it should not be moved for ever. 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture; The waters stood above the mountains. 7 At thy rebuke they fled; At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away 8 (The mountains rose, the valleys sank down) Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them. 9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth. [ASV] Simply put then, God dramatically changed the topography of the land from what it had been before the flood. By the work of His Spirit He caused the land to rise above the water resulting in soaring mountain ranges that we see today, ‘the mountains rose’. And along with this He also caused parts of the land to sink into what have become vast ocean basins of extraordinary depth, ‘the valleys sank down’ [The Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean has a depth of water measured at 7 miles]. And as the mountains rose so the vast quantities of water rushed into the valleys and the basins creating remarkable physical features such as the Grand Canyon. j). And no doubt the division of the land mass in the days of Peleg would also have impacted the distribution of the water. More in keeping with what we see today. Power Point k). And today, the water that was on the face of the earth in Noah’s day is still here. About 97% of it is contained in the oceans and seas and of the remaining 3%, 2% is contained in the polar icecaps with about 1% as what is known as ‘groundwater’ – in subterranean caverns and what we know as the water table or aquifer. l). There is no less water now than in Noah’s day, but by the work of His Spirit, God has redistributed it by changing the earth’s surface, in keeping with what we find today. 3). With the flood of Noah, the vast quantity of water placed above the firmament was gone, resulting in dramatic changes in the earth’s atmospheric, meteorological and hydrological conditions. a). We will remember that for about 1600 years before the flood weather systems that produce rain did not exist – Ge 2:5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. With the removal of the water canopy the earth began, and continues, to heat in an uneven way, hence the tropical heat and the polar icecaps. The great weather systems that we see today are the means by which that uneven heating of the earth’s surface is dealt with giving rise to the water cycle of evaporation, condensation and precipitation in the form of rain and snow, thunder-storms and tropical cyclones; along with the attendant floods, droughts and famines they cause. b). But following the destruction of Gentile world power, God will again intervene, His Spirit will move and the process of the times of restoration of all things will begin. And as this happens God will place that vast water canopy above the firmament once again, restoring the earth to its pre-flood, Edenic condition – Ro 8:9 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. When was the creation ‘subjected to futility’? In the Garden – Ge 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, The outworking of that curse in the Garden would also have to include what took place at Noah’s flood and the prevailing conditions that followed and continue. And through the use of personification in Romans Chapter 8, the creation is said to be waiting in the hope, to be waiting for the revealing of the sons of God, when it will be delivered from the bondage of corruption, restored to its former condition, before the curse was placed upon it. c). The removal of the water canopy above the firmament in Noah’s flood didn’t just change the weather, but it has also been responsible for far reaching consequences for those who dwell on the earth. d). The removal of the water canopy would have changed the atmospheric pressure on the earth and would have allowed the Sun’s UV A and UV B radiation to reach the earth, without which there would be no skin cancer. Which inevitably would lead us to speculate about sickness and disease in general as a result of those changes on the earth’s surface. e). There is one thing we don’t have to speculate about though and that is the lifespan of human beings. The average lifespan for the 10 generations from Adam to Noah, excluding Enoch, was 912 years. And those on the earth at this time could produce children through much of their lifetime – For example Noah was 500 years old before he ‘begot Shem, Ham and Japheth.’ f). Following the flood however, Man’s lifespan was halved almost at once – Shem lived 600 years, his son Arphaxad 438 years, his grandson Salah 430 years, his great grandson, Eber, 464 years and his great, great grandson. Peleg, during whose days the earth was divided, 239 years. And so, this continued, Abraham 175 years, Isaac 180 years, Jacob 147 years and Joseph 110 years. g). And for us of course there has been a continuing decline with the average lifespan for a man in the US now being 77 years and 81 years for a woman and within the African continent, 61 years for a man and 65 years for a woman. Ps 90:10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. All of this of course is going to change with the times of restoration of all things. Along with the restoration of Edenic conditions upon the earth will come a restoration of the longevity of human beings – Isa 65:20 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. But as we consider this, let’s not just imagine that people on the earth will just live longer during the Kingdom Age, but rather begin to allow for the fact that, certainly with respect to those who will be eternally saved, no one will die during the 1000 years, living on in a natural body of flesh, bone and blood, and moving seamlessly from the Millennial Kingdom to the endless ages of eternity. i). Let’s remember that Adam was created with a natural body, completely apart from physical death, a body that had been designed by God, in His own image and likeness, to exist forever. And it is to this condition that Man is going to be brought back through the times of restoration of all things. j). But the whole of the matter does not end here – Re 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. Had we forgotten about Satan and his angels being released from the bottomless pit when ‘the thousand years were finished’? Well, this will have to wait until next time – If the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-Two - D Nov 01, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T009_20201101.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Acts 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. Today, we will continue to look at 'the times of restoration of all things.' The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday November 1st 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 22D This is the Day 1). De 32:8 When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel. We have seen in previous studies that following the flood of Noah, Noah’s son, Shem, was the only one of Noah’s sons who was blessed, and in possession of a God. a). And we had seen that if Ham and Japheth wanted to receive God’s spiritual blessings, then these blessings would have to come through Shem, the brother with a God – Ge 9:26 And he said: “Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.” And also, as we know, it is through the lineage of Shem that we come to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, also the only ones with a God, to whom the promises were given – Ge 12:1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” And through the 12 sons of Jacob came the children of Israel, the only nation with a God, those who will bring God’s spiritual blessings, as God’s witnesses, to the nations during the Millennial Kingdom. b). And as we see, following the flood of Noah, God both separated and distributed the families of Noah’s sons into nations, with specific boundaries, according to the number of the children of Israel. c). And the separation of these sons of Noah was both in terms of language and geography, as we can see here with respect to the lineage of Ham – Ge 11:9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. This same scattering over the face of the earth is seen with respect to the lineage of Japheth in – Ge10:5 From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. And also, with regards to the lineage of Shem – Ge 10:31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. And the entire process has been summarized in the next verse – Ge 10:32 These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. The word translated ‘separated’ in Genesis 10:5 and ‘divided’ in Genesis 10:32 are the same Hebrew word ‘parad’, a word that means to separate, with the idea of scattering abroad and within this context has to do with the sons of Noah and their descendants. d). And it is with Shem’s great grandson, Peleg, that we find this – Ge 10:25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. Now, the name ‘Peleg’, itself means ‘division’, but the word translated ‘divided’ in Genesis 10:25, is not the Hebrew word ‘parad’, which we saw previously. Rather it is the Hebrew word, ‘palag’, which means to split or cleave. e). So then, as we put the use of these 2 different Hebrew words together let’s keep in mind what we know from Day 3 of the restoration in Genesis Chapter 1 – Ge 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. When the dry land appeared, it was one land mass, and it was this one land mass that was again flooded in Noah’s day, and the same one land mass, although with a different topography to that which it had before the flood, onto which Noah and his sons were placed after the flood. f). Noah’s sons were then divided into nations by language and then these nations were distributed to different locations on the land mass. And then in the days of Peleg the land mass itself was split up to produce the continents and the islands that we are familiar with today. g). And as we have seen, this was all done by Divine design for a very specific purpose - Acts 17:26 And He has made from one blood [one man] every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; If we take the idea of the nations groping for the Lord in the hope that they might find Him, back to the situation that existed with Noah’s 3 sons and the promise given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we will realize that the Lord can only be found by those nations through the one nation that has a God, the children of Israel. h). And it would appear that both through the division of the sons of Noah by language and geography that the Divinely perfect way for Israel to be God’s witnesses and the bearers of His blessings has been established. i). The divisions seen following the flood of Noah provide the type for that which will happen following the destruction of Gentile world power at the end of the 75 days, as we move into the Millennial Kingdom. j). The unsaved Gentiles who remain alive after the destruction of Gentile world power will once again by divided and distributed throughout the earth, presumably in accordance with how God did it following the flood, in order for the children of Israel to fulfill their calling to be God’s witnesses to these nations, being the bearers of God’s spiritual blessings to them. k). And that which will be seen with the division and distribution of the unsaved Gentiles following the destruction of Gentile world power provides one part of ‘the times of restoration of all things.’ 2). Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. We had begun to see last time that ‘the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began’, will also include the physical condition of the planet, that which is to be ruled over, that is presently under a curse. a). This will be a restoration that will bring conditions on the earth back to the way they were in Eden, before the flood of Noah. And with this restoration in mind let’s note something from these verses – Ge 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Ge 8:1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. The word translated ‘wind’ at the beginning of Chapter 8 is the same word translated ‘Spirit’ in Genesis 1:2. And although it is a word that can be translated either as wind or Spirit, we really need to understand that the beginning of Genesis Chapter 8 is a direct parallel with Genesis Chapter 1. Both deal with how God began a process of restoration following a worldwide flood. b). When God intervened in Genesis Chapter 1 to bring about restoration, it was through the action of His Spirit, and when He intervened again in Genesis Chapter 8 to bring about another restoration, it would have to have been in exactly the same way, by His Spirit, as this is the way that had previously been established. And unless God had intervened in this way, in both instances, the earth would have remained covered with water. c). In Genesis Chapter 1, through the work of the Spirit, the flood waters that covered the earth were divided - Ge 1:6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. Prior to the flood of Noah, the quantity of water that had previously covered the earth was to be found ‘above the firmament’, presumably as a water vapor canopy that encompassed the entire globe, and ‘under the firmament’ in subterranean caverns and as seas. d). And it is this exact same quantity of water that again covered the earth during Noah’s flood – Ge 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. As the flood of Noah began, ‘all the fountains of the great deep were broken up’ – all the water that had been stored beneath the earth’s surface now began to gush upwards. ‘And the windows of heaven were opened’, the water that had been stored as vapor above the firmament condensed and fell to the earth as torrential ‘rain’ – Ge 7:17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days. At the end of 40 days of torrential rain from above, and gushing fountains from beneath, the highest mountains on the earth at that time were covered to a depth of 15 cubits [approx. 25 feet] and all life, save those in the ark was extinguished. e). But let’s note that the flood did not end after 40 days, but that ‘the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days’ – 110 days in addition to the 40, and throughout that time the torrential rain continued, and the subterranean waters continued to gush upwards. This could only have resulted in a vast quantity of water, perhaps 3 times as much as covered the earth after the 40 days now covering the earth’s surface. f). Only when the full 150 days were completed did the torrential rain stop falling and the subterranean waters stop gushing upwards. g). And it was only then that God intervened and caused His Spirit to pass over the earth, bringing about a subsiding in the waters – Ge 8:1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind [His Spirit] to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. As we have seen, God dealt with the waters from the original flood at the beginning of Genesis by placing what could only have been a vast quantity of water, just think about how much fell in the 150 days of the flood, above the firmament and storing what could only have been an equally vast quantity, just think about how much came up in the 150 days, below the firmament in subterranean caverns and as seas. h). But what about following Noah’s flood? Quite clearly no water was placed above the firmament as there is none there today. So, what happened to all that water? It didn’t just disappear. The amount of water that existed after the flood is still here today. So, what happened to it? i). The answer is to be found in the Psalms – Ps 104:5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, That it should not be moved for ever. 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture; The waters stood above the mountains. 7 At thy rebuke they fled; At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away 8 (The mountains rose, the valleys sank down) Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them. 9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth. [ASV] Simply put then, God dramatically changed the topography of the land from what it had been before the flood. By the work of His Spirit He caused the land to rise above the water resulting in soaring mountain ranges that we see today, ‘the mountains rose’. And along with this He also caused parts of the land to sink into what have become vast ocean basins of extraordinary depth, ‘the valleys sank down’ [The Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean has a depth of water measured at 7 miles]. And as the mountains rose so the vast quantities of water rushed into the valleys and the basins creating remarkable physical features such as the Grand Canyon. j). And no doubt the division of the land mass in the days of Peleg would also have impacted the distribution of the water. More in keeping with what we see today. Power Point k). And today, the water that was on the face of the earth in Noah’s day is still here. About 97% of it is contained in the oceans and seas and of the remaining 3%, 2% is contained in the polar icecaps with about 1% as what is known as ‘groundwater’ – in subterranean caverns and what we know as the water table or aquifer. l). There is no less water now than in Noah’s day, but by the work of His Spirit, God has redistributed it by changing the earth’s surface, in keeping with what we find today. 3). With the flood of Noah, the vast quantity of water placed above the firmament was gone, resulting in dramatic changes in the earth’s atmospheric, meteorological and hydrological conditions. a). We will remember that for about 1600 years before the flood weather systems that produce rain did not exist – Ge 2:5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. With the removal of the water canopy the earth began, and continues, to heat in an uneven way, hence the tropical heat and the polar icecaps. The great weather systems that we see today are the means by which that uneven heating of the earth’s surface is dealt with giving rise to the water cycle of evaporation, condensation and precipitation in the form of rain and snow, thunder-storms and tropical cyclones; along with the attendant floods, droughts and famines they cause. b). But following the destruction of Gentile world power, God will again intervene, His Spirit will move and the process of the times of restoration of all things will begin. And as this happens God will place that vast water canopy above the firmament once again, restoring the earth to its pre-flood, Edenic condition – Ro 8:9 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. When was the creation ‘subjected to futility’? In the Garden – Ge 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, The outworking of that curse in the Garden would also have to include what took place at Noah’s flood and the prevailing conditions that followed and continue. And through the use of personification in Romans Chapter 8, the creation is said to be waiting in the hope, to be waiting for the revealing of the sons of God, when it will be delivered from the bondage of corruption, restored to its former condition, before the curse was placed upon it. c). The removal of the water canopy above the firmament in Noah’s flood didn’t just change the weather, but it has also been responsible for far reaching consequences for those who dwell on the earth. d). The removal of the water canopy would have changed the atmospheric pressure on the earth and would have allowed the Sun’s UV A and UV B radiation to reach the earth, without which there would be no skin cancer. Which inevitably would lead us to speculate about sickness and disease in general as a result of those changes on the earth’s surface. e). There is one thing we don’t have to speculate about though and that is the lifespan of human beings. The average lifespan for the 10 generations from Adam to Noah, excluding Enoch, was 912 years. And those on the earth at this time could produce children through much of their lifetime – For example Noah was 500 years old before he ‘begot Shem, Ham and Japheth.’ f). Following the flood however, Man’s lifespan was halved almost at once – Shem lived 600 years, his son Arphaxad 438 years, his grandson Salah 430 years, his great grandson, Eber, 464 years and his great, great grandson. Peleg, during whose days the earth was divided, 239 years. And so, this continued, Abraham 175 years, Isaac 180 years, Jacob 147 years and Joseph 110 years. g). And for us of course there has been a continuing decline with the average lifespan for a man in the US now being 77 years and 81 years for a woman and within the African continent, 61 years for a man and 65 years for a woman. Ps 90:10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. All of this of course is going to change with the times of restoration of all things. Along with the restoration of Edenic conditions upon the earth will come a restoration of the longevity of human beings – Isa 65:20 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. But as we consider this, let’s not just imagine that people on the earth will just live longer during the Kingdom Age, but rather begin to allow for the fact that, certainly with respect to those who will be eternally saved, no one will die during the 1000 years, living on in a natural body of flesh, bone and blood, and moving seamlessly from the Millennial Kingdom to the endless ages of eternity. i). Let’s remember that Adam was created with a natural body, completely apart from physical death, a body that had been designed by God, in His own image and likeness, to exist forever. And it is to this condition that Man is going to be brought back through the times of restoration of all things. j). But the whole of the matter does not end here – Re 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. Had we forgotten about Satan and his angels being released from the bottomless pit when ‘the thousand years were finished’? Well, this will have to wait until next time – If the Lord is willing.