Because of the powerful impact of Darwinian thought in our public schools for over a century, most people, including most Evangelicals, do not believe that Noah’s flood was worldwide. Most Evangelicals think that it was a local flood. Non-Evangelicals mostly think that there was no Noah, no ark, and no flood.
But there is evidence outside the Bible to support the Biblical account of a worldwide flood.
There are over 200 people groups who have stories about a family that was saved in a huge boat from a worldwide flood. See here for a short article by Dr. John Morris about those traditions. See here for a fantastic 12-page scholarly article about flood traditions by Dr. Jerry Bergman. Bergman gives these statistics from the various traditions: 95% say that it was a global flood, 88% report that “a favored family [was] saved,” 70% say that “survival [was] due to a boat,” 67% say that animals were also saved, 66% say that the people of Earth were warned in advance of the flood, and 9% say that “specifically eight persons [were] saved.”
Another line of evidence includes things like the Grand Canyon, the strata of rocks, and the fact there are seashells on the tops of the highest mountains on Earth.
Today, while going to YouTube Grace Evangelical Society, I mistakenly forgot to add Grace Evangelical Society. I ended up at the YouTube home page. Evidently it knows what I like, and there was a video from Joe Rogan about a worldwide flood. I was shocked. I’d never heard that Joe Rogan was a believer, or even religious.
You must see this 20-minute video with Joe Rogan and two scientists. See here. It is the most amazing video on the flood I’ve seen. If you don’t watch another video this year, watch this one. It is that good.i
I won’t spoil the video. But to whet your appetite, here are some highlights:
- There are huge rocks in Arizona and elsewhere that are not native to the area, but were moved hundreds of miles to those locations, then just dropped there.
- There are farmers’ fields with waves of earth that are separated by hundreds of yards. The dirt waves are up to 200 feet high. Based on a comparison of those wave patterns left in the dirt following modern floods, we know that in order to cause this pattern, the water must have been at least a thousand feet deep.
- The U.S. government has long sought to have compliant citizens who accept as fact whatever it says.
- Scientists resist admitting the obvious because their self-image is tied up in teaching the Darwinian approach, an approach that vigorously rejects a universal flood.
If you believe Noah’s flood was merely a local flood, I urge you to watch this video. I believe it will cause you to wonder if the flood was, after all, worldwide. And that’s a good thing because there is no way to read the Genesis account and conclude that Moses was talking about some local event. Ultimately, the veracity of Scripture depends on it.ii
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i Check out the ending of the video, starting at 19:30. One of the scientists indicates he believes that “Dinosaurs became chickens and shrews became human beings.” Joe Rogan’s response is priceless: “That’s almost harder for me to imagine than this…That we came from a shrew 65 million years ago is almost harder [to believe than the Biblical account].” These words then appear on the screen: “RIGHT ON JOE!”
ii I’ve had many conversations with Evangelicals who do not believe in Young Earth Creationism (YEC) or the universal flood. One example stands out. I was speaking at a local church, and the pastor and four of his leaders took me out to supper Saturday night. The conversation drifted to YEC and Noah’s flood. The pastor indicated that he did not believe in YEC or a worldwide flood. His leaders seemed to agree. I was shocked. I gave Biblical and extra-Biblical evidence for both. The pastor and his leaders were resolute. At one point I said that John 3:16 would be in doubt if what Moses wrote is not correct. The pastor’s response was that he was sure John 3:16 is true and that his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not hindered in any way by his view that Genesis 1-11 should not be taken literally. I get it. It is possible to believe the promise of everlasting life that the Lord Jesus makes and yet not believe other things taught in Scripture. While that is inconsistent, it is certainly possible. But a mature believer should believe basic Bible truths like YEC and the worldwide flood. These are not difficult matters in Scripture.
