While the majority of Bible presents itself to readers very clearly, there are also some events presented with great ambiguity. The story of Noah’s ark and the Great Flood are classics known inside and outside of the Christian faith. However, the language of the narrative comes across as being “mythological” or even “cosmic,” according to James Mays, the chief editor of the Harper Collins Bible Commentary. This sparks the question: Was there really a universal flood? Was it merely a myth or even a local phenomenon?
The answer to this question is yes, there was, in fact, a universal flood. The flood was produced by many hidden fountains in the earth that burst suddenly. This brought the water levels of the seas and rivers above their banks, and the process continued for 40 days and 40 nights without cessation. In Genesis 7:19-20 (NLT), it is said that “the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, rising more than 22 feet above the highest peaks.” This statement, however, has been thought to be an exaggeration, but is supported not only by Mays, but also Carl Friedrich Keil, the author of the first volume of the Commentary on the Old Testament, and Walter Rohrs and Martin Franzmann, the authors of the Concordia Self-Study Commentary. It was an “immeasurable expanse of water," as stated by Keil. In fact, fossils of various marine creatures have been found near the mountaintops. Although they are the main explanation for evolution, fossils support the flood as well. New fossils are rare, for they are created through a significant amount of water pressure and rapid burial. According to John Morris of "Acts and Facts," this points fingers to Noah’s flood.
Next, in verse 22, the Bible states that “everything that breathed and lived on dry land died.” Keil says that the only way for absolutely every land-dwelling living creature to be wiped from the Earth was a universal flood. This is God’s “divine judgment," says Mays. Rohrs and Franzmann describe it as “catastrophic” and a form of “onslaught." This implies that the event struck the entirety of the Earth. If the flood was merely a local phenomenon, how could the water have covered the mountains? Gravity would have distributed the water throughout the area. In fact, there may not have been very much of a flood in that case. It is quite obvious that there cannot be a wall of water standing above the mountains. No matter what, the water would have spread all across the Earth.
In conclusion, based on this evidence, it is safe to assume that God struck the world with a universal flood. It was not a myth, nor a local occurrence. God demonstrated his mighty power and authority over humanity to remind them who was in charge and to punish them for their sinful behaviors. To eliminate only one local of the human race would be silly. God needed to punish everyone (with the exception of Noah and his family) in order for the message to be conveyed. Thus, Noah essentially became the new Adam (sin included). After the flood, it was crucial for Noah and his family to spread across the Earth and multiply. God’s work was finished, and never again would He curse the earth for the sake of humanity’s sinfulness.
