Several generations after the beginning with the first two humans—Adam and Eve—God could no longer tolerate it. What a mess humans had made of it. Lies, deceit, conflict, and self-interest defined daily life. The limit had been reached. To make a fresh start, God plunged the world into a mega-catastrophe: the Great Flood. This flood would forever change the geological face of our planet. The continents we know today were formed. The world population was reduced to a mere eight people. Did you know that genetic evidence for this has recently emerged?
Jesus foretold that in the last days, things will be like the days of Noah (Matt. 24). Everyone goes their own way, and it seems to go on forever, until suddenly it's over. Jesus returns, not as the humble Lamb this time, but as the Lion of Judah. Then there will be no wooden ark to climb onto. Only those who entrust their lives to the Messiah will be preserved in that storm.
Hundreds of oral accounts of a great flood can be found worldwide. They bear many similarities to the biblical account. How do you explain this from an evolutionary historical model, in which peoples have lived more or less isolated from one another for tens of thousands of years? That won't work. However, it is exactly what you would expect based on the biblical account. All peoples brought a shared history with them when they migrated from Babel across the world. Remarkably, the oldest Chinese character for "great boat" contains a symbol for eight people. Is that a coincidence, or did the early Chinese simply know the history of the ark?
Click around the Answers in Genesis site if you'd like more information on this fascinating and often overlooked topic.
Should we assume that the current state of affairs in the world has always been this way? Or can we formulate explanations based on major events from the past? Consider this example: today, the American continent shifts a few centimeters away from the Euro-African continent every year. If you take this as a constant and calculate backwards based on it, it takes a very long time to arrive at the current state of affairs. Do you now "know" how long ago the continents were connected? Or have you unknowingly introduced a huge assumption?
You have no way of knowing if it has always happened at this rate. No measurements have been taken in the past (supposed) millions of years to support this idea. It is therefore an unprovable assumption. An assumption that, incidentally, assumes that God cannot in any way tamper with His own creation. A prominent proponent of this theory was James Hutton. He said: “The past history of our globe must be explained by what can be seen to be happening now (…) No Powers are to be employed that are not natural to the globe, no action to be admitted except those of which we know the principle” (James Hutton, quoted in Holmes, A., Principles of Physical Geology, 2nd ed. Edinburgh, Scotland: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd., 1965, pp. 43-44). Yet, increasing attention is being paid to the role of “great catastrophes” in the past. And rightly so. Because closer examination shows that everything happened much faster than is generally thought. Reason for further research.
From the 1730s onward, the idea that the Great Flood was an exaggerated version of a local flood in Mesopotamia was promoted. But why would Noah have to spend years working on a massive ship when he could have moved to a safer region in two months? Often, such liberal theories are remarkably illogical when you think about them independently. The following point is a striking example.
Another popular idea is that the biblical story was copied from surrounding peoples. This too is highly doubtful. The flood story is said to have been copied and adapted during the time of the Babylonian exile (around the 6th century BC). The Babylonian version of Gilgamesh mentions a boat shaped like a cube of 60x60x60 meters. But Noah's version has dimensions that were used in later shipbuilding (six times the length compared to the width), because it proved to be the ideal proportions for building large wooden ships. Take a look at the real-life reconstruction of the ark in the Answers in Genesis park. What do you think? Which of the two versions sounds more reliable? Sometimes I think, everything must be done to prove the Bible unreliable, and we would rather believe utter nonsense than attribute it any authority.
According to recent scientific research, the Grand Canyon's undulating rock layers formed in a matter of weeks. How can the hard rock in the Grand Canyon have such an undulating character? That's the question that set Dr. Andrew Snelling on his journey. At least, after having to fight for years to obtain a permit. As a "creationist," he questions the standard interpretations of the Canyon's formation, and the establishment isn't happy with that. When, with some legal help, he finally managed to obtain a permit, he and his team could get to work.
The research on the so-called Tapeats Sandstone employed a simple approach. There are only three conceivable explanations for the undulation of this rock, which is located low in the Canyon, just above the great unconformity. It's possible that the undulation was formed over time by 1) pressure from overlying rock or 2) upward movement from below. In either case, you should see fault lines or remnants of a chemical process that occurs when the combination of pressure and heat changes the morphology of the rocks. If these two options are ruled out, only one alternative remains: 3) that the material was still soft/fluid at the time of deposition. However, that would imply that the rock must have formed in a matter of weeks, not millions of years.
After four years of research using numerous samples, Dr. Snelling's team has determined that the Tapeats Sandstone shows no trace of faulting or chemical transformation, not even at the micron level. The only alternative explanation remains that the undulating rock formed when it was still fluid. Snelling's research implies nothing less than a shift in the prevailing paradigm surrounding the formation of the Canyon. But who wants that? Granting a permit was indeed a bad idea. Here's a beautiful snapshot of the rock:
Dr. Snelling's findings align with many other observations that support a recent formation history. For example, take a close look at the different rock layers in the Canyon. You can see for yourself that they are clearly distinguishable. If, as claimed, millions of years have passed between the different layers, how do you explain the complete absence of erosion at the clearly identifiable boundaries? No water currents, no subsidence, no disturbance by animal activity? This conclusion is also supported by the fact that the angle of inclination of the rocks in the Canyon is typical for underwater sedimentation (namely, an angle of <25 degrees). This makes you look at this magnificent natural wonder with a completely different eye!
In 1980, we saw a real-life example of how a similar landscape can develop in a very short time. During the massive eruption of Mount St. Helens (USA, West Coast), a geological situation emerged within weeks that is almost identical to the Canyon, forty times larger. Why would something like this happen in 1980, but is it far-fetched to explain similar situations based on the impact of a global flood?
Here's a video of Dr. Snelling sharing some interesting facts about the Canyon. More of his research can be found if you'd like to delve deeper.
Evidence for the Flood and the Research We Had to Fight For! – YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NeeXMtbPtQE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9yc3BdeSds
The forces unleashed during the global flood created the current continents. The primordial continent of Pangaea was ripped apart at breakneck speed by the unprecedented dynamics. From these new fault lines, gigantic landmasses shifted rapidly to their current positions. This wasn't continental drift, but a continental sprint.
Dr. Kurt Wise presents a fascinating model that explains the origins of the flood and its impact on geology in detail. The model not only offers alternative explanations to secular theories but goes much further. It also addresses phenomena that cannot be adequately explained based on a very slow geological process. Consider, for example, the formation of the Himalayas. The landmass of present-day India must have collided with Central Asia with great force to create such impressive mountains. This can only be reasonably explained by a mega-catastrophic process, something like a global flood.
And have you ever wondered how the entire Earth was ever covered in water? And why that's no longer the case? Then take an hour to delve deeper into this fascinating topic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2ANUKSF2BE
You can certainly consider the phenomenon of an ice age from the perspective of a young earth. Once you accept that global catastrophes are possible—which, incidentally, is widely suggested in the current climate crisis debate!—it becomes plausible to theorize from the biblical starting point. This isn't a sign of weakness, but rather a rock-solid starting point. The explanation for an ice age immediately following the catastrophic global flood is actually quite obvious. Watch and listen to this lecture by Dr. Larry Vardiman. He develops a scenario of rapid climatological change based on the geological catastrophe of the flood. Are you excited by this completely different perspective, or does it leave you cold?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YCfKf1P7G-o
Genesis 6-9
Matthew 24. “It will be as in the days of Noah”
1 Peter 3:18-20