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 Sermon > Genesis Lectures |
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Title |
Lecture on Genesis Ver.2(114) - Lecture on Genesis Ver.2 (114) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Genesis 7:24 ~ 8:2 |
Date |
2014-07-04 |
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Scripture
Genesis 7:24 ~ 8:2
[24] The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.
[1] But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.
[2] Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained;
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This is 114th Lecture on Genesis.
Genesis 7:24 says, "The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days."The record that the entire earth was under the water for 150 days is true and it is a fact. The flood of Noah is not a myth or legend. I t was a huge event that actually took place. There are many evidences to prove it.I will group them into three categories, and explain them to you.
First off, there are the historical evidences. In the history of ancient civilizations all over the world there are legends about the flood. Researchers have found about 270 legends about the flood. These legends were collected in areas such as Europe, Asia, Australia, East India, Alaska, Greece, Finland, Ireland, Pacific Islands, the Philippine Islands, South America, Central America, North America, and East Africa. It means that the legend of the flood can be found all over the world.
Among the collected legends, some common things are found:"The flood was on an unprecedentedly huge scale.A big ship was built to escape from the flood.Not only man, but also various animals were loaded onto the ship.Only a few people survived the flood."Native American Indians of North America had as many as 58 legends about the flood. These people were the native inhabitants on the land long before Columbus discovered the 'New World.'
In the area of state of Michigan, where many Indians lived, many slabs of stone were discovered. On the slabs, there were story-telling pictures on several rows. The number of rows or pictures was different from slab to slab from different areas, but the stories were very similar to each other.Let me show you the clearest one and explain it to you.
On the slab, there are five rows with pictures. On the first row, there is the sun, and someone is worshipping toward the sky. On the second row, it is a picture of people drowning in the water. On the third row, there is a big ship, and a table with 40 cells or boxes (which means 40 days of rain.)On the 4th row, there is the sun and animals are coming out of the ship, and 4 men are shouting with great joy. (They must be Noah and his 3 sons.)On the 5th row, you can find a vivid rainbow of 7 lines.
How could ancient native North American Indians know this story and draw such pictures on these slabs?They knew the story even before Europeans moved to the American continent and handed the Bible over to them.
If such slabs as this had been found in the Middle East, people might have thought, "They were [geographically] close."However, they were on the other side of the Earth from Middle East, on theAmerican continent, the story of the flood was found among the relics of ancient Indians – what does it tell you?It means they already heard the story of the flood from their ancestors.
By the way, among the many legends of the flood, as the place where the legends were heard gets closer and closer to the mountains of Ararat, the legends correspond to the Bible in greater detail.For example, the 'Epic of Gilgamesh' even tells us that animals were boarded as a pair – male and female, and that a dove was sent out to check how much the water decreased.
As you can see, whether it is close to mountain of Ararat or not, there are various legends regarding the flood. Through the fact that many countries of the world have passed down the legend of flood, you can confirm that there was an incident of the great flood that was at the core of those legends. That flood is the flood of Noah that is recorded in the Bible. Let me tell you about another bit of historical evidence. That is that the names of Noah's descendants are used as the names of cities, nations, or tribes.
Genesis Chapter 10 records in detail the names of Noah's descendants and the places they flourished.And Genesis 10:32 says, "These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood."As we trace back to the root of human history, we find this verse is true.
For example, the place Israel is located today is called the 'Canaan Land.'Here, 'Canaan' was originally the name of a son of Ham who was the 2nd son of Noah. Among many sons of Ham, a son by the name of Canaan settled down in that area and flourished there.
400 years after the flood, God promised to give the land to Abraham and his descendants. Just as promised, the tribes of Israel (Jacob) took the land and established a nation. Beside this land of Canaan, the names of Noah's descendants were used as the names of tribes, cities, and nations worldwide. This proves that the flood of Noah was the incident that truly took place.
Now, the second group of proofs are geologic and geomorphologic evidences.
To begin with, more than 75% of the earth's surface consists of sedimentary layers formed in water.When the earth was completely covered with water, sedimentary layers appeared in a short period of time due to high and low tidal currents caused by gravitational forces between the sun, the moon, and the earth. The hills that had risen were eroded by the currents, and the sediments from the eroding of the hills piled up on lower plains forming layers of each of the different sedimentary components.
In fact, the areas of sedimentary layers that exist on the earth's surface are incredibly vast.In each layer, the sediment is consistent in its components, and the boundaries of the layers are almost parallel to each other. Scientists eventually concluded that a world-wide flood such as Noah's flood would be necessary to form such vast sedimentary layers on the earth's surface.
I can also present geomorphologic evidences of Noah's flood in ancient monuments and relics that have been found in the deep oceanic floors around the world. As scientific technology develops, people can now explorer the deep ocean using various devices. And they can also scan the topography of the ocean floor using seismic waves. In the deep ocean in many parts of the world, there are evidences of ancient cities and traces of civilizations that are being discovered. During the flood, due to the cataclysmic changes of the crust, such cities were submerged under the deep ocean.
Events of just the opposite also occurred. That is, the areas that had previously been seas were uplifted in the formation of mountains as the crust underwent great changes. That's why many fossils of oceanic organism such as shellfish, fish, and seaweeds are found in Himalayan and Alps mountains.Moreover, most of rock layers of Grand Canyon at an altitude of 1,600 meters contain the fossils of oceanic organisms. In Peruvian Andes Mountains at an altitude of 4,000 meters, about 500 fossilized oysters were found. These things prove that Andes Mountains, Himalayan Mountains, and the mountains of the Alps were originally under water. But due to the uplift phenomenon [of plate tectonics] during the flood, they became high mountains.
The last evidence of Noah's flood is the world's population. The world population calculated mathematically from the original number of 8 people after the flood is consistent with the population of today. The calculation of population growth is very complex, and so I will not explain it to you in detail.
But, the Creation Science Bureau of this church calculated the population using the calculation formula used by United Nations.When they calculated the population based on the fact that mankind has flourished since the end of Noah's flood, about 4,360 years ago, the calculated number (within normal limits) was identical to the (estimated) current world population.
If there had been no flood at the time of Noah, or if evolutionism were correct, the world population should be much greater than that of today. However, since the Bible is true, and the people who survived the flood of Noah numbered only 8, the population has become the current world population from that time and number.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
There is a big difference between when you believe the flood of Noah as a true fact and understand its spiritual meaning and when you do not.It is especially so to those who live in the end time.2 Peter 3:6~7 says, ". . .(water,) through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men."Just as the world was judged with the flood in the days of Noah, by His word this world will be judged again with fire.On that day, ungodly men will be judged and destroyed.
When the flood of Noah fell upon the earth, those who distanced themselves from God and lived ungodly lives were all destroyed by the judgment. And the same judgment as the flood of Noah is coming nearer and nearer to those of today who distance themselves from God and live ungodly lives.Therefore, through the Bible, you should understand in your heart why the flood of Noah was necessary and who was saved.Those who understand in heart can prepare well for the upcoming judgment. They will not reach the destruction, but the salvation.
On the other hand, those who don't believe in the 'flood of Noah' still live in sin and evil even if they are told that the judgment is coming. They are like those who ridiculed Noah and lived their lives as they saw fit as they witnessed the ark of Noah being built. Regarding this, Jesus said in Luke 17:26~27, "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all."
Those of you who listen to this lecture can now understand why the judgment of flood took place, and how true this fact was. So please, awaken spiritually all the more!Do any of you feel the believing life is hard to manage, or find it stuffy to remain inside the boundary of the church? If so, imagine the situation of Noah's family.
In a fleshly sense, they might have felt that it was stuffy inside the ark, and the life in the ark must have been hard. But, would they have missed the world outside the ark?Would they have regretted entering the ark? Not at all!They were thankful for the fact they were inside the ark, and they could overcome all those days.
Therefore, I wish that you will be thankful all the time for receiving the grace of salvation from God.And I also wish that you will completely abide in the word of God, which is the spiritual ark, and always remain under His protection. At the same time, please preach the good news to the souls who haven't entered the ark of salvation. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray that you may become pleasure to the Father God who desires all men to be saved.
Dear brothers and sisters, Genesis 8:1 says, "But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided."Here, God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle.
What does it mean by saying that 'God remembered them in the ark and caused the water subsided?'Though God the Father executed the judgment of flood in Justice, He wanted to restart human cultivation beginning with Noah and his family.
However, ever since the time of the Great Flood the nature of the flesh already begun to dictate the laws of this earth.It was because the original light of God was completely withdrawn as the flood began.God the Father knew when the water should be subsided so that the best living environment could be set for the survivors of the flood.God remembered not only Noah and his family, but also all the beasts and all the cattle, and set the environment to appear at the most appropriate time.
God the Father caused the water which covered the earth for 150 days to subside.God's method to cause the water to subside was to 'cause a wind to pass over the earth.'And, Genesis 8:2 says, "Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained."This verse describes the moment when the rain which came down for 40 days and 40 nights stopped.
God made the floodgates of the second heaven, which are connected to the 'fountains of the deep', to close so that the rain could stop coming down from the sky. You must pay attention to the expression. It says, "...the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed..."They were not 'shut,' but they were 'closed.'
What is the difference between these two words?You may think they have similar meaning, but you must know there is a difference. If the word, 'shut' was used, it could mean that the floodgates of the sky were completely 'shut down.'If so, the passageway for the water, which came down to this earth, to go back up to the second heaven would have been shut down as well.That is, even if a wind passed over the earth, and the water vaporized, there would have been no way to go up to the second heaven.
Therefore, God didn't make the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky to be 'shut down,' but 'closed.'He left the passageway between the second heaven and the first heaven open, but stopped the water from the second heaven from coming down to the first heaven any more. This job was managed by the 4 living creatures.In addition, the work of causing a wind to pass over the earth to cause the water to evaporate and be absorbed back to the second heaven was also managed by these 4 living creatures. The wind that the 4 living creatures made pass over was very strong wind.Therefore, the water on the earth could quickly go back to where it came down from.
But God let me know that this wind was not as violent or ferocious as a typhoon.As you can see, even when God caused the water which covered the entire earth to subsided, He did it according to the law of justice. Since God has so many powers, He could have opened any space in the first heaven and let there be a passageway to the second heaven.
But He didn't do so; in fact, instead He caused the water to go back to where it had been.There is a verse which seems to describe this scene. It is Psalm 33:7. It says, "...He lays up the deeps in storehouses."
Brothers and sisters, chances are that people cannot predict when a flood will take a place.Due to continuous development, nature has been seriously damaged and natural disasters are happening more frequently.They are not the plans of someone; nobody could expect them.However, the judgment of Noah's flood was executed by the plan of God from beginning till its end.
When the rain should come down, how much it should rain, how much the water should increase, from when the water should be subsided and at what speed... all of these were governed by God.According to the date and the duration that God had set, the flood took place.
And Noah knew this plan of God because he clearly communicated with God.He was inspired to roughly understand that the flood would not end in just a couple of days; how long the water might cover the earth; and how long it would take for the water to subside.In much the same way, the people of God can foreknow what will happen in the future by communicating with God.Therefore, they can accomplish the works of God according to His will.
I urge you not to depend on your own understanding, but to depend on God with all your heart.Proverbs 3:6 says, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."As you do so, may God make your paths straight and guide you in all your ways, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray! |
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