Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Verses that support a LOCAL FLOOD by Tuese Ahkiong





Verses that support a LOCAL FLOOD 

by Tuese Ahkiong


GENESIS is NOT about the origin of the physical creation but the origin of the covenant creation of YHWH’s people.  Notice how Genesis 1:2 speaks of the earth or the land of YHWH’s people was without form and VOID which means they had no function.  Notice how the same language is used in Jeremiah times to speak of YHWH’s people in their evil in not knowing YHWH is being without form and VOID.  
The word "Eretz" is Hebrew for earth, land, country, way, or ground.  "Ge" is Greek for earth or land.  The context of the passages regarding the flood is the covenant world/ land.


GENESIS 1:1-2   
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was WITHOUT FORM AND VOID, AND DARKNESS WAS OVER THE FACE OF THE DEEP.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.


JEREMIAH 4:22-24   
22 “For MY PEOPLE ARE FOOLISH; THEY KNOW ME NOT;
THEY ARE STUPID CHILDREN; THEY HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING.
THEY ARE ‘WISE’—IN DOING EVIL!  BUT HOW TO DO GOOD THEY KNOW NOT.”
23 I looked on THE EARTH (LAND), AND BEHOLD, IT WAS WITHOUT FORM AND VOID; and to the heavens, and they had NO LIGHT.
24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, THEY WERE QUAKING, AND ALL THE HILLS MOVED TO AND FRO.



1.  Genesis 6:1  When man began to multiply on the FACE OF THE LAND and daughters were born to them,


2.  Genesis 6:5-7  The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I WILL BLOT OUT MAN whom I have created from the FACE OF THE LAND, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”


3.  Genesis 6:11-13 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth (LAND) is filled with violence through them.  Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.


4.  Genesis 6:17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth (LAND) to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth (LAND) shall die.


5.  Genesis 7:4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the FACE OF THE GROUND (LAND).”


6.  Genesis7: 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.  See Isaiah 24:18


7.  Genesis 7:18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth (LAND), and the ark floated on the FACE OF THE WATERS.


8.  Genesis 7:23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the FACE OF THE GROUND (LAND)man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth (LAND). Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.


NOTICE HOW “THE FACE OF THE EARTH,” AND “BLOTTING OUT EVER LIVING THING” IN THE FOLLOWING  PASSAGES ARE ALSO DESCRIPTIVE OF THE JUDGMENT UPON THE WICKED IN NOAH’S TIME. THESE PASSAGES SOUND UNIVERSAL BUT THE CONTEXT LIMITS THEM TO A LOCAL AREA.  THIS IS COMMON APOCALYPTIC LANGUAGE DESCRIBING GOD’S JUDGMENT UPON A PEOPLE AS A COLLAPSING UNIVERSE, DESTRUCTION OF EARTH, WIPING OUT OF ALL LIFE…


9.  Zephaniah 1:2 [ The Coming Judgment on Judah ] “I will utterly sweep away everything from the FACEOF THE EARTH (LAND),”declares the Lord. 3I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cutoff mankind from the FACE OF THE EARTH (LAND),” declares the Lord.
**This is a description of a local judgment upon Judah.


10. Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord.  In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth (LAND) shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth (LAND).
**This a description of a local judgment on Judah.


11. Genesis 4:14 
Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground (LAND), and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth (LAND), and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so!  If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
**Cain’s curse was to wander the earth yet he settled in the land of Nod away from the presence of The Lord.


12.Exodus10:4 Or else,if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. And they shall cover the face of the earth (LAND), so that no one will be able to see the earth (LAND); and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field.
**Moses is declaring a local judgment on Egypt using "global language" or world wide language.


13.Numbers 22: Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me.5sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt.  They cover the FACE OF THE EARTH (LAND), and they are dwelling opposite me.
**Did Israel literally cover the face of the physical earth during the time of the book of Numbers?  NO.  This is apocalyptic language.  The world earth is “eretz” which can also be translated land.


14.Numbers 22:11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the FACE OF THE EARTH (LAND).  Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’”
**Did Israel literally cover the face of the physical earth during the time of the book of Numbers?  NO.  This is apocalyptic language.  The world earth is “eretz” which can also be translated land.


15.Isaiah 23:17
 At the end of seventy years, the Lord will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the FACE OF THE EARTH (LAND).
**Did Tyre prostitute herself with China, India, North Americans, Brazillians, Hawaiians and Russians?  NO.  Again, this is hyperbolic apocalyptic language.


16.Isaiah 24:1-3
 Behold, the Lord will empty the earth (LAND) and make it desolate,  and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.  2 And it shall be, as with the people,so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.  3 The earth (LAND) shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;  for the Lord has spoken this word.
**This is apocalyptic judgment language on a local area.


17. Isaiah 24:9-12  
No more do they drink wine with singing; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.  10 The wasted city is broken down; every house is shut up so that none can enter.  11 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth (LAND) is banished. 12 Desolation is left in the city; the gates are battered into ruins.


18.Isaiah 24:17-23 Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth (LAND)!  18 He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare.  For the windows of heaven are opened,  and the foundations of the earth (LAND) tremble. 19 The earth (LAND) is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. 20 The earth (LAND) staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.  21  On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth (LAND), on the earth (LAND).  22 They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.  23 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.
**Isaiah is using apocalyptic universal "global" judgment language (world wide language) of a local judgment.


19.Ezekiel 34:6 My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the FACE OF THE EARTH (LAND), with none to search or seek for them.
**God is speaking of His covenant people being scattered over the face of the earth (LAND).  Were Jews in North America or Australia? NO. This is apocalyptic language like during the flood describing Israel YHWH scattering Israel.


20.Genesis 41: 56 The famine was over all the face of the earth (LAND), and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.
**Was the famine during Joseph’s time in South America, Australia? NO. This hyperbole like in Noah’s time.


21.Exodus10: 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth (LAND),so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.
**Did locust cover all earth; the continents, islands and oceans during this time?  Obviously NOT. It is hyperbole describing the judgment over the world of Egypt.

  
22.Luke21: 32 Truly,I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life,and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth (LAND).
**Jesus is speaking of a local judgment upon Jerusalem using apocalyptic judgment language that sounds "global" (world wide) and universal.
My hermeneutic is consistent where I do not need to do gymnastics regarding Noah’s flood.  Like the flood judgment was local, so, too, the 2 Peter 3 describing the heavens being set on fire and dissolving is a local judgment on Jerusalem.


2Peter 3:1-13
This is NOW the second letter that I am writing to YOU, beloved. In both oft hem I am stirring up YOUR sincere mind by way of reminder, that YOU should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through YOUR apostles, 3knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the PROMISE of his coming?  Forever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth (LAND) was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth (LAND) that NOW exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward YOU, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens WILL PASS AWAY with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought YOU to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth (LAND) in which righteousness dwells. 
**2Peter3 is about the heavens and earth of Israel passing away.
Jesus had PROMISED (2Pet3:4) to return in "this generation" first century and thus the mockers.  But just like God did in the OT with Noah, destroying that HEAVEN AND EARTH world of Noah's time. see v 6. The earth did not perish but the people of that covenant world did.  Notice how verse 7 says that the heavens and earth that NOW exist which is the Mosaic Law/ Old covenant is being stored up for fire and judgment.  This happened in 70AD.

**Notice how the formation of Israel was symbolized as the creation of “Heaven and earth,” and so its removal is symbolized as heaven and earth being destroyed, removed or passing away.


Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH (LAND) will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
**This passage describes the judgment upon the covenant people, OC Israel’s land for murdering the saints and especially the sinless Son of GOD.

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and ALL TRIBES OF THE EARTH (LAND) will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
**This passage describes the judgment upon the covenant people, OC Israel’s land for murdering the saints and especially for piercing the sinless Son of GOD.


DAYS OF NOAH

Matthew 24:37-39
37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
**So, just as Christ coming in 70AD was judgment upon the covenant people of God’s land, so, too, was the judgment upon the land of the covenant people of God during Noah’s time.


Luke 17: 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
**So, just as Christ coming in 70AD was judgment upon the covenant people of God’s land, so, too, was the judgment upon the land of the covenant people of God during Noah’s time.









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