http://www.americanwisdomseries.comThe American Wisdom Series http://www.americanwisdomseries.com
Presents
Genesis Chapter 8Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
John 15:26
But when the Comforter is
come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which
proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
John
16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he
will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever
he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He
shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto
you.
This Bible Study was originally written by Roger
Christopherson,
published at http://www.theseason.org/
Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.
Now here is our revised study of:
Genesis Chapter 8
"Noah's Flood, Continued."
The two important things that we will learn from this chapter are that God will never destroy this earth by water ever again, and that we will always have our days and nights, and our seasons with us.
Genesis 8:1 "And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;"
The waters that covered the earth subsided gradually [asswaged]. God remembered Noah during that entire five month period, and all of his family and the living that were on the ark, they were all under God's protection.
Genesis 8:2 "The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;"
Genesis 8:3 "And the waters returned from of the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred ad fifty days the waters were abated."
This is that five month period again, and at the end of the five months the flood waters started to go down, and the turbulence ended.
Remember in Revelation 12:16 it tells us that the earth will again open up and swallow Satan, the false-christ's, flood of lies and deceit that came from him in these end times.
The flood spoken of in the end times is a spiritual flood of lies, and deceptions that will cover the entire earth.
That flood of the end times will also continue for a five month period, and this is recorded in Revelation 9:5; "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man."
Genesis 8:3 separates the flood of Noah's day from the flood that caused the end of the first earth age. For in Noah's flood the waters declined gradually, and as we will see later, took a full year to totally resend.
Genesis 8:4 "And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat."
"Ararat" in the Hebrew tongue means "high ground". The day that the ark came to rest on that high ground was five months after God sealed Noah and all the lives on board with him, in that ark. And then the "fountains of the great deep were broken up", as recorded in Genesis 7:11. It is five months to the day later.
Genesis 8:5 "And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen."
This now is three months after the ark came to rest on the "mountains of Ararat". At this time the tops of other high mountains and high places could also be seen.
Genesis 8:6 "And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:"
"Forty" in biblical numerics is probation.
Genesis 8:7 "And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro. until the waters were dried up from off the earth."
The raven that Noah sent forth did not come back to the ark. In Leviticus 11:15 we are told that the raven is an unclean bird. This is an object lesson also of the uncleanness and godlessness of today. When they are sent out to do a mission, they do not give a care for others, or for God's ways. They put themselves first, and care only for their own well being. This dirty bird, the raven probably found himself an old dead carcass rotting on the high ground, and stayed to fill himself. His own natural instincts set his priorities.
Genesis 8:8 "Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;"
The dove is an clean creature, and in symbolism represents the Holy Spirit of God.
Genesis 8:9 "But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand and took her in unto him into the ark."
The dove is unlike the raven, and refuses to touch her feet on the filth that covered the earth following the flood. She does not live of garbage and the dead. The dove came back home to the ark. She gave Noah the correct indication for the signs of the times; that the earth was not ready to accept the clean living of any kind.
The Holy Spirit is also in control and ready to give us the proper indications for the signs of our times. And at the end of the five month period of time which marks the end of our flesh age, He will give us all the necessary indications to know what we are to do. We can receive those instructions now, for God recorded them in His Scriptures, through the prophets, and we are to seal those instructions away in our minds. The dove cared for the living, and came back to the ark, and the Holy Spirit also cares for the living, spiritually.
Genesis 8:10 "And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark."
All of these things that are happening are taking place on the Sabbath.
Genesis 8:11 "And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth."
Keep in mind that the "olive leaf" was "plucked off" a living tree, that was living to give Noah the sign that life and vegetation existed outside the ark. This is important. In the Hebrew text the wording for "olive leaf" reads; "newly sprouted olive leaf". It was freshly grown.
We saw in Jeremiah 4:19 that in the total destruction that came upon the earth at the end of the first earth age was complete.
There were no man, nor birds, nor animals, nor vegetation [verse 27], and even the sun and heavenly planets were missing [verse 28].
So what is represented in this Olive leaf to show life? There had to be life in the vegetation, and a sun to germinate, and give new life to that seed of the olive tree that the leaf came from.
This also verifies that Noah's flood was not the flood of Genesis 1:1-2, Jeremiah 4, or II Peter 3.
That flood , Lucifer's flood, caused total void and destruction upon the whole earth.
It is important that we understand these fine points in God's word, for they all help us understand the plan of God.
Let's look at the differences between to two floods
Let's compare Lucifer's Flood to Noah's Flood
Gen. 1:1-12 & 20-23, Gen. 6:1-13, Gen. 8:1-14, Isa. 14:12-14, Ezek. 28:11-17, Jer. 4:23-26, Ps. 104:7, Luke 10:18, and 2 Peter 3:6
After Lucifer's Flood After Noah's Flood
Earth made waste Not made wasteWhen Did Dinosaurs Live on Earth?
Is There a Conflict Between Science and the Bible?
Conflict? Is there a conflict between the Biblical account of creation and scientific discoveries about the age of the earth? When did dinosaurs roam the earth?
The beginning
Let's first examine Gen. 1:1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. What do we know about this? Isaiah 45:18 tells us he made the earth to be inhabited and not in vain (Heb., tohu, meaning empty) and 2 Peter 3:5 tells us the earth was standing out of the water.
Sometime Later
Gen. 1:2 says the earth was (Heb., hayah, meaning became) without form and void (Heb., tohu va bola, meaning, waste and empty) and darkness was (became) upon the face of the deep (flooded). 2 Peter 3:6 says the earth was (became) overflowed with water and perished.
Note: Peter is not talking about Noah's flood because all the world did not perish in Noah's flood.
If we look at Jeremiah's vision of the earth (Jer. 4:23-26) it was without form and void; and had no light and the mountains trembled and the hills moved. And there were no men and all the birds were gone. He said the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities were broken down because of the Lord's anger. He must have seen the earth as it is described in Gen. 1:2and as Peter described it in 2 Peter 3:6because the earth has never been empty and waste and dark since the six days of God's activity as described in Gen. 1:3 to 2:25. The only time the sun and stars were not allowed to give light was the period before the six days. They have been giving light ever since. There never has been a time or will be a time when there were no men on earth since then. Yet Jeremiah said all the cities were gone.
How can this be?
What was happening on earth between (Gen. 1:1), Isaiah's vision of the inhabited earth or (2 Peter 3:5 Peter's description of the earth standing out of the water and; (Gen. 1:2) Jeremiah's vision of the flooded, empty and void earth or (2 Peter 3:6) Peter's overflowed earth?
What about Lucifer, the fallen angel (Satan). Isaiah 14: 12-14 tells us that Lucifer fell from heaven, was cut down to the ground (earth) which weakened the nations! Why? Because he wanted to ascend into heaven and exalt his throne above the heights of the clouds and be the most High. Read Ezekiel 28:11-19.
When did this happen? It must have been before the six days of God's activity because he was already a fallen angel in the garden of Eden.
Lucifer must have had a kingdom here on earth and it must have been between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2. Were there men in his kingdom? He weakened the nations Isaiah 14:12. At no place in the Bible does God refer to nations except to nations made up of men.
Jeremiah, in Jer. 4:25, saw no men when he saw the earth as it was in Gen. 1:2. In verse 26 he says all the cities were broken down by the fierce anger of the Lord.
Ezekiel saw Lucifer cast to the ground before Kings, in Ezek. 28:17, and all that know him among the people shall be astonished, in verse 19.
When Peter described the overflowed earth where the world perished he was describing Lucifer's Flood between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2.
If you are still not convinced that men lived on earth before Adam's time look at the following two verses. Gen. 9:1 after Noah's flood, God tells Noah and his sons to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. In Gen. 1:28 God tells Adam to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. If people didn't live on earth between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2 how could Adam replenish? The earth most certainly was plenished with men before the six days.
How long ago did all this happen?
How long ago did God create the perfect, inhabited earth of Gen. 1:1? It could have been hundreds of billions of years ago!
How long did Lucifer have a kingdom here on earth, where he ruled over nations, before he tried to move his throne to heaven and be the most high?
How long did God put up with sin before he got angry enough to completely destroy the nations of the dateless past? It could have been hundreds of millions of years.
How long was the earth
void and flooded as in Gen. 1:2? It
could have been hundreds of millions of years. Did these first men live
on earth at the same time as the dinosaurs?
God didn't choose to tell us very much about this long period of the earth's history, in the Bible. Just enough to know there is no conflict between Biblical accounts of the earth's age and scientific discoveries. If God did not allow the light to shine on the earth for a period of time from Gen. 1:2 till Gen. 1:3 (day 1), guess what, the Ice Age! Scientists have discovered the frozen carcasses of animals at the Arctic Circle that are millions of years old. In their stomachs they found undigested tropical plants. How can this be? Very simple, when God cursed the earth after Lucifer's fall and flood he cut off the light and warmth of that light there was an instant ice age and everything perished.
When God turned the (**?sun's)
light back unto the earth, starting Gen. 1:3 (day
1) the ice began to melt and starting Gen.
1:6 (day 2) some evaporated to form clouds. Starting
Gen.
1:9 (day 3) dry land appears again.(**or
was this the light of life, not the sun's light. see **
below)
Starting Gen. 1:14 (day 4) the
sun as we know it was warming the earth. Starting Gen.1:20
(day 5) he created fish and brought forth birds. Starting
Gen.
1:24 (day 6) he created *
man's bodies for the second time; only this time in flesh and blood bodies just
like the living beasts He also brought forth.
So you see, if you search the scriptures and as the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Tim. 2:15 "rightly dividing the word of truth", you find that there is no conflict between scientific discoveries about the age of the earth or its pre- historic inhabitants and what God has revealed to us in the Bible. Once scientists discover how old the earth really is we'll also know more about what the earth was like between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2. We'll also know what the people who lived on earth at that time were like. All we now know is that we were not in these flesh bodies then.
to Noah's Flood
AGAIN
Gen. 1:1-12 & 20-23, Gen. 6:1-13, Gen. 8:1-14, Isa. 14:12-14, Ezek. 28:11-17, Jer. 4:23-26, Ps. 104:7, Luke 10:18, and 2 Peter 3:6
After Lucifer's Flood After Noah's Flood
Earth
made
waste
Not made waste
Earth made
empty
Not made empty
Earth made totally
dark
Not made dark
All vegetation
destroyed
Vegetation not destroyed
God rebuked the
waters
Waters gradually receded
they
hastened
away
away over a period of months
All fish
destroyed
Fish were not destroyed
No foul were
left
Foul did not disappear
No animals
left
Animals were saved
No men left on
earth
Men were saved (8 eighth day men and allot of sixth day men)
No social system
left
Social system was preserved
Caused by fall of
Satan
Caused by fall of man
Became necessary to
re-create
All things preserved
It was because of Satan's downfall in the first earth age, and the fall of one third of all of God created beings, the angels, that God destroyed the earth then. Those fallen angels are also referred to as "the sons of God" in Genesis 6, and they rebelled against God. God's plan was set in motion to provide a way that His children could come back to Him, for God does not desire to destroy any of His children.
The creation process, as told in Genesis one and two, provide that the souls of all his children would enter this earth age once through the womb of woman, in a innocent state, and be given a free will to chose between God's good ways, or the evil ways of Satan. Our study in Genesis three revealed how Satan seduced Eve, and from that sexual union came Cain.
When Cain killed Adam's son, Abel, God used Adam's second son Seth to fulfill the promise He gave that a coming Messiah would be born through the lineage of Adam. In Genesis six we saw another attack upon mankind, when these fallen angels, the followers of Satan, refused to be born of woman; and as Jude 6 says; "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,"
The attack in Genesis six was on the bloodline of all eighth day man, to take the daughters of Adamic men as their wives, and destroy, pollute, the blood line of our Savior's earthly mother.
If Satan were to have accomplished that there would be no completion to the plan of God whereby the Messiah could come, born of a virgin of pure, eighth day formed man, pedigree, and offer Himself as the sacrifice for all sins of those who would repent and seek him.
This was God's plan to bring the sinful souls back to Himself.
This is why it is important for us to understand exactly why God destroyed all mankind whose purity had been corrupted by fallen angels, and allowed a new start with Noah and his family. God did not destroy the earth itself, only the evil that was upon it.
Genesis 8:12 "And he stayed yet another seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more."
Genesis 8:13 "And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry."
Genesis 8:14 "And in the second month, on the seventh and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried."
"Second month, on the seventh and twentieth day of the month", completed one solar year from the entering of the ark, as we read in Genesis 7:11.
Genesis 8:15 "And God spake unto Noah, saying,"
Genesis 8:16 "Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee."
God gave the command to come out of that ark, and He set the time for this new age to begin. We must also learn to have patience and wait for the proper time, [Christ's return, NOT SATAN'S COMING] so we will not be partakers in the wrong wedding of the latter days. We must know the difference between the coming of the false-christ first, and and have patience to wait for the coming of Jesus Christ second, which will also mark the end of this flesh age.
Noah was perfect in his "pedigree", or blood line, and one of the reasons for this is that Noah always obeyed God in everything that he did, and in all his commandments. Noah did it God's way, from the life he lived, the ark he built, and even to the obedience to commands God gave him, for his own protection. Noah made no move until God's appointed time, and then was alert to all the commands that God gave him.
Mankind today always tries to run around God's instructions, and commandments.
If they see another mountain top, they immediately have to go there, and test God's limits, and defy God's commandments.
They simply can not wait upon God's appointed times, but must create, and find a better way, to satisfy their own desires.
It is sort of like the "rapture doctrine", a devised way to circumvent God's plan for testing mankind, and seeking God's protection for a time when God will use Satan as His servant.
There should be no surprises as to what is to take place in these latter days, for every detail is written in His Word, the Bible, and all the protection we need is given to us.
Yet Christians simply do not trust God, and have allowed Satan's kids, the Kenites, to create a lie, and false hope, so they do not have to trust God.
We have God's commandments, and guide book [the Bible]; and in it we can follow God's plan completely laid out for us, so there will be no confusion. The times of the end have started, and our "ark" is not a physical one like Noah's, but it is a spiritual ark, built with words and ideas that come straight from God's Holy word. The flood will not be with water in these final days, but through the lies and deceptions pouring forth from the mouth of Satan, and God will allow it. When your spiritual ark is built within your mind, that understanding is your protection from the flood of lies by the spurious messiah, and God will place the seal upon you, in your mind. Noah trusted God for protection, and built that ark which took one hundred and twenty years.
The building of your ark takes time, and study in his word, and the only way that you will survive this latter day flood is to take time to do it. That is why we are taking God's Word in a verse by verse study, for it is all important and requires a lot of detailed study.
Genesis 8:17 "Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth."
Genesis 8:18 "And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:"
Genesis 8:19 "Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepteth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark."
Genesis 8:20 "And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar."
This is the first time that an altar is mentioned in the Bible. Even though God gave the order to repopulate the earth; "every thing after his kind"; God still desires His offerings. When we do it God's way, He will provide and supply all our needs.
The "burnt offerings", or "olah" in the Hebrew language, means "to cause to ascend". This is referring to the smoke and flames that rise in the consuming of the offering totally. It conveys the message of totally consuming or giving over to God, and asking for God's acceptance of it.
Noah is giving over to God one seventh of what he has, yet it is a blessing that we can give back to God.
Genesis 8:21 "And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done."
God makes it clear that it is He that has caused the total destruction before; and that He will never do it again. He was happy to rid the world of the wicked Nephilim hybrids, but never again will He allow the destruction of the earth by water. The curse of the ground is now lifted.
Genesis 8:22 "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
This covenant between Jehovah God and Noah is unconditional in relation to our earth and the heavenly bodies around it. When God makes a covenant, He keeps His word. This earth is not going to burn up in any nuclear war, or by the sun. Why? Because God said it would not.
Will Satan destroy the earth? Definitely not; for Satan, the false-ichrist is the "prince of the earth, and when he is cast out of heaven by Michael, he is coming to earth to rule.
Upon his arrival to earth, Satan wants you and all mankind to believe that he is your Messiah, and this is why he will be a strong environmentalist.
In fact he as well and the entire locust army of fallen angels will be of the same mind.
The total destruction spoken of by the prophet Joel, is Satan destruction of the truth of God's word.
It is a spiritual void that will cover the whole earth, except for those who are sealed by God, prior to the coming of Satan as the false-christ.
Satan intends to control the world as King and Savior, and to be the provider and protector for you, and all of mankind. In return he expect your loyalty and commitment to him in gratitude. He expects you will worship him as if he were God
Let's pause for a moment of reflection and try to imagine what it was like for Noah, whose name means "rest". Our Father has given him the plans and told him to go out and build this humongous boat in the backyard, which is not exactly a weekend project, so there won't be any "rest" for awhile, anyway.
Now we know from 2 Peter 2:5 that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, and by putting two and two together (that's a figure of speech and has nothing to do with how the animals were assembled for the ark) we know what he was preaching and warning about. Noah was preaching against getting involved with the sons of God, the fallen angels! Keep away from them! Keep away from Satan and his own! But ultimately only he and his family would remain pure and uncorrupted by these supernatural charmers.
So not only wasn't anyone heeding Noah's warnings, but you can be sure they had him labeled as a "far right wing religious extremist". And now he starts to build this floating stadium to house the broncos, the cardinals, the bulls and the eagles and adds the flash flood warning to his sermons. I'm sure this went over really big and as a result brought forth the best scoffers of the day!
The point is that Noah and his family stood alone in the land against tremendous pressure and ridicule and yet were willing to take a stand against the "fiery darts", against this same locust army that we will face in this generation, the final generation, the generation of the fig tree, yes, the "Baby Boomer" generation.
Twice for emphasis, once in Gen. 6:22 and again in Gen 7:5, our Father had Moses record, "And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him". What an example he was for us. What a tremendous servant of God! I can't wait to meet him someday!
We begin now with chapter eight of Genesis, which flows rather smoothly.
Noah and his family have now been aboard the ark for 150 days. Little did he realize that someday his great, great... grandson would record words very similar to his current thoughts as he cleaned out another stall: Psalm 89:46 How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever?..
I jest, but even if those thoughts did cross the mind of Noah (perhaps planted by the impatience of family members) this just servant of God always waited patiently and faithfully on the LORD.
The Hebrew word for "wind" is ruach, and so we could once again say, as in Gen 1:2, that the Spirit of God moved upon the waters. Only this time the waters didn't instantly disappear, they slowly subsided or abated (asswaged).Genesis 8:1
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
Our Father has complete control over the forces of nature. When He speaks, not only does everyone listen, but everything listens![2] The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
The disciples witnessed God's control over the "forces" of nature first hand:
Ever had a few storms in your life, spiritual or otherwise? Watch what happens when you call upon Christ for help as did the disciples:Luke 8:23-24
But as they sailed He fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
He has ALL POWER in both heaven and earth. It is His Word that produces "calm", which is to say tranquility, that inner peace of mind. And this isn't religion, it is for REAL![24] And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
Our Father determined (remember He controls nature) that a Five Month period was enough. In Rev. 9 He has determined the same period upon Satan's flood of lies to be enough too.Gen. 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
This day of rest was a Sabbath Day. Imagine that! In fact ALL the Flood dates are Sabbaths except the one in the next verse. Remember, Noah's name means "rest" and so does the word Sabbath. It is Christ who gives us rest. He is our Sabbath.[4] And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
The word "Ararat" is twice translated "Armenia", but it also means "high mountain". Modern day searchers of the Ark keep looking on the mountain in Turkey named Ararat. Perhaps they do err!
This is about 6 months later.[5] And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
Here we see the number forty again, which means probation, trial, or testing. I'll bet that fresh air smelled good![6] And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
According to Lev 11:15 the Raven is an "unclean" bird. Now, you've got to love the terminology used here to describe what it did. It went "to and fro". Isn't that just like that other "unclean fowl" we read about?[7] And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
The unclean Raven probably found some dead floating carcass to munch on, because we don't read of his coming home to roost.Job 1:7
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
Now Noah sends forth a "clean" bird, a Dove, which represents peace and the Holy Spirit.[8] Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
You can just picture this beautiful, touching scene in your mind's eye as the dove returns to the ark to rest. Noah extends his arm out the window and the gentle Dove lights upon his hand, and he pulls her slowly in unto him. He probably gave her a little birdie kiss on the cheek.[9] But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
Contrast this with the blood sucking Raven out there on some floating body part.
On the next Sabbath day he again sent forth the dove.[10] And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
Look up the Hebrew word for "pluckt off". It is taraph, which means "recently torn off, i.e. fresh". This is important because it shows that the olive leaf, or branch, was plucked off of a tree and not picked up off the ground or floating waters, for it takes a long time to grow an olive tree to the stature whereby a branch can be plucked from it.[11] And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
This documents that God did not destroy the earth "tohu va bohu" at the time of Noah's Flood. It further documents that the destruction described in Jeremiah 4 does NOT pertain to this same flood, but rather to that of Gen. 1:2 and the judgment of the "world that then was" (2 Pet. 3).
She was probably carrying her fertile eggs at this time and rested to fulfill her destiny set forth in verse 17, to hatch a new colony.[12] And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
There are at least six major events that happened on the first day of the first month.[13] And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
This marks the completion of exactly one solar year from chapter 7:11 of the entry into the ark.1.) The drying up of the waters we just read about. (Gen 8:13)
2.) The Tabernacle was set up by Moses. (Ex. 40:2)
3.) Hezekiah's sanctification of the Temple. (2 Chron. 29:17)
4.) The going up of Ezra. (Ezra 7:9)
5.) The giving up of strange wives. (Ezra 10:17)
6.) The offering up of a bullock in the future Temple. (Ezek. 45:18)[14] And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
The Solar calendar is the only precise, exact calendar, and it always pertains to God's children. The lunar calendar is used when giving prophecy pertaining to Satan and the children of darkness (a bunch of lunies).
And so God gives Noah further instructions. It is interesting that we always hear the expression "He has the patience of Job". Hey, what about the patience of Noah?
[15] And God spake unto Noah, saying,
Insert here verses 6:22 and 7:5, "And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him".[16] Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.[17] Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
[18] And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:
This is the first time in the Bible that an altar is mentioned, and of course that is one of the reasons seven of the clean animals were taken aboard the ark.[19] Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.[20] And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Our Father has now twice smitten the earth, the first being at the judgment of the first earth age (Gen 1:2).[21] And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Will man destroy the earth with his nuclear arsenals, causing a nuclear holocaust, a nuclear "winter"? He will not! This verse documents that not only won't our Father again smite the earth Himself, but He won't permit man to do it either. The seasons shall remain, as it is written.[22] While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
There is so much we can learn from our Father's Word. Are the events in Genesis and the Old Testament important to us today? Are they even relative? Well, if you want to know what it will be like in these end times, you need to know what it was like in the beginning.
I leave you with the words of wisdom written to the wise by Paul:
1 Cor. 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
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