Tonight, don't have a key verse, so we'll work through a few scriptures. Continuing the doctrine series, the topic is the worldwide flood. It's article number 61. I have some things to share about this that really would help Every one of us, as we, the way that we approach the scriptures, I would encourage everyone to always be aware of how we approach the scriptures and those that take it to help the saints with the messages. This is very important. I have in mind, especially those that have the Lord's calling upon them for the ministry, the things tonight I think are very, very important. And there are things that I've learned over the years, and maybe you may not think that it has a lot to do with the subject. The subject itself is, it's almost like talking about water's wet. It's just so obvious. But I want to go through some things and I don't think it'll take very long. It's article number 61, the worldwide flood. It reads, God sent a worldwide flood in the days of Noah when he commanded Noah to build an ark for the salvation of his house. All the mountains of all the earth were covered with water. Fifteen cubits and upward did the waters prevail above the mountains. Every land-dwelling creature on the earth died. Only Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives were spared in the ark, and from them the earth has been repopulated. I won't touch on every point here. The topics under Article 59, we brought the last time, God created all things, and this one, the worldwide flood, are what should be two of the most commonly received doctrines among those that profess faith in Christ. The word of God is so clear And so simple to understand on these points that there ought to be harmony. You'd think there'd be harmony throughout Christendom, but that's not the case because there are differing views about how these should be interpreted. One view is a literal interpretation, that these are accurate historical accounts of the truth. We take that for granted. Praise the Lord for that. But the other is a typical interpretation that these only represent some other greater truth. How the Word of God is handled affects one's faith and practice. I'm convinced of that more than I've ever been. Doctrine directs the life of a child of God. It proves our lives again and again and again, whether we are truly the children of God. So don't take it for granted. Doctrine will drive people out of the house of God faster than anything else. Without doctrine, That child of God shall be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. The word of God says so many things so clearly that he should become a man of deep and abiding conviction. strong convictions like Everlasting life means everlasting life Eternal punishment means punishment forever Hell and the lake of fire are real places The new heaven and the new earth is a real place We're looking forward to going there Jesus Christ is the Son of God come in human flesh and He came to die for sinners, for the sins of a certain people. He raised bodily from the dead and is presently seated at this very moment at the right hand of the Father. There is a real Satan. There are literal spiritual creatures called angels, seraphim, cherubim, demons. The church is only a local body with its own discipline, government, members, offices, work, officers, work, and judgment before the Lord. The Lord's Supper. I could go on and on and on. Most of these things are simple to understand, simple. Whether we studied the history of the Bible, anyone that has a calling of God upon his life ought to study the history of the Bible. That's my conviction. They ought to study the history of the church. I'm talking about the Lord's churches. He ought to study theology, ecclesiology, eschatology, pneumatology, soteriology. You know what? He ought to study the Bible. And every claim that we make must be validated by, not by someone, but by the Word of God. Why do I say? There are many highly intelligent, powerful, influential, charismatic men nestled in every field of study. Biblical studies are not accepted. It is not that we must be more intelligent than them. I'm never gonna be more intelligent than these folks. I'm never gonna be. There are some people of super intellect. I don't pretend to ever think to touch the hem of their garment as far as intellect is concerned, but that's not my calling and yours as well. It's not that. It is that we must faithfully, faithfully resort to the word of God. Christ is our wisdom and we get that from the word of God. There are in the scripture some things Hard to understand. Now I want you to understand what that means. It means that there are some things that are hard to understand. What does that mean? It means they are misunderstood. That's all it means. There are some things that Paul wrote that are misunderstood by a lot of people. So Peter cued us in on that. And all we got to do is study the scriptures and they will be opened up to us simple folk. Everything is subject to being misunderstood for a number of reasons. First of all, unbelief. Ignorance, poor or bad instruction, personal and religious bias. I pray to be delivered from my personal bias and religious bias every morning. If God doesn't open my heart to the truths of his word, I can't see it. I need him to do that for me and I ask him to do that. I have bias. But most things in the word of God, brethren, are easy to understand. In the application of the science, don't get scared of this word, it's a Greek word, hermeneutics, interpreting the word of God. In the science of hermeneutics, applying hermeneutics, the goal is what? To obtain the exact ideas being communicated in the Bible. We all practice The science of hermeneutics, when we read the Bible and consider what it's saying, we come to conclusions about what it's saying. You're practicing biblical hermeneutics. But there's rules about that that I want you to understand to help us, by the Spirit of God, to come to right conclusions. A correct interpretation depends on several considerations. The Spirit of God helping us We want to know who the writer is. You've heard these things again and again and again. The purpose for writing, where it was written from, when it was written, and to whom it was written. But there's a major consideration when we study the scriptures that we take for granted, and that's what I mentioned earlier, is whether or not it should be interpreted literally or figuratively. And it really comes down on this topic here in the last one concerning the creation. For example, there are two ordinances, I just wanna mention this. The Lord's Supper and Baptism are pictorial ordinances. They don't change or do anything except that we obey the Lord by observing, remembering what the Lord has done for us. Unless there is some indication that a text of scripture is a figure, a picture, a metaphor, a simile, or type, pattern. It is to be interpreted literally. Some apply, I've been dealing with brethren lately, and fine brethren, graceful brethren, but we part ways on this issue, how to interpret scriptures. Some apply, to great portions of scriptures a figurative, interpretive rule. And that's what is also called spiritualizing the text. I'm not sure, but I think it's very, it's common practice among so many anymore to take this spiritualizing to this level. Necessarily, they arrive to different conclusions than those who interpret the text literally. There are particular texts that are prone to the abuse of a figurative rule. The Genesis account, the Noahic flood, the person of Satan, the person of the Antichrist, he's just a spirit. There's no man coming. The second coming of the person of Christ, so many brethren say that he's already come in spirit. He is implanted in our hearts and spiritualizes away the second coming of Christ. He's not coming back to this earth again. And almost all of eschatology, the last things that the Old Testament prophets speak about, and those apocalyptic portions of the Gospels, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17, and Luke 21, and as you would know, the book of Revelation, almost totally explained away. But I want you to understand, our Lord Jesus referred to creation. God creating creation, he referred to Noah and the flood and to a real creature called Satan. Look in Mark chapter 13, verse 19. Mark 13, verse 19. Our Lord Jesus said, in those days shall be affliction or tribulation. such as was not from the beginning." Jesus made reference to the creation in the beginning. The beginning of the creation which God created. That ain't a type, it's real. "'Unto this time neither shall be.'" Look at Luke chapter 17, verse 26. He refers to Noah and that time. He wasn't speaking of it as a type. He took this as real history of a real person. Luke 17, 26, and as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be in the days of a son of man. He wasn't referring to a type. Again, in Mark chapter 24, Mark, Mark, Matthew chapter 24, verse 39, our Lord Jesus refers to the flood. He took it literally. And what did it do? He says, and knew not, breaking right into it, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. One literal, the other literal. There it was a real flood, and there's a real coming of the Son of Man. That's important. One more, Luke chapter 10, verse 18. Jesus refers to the person, that creature that God created named Satan. There are a number of other scriptures, but these two do. Jesus saying, He said unto them, I beheld Satan, not a spirit in that sense of the word, not some attitude of sorts, but a creature that God created. I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven. So now I want to consider this topic in particular directly, the worldwide flood. It's only about five or six points. If I've got it correct, I have a hard time getting it ordered right. I struggle with these things. And so just, you know, if I mess this all up, just try to glean something from it. I'm way over my head when it comes to these kinds of things. But first, I want to share this point. The Bible never gives another sense, but literal, to the person of Noah or to the event of the flood. It's always literal. Moses and Christ literally referred to Noah and the flood. I want you to look at Genesis chapter six, verse 17, Moses' account. We want to say just a little bit about that in a moment. But Moses' account in Genesis chapter six, verse 17, Moses inspired by the Spirit of God to write the first five books. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, the otherwise called Pentateuch. In Genesis 617, behold I, even I do bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life from under heaven, and everything that is in the earth shall die. And our Lord Jesus referred to this as well in Matthew chapter 24. We just read verse 39, but look at Matthew chapter 24, beginning at verse 38. He refers to the flood, literally given, as in the days that were before the flood, Matthew 24, 38. They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Now, Moses and our Lord refers to it, but I want you to know this. Job refers to it. Job 22, verse 15. Job 22, verse 15. Maybe I can't read all of these. But there are several, let me at least mention the places and give this reference by Job, cites it. Job 22 verse 15, hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden, which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood, which said unto God, depart from us. That gives you an idea of that people in that day. Job referenced it. The prophets, Isaiah and Ezekiel, referenced the flood. And Noah, the apostles, Peter and Paul, referenced the flood as well. And I have a number of scriptures here that show us that. If I could just give you just an instance, let me give you another one. Well, Isaiah 54, 9, for this is as the waters of Noah as unto me. And then Ezekiel 14, though these three men, notice the literalness, Noah, and if that's not, if that's figures, so are these other two. Daniel, Job, if these three, though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it. They should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God." Literally, Ezekiel took these men. Paul, by faith, Noah was being warned of God. Paul in 11, verse 7 of Hebrews, Peter talks about Noah in 1st Peter 3.18, who waited in the days of Noah while the ark was preparing. In 2nd Peter chapter 2 verses 4 and 5, and then we'll just move on to the next point. where it says that in verse five, we spare not the old world, but save Noah, the eighth person, or one of eight, as I understand it, a preacher of righteousness, doing what? Bringing a flood upon the world of the ungodly. totally encompasses. Now, these references in the Bible, a number of them, it's always literally interpreted, understood, but there's a witness. Second, there's a witness even in the earth. You know, there was an oral tradition so profound that went on from Noah and his sons and their wives. It was passed on, an oral tradition, and it's all over the earth. It's just another evidence of the truth. I don't normally do that, but it's there. We have the flood. They call it the flood myth. in the Mesopotamian flood stories. We have the Greek mythology that tells about the Genesis flood narrative. You have this flood account in Hinduism. You have it in Chinese mythology. You have it in Norse mythology. You have it in Irish mythology. You have it in Mesoamerica among the Spaniards. You have it in the Native Americans here as well. You have it in South America, you have it in Africa and Australia. There is an account, though it's distorted, there is an account of this flood all around the world. It's amazing. The next thing, the third point, the facts of Scripture concern a real historical figure, the details. Noah had a father. His father's name was Lamech. Turn to Genesis chapter 5, verses 28 and 29. And his father lived for so long, and they were given so many other details about Noah and him having children. The ages and everything, it's all understood literally. But here in Genesis 5, 28, Lamech lived 182 years. Is it literal? Yeah, it was literal. That's how long he lived. "...and began a son, and he called his name Noah, saying, This shall comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed." Is there anything about it that was not literal? It was all literal. Literally understood. Was there anything here in all of this that we've considered even to this point that indicated we were reading fable or fiction, myth? No, no. The genealogical account of Genesis chapter 5 is understood as all the other genealogies in the Bible, literally. I have approached Genesis 5 with, Great interest. When we're in the book of Genesis, I track the years and the lives and all these things. You find out so many interesting facts when you check those and you write those down and you track them down. It's such a blessing. But just there in that Genesis 5 account, the genealogical account, we know that Noah was born in the year 1056 from creation. You just jot her down. It's not, it's not a figure. It's real. He was the 10th man from Adam, including Adam, the 10th generation. The next point, fourth, consider the extensiveness of the flood. It was on a scale that would never be duplicated. The entire surface of the earth was immersed in a watery judgment because the whole race of men on this earth had so thoroughly And this is, you know, we're living in a day just like that. They had so thoroughly corrupted the way of the Lord. He determined to wipe them from the face of the earth in a moment. In Genesis chapter six, verse five, Genesis six, verse five. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. Verse 12, And God looked upon the earth and behold it was corrupt for all, referring to all kinds of flesh, flesh had corrupted every man there, had corrupted his way on the earth. Everything as a result that depended on the soil to live, I put it like that, that breathed air, Both man, beast, creeping things, and fowl of the air, everything shall die. And even in this text, these scriptures, we know how long the flood lasted. We know how long the waters remained upon the earth, how long it took for the water to dry up, abate, all of that. We know when these things, how long it took, just over a year. A year that event was, the whole thing. We even know how deep the water was. We already read that text. But again, in Genesis 6, verse 17, the Lord speaking, behold, even I do bring a flood of waters on the earth to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life from under heaven. That's pretty broad. extensive, and everything that is in the earth shall die." 7, verse 4 of Genesis, for yet seven days and I will cause it to rain upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights." This is real detail. And every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And it explains what that means here in just a moment as well. Verse 17, and the flood was 40 days upon the earth and the waters increased and bear up the ark and it was lifted up above the earth. And the waters prevailed and were increased greatly upon the earth and the ark went upon the face of the waters and the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered. 15 cubits, 22 and a half feet upward did the waters prevail and the mountains were covered. Pretty detailed. And you know what? I believe every word of it. And so should every one of us that know the Lord. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, verse 21, and of beasts, and of every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth, every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of life of all that was in the dry land died, and every living substance was destroyed, which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle and creeping things, fowl of the heaven. And they were destroyed from the earth, and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth in 150 days." And at that point it begins, six months. Then it begins to abate. He brings a wind, the Lord does, and the waters begin to evaporate and all of the receiving into the caverns of the deep and all that stuff was going on. So we know the highest mountain was submerged in water. All the earth that was under the whole heaven, pretty descriptive, was covered with water. No way around it. It's not a type, it's literal. All the families of the earth were removed by this great destruction but for eight souls. Genesis 6-8, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 7-1, the Lord said unto Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark, for I have seen, for thee I have seen righteous before me in this generation. Verse 7, and Noah went in, and his sons and his wife and his son's wives with him into the ark. And that adds up to eight. because of the waters of the flood. Verse 15, and they went in unto no one into the ark. Two and two of all flesh were in us the breath of life, and they that went in, went in, male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him, and the Lord shut him in. And all those animals, two by two. Peter said as much in chapter three, verse 20, in the first epistle, 1 Peter 3, 20. With some time were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was bearing. We're in, phew, that is, out of all of them, there must have been, I did a figure for those of the Israelites that came out of Egypt. I thought the number, I thought around five million people in 210 years that had 75 souls that had gone down into Egypt, And out came upwards four or five million people into the Exodus. And here we have upwards 1,600 years of human history before the flood. Can you imagine how many people who lived upwards 900 years? There were billions of people on the earth at that time. I mean, and they were gone in a moment. In a moment. Serious business, it's literal. And the fifth point, apart from the biblical evidence declaring the worldwide flood, there's also plenty of visible evidence. I just want to mention a few things. I believe that's how, that's my opinion, but I believe it's right. That's how we ended up with all of the glacial deposits all over the world, all of that ice. And you know what's been going on ever since? They've been melting. It's not global warming. It's been melting, going back down to what it was before that had ever happened. Glacial formations all over the world. There is a sequence of rock strata that is, brother, you study geology, I bet you know this. There is a sequence of rock strata that is broken up all over the world as an evidence, and they know it as an evidence that this Bible's true, that this really happened. The discovery of animals is still going on. Plant life in the permafrost and in glaciers. They're coming up with meat on these things. They're coming up with hair on these animals that were caught in a moment, in that moment when it happened. The fossil evidence The great deposits of fossil fuels all over the earth. That's right. A result of a sudden cataclysmic event that upended great pieces of earth and flattened it and created all of that deposit. Coal, gases, oil, all of that. All of the mountain ranges. You know, by the word of God, there wasn't a mountain before that time. All the mountains came as a result. That's how tremendous a people of the Earth's crust was. The Lord did it. And one of the greatest ones I think of always comes to mind is the Grand Canyon. It did get all worn down by a trickling river after millions and millions of years. No, it didn't. That's a sudden cataclysmic event that took place. And God says, here, you guys in America, you can see what I did back then, a reminder. We can look at it. Thank the Lord. Sixth, rejecting the literal biblical account of the worldwide flood in favor of a regional. Everybody says, oh, I believe in a flood, but it wasn't worldwide. Well, rejecting that and taking a regional flood position creates a contradiction. The Lord promised that there would be no more floods like that. So it had to be significant. And yet we know that there's been a lot of flooding taking place since then. It happens all the time. There was only one worldwide flood. The Lord made a covenant that that would never happen again. In Genesis 9 verse 11, I will establish my covenant with you, those of the earth, no one, those living. Neither shall all flesh be cut off anymore by a flood, by the waters of a flood. Neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth. So it demands that we take the position that it's a literal worldwide flood. or else we contradict the word of God. So in closing, Christians, brethren, you don't have to be geologists, you don't have to be geologists and scientists to understand the truth. You need to believe the word of God. There are things that I can't explain, and you can't either, but I believe the Bible's true. Not everything is revealed in scripture, okay? In Deuteronomy, I think of this scripture all the time. I think someone shared that with me the other day. In Deuteronomy 29, 29, the secret things belong to the Lord our God. But those things, he didn't say everything, but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever. that we may do all the works of the law. Doctrine matters. The children of God can and should approach to the scriptures from a believing standpoint. It should go on, it shouldn't even have to be said, but to remind us of the importance. We might get distracted or misled by someone I would implore everyone to reverence the word of God and believe that record. The Bible teaches a literal creation week, a literal worldwide flood. And those that reject these events as literal and historical have more difficulty trying to explain many other truths that are in scripture that should be so easy to understand, miracles, I'll tell you what, with studying the history of the Bible, I'll never forget how some of the heretics interpreted the scriptures, and I come across this unbelievable, you know, Jesus really didn't walk on the water, he was really, there was a fog. People believe this, there was a fog that day, and he was walking, he was really walking on the shore, it just looked like he was walking on the water, baloney! You know, you gotta come up with these fantastic stories when all you've gotta do is believe the truth. believe that. You're going to have a hard time understanding what everlasting life means and eternal punishment. People don't want to acknowledge that there's a real hell. And the problem is some Baptist brethren taking these things, spiritualizing them that have things in them concerning Satan and hell, now they've reduced, in their own way of handing the Word of God, they've reduced concrete evidence for those things. And they began to call into question, well, maybe, maybe there isn't really a hell. Maybe there really isn't eternal punishment. You know, oh, it's in this figurative part. It's in an apocalyptic part of the Scriptures. Or, oh, it's only in Book of Revelation. But Revelation, nothing there. No, I take it all as it comes. There are things that are typical. And you know, Lord willing, we're gonna go to that book here in a little while. But what does this flood account? What about it? It's given as a proof, brethren, that there really is coming a day When the whole earth shall once again come under the judgment of God, but not by water the next time, it's gonna be by fire. Fire. Do you believe it? And as surely as that flood came, then the fire will destroy this earth in the future. I want you. Let's read 2 Peter chapter 3, just a couple of parts of this and make a final statement. 2 Peter 3 verse 5, Peter takes the flood, the literal account, and leads us to a literal end where the earth is destroyed. It will be destroyed. In 2 Peter 3, verse 5, it says, for this they, they who, the scoffers that reject the revelation of God's word in the holy scriptures. This they are willingly ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition, destruction of ungodly men. Literally, verse 10, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens shall pass away with great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also And the works that are therein shall be burned up, verse 12. Breaking into it, the heavens, you wouldn't think it possible, but it is. The heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, thank the Lord, he keeps his promise. According to his promise, We look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, we should be looking literally for it, be diligent that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. The Christian should look for a literal coming of the Lord Jesus Christ from glory. He should look for a millennial reign of Christ on this earth. He should look for a literal coming, fiery judgment that shall burn up this whole earth, the universe for that matter. He should look for a literal new heaven and new earth. I am because the Bible says so. And so are you. If you're one of God's children, that's the attitude that you ought to have. Don't be talked out of this. Don't believe the naysayers. Believe the word of God. Amen. Thank you so much for your attention.