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By Faith Arlen L. Chitwood
Chapter Eight
Beyond the Flood
And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.
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 fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.
Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. (Genesis 7:24-8:5)
The Flood during Noah’s day is not the first worldwide Flood seen in Scripture. Rather, the opening verses of Genesis provide an account of the first worldwide Flood and God’s restoration of the material creation following this Flood. The Flood in these opening verses of Genesis, in chapter one, occurred during days preceding man’s time on earth, with the restoration occurring immediately preceding man’s creation.
Then, Genesis chapters seven and eight, having to do with events occurring over sixteen centuries later, recount the second worldwide Flood seen in Scripture, the Flood during Noah’s day.
There is a new beginning following the Flood in Genesis chapter one, and there is another new beginning following the Flood during Noah’s day in Genesis chapter eight. And the manner in which God subsequently wrought a restoration of the ruined material creation in chapter eight is the same manner in which He had previously wrought a restoration of the ruined material creation in chapter one. This must be the case, for an unchangeable pattern concerning how God restores a ruined creation was established at the beginning, as is seen in the first chapter.
In Genesis 1:2, God used raging waters (the thought conveyed by the Hebrew word tehom, translated “deep”) to destroy the pre-Adamic earth following Satan’s attempt to elevate his throne to a position above his God-appointed position.
And in Genesis 7:11ff, God used exactly the same means to destroy those upon the earth following Satan’s attempt to corrupt the human race through the cohabitation of “the sons of God [angels within Satan’s kingdom]” with “the daughters of men [female offspring from the lineage of Adam]” (Genesis 6:1-4).
(For additional information on the cohabitation of “the sons of God” with “the daughters of men,” refer to Chapter 5, “In Those Days,” in the author’s book, Jude.)
Particulars surrounding the way in which God brought about the pre-Adamic Flood and resulting destruction are not given in Scripture. The simple statement is made concerning existing conditions at the time of the Flood — raging waters covering a darkened earth — and aside from commentary such as 2 Peter 3:5, 6 (which provides little more in the way of particulars), God has seen fit to leave the matter unrevealed.
However, God did provide revelation concerning how He went about restoring this ruined earth for man, prior to man’s creation. He devoted almost an entire chapter to details surrounding this restoration, for an evident reason (Genesis 1:2b-25).
But revelation surrounding the Noachian Flood is quite different. God saw fit to provide numerous particulars concerning both the way in which He brought this Flood about and the way in which He effected restoration following the Flood. Part of chapter seven is devoted to the former (vv. 11-24), and part of chapter eight, along with Psalm 104:5-9, is devoted to the latter (vv. 1-14).
The destruction produced by water during Noah’s day, the same as seen in chapter one, will be dealt with first; then, the restoration seen during Noah’s day, set alongside and/or compared with the restoration in chapter one, will be dealt with in a subsequent section.
Destruction by the Flood
The waters that flooded the earth during Noah’s day came from two sources — from above the atmosphere and from below the earth’s surface (Genesis 7:11). During the restoration of the earth following the previous Flood in Genesis 1:2, God, on the second day of His restorative work, had placed the waters that He later used to flood the earth once again in two locations — above the atmosphere and below the atmosphere (Genesis 1:6-8), with the waters below the atmosphere placed both above and below the earth’s surface.
(The waters above the atmosphere evidently existed in the form of a vapor canopy surrounding the earth. Significant amounts of water in a liquid form would have affected light coming from the sun. And the amount of water content that God placed above the atmosphere could only have been a tremendous amount [evident by the amount of rainfall at the time of the Flood].)
When God flooded the earth a second time, during Noah’s day, He broke open “the fountains of the great deep” and opened “the windows of heaven [i.e., ‘the floodgates of heaven’]” (7:11). Subterranean waters began to gush up, and torrential rain (the meaning of the Hebrew word translated “rain” in Genesis 7:12) began to fall through the atmosphere from the opened floodgates above the atmosphere (which could only have resulted from the vapor canopy condensing).
(In Genesis 7:4, introducing the “rain” that would fall and produce part of the waters to flood the earth [cf. 6:17; 7:7], a more general word for “rain” is used [matar]; but in v. 12, a different Hebrew word is used, which shows the type of rain that would fall — geshem, “torrential rain.”)
From the account given in Genesis, this continued unchanged for forty days and nights. Then, at the end of this time, the highest mountain peak on earth was covered to a depth of “fifteen cubits [about twenty-five feet]” (7:12-20). And, except for the eight individuals and the animals in the ark,
. . . 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.
All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. (7:21, 22)
The subterranean waters though didn’t cease gushing up at the end of forty days; nor did the torrential rain cease coming down from above at this time. Rather, both continued, with no revealed change, for another one hundred and ten days (7:24-8:2).
It was only after a full one hundred and fifty days that the subterranean waters ceased gushing up and the torrential rain ceased coming down (the same word for “rain” is used in the Hebrew text for rainfall during both the first forty days [7:12] and the additional one hundred and ten days [8:2], which, as previously noted, refers to “torrential rain”).
In this respect, what could only have been vast quantities of water continuing to come up from below and down from above for an additional one hundred and ten days could only have significantly added to the depth of the water that had already accumulated and completely covered the earth at the end of the first forty days. And, from the time involved, possibly almost three times as much more water accumulated on the earth’s surface during the additional one hundred ten days as had initially accumulated during the first forty days.
Thus, at the end of the full one hundred and fifty days, the water level could only have been far above that which is seen at the end of forty days, when the highest mountain peak on earth was covered to a depth of about twenty-five feet. The water depth one hundred ten days later would undoubtedly have been at least hundreds, possibly thousands, of feet above the highest point on earth; we’re not told.
(Note that the topography of the antediluvian earth was quite different than that which exists today. Mountain peaks in the antediluvian world could only have been considerably lower, for reasons that become evident when one views Scripture dealing with how God restored the earth following the Flood.
God’s restoration following both the Flood preceding man’s creation in Genesis chapter one and the Flood during Noah’s day in chapter eight involved the movement of water from one place to another, allowing dry land to appear [cf. Genesis 1:9, 10; 8:5-14], with the water moved to different places in each instance.
Restoration following the Flood that preceded man’s creation in chapter one occurred by God placing part of the water above the atmosphere and part below the atmosphere, both on the surface and below the surface of the earth [1:2, 6, 7].
Restoration following the Flood during Noah’s day in chapter eight occurred by God raising portions of the land beneath the water [ultimately forming mountainous or high terrain] and lowering other portions of the land [forming mainly ocean basins], with water moving from the land being raised to the land being lowered, as seen in Psalm 104:5-9:
He established the earth upon its foundation, So that it will not totter [‘move out of its place’] forever and ever. Thou didst cover it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains. At Thy rebuke they fled; At the sound of Thy thunder they turned away. The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which Thou didst establish for them. Thou didst set a boundary that they may not pass over; That they may not return to cover the earth. (NASB)
Part of the water flooding the earth had come from subterranean sources. It appears evident though that this subterranean supply of water was left on the surface of the earth at the time of the restoration following the Flood, for only about three percent of the earth’s total water supply lies in subterranean sources today. The remainder, about ninety-seven percent, lies on the surface of the earth, mainly in the oceans. And it is evident that none of this water was placed back in the heavens above the atmosphere, for it is not there today.
[These figures — three percent and ninety-seven percent — are derived from The U.S. Geological Survey’s records from past years. The accuracy could be somewhat open to question; though, with today’s technology, the figures are probably fairly accurate.]
Then, concerning the antediluvian mountains, how high would they have been for water to have covered all of them at the end of the first forty days of the Flood? We can know that vast changes in the earth’s topography began to occur at the end of the full one hundred fifty days, immediately following the time that God closed the floodgates of heaven and stopped the subterranean waters from coming up. But, the elevation of antediluvian topography, no one knows; nor can they know, for there is no data to work with.)
Thus, at the end of the first forty days of the Flood, the ark rested, floated, on a shoreless ocean, with the water level about twenty-five feet above the highest point on earth. And the ark continued floating on a shoreless ocean, with subterranean waters continuing to gush up from below the earth’s surface and torrential rain continuing to fall from the supply of water above the atmosphere for another one hundred and ten days, which could only have progressively raised the water level higher and higher.
Only at the end of the full one hundred and fifty days did God step in and close both the floodgates of heaven and the fountains of the deep (8:2). Apparently all of the water above the atmosphere had fallen (for, again, none remains there today), though that would not appear to be the case with the water below the earth’s surface (for, as previously stated, about three percent of the earth’s total water supply can be found below the earth’s surface today).
God apparently waited until the entire supply of water above the atmosphere had been depleted, which required one hundred and fifty days of torrential rainfall. Then He closed both the floodgates of heaven and the sources of the subterranean waters.
Restoration Following the Flood
On the one hundred fiftieth day of the Flood, when God stepped in and put a stop to matters (cf. 7:11; 8:1-4), Scripture locates the ark in relation to a place on the land beneath the water by stating:
Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. (8:4)
Or, is the preceding really what Scripture states?
This is the way that all of the widely-used English translations read, which have seemingly followed one another in the translation of this verse. But how could this be correct if the water level continued to rise for a total of one hundred and fifty days in the manner previously seen, which, from a Scriptural standpoint, is really the only possible way to view the matter?
This fact should have caught the attention of at least some of the translators, for the Hebrew word translated “on” (al) in this verse can also be understood and translated as “over” or “above.” For example, it is translated “over” in the opening verse of this same chapter (“pass over the earth”), or it is translated “above” back in chapter one (“fly above the earth” [v. 20]).
This Hebrew word has to be understood contextually. And in Genesis 8:4, as is evident from the context introducing this verse (and even more evident from the verses following), the translation should be “above” or “over,” not “upon.” That is, at the end of one hundred and fifty days, when the supply of water above the atmosphere had evidently been depleted and God stepped in and closed both the floodgates of heaven and the sources of the subterranean waters, Genesis 8:4 locates the ark in relation to a point on the earth beneath the waters, below the ark. This verse locates the ark in relation to the Ararat mountain range (a range that stretches from modern-day Turkey eastward into Armenia).
And that this is the correct way to view Genesis 8:4 is a simple matter to illustrate, not only from Scripture preceding the verse (as has already been shown) but from Scripture following the verse as well.
Genesis 8:1, 3, 5 clearly reveals that God not only closed the floodgates of heaven and the sources of the subterranean waters at the end of one hundred and fifty days but that He also began a restorative work at this same time. Immediately following the Flood waters reaching their highest level on the one hundred and fiftieth day, these waters began to recede. And it took about five and one-half months for the level to drop completely, though almost two more months were required after that for the face of the earth to become dry (cf. 8:1-4, 13, 14).
If the ark came to rest on a mountain peak in the Ararat range on the day that God closed both sources of the Flood waters and began His restorative work, resulting in the waters continually receding, it could not have been too many days before dry land appeared around the ark.
But this didn’t happen. It wasn’t until almost two and one-half months had passed that the tops of the mountains began to appear above the waters (8:5). Then, after another forty days had elapsed, Noah sent forth a dove, which found “no resting place for the sole of her foot” (8:6-9).
That is to say, almost four months after the waters began to recede, there was no dry land around the ark, though seven days later, when Noah sent the dove forth again, the dove did find dry land within flying distance of the ark (8:10, 11).
Where did the ark finally come to rest following the Flood? We’re not told. From the way that the text reads though — Noah having to wait for about two months after the waters had completely subsided for the face of the earth to become dry — the ark apparently came to rest in an unrevealed place in the lowlands.
Also, it could possibly be stated that the ark’s resting place would be somewhere west of where the city of Babylon was built two generations following the end of the Flood, for, to arrive at this location, those who built Babylon migrated eastward to a plain in the land of Shinar (Genesis 10:5-10; 11:1ff). This would only be a possibility though, for there could have been a migration of people to locations away from the vicinity of where the ark came to rest during time covering two generations (note that the direction of migration in Genesis 11:2 should be translated “eastward” rather than “from the east,” as in the KJV [ref. NASB, NIV]).
What difference though does all of this make, and why spend time showing an incorrect translation and understanding of Genesis 8:4? Actually, it makes a lot of difference, for if an individual follows the incorrect translation and understanding of Genesis 8:4, the door is closed to tremendous biblical truths that can be seen in verses one through four only by viewing verse four correctly.
1) Paralleling Two New Beginnings
As previously seen, Genesis 1:2 and Genesis 8:1 have to do with introductory information concerning new beginnings following two different Floods, one pre-Adamic, and the other post-Adamic. This parallel though is usually missed by following the English translation of Genesis 8:1 and not understanding that the latter must follow that which was previously established in the former.
The Hebrew word Ruach appears in both verses. In Genesis 1:2, this word is translated “Spirit”; but in Genesis 8:1, this word has been translated “wind” and separated from the same parallel thought seen in how God begins His restorative work in this respect, as established back in Genesis 1:2.
(“Wind” or “breath” can be correct translations of Ruach, if the context permits [as “wind” or “breath” can also be seen at times as correct translations of Pneuma, the corresponding word in the Greek New Testament, usually translated “Spirit”]. But there is nothing in the context of Genesis 8:1 that would suggest understanding Ruach as “wind.”
The word Ruach is only used five times between Genesis 1:2 and 8:1 [3:8; 6:3, 17; 7:15, 22]. The last three usages have been translated and should be understood as “breath.” And the other two should probably be understood and translated in a similar manner as well [note, the numerous times Ruach is translated and understood as “breath” in Ezekiel 37:5-10].)
The movement of God’s Ruach over the face of the waters in both Genesis 1:2 and Genesis 8:1 must be understood the same way in both instances, for the pattern concerning how God begins His restorative work involving a ruined creation was revealed and set in an unchangeable manner in Genesis 1:2.
Thus, the beginning of God’s subsequent restorative work in Genesis 8:1 MUST be viewed exactly the same way. The Spirit of God or the Breath of God (that produces life [cf. Genesis 2:7]) MUST be seen moving upon or across the face of the waters in both instances.
(In relation to God’s breath providing life, as introduced in Genesis 2:7 [establishing a First-Mention Principle, which can never change], note ruined man today — another ruined creation, ruined following the restoration of the ruined material creation in Genesis 1:2ff.
How does God go about restoring ruined man, who is “dead in trespasses and sins” [Ephesians 2:1]? The answer is seen in these two passages in Genesis [1:2; 8:1]; and the means that God uses to restore ruined man, as seen in these two passages of Scripture, can never change.
The Spirit of God moves upon the ruined creation. The Spirit breathes life into the one having no life, and man passes “from death to life” [John 5:24]. Everything is accomplished entirely through divine intervention. Ruined man today is just as powerless to bring himself out of his ruined state as was the ruined material creation in both Genesis chapters one and eight.
Had God not acted in Genesis chapters one and eight, the earth would still be covered by water today and would forever remain covered by water, apart from divine intervention at some future time
Had not God acted at Calvary, in the person of His Son, ruined man would forever be left in his present condition — “dead in trespasses and sins.”
And should not the Spirit of God act today, on the basis of Christ’s finished work at Calvary — breathing life into the one who has no life — man could never pass “from death to life.” Man could never move out of his ruined state simply because there is only one revealed way that God restores a ruined creation, and it is either accomplished through God’s revealed way or there is no restoration [Acts 4:12].)
Scripture must be understood and interpreted in the light of Scripture. And, understanding Genesis 8:1 in the light of and in the same respect as previously seen in Genesis 1:2 becomes vitally necessary to properly understand that which is in view in verse four, where another corrected translation is necessary.
2) Over the Mountains of Ararat
At the end of the Flood, after the utter destruction that had affected “all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life,” save those on the ark, Noah and his family found themselves at a location above “the mountains of Ararat.”
Then, on this same day, the Spirit of God set about to effect restoration, exactly as previously is seen in Genesis chapter one. And also, exactly as is previously seen in chapter one, this restoration was for purposes surrounding regality.
Regality in Genesis chapter one is shown by and through a direct statement regarding the reason for man’s creation: “. . . let them have dominion [or, ‘…let them rule’]” (vv. 26, 28). The Hebrew word translated “dominion” in these two verses is radah, the same word translated “rule” in Psalm 110:2, where Christ will rule as the great King-Priest after the order of Melchizedek during the coming day of His power (v. 4; cf. Genesis 14:18ff; Hebrews 5-7).
Regality in Genesis chapter eight though is shown by and through a different fashion than in chapter one. A “mountain” in Scripture signifies a kingdom. And at the end of the Flood (foreshadowing the end of the coming Tribulation), those in the ark (foreshadowing the nation of Israel in that day) found themselves resting in a place of safety above the mountains of Ararat (foreshadowing the nation of Israel in that coming day, resting in a place of safety above all the kingdoms of the world, no longer the tail, but elevated to the head).
The name “Ararat” itself, a transliterated Hebrew word, comes from a root word that means holy ground. And this is exactly where Israel will find herself once the nation has been restored to the land in that coming day.
(The word “holy” is used numerous times throughout Scripture in relation to God. And the same word is used numerous times as well in relation to different things as they pertain to the Jewish people — the people themselves, Jerusalem, the Temple, and the land as a whole [cf. Exodus 19:6; Deuteronomy 7:6; Psalm 2:6; 11:4; 65:4; 78:41; Zephaniah 2:12; 3:11].
The word “holy” carries the thought of set apart [to the Lord]. This is the only way in which the word can be used relative to inanimate objects; and this same meaning would still apply when used relative to the people of Israel, though it could extend beyond this into the thought of purity [which is actually an extension of the thought of being set apart].)
The entire earth is referred to in Scripture as “the holy mountain of God [i.e., ‘the set apart kingdom of God’]” (Ezekiel 28:14). However, Satan, the ruler over this kingdom, because of his aspirations to extend his rule beyond that which God had appointed him to occupy, introduced corruption, resulting in his kingdom being reduced to a ruined state. Later, after the kingdom had been restored and man had been created to rule the kingdom in the stead of Satan, man’s fall resulted in the same thing. Corruption was reintroduced into the kingdom, and this corruption affected both man and the material creation.
Then, later yet, the nation of Israel was brought into existence and called forth, as a set apart people, to rule in a set apart land, within a theocracy. But the Lord’s name, the people, the Temple, and the land were all later polluted, defiled, profaned through a continued disobedience of God’s people (cf. Numbers 35:33, 34; Psalm 79:1; Ezekiel 14:11; 20:43; 23:38; 36:20; Hosea 5:3; 6:10).
And Israel, the wife of Jehovah, climaxed the nation’s disobedience by taking up unholy alliances with the surrounding Gentile nations — something that God had forbidden in no uncertain terms (cf. Numbers 23:9; Deuteronomy 7:1-6). And these alliances were viewed in Scripture as harlotry on Israel’s part (cf. Jeremiah 3:1-4; Ezekiel 16:2, 28, 29).
The day came when Israel’s cup of iniquity became full (cf. Genesis 15:16), and God drove His adulterous wife out among her Gentile lovers to effect repentance through persecution at the hands of her lovers, which is exactly where Israel is seen in the world today. Israel today is seen as “the great whore,” residing among her Gentile lovers. And because of this, Israel is presently seen associated with both Babylon and Jerusalem, but only with Jerusalem in the respect that Jerusalem, during this time, is seen associated with Sodom and Egypt (Revelation 11:8; 17:1-7, 18).
(For a discussion of Revelation chapters eleven, seventeen, and eighteen in the preceding respect, refer to the author’s book, The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, or to Chapters 27 and 28 in the author’s book, The Time of the End.)
The day is coming though when all of this will change. Israel, through the judgments of the Tribulation, will be brought to the place of repentance. This will be followed by the harlot being cleansed and restored to her rightful place in a cleansed land, within a theocracy.
Then, that which is foreshadowed by Genesis 8:4 — Noah and his family resting above the mountains of Ararat — will be realized. Gentile world power will have been destroyed (typified by the destruction occurring during the Flood). And Israel, in that coming day, will find herself at rest, placed above all the kingdoms of the world, in a holy place (cf. Zechariah 14:9, 20, 21).
This is exactly what is also seen in Revelation 12:1b and Revelation 17:18b.
A woman is seen in chapter twelve as the one possessing “a crown of twelve stars,” with the number “twelve” signifying governmental perfection.
Then, allowing Scripture to continue interpreting itself, a harlot is seen in chapter seventeen as “the one having kingly authority over the kings of the earth” (literal translation from the Greek text in v. 18b).
That which is seen in both Revelation 12:1b and 17:18b points to that which awaits Israel following her cleansing (Revelation 17:16, 17; 19:3). That is to say, Israel, also seen as God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22, 23), holds this regal position today but cannot exercise this position until after the nation has been cleansed. And the fact that Israel will one day be cleansed and ultimately exercise this position was all foretold back in Genesis 8:4.
3) Water to Wine
Following the Flood, Noah planted a vineyard, and he later made wine from the grapes in the vineyard. The wine that Noah made caused him to become drunk, which resulted in a sequence of events taking up most of the remainder of the chapter.
But, there is something about this wine and Noah’s drunkenness that are not often considered. Noah planting a vineyard and making and drinking wine was the first thing mentioned that Noah did following his departure from the ark. And, within the typology involved, the picture has to do with Israel following the Tribulation, when “the new wine,” now withheld from the nation, will await the nation (Joel 1:5, 10; 2:19; 3:18).
Thus, wine should be the first thing mentioned following the Flood in the type, exactly as is seen in Genesis chapter nine. But that which resulted from Noah drinking this wine — drunkenness — was evidently something that Noah did not expect at all. In fact, it was evidently something that he had never experience before and knew nothing about.
All of this can perhaps best be explained by going to and beginning with the first sign in the gospel of John (2:1-11), the first of eight signs directed to and having to do with the Jewish people, for the purpose see in John 20:30, 31, verses that are millennial in their scope of fulfillment.
The miraculous work surrounding the first sign in the gospel of John had to do not only with changing water to wine but with producing a particular type of wine — undoubtedly the type of wine seen in connection with God in Psalm 104:15, a “wine that makes glad the heart of man.” The steward of the feast referred to the wine that Christ had brought forth as “the good wine,” kept “until now” (a reference to this being the best wine at the feast, kept until last [v. 10]).
And the imagery used — six waterpots of stone, filled to the brim, at a wedding festival in Cana of Galilee, on the seventh day — forms a complete and perfect picture of events about to occur surrounding God, His Son, and Israel.
The six waterpots of stone and their being filled to the brim point to things surrounding Israel’s coming restoration, with a view to that which follows. “Six” is man’s number, and “stone” points to the condition of the people’s hearts prior to the work of restoration, shown by the six waterpots being filled with water that was changed to wine. And being filled to the brim shows the completeness, the totality, of this work.
Note how Ezekiel stated the matter six centuries before events in John chapter two and over two and one-half millennia before that which the sign foreshadows is brought to pass:
For I will take you from among the nations [the Gentiles], gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.
Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. (Ezekiel 36:24-28; cf. Jeremiah 31:31-33; Ezekiel 16:8ff)
Then, carrying matters on into the wedding festivities, note a sequence of events alluded to at Christ’s first coming.
While partaking of the Passover meal with His disciples only hours before His crucifixion, Christ took the cup (containing wine), gave thanks, and then gave it to His disciples, saying,
Drink from it, all of you. [lit., ‘All of you drink out of it’ (ref. NASB)];
For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom. (Matthew 26:27b-29)
The miraculous sign in John chapter two had to do with changing water to wine. Aside from showing Israel’s coming restoration, why was this done?
One central answer is obvious. This was done to foreshadow the beginning of the fulfillment of Christ’s later statement in Matthew 26:29, associated with Israel’s coming restoration.
Exactly as Christ and His disciples had been called to a wedding festival on the seventh day in the sign, they will be called to a wedding festival on the seventh day yet future. And Christ, along with His disciples, will again drink of the fruit of the vine together. But this time it will be in the Father’s kingdom — exactly as the Son promised — at the marriage festivities surrounding the Father’s restored wife.
And, exactly as is seen in John chapter two, the wine that Christ and His disciples will again drink together will not be just any wine. As described by the steward of the feast in Cana, it will be “the good wine,” which will have been kept “until now” (cf. Isaiah 25:6).
The wine that Christ made at the wedding festival in Cana was a type of wine that man could not have produced at this time; nor can man produce this type of wine today.
A wine of this nature or a similar nature though evidently existed in the antediluvian world. That is the clear implication from Noah, following the Flood, planting a vineyard, making wine, and becoming drunk (Genesis 9:20, 21).
Atmospheric conditions preceding the Flood were entirely different than they were following the Flood. As previously shown, at the time of the Flood, the waters that God had placed above the atmosphere when he restored the earth (Genesis 1:6-8) were released and fell through “the windows [contextually, ‘flood gates’] of heaven” upon the earth, forming part of the waters that flooded the earth (Genesis 7:11ff).
This allowed the sun’s rays to shine directly through the atmosphere, resulting in accompanying changes, particularly meteorological changes. And, with the loss of the waters above the atmosphere, atmospheric pressure changes were probably involved as well.
And all of these changes apparently resulted in something new and unknown to Noah when he made wine following the Flood — a wine which, rather than making “glad the heart of man,” instead, resulted in drunkenness.
The only type of wine that Christ would have produced in John 2:7ff — described in Psalm 104:15 — was evidently a type of wine that Noah thought that he was making following the Flood but could no longer produce. And drunkenness, associated with wine following the Flood, would, of necessity, have had to be something alien to the type of wine that Christ made at the marriage festivities in Cana (or the type of wine that Noah had thought that he was making).
And this foreshadows a condition that will exist during the Messianic Era when pre-Flood atmospheric conditions have been restored (cf. Acts 3:21). Not only will Christ bring forth this of type wine to drink with His disciples, but man, in that day, will apparently be able to plant a vineyard and produce a wine of this nature as well (cf. Isaiah 5:1ff; 65:21: Jeremiah 31:12; Joel 2:19; Zechariah 9:17).
4) Shem, Ham, Japheth
Genesis chapter nine then adds to a developing Old Testament word picture. Among Noah’s three sons following the Flood, only one — Shem — was blessed and said to have a God (v. 26). And from Shem descended Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, his twelve sons, and the nation of Israel.
Since Shem is the only one stated to have been blessed and to have a God, in order for the other two sons to have received spiritual blessings, they would have had to go to Shem — something stated in the text in relation to Japheth by his having to dwell in the tents of Shem (v. 27).
This is the same position that Shem’s descendant, Abraham, held in relation to the nations; and this is the same position that the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob have held, continue to hold today, and will always hold relative to the nations. If the nations are to be blessed, it must be accomplished by and through the means that God has decreed — through Abraham and his seed, through Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3).
That’s the importance seen in the Noachian Flood and that which occurred following the Flood. And that’s the importance seen in the vast amount of space that God has provided in His Word surrounding that which the Flood foreshadows.
Israel must be brought to the place of repentance. Only then can that which is foreshadowed in Genesis 8:4; 9:20-27 be realized, with blessings flowing from a restored people, in a restored city and land, out to the nations of the earth.
(In the type, because of the time in which this occurred in history [following the Flood, during Man’s Day], drunkenness and a curse are seen [Noah’s drunkenness, a curse upon Ham’s son, Canaan]. But that which is foreshadowed has to do with a future day when “the new wine” will no longer be withheld from Israel and the curse upon Ham’s lineage will be lifted [Joel 2:19, 32; 3:18; Zechariah 8:13, 20-23; 14:21], with blessings flowing out through Shem’s lineage.)
God’s Future Dealings with the Nations
God’s future dealings with the Gentile nations are seen in Genesis chapters ten and eleven. This though is not the same as that which is seen at the end of the Olivet Discourse, in Matthew 25:31-46. That which is seen at the end of the Olivet Discourse has to do with God’s dealings with the saved from among the nations at the end of the Tribulation (those saved during and surviving the Tribulation [saved mainly as a result of the ministry of the 144,000 Jewish evangels during the last half of the Tribulation]). That which is seen in Genesis chapter ten and the first part of chapter eleven has to do with God’s future dealings with the unsaved among the nations at the end of the Tribulation (those having survived the Tribulation) at the end of that which is typified by the Flood during Noah’s day.
And God’s dealings with the nations in that day will occur exactly as in the type — following His dealings with Israel. Actually, God’s dealings with the nations in that day will occur following Israel’s national conversion and restoration to the land, foretold in a foundational type in Genesis chapters eight and nine. And God’s subsequent dealings with the nations is then foretold in a continuation of the overall foundational type in chapter ten and the first part of chapter eleven.
Genesis chapter ten and the first part of chapter eleven deal with two main things insofar as the overall type is concerned:
1) The destruction of Gentile world power — God’s past and future dealings with the kingdom of Babylon (the first kingdom of Babylon in the type, the last kingdom of Babylon in the antitype).
2) God’s subsequent dealings with the Gentile nations — the nations dealt with in relation to Shem and his descendants in the type and in relation to the nation of Israel in the antitype . (The preceding is developed in the three sections that follow. These sections have to do with that which occurred in the historical account in Genesis, which foreshadows that which will occur yet future.
The first section deals with the destruction of Gentile world power following the Tribulation, allowing the nation in possession of the rights of the firstborn [Israel], which includes regal rights, to hold the scepter.
Then, the second and third sections deal with that which will subsequently occur [following the destruction of Gentile world power] with respect to Israel and the nations.
God revealed the whole of the matter at the beginning, in His Word. And if man would know that which the future holds for the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church of God, all he has to do is go back to that which God revealed through Moses almost 3,500 years ago.)
1) Destruction of Gentile World Power, in History and Prophecy
From Genesis 8:4 (picturing the ark resting above the Ararat mountain range at the end of the one hundred fifty days, in which the waters came down from above and up from below) to the first part of chapter eleven, there is a chronological sequence of events that foreshadows that which will occur relative to Israel and the nations, beginning at the end of the Tribulation and leading into the Millennium.
Events in chapters eight and nine foreshadow Israel’s restoration to her rightful place among the nations, with Israel restored to the nation’s land, in a position to enjoy millennial blessings. Then chapter ten and the first part of chapter eleven foreshadow Christ’s dealings with the nations following His return.
Christ’s initial dealings with the nations at this time will be the destruction of what will already be a decimated Gentile world power (ref. typology of Genesis 8:4). And this Gentile world power, at the time of its destruction in chapter eleven, is seen centered in Babylon in the type, as it will be centered back in Babylon in the antitype.
The first mention of Babylon in Scripture is seen in Genesis 10:10. Nimrod, a grandson of Ham, built eight cities (vv. 10-12), with Babel (Babylon) seen as the main city, where a tower was built. And this tower was for the purpose of uniting the people of the kingdom, keeping them together in this one general area (11:1ff).
(Note that Genesis 11:1-9 [the building of Babel and the tower] provides commentary for that which occurred in Genesis 10:10-12 [the building of cities forming a kingdom centered in Babel/Babylon].)
Following the establishment of Nimrod’s kingdom, the day eventually arrived when “the Lord came down to see the city [Babel] and the tower” (11:5). And He, at this time, put a stop to that which man was seeking to bring to pass, for purposes seen in verse six.
And the day is eventually going to arrive when the Lord will come down to see that which is typified in these two chapters in Genesis, the kingdom of the last king of Babylon. And the Lord is going to do exactly the same thing in that future day as He did over 4,000 years ago in Genesis. He is going to put a stop to that which man will be seeking to bring to pass (Micah 5:4-6).
(For a detailed discussion of the Lord coming down and the destruction of Gentile world power yet future, refer to Chapters 31, 32, “Christ’s Return” and “The Great Supper of God” in the author’s book, The Time of the End.)
2) God’s Subsequent Separation and Placement of the Nations, in History and Prophecy
Then, following the destruction of Gentile world power in the Middle East under Antichrist, the Lord will continue and complete His dealings with the Gentiles worldwide, anticipating the place that Israel will occupy in relation to the Gentile nations during the Millennium.
In Genesis chapter ten God provides genealogies of Noah’s three sons, with each genealogy going through a number of generations. And the names of the descendants of each son, through these generations, are given — names that today, from history, can be associated with people dwelling in a particular part of the earth.
At the time God dealt with man at Babel, in the land of Shinar, He separated individuals in a nationalistic sense through several means.
First, each group of individuals was given a particular language, unknown to any of the other groups. They were then driven out and given a particular land on the earth, a land of their own that was separate from the land of any of the others (vv. 5, 20, 32).
Second, at some point after each group was separated from all the other groups and in their own land, God divided the earth itself, separating one land mass from another land mass (v. 25).
There are two different words in the Hebrew text translated “divide” in chapter ten. One word is used in verses five and thirty-two (having to do with a separation of mankind by languages, along with their being placed in different lands); and the other word is used in verse twenty-five, having to do with a separation or division of the earth itself.
How did God separate or divide the earth into segments? The evident answer is seen in Job 38:25, where the same word translated “divide” in Genesis 10:25 is used relative to a separation by water.
Once God had separated all the different nations and placed them in their own lands, He then “divided” the earth. He could only have separated land masses, forming separate land masses, separate continents, etc. And this separation can evidently be seen one place today by viewing a map of the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa. The shape of each gives the appearance that at one time in the distant past they were one continent, then they were separated. And they give that appearance because this is evidently what occurred, not only here but worldwide.
How did natives on islands out in the Pacific Ocean get there? How did the American Indian get to the North American continent, the Aborigine to Australia, etc.?
The answer is simple. And the answer is not in the book, Kon Tiki, or in a frozen Bering Strait. Rather, the answer is in the Bible. These individuals’ ancestors were already on these land masses when the earth was divided by oceans and seas during the days of Peleg, over one hundred years after the Flood.
The general separation of the sons of Noah, as determined by the names in the three lineages in Genesis chapter ten, was across three parts of the earth. The descendants of Japheth were spread across the northern parts of the earth, the descendants of Shem across the central parts, and the descendants of Ham across the southern parts. This separation, of course, is general. There are numerous exceptions.
(Refer to the next section for a projection of the whole of the matter out into the future.)
3) God’s Purpose for a Separation and Placement of the Nations, in History and Prophecy
Other than that which is stated in Genesis 11:6, what does Scripture have to say about God’s purpose for a separation of the nations, as seen in chapter ten?
God’s purpose, along with another way in which He divided the nations, is given elsewhere in Scripture.
Note Deuteronomy 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.
Then note Acts 17:26, 27:
And He has made from one blood [one man, Adam] every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
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.
One of the reasons God called Israel into existence was to be His witness to the Gentile nations throughout the earth, “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other” (1 Kings 8:59, 60; Isaiah 43:9, 10).
God separated the nations and set their bounds within separate lands “according to the number of the children of Israel”; and God did this in order that those in these nations “should seek the Lord . . . and find Him” (Deuteronomy 32:8; Acts 17:27). And Scripture clearly states and reveals that a separation and placement of the nations was done after this fashion during the early years of Shem’s life, hundreds of years before the nation of Israel even existed (note that Shem was still alive during Abraham’s day, living to within twenty-five years of Abraham’s death).
In short, God separated the nations and placed them within certain boundaries; and God did this according to the number of those whom He had commissioned to reach the nations with the message of the one true and living God.
This is the way and the reason why God did it after this manner in history. And, at the end of the Tribulation yet future, He will separate the nations once again, for the same reason. It will all be done once again in exact accord with Deuteronomy 32:8 and Acts 17:26, 27, after the manner and for the reason given in these verses.
And all of this has to do with the Jewish people fulfilling their calling — being God’s witness to the nations of the earth (Isaiah 43:1-11). The Jewish people, in that day, will go forth with the message seen in Isaiah chapter fifty-three. And they will carry this message to all the Gentile nations, which God will have previously separated and placed in particular geographical locations on the earth for purposes that will be carried out by Israel during the Millennium. |