Mythical Symbolism or Real Event?
Scientists would be hard pressed to prove that Noah's Flood ever happened. In fact, there are numerous problems with the story and no easy solutions. Yet, if God could create the universe, then cleaning up after a little bit of water on a tiny planet should have been no problem.
What kinds of problems exist with the story? Naturally, the most obvious problems involve the extra water which suddenly appeared and then disappeared. Add to that the fact that all species on Earth would not have had simple access to Noah's location. Arctic polar bears and Antarctic penguins would not have had an easy time getting there. On the flip side, Noah would not have had time to round up all land species on his own, in case those species never got the memo. And what about all of the plant species? Some would not last a year or more under the deep, new sea placed on top of all the oceans, continents and mountains of Earth. Fresh water fish might not have been able to survive even a day in the salty ocean. And how would coral reefs have fared being nearly 5 miles under water for an extended period of time?
Could there have been more than one Noah? Could aliens have helped, as they did in the Keanu Reeves movie remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still?"
Many parts of the Bible are not to be taken literally. Even biblical literalists agree on this point. For instance, Adam and Eve did not die on the day they ate the Forbidden Fruit -- not literally, not physically. And God said they would surely die on that day. Yet, they died spiritually, living physically many hundreds of years afterward.
Let us assume, for a moment, that the Flood was a real event and a worldwide inundation. What was its purpose?
Purpose of the Flood
Arguably, God would not have wiped out all land borne life on a whim. As we've already seen, ordinary violence and wickedness could not have been the problem to be solved.
A brief look at history will show incredible violence in all of the wars and criminal acts of humanity's past. The total quantity of violence has been great, but with the nuclear bombs of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the amplitude of violence has also reached unimaginable heights. Nuclear violence really does garner the sum of all fears.
Genesis 6 also mentions "wickedness" as a possible reason, but this is a rather vague term that can include violence, yet much, much more. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and many others perpetrated great violence as well as their own special brand of wickedness. None of these types of wickedness could have been the reason for the Flood. After all, God did say that he would never again use the Flood. Whatever the problem it was intended to solve, it seems that the Flood did its job sufficiently, otherwise God would never have promised never again to use the Flood.
Apparently, the reason for the Flood was something Man could never again repeat, otherwise the Flood would seem to have been based on fickle reasoning. Today, you're condemned for wickedness, but tomorrow it's all okay.
In order to narrow down the reason for the Flood, perhaps understanding God's purpose would help. Perhaps something had threatened that purpose. And perhaps the Flood was created to eliminate that threat. These are all reasonable assumptions.
Genesis 3 gives us a clue. This is where it talks about the Forbidden Fruit. This is where Adam and Eve die a spiritual death. The entire intent of the Bible seems to be one of restoring the spiritual life of God's children. God wants His children back.
The Importance of Homo sapiens and Civilization
"Dead immortals" sounds every bit an oxymoron. "Sleeping immortals" proves to be a more palatable term. Awakening spiritual beings might prove to be a difficult undertaking. How much can you get done in your dreams? Can you balance your checkbook? Can you work out problems in advanced mathematics? Can you compose a speech for work? Dreams are skittish at best. The landscape is unsettled and malleable. Discussing and planning complex things requires continuity of consciousness. The dreams of the sleeping immortals have been replaced with the consciousness of their new, Homo sapiens bodies.
The bodies alone are not enough. These bodies need the freedom to pursue such activities as philosophy, logic, theology, spirituality and religion. As primitive hunter-gatherers, Man would not have had that freedom. This requires civilization. This requires the development of writing, education and the time to pursue such things.
Without civilization, Man would otherwise be spending close to 99% of his waking hours getting food and shelter.
Genesis Timeline
Thousands of scholars have attempted to decipher the Bible and all of its enigmas. More than two thousand years of research have been invested. Irish Archbishop Ussher published in 1650 AD the results of his research into a Genesis timeline. According to his findings, humanity and the universe began 4004 BC. The Flood supposedly happened 2348 BC.
There are many things wrong with this Flood date. For one, there were too many people on Earth at this date and shortly thereafter. Three years after this date, Egypt started its 6th dynasty. Thirteen years after this date, Sargon the Great conquered Sumer, creating an empire which stretched from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. If Noah and his family were the only ones on Earth at that time, then from where did all of those imperial subjects come?
Science tells us that Homo sapiens has been around for something like 200,000 to 250,000 years. A generation ago, this figure was closer to 50,000 years. If the longevity of the early patriarchs have any real value in developing a timeline, then we need to multiply each of their ages by some factor or set of factors. Recent research found these needed factors. And the Flood was discovered to have occurred 27,970 BC by this new Genesis timeline.
The Daughters of Men
If the "sons of God" are immortal spirit wrapped in Homo sapiens flesh, then the "daughters of men," mentioned in Genesis 6, must have been a different species. Genesis 6 goes out of its way to make a distinction between the two groups, and it seems obvious that the difference was much more than one of gender.
The "sons of God" found the "daughters of men" to be fair, and took them as their wives. They had children, and this led to great wickedness, violence and a corruption of flesh. It was a corruption which only the Flood could cleanse.
7 Clues to what the Flood may have Solved
- Genesis discusses violence, wickedness and a corruption of flesh, but ordinary forms of these could not have been behind the purpose of the Flood.
- God said that He would never again use the Flood, so this means that Man likely has not been able to repeat the crime for which the Flood was created.
- Genesis 1:26 tells us that Man was created in God's image, yet Genesis 2:7 tells us that Man was created from the dust of the ground. The "sons of God" would thus seem to be immortal (though sleeping) spirit wrapped in Homo sapiens flesh.
- God's purpose on Earth would seem to be that of awakening His spiritual children. Homo sapiens and civilization seem important to that purpose. And it seems that something threatened God's purpose.
- Recent exegetical research points to a new Genesis timeline compatible with those from science. The Flood occurred 27,970 BC.
- Genesis 6 points to the "daughters of men" and their offspring with the "sons of God" being involved in the reason for the Flood. These "daughters" were not Homo sapiens, but looked enough like them to be called "fair."
- The last clue comes from science. Approximately 28,000 BC, the species Homo neanderthalensis ceased to exist. If Neanderthal man and their hybrid offspring with humans did not have the ability to create civilization, then they were the wickedness and corruption of flesh mentioned in Genesis. Noah's Flood had targeted them. Human procreation with Neanderthals is no longer possible. The Flood did its job.
The Details Behind the Research
Many years of research led to these clues. The details behind this research are covered in a book currently in development called, The Noah Mystery, God's Reason for the Flood.
Spiritual Meaning
God's love is unconditional and unending. Humans do not always understand God's love, but that love is always there. Human suffering and Noah's Flood do not detract from that love. These Homo sapiens bodies are important, but not for the reasons we humans usually give them. They are a means to an end -- to awaken God's sleeping and immortal children. If the body suffers or dies, the immortal spirit remains unharmed. If the spirit awakens, then continuity of consciousness becomes permanent despite bodily death. With spiritual awakening, the child of God regains everlasting life -- exactly what the Nazarene teacher had promised.
"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy" -- Shakespeare's Hamlet
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