The World Will Never Again Be Destroyed By A Flood

Because of the wickedness of mankind, rebelling against God, resulting in corruption and violence, God had destroyed the world, and everything that lived on dry land, except for the few who were with Noah in the Ark.  A year after the flood began, they were finally able to come out of the ark.  They were thankful to finally be able to get outside and move around,  While Noah had taken two of every king ofr animal to repopulate the world, he had taken seven of each species that was approved for sacrifices, the clean animals.  Because they were so thankful to be alive and free, Genesis 8:20 tells us, “And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”

Genesis 8:21-2 tells us, “And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.  While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”  He stated that as long as the earth existed day and night and the various seasons such as summer and winter would continue, and plants would continue to grow.  There would be no reason to worry about the sun burning out someday, or about global warming causing worldwide floods or global cooling causing an ice age that wipes out most living things. 

God made the point to inform man of his decision, in Genesis 9:8-17.  “And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.  And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.  

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:  I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.  And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.  And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” 

God promised he would never again use a flood to destroy the earth like he did in Noah’s day.  As proof of that he caused the rainbow to appear when they were clouds to remind us of that promise.  After the flood, all the wickedness and crime was wiped out, but people still had the same nature and God knew humanh nature would not change.  Sooner or later they would go back to the same state of wickedness.  When they do, God will not use a flood to destroy them but fire.  Many people deny the flood and God’s power, but II Peter 3:3-12 warns, “…that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”

After the flood, the plants could start back from the seeds in the ground. But when the earth is destroyed by fire so intense the elements like iron or silicone melt even the seeds will not survive.  After the flood, Noah and his family were basically the same as they were before.  When God creates the new heaven and earth, people will be changed and no longer have that same wicked human nature but will again be in the image of God.  I Corinthians 15:47-53 tells us, “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Because the inhabitants will no longer have that human nature, Revelation 21:27 tells us, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.”  There will be far more than the eight people who survived the flood.  Revelation 7:9-14 tells us, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” 

While the world will never again be destroyed by a flood, the fact that it once was proves that God will punish wickedness again.