The NOAH’S ARK Account – Real or Fable?
The account of the global flood and Noah’s ark is detailed in Genesis 6:5-9:3. Skeptics argue that the story is too fantastical to be accepted as history, particularly the Noah’s ark element. However, the account is relayed in the Bible as a factual event and not a parabolic tale, not to mention in the New Testament Christ and Peter cited it as a historical event, not a fairy tale (Matthew 24:37-40 & 1 Peter 3:20-21); same thing with the LORD in the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:9).
Here are several factoids about the Noah’s ark episode, as well as some guesswork and a few theoretical points:
- The Genesis Flood began in the approximate year 2348 BC. You can read details here.
- The ark was about 450 feet long by 75 feet wide, which means it was six times as long as it was wide. This happens to be the precise ratio of contemporary naval ships. It was also over 45 feet high, which is near to 5 stories high.
- Speaking of stories, the ark had three stories, each 15 feet high.
- A colossal rectangular vessel of these dimensions would be very stable in the sea and impossible to overturn.
- The ark had the space for 522 standard boxcars while 35,000 animals the size of a sheep can fit into 150 boxcars. This means that the ark could fit as many as 125,000 animals the size of sheep. A larger vessel wasn’t made until 1884.
- There are less than 18,000 land species on the planet today, but let’s generously double that to include extinct creatures and then double that to include male & female vertebrates (Genesis 6:19-20). Then add the extra five pairs of clean animals that would be used for sacrifice and food (Genesis 8:20 & 9:3). This brings us to some 72,000 creatures, which is way more than were actually on the ark; I’m just trying to illustrate how much space was available on the vessel: Since the average size of animals is smaller than that of a sheep, less than 60% of the ark’s space would’ve been used for vertebrates even if there were 72,000 vertebrates!
- However, the writers of The Genesis Flood, John Whitcomb and Henry Morris, suggest that only 35,000 vertebrates needed to be on the vessel. And John Woodmorappe, author of Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study, believes that an even smaller number of vertebrates would have been kept on the ark, about 16,000 (the book goes into detail on how 8 people could have cared for this many creatures using archaic technology). Woodmorappe also points out that the word “specie” is not equal to the “created kinds” of the Genesis text, so as little as 2,000 vertebrates may have been necessary on the ark. We don’t know the exact amount of animals because the Bible doesn’t specifically say.
- In any case, Very large animals, like elephants and giraffe, were likely young ones.
- Hibernating species could’ve slept through much of the ordeal.
- In light of the available space noted above, there was plenty of room for the multitude species of insects.
- There was also ample space for a year’s supply of food for everyone on board (Genesis 6:21).
- Noah was told by the LORD that the animals would come to him & his team – obviously moved by the Almighty – so they didn’t have to gather them (Genesis 6:19-20). Noah’s job was to build an ark big enough to hold them all.
- Theoretically, the migration of the animals was not hindered by the separation of the continents as the land at the time consisted of a supercontinent known as Gondwana (or Gondwanaland), which separated and drifted during this critical turning point in history, resulting in our current continents & islands (Genesis 10:25). Take a look at a world map and you’ll observe how they clearly fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
- A theory is that the planet became skewed on its axis during this transitory period, which produced the polar ice caps. Clues in Scripture suggest a habitable global environment, confirmed by warm weather plant life and wildlife fossilized in all areas of the planet, which means that creatures were not isolated into polar and desert sectors.
- Genesis 7:11-12 shows how the entire Earth was flooded: “all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.” The waters in the canopy encircling the Earth were unleashed and merged with the terrestrial & subterranean waters (compare Genesis 1:7). Thus the water covering encompassing the globe ceased and a new system of hydrology began that has since characterized our planet (see Job 26:8, Ecclesiastes 1:7, Isaiah 55:10 & Amos 9:6).
- The total duration of the flood – beginning to end – lasted about 371 days, meaning just over a year.
Be sure to visit the awesome Ark Encounter in Kentucky (pictured above), which is located just 30 minutes south of Cincinnati right off I-75 here.
Related Topics:
The Five Earths of the Bible (and the Eight Ages)
Who were the “Sons of God” and Nephilim?
Created in the Image of God — What Does it Mean?
Why is this World so Messed Up?
How Old is the Earth? (The Gap Theory vs. Young Earth Creationism, Plus other Theories)
Demons—Are they Fallen Angels?
A demon is an evil spirit (Luke 8:1-3), which is an unclean or filthy spirit. We see this in Jesus’ encounter with the demon-possessed man in the region of Gerasenes (JAIR-ah-seens): The man is described in Scripture as being possessed by numerous evil spirits who spoke to Jesus through the man:
The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” (13) He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs.
Mark 5:12-13
This and other passages show that demons are synonymous with evil spirits or impure (unclean) spirits.
Are evil spirits fallen angels? I would answer “obviously,” but some people have brought this into question with highly creative alternative views, which we’ll consider momentarily. First, let’s establish that…
Satan was a “Cherub” who Fell from Heaven
Jesus said he “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). This monumental event is chronicled in the Old Testament using the kings of Babylon and Tyre as types (Isaiah 14:12 & Ezekiel 28:12-17). The passage in Ezekiel shows that Satan was once a “cherub” (28:14,16), an angel.
The New Testament shows that Satan & his angels will once again attempt to dethrone the Almighty in Heaven during the further Tribulation:
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. (8) But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. (9) The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Revelation 12:7-9
Verse 4 figuratively indicates that a third of the angels fell with the devil to the Earth.
The Devil & His Angels Dwell in the Underworld—the Dark Heavenly Realm that Underpins the Earth
So Satan is described as a cherub—an angel—who was kicked out of Heaven, along with a third of the subordinate angels who rebelled with him.
Jesus said that the lake of fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41) as their eternal tormenting prison, but they currently roam the Earth, not in the physical realm, but the spiritual:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12
The underworld is the dark spiritual dimension that underpins the Earth & Universe (Philippians 2:9-11 & Revelation 5:2-3). This is where the devil & his fallen angels dwell. It’s from this dark realm that the devil & his filthy spirits operate—“roaming the earth, going back and forth in it” (Job 1:7 & 2:2). This explains something Peter said:
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
All this biblical data helps us conclude with confidence that demons or evil spirits are fallen angels.
Addressing an Alternative View
Some people have challenged this by suggesting that evil spirits are the spirits of a mysterious “pre-Adamic” race who were wiped out in a worldwide flood that occurred sometime between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
The reason such people argue that demons aren’t fallen angels is because of two New Testament verses which show that fallen angels are imprisoned in tartaroó (tar-tar-OH), awaiting judgment from God (2 Peter 2:4 & Jude 1:6). However, these passages don’t refer to all fallen angels because, after all, the chief fallen angel, Satan, is still roaming about (1 Peter 5:8).
The idea that demons are the spirits of some ambiguous “pre-Adamic race” is creative, to be nice. The small number of people who embrace this odd theory are gap theorists who suggest that Satan ruled nations of a pre-Adamic race—a race that they won’t call human because the Bible clearly refers to Adam as the “first man” (1 Corinthians 15:45,47). If they weren’t actually human, then what exactly were they? Sasquatches maybe? Cha-Ka’s cousins perhaps? (I’m being humorous, of course). Whatever the case, this issue is addressed here (scroll down to the section A Pre-Adamic Race?).
Why Do Demons Desire to Possess People (and sometimes even Animals)?
Evil spirits seek to possess people in order to operate more concretely in the physical realm. Being spiritual in nature, they’re limited to the spiritual realm and can only operate in the physical realm in an indirect manner, unless they can totally take possession of a human, which they can only do so with the person’s permission. This is why they seek to possess people.
The afore-cited Mark 5:12-13 shows that demons sometimes even seek to possess animals, but — as this passage shows — they can only do this with permission from the Sovereign God, obviously since animals lack the ability to give or reject permission.
That said, there was a curious event that happened in the distant past that showed that demons have the power to operate in the physical realm in a more direct manner. I’m talking about Genesis 6:1-4 where some fallen angels, referred to as the “sons of God,” copulated with women, which gave birth to humans with partially demonic DNA. God considered this a great transgression and so imprisoned these fallen angels in tartaroó (tar-tar-OH) to be held for judgment (2 Peter 2:4 & Jude 1:6). As such, the rest of the fallen angels have never again sinned in this manner and, therefore, the height of their manifestation in the physical realm is via possession.
Related Topics:
Exorcism and the Believer’s Authority
Who were the “Sons of God” and Nephilim?
Evil Spirits (Demons) — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?
Satan (the Devil) — Liar, Slanderer, Thief, Murderer
How Old is the Earth? (The Gap Theory vs. Young Earth Creationism)
The Three Realms—Heaven, Earth and the Underworld
Who Were the “SONS OF GOD” and NEPHILIM?
Genesis 6 speaks of the mysterious “sons of God” and the Nephilim (NEF-ah-lim). Let’s look at the key verses in this chapter with the understanding that these events take place just before the Noahic flood:
1When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:1-4
The Nephilim
The “Nephilim” were “heroes of Old, men of renown” and evidently literal giants, as the KJV translates it (see below). The Hebrew term nephilim refers to a race of people and is from a root word meaning “to fall, lie” which possibly suggests that they were mighty men who “fell” on their prey in the sense of easily subjugating them due to their inherent formidableness. It also suggests that they were fallen in nature for reasons that will be obvious.
The wording in the NIV (above) doesn’t properly indicate that the Nephilim were the product of “the sons of God” procreating with women. The rendering in the KJV is more faithful to the Hebrew text:
There were giants [Nephilim] in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:4 (KJV)
When the “sons of Gods” coupled with the “daughters of men” it produced a super race known as the Nephilim, a angelic-human hybrid (or, more specifically, a demonic-human hybrid). In short, there really were beings on the Earth in ancient times who were half-human and half-supernatural, which likely influenced Greek mythology (later ripped off by the Romans).
While some respectable theologians/ministers say the Nephilim are not the offspring of the sons of God & the daughters of men, many others teach that they are due to the evidence, including me, with further support considered below.
For those interested in comparing the different theories, see this interesting thread.
The truth of the matter comes down to the question…
Who Were the “Sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4?
Who were these “sons of God”? In the Hebrew the phrase is ben Elohim and refers to angels, as shown here:
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels (ben Elohim) shouted for joy?
This poetic verse is an example of synonymous parallelism wherein the second line repeats the first line in different words. As such, the “morning stars” in the first line and the ben Elohim* in the second are both references to angels. While the NIV translates ben Elohim as “angels,” most English translations render the words literally as “the sons of God.”
* Elohim is pronounced eh-loh-HEEM (but I also hear eh-LOH-him a lot).
In any case, the context of this verse is when God created the Earth (Job 38:4), which was before Satan’s rebellion and subsequent fall. As you can see, all the angels—the “sons of God” (ben Elohim)—were rejoicing at the LORD’s awesome creation of the physical Universe.
Yet even after Satan & his angels fell from Heaven they were still the “sons of God,” the ben Elohim. We observe this in Genesis 6:4 above wherein the “sons of God” are contrasted with the “daughters of men.” This suggests that the former are angelic in nature whereas the latter are human.
The following two passages also show that the ben Elohim refer to angels:
One day the angels (ben Elohim) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.
On another day the angels (ben Elohim) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him.
Which angels came to present themselves before the LORD? Neither verse says but it was likely the archangels—the ruling angels—reporting to God, like Michael and Gabriel. Both verses add “and Satan also came with them,” as if to say that it wasn’t just the heavenly archangels who reported to God on this occasion, but the disgraced archangel as well. This shows us that, fallen or not, Satan still has to regularly report to the Sovereign LORD and give account.*
* See 2 Chronicles 18:18-21 for another fascinating example where the angels appear before the LORD’s throne in Heaven, both good and bad spirits. The angels on this occasion, however, are not limited to chief archangels. (This event is also chronicled in 1 Kings 22:19-22).
I should add that the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha* also interpret “the sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4 as angels.
* The Apocrypha (ah-POK-rah-fah) and Pseudepigrapha (soo-doh-PIG-ra-fah) are collections of uninspired books written during the intertestamental period after the cessation of Old Testament prophecy. Not one of them was written in the Hebrew language.
A variant position is that the “sons of God” of Genesis 6 were not the angels who fell with Lucifer, but rather heavenly angels who came down and had relations with women as humanity was multiplying. Those who support this view argue that these angels fell due to lust rather than already having fallen due to partnering with the devil’s rebellion. While I don’t embrace this view and wonder if those who support it watched City of Angels one too many times, I’m sharing it as an alternative possibility for you to consider in your studies.
Either way, the mixing of angelic DNA with human DNA produced offspring with tainted blood.
Some oppose this interpretation on the grounds that Christ indirectly said that angels “neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Luke 20:34-36), but this is different than saying that angelic beings can’t marry or can’t have sex. Furthermore, Jesus was talking about heavenly angels, not fallen angels; the latter would obviously rebel against any such moral constraints by the very nature of their fallen-ness.
By the way, angels can appear in the natural in human form, as verified by the two angels who appeared to Lot as men; moreover, the perverted men of Sodom wanted to have “sex” with them (Genesis 19:1-5). The fact that these angels appeared as men shows that they weren’t necessarily genderless, which is corroborated by Mark 16:5.
Why Did the “Sons of God” Copulate With Women?
Assuming the “sons of God” refer to the fallen angels who rebelled with Satan, why did they procreate with women? We can only speculate from the biblical data and it leads to the sound conclusion that they wanted to taint the human bloodline in order to block the “seed” that the LORD prophesied would come through the female and “crush” Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15). The “seed” is a reference to Christ, the Anointed One, who came “to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).
This satanic plot resulted in God’s judgment and the corresponding flood:
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:5-8
It stands to reason that these verses (and the rest of Genesis 6, as well as Genesis 7) are somewhat related to what took place in verses 1-4 (cited above). The LORD thus flooded the Earth with only eight human survivors, through whom the anointed seed would eventually come and destroy the devil’s work, providing redemption for humanity.
In order for this to never happen again, God condemned the “sons of God” who committed this act:
For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell [tartaroó in the Greek, not Hades, aka Sheol], delivering them in chains to be held in gloomy darkness until their judgment;
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling — these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
We know that this particular judgment only came upon the fallen angels who “sinned” and not to all fallen angels because there are evil spirits active on Earth to this day (Ephesians 6:12). This is supported by the fact that Jude 1:6 (above) is solely referring to the fallen angels who “abandoned their proper dwelling.” What does this mean? It’s likely a reference to them leaving the spiritual realm—their natural habitation—to manifest in the physical realm in physical form for the purpose of polluting the human bloodline and thereby preventing the birth of the Anointed One.
Remember, evil spirits are “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The dark heavenlies are their proper dwelling and so to appear on Earth and have sex with women they’d have to abandon both their spiritual dwelling and spiritual nature in order to accomplish it. (See The Three Realms—Heaven, Earth and the Underworld for related insights).
So that this would never happen again to pollute the human bloodline God imprisoned these wicked angels in tartaroó (tar-tar-OH) to await their judgment and banishment to the lake of fire, which the LORD “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
Were the Nephilim in the Promised Land?
The so-called Nephilim mentioned in Numbers 13:33 by the ten doubting Hebrew spies were not necessarily Nephilim since the Nephilim that existed before the flood obviously perished in it. This put an end to the Nephilim altogether, unless one of Noah’s daughter-in-laws carried the Nephilim DNA to to post-flood world. Another possibility is that some fallen “sons of God” copulated with women again after the flood, but the Bible doesn’t indicate this.
Keep in mind that the doubting spies are the ones speaking in Numbers 13:33 and therefore they are the words of disobedient men struck with fear and trying to discourage the Hebrews from invading the Promised Land. No doubt there were some giant people in the land and surrounding regions—Goliath, for instance, was 9½’ tall—but they weren’t actual Nephilim.
The tallest human on record in modern times, incidentally, was Robert Pershing Wadlow, who stood one inch shy of 9’, which means he was only half a foot shorter than Goliath. He passed away in 1940. I bring up Wadlow to show that a person can be a giant, but this doesn’t mean he or she is a Nephilim. This was the case with Goliath.
This article was edited from Chapter 10 of…
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Related Topics:
Demons—Are they Fallen Angels?
How Old is the Earth? (The Gap Theory vs. Young Earth Creationism)