Noah's Ark & the Great Flood

​

The story of Noah’s Ark is one of the most intriguing stories known to mankind. It can be found in around 200 different accounts around the world and on almost every continent.
However, many people today believe Noah’s Ark and the Flood are just myths or some altered version of ancient beliefs. Of all the stories in the Bible, Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood is one of the most controversial. 

 

Is it all true? Did it really happen? How did it happen? And if it’s true, is there evidence of the Flood and the existence of Noah’s Ark today?

​

I believe you will be fascinated and touched by the amount of evidence that exists for the truthfulness of Noah’s Ark and the Bible’s account of all that took place surrounding this catastrophic event. 

 

The Great Flood account is mentioned in writings or oral traditions found all around the world.

 

The Great Flood Account is referred to in around 200 accounts. These flood legends are common across a wide range of cultures, extending back into Bronze Age and Neolithic prehistory. These accounts depict a flood, sometimes global in scale, usually sent by a deity or deities to destroy civilization as an act of divine retribution. They are found on virtually every continent and share very similar themes. This is so because Noah’s descendants stayed together until God confused their languages at Babel and they scattered as found in Genesis 11. As the various people groups spread around the globe, the story of the Flood was shared, until it became distorted and embedded in their respective histories.
The oldest known recording of a global flood is the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh from the eighteenth-century BC. 

 

The Biblical Account of Noah and the Great Flood is the Most Complete and Trustworthy Account

 

The most significant, complete, and trustworthy account is found in the Bible in Genesis chapters 6–8. Noah and the Great Flood are mentioned 47 times in the Bible. With references in 9 different books of the Bible such as Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, Luke, Hebrews, and 1 Peter & 2 Peter. This means Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jesus, the Apostle Peter, and other biblical writers all attest to the truthfulness of this catastrophic event as literal and real.

 

What is very notable is the fact that Jesus referenced Noah and the Flood 5 times in the Gospel accounts. This is weighty evidence to the reality of Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood because Jesus referred to it as being a literal event, not some myth or fairy tale.

​

Places of Interest

 

1. Noah’s Ark National Park
2. Noah’s Ark Location
3. Noah’s Ark Visitor Center
4. Drogue – Anchor Stones
5. Noah’s Home
6. Noah’s Altar & Corrals
7. Mountains of Ararat
8. Mount Ararat
9. Wall of Heaven Site
10. Crow Won’t Land Site
11. Village of the Eight

​

History of the Durupinar Site of Noah’s Ark

 

We’ll now look at a brief history of this site and then look at the overwhelming evidence supporting this place as the best candidate for the location of Noah’s Ark.

 

1. In recent years it has been named after Turkish Army Captain Ilhan Durupinar, who shot an aerial photo of the site while on a mapping mission for NATO in October 1959. Durupinar informed the Turkish government of his discovery, and a group from the Archeological Research Foundation, which included George Vandeman, Ilhan Durupinar, and Arthur Brandenberger, professor of photogrammetry, surveyed the site in September 1960. After two days of digging and dynamiting inside the “boat-shaped” formation, the expedition members found only soil and rocks. Their official news release concluded that “there were no visible archaeological remains” and that this formation “was a freak of nature and not man-made.”

 

2. However, long before Durupinar photographed this site, there is evidence going back thousands of years of people venerating this area. We see evidence of carvings, writings, relics, stele, ostraca, drogue stones, name locations, the size and shape of the Ark in the landscape, and so forth. This evidence begins with Noah and continues to the early Christians, the Crusaders, and later. It all attests that this site seems to be the genuine place of Noah’s Ark.

 

3. After Durupinar’s time, the site was then ignored until 1977, when interest in it was renewed again and promoted by biblical researcher and explorer Ron Wyatt. Throughout the 1980s, Wyatt repeatedly tried to interest other people in the site, including ark hunter and former astronaut James Irwin and creationist John D. Morris. 

 

4. In 1985, Wyatt was joined by David Fasold, and geophysicist John Baumgardner. This expedition is recounted in Fasold’s book, “The Ark of Noah.” As soon as Fasold saw the site, he exclaimed that it was a shipwreck. Fasold brought along state-of-the-art ground-penetrating radar equipment and a “frequency generator.” He put it on the wavelength setting for iron at the site and searched the formation for internal iron. Fasold and the team state that the ground penetration radar revealed a regular internal structure beneath the surface. Fasold believed the team found the fossilized remains of the upper deck and that the original reed substructure had disappeared. In the nearby village of Kazan, formerly called Arzap, they examined so-called drogue and anchor stones that they believed were once attached to the ark. Fasold kept repeating that no matter what the experts said, there was too much evidence at the Durupinar site for it to be dismissed. He remained convinced it was the fossilized remains of Noah’s Ark.

 

5. Due to the amount of evidence, in 1987, the Turkish government declared the site to be Noah’s Ark, and a Visitor Center was constructed. It was preserved and called “Noah’s Ark National Park.”

 

6. From 1987 to 1997, Ron Wyatt and others like Allen Roberts, Andrew Snelling, and David Fasold continued to research the site. It should be noted that Ron Wyatt was the most influential person who worked the hardest and was the most involved in the research and promotion of this site. In 1998 Fasold died, and in 1999, Wyatt died as well.

 

7. In 1997, Andrew Jones visited this site and would later become the main researcher and promoter of this site. 

 

8. In late 2014, the Turkish government granted permission to allow the site of the boat-shaped object to be scanned using the latest deep penetration resistivity ground imaging technique known as Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT). The scans were carried out by John Larson.

 

• This was the first time equipment able to reach 125 ft. or 38 m. deep with sufficient resolution was used on the site to acquire 3D images of the structure that remains beneath the ground.

​

• Resistivity imaging is a technique that was developed during the 1920s, for deep oil and mineral exploration. More recently, new equipment has become available with vastly improved resolution capabilities, to the extent where now it has become an effective tool in the field of archaeology. 

​

• Using this technology, John Larson did major work on the site in 2014 to produce scans that appear to provide more evidence that this site is a man-made object that fits the biblical measurements and descriptions of Noah’s Ark.

​

9. In 2015, Andrew Armstrong became the key biblical researcher and liaison between the Turkish government and foreign interests. In fact, Andrew is the one who has generously provided us with much of the media of the site to produce this video. Andrew is an American but lives in Turkey and resides about 11 miles or 17 km. from the Durupinar Site.

 

10. In 2017, the Noah’s Ark Visitor Center was renovated to accommodate tourists better. Another renovation of the Visitor Center is planned for the coming years as well.

 

11. In 2019, the Science Channel did a documentary on the site called: “Forbidden History.”

 

12. In 2019, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted at the site by an Oregon-based business called Topa 3D. Their surveys showed further evidence supporting this site as Noah’s Ark.

 

13. In 2021, Ryan Mauro, president of the Doubting Thomas Research Foundation, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating the historicity of biblical accounts, became involved in the site as well.

 

14. Currently, the Turkish government is working on its own scans. They are working in conjunction with Andrew Armstrong.

 

15. Plans are underway to do excavations of the boat-shaped object in the coming years.

 

Evidence Supporting this Site as Noah’s Ark

 

Now let’s look at the evidence supporting the Durupinar Site as the best candidate for the location of Noah’s Ark.

 

1. It’s in the mountains of Ararat as the Bible states.
Genesis 8:4 says: Then in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. Notice that the Ark came to rest in the mountains of Ararat. It doesn’t say it came to rest on the Mountain of Ararat, as some claim. This means it came to rest in the region of Ararat.

 

• According to the Encyclopedia Britannica: The name Ararat, as it appears in the Bible, is the Hebrew equivalent of Urardhu, or Urartu, the Assyro-Babylonian name of a kingdom that flourished between the Aras and the Upper Tigris rivers from the 9th to the 7th century BC.

​

• The Bible also confirms that Ararat was a kingdom at one time: Jeremiah 51:27: “Set up a standard on the earth; blow the trumpet among the nations; prepare the nations for war against her; summon against her the kingdoms, Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; appoint a marshal against her; bring up horses like bristling locusts.

 

2. Evidence from the boat-shaped object.

 

• It fits the general Ark dimensions of 300 cubits long by 50 cubits wide by 30 cubits high. Its length is exactly 300 royal cubits, which is 515 feet long or 157 m. Its width is larger than 50 royal cubits, which is 86 ft. or 26.21 m. The ruins today measure 138 ft. or 42 m. wide. This extra width has been explained by understanding that the sides of the Ark fell outward as it decayed or that the 50 cubits were an average width of the Ark, not its width at its widest point.

​

• Three distinct layers or decks have been discovered from different geophysical scans, ground penetrating radars, and electrical resistivity images taken over the years. These scans reveal these layers only within the ship-shaped object and not outside of it.

​

• An earthquake in 1978 lowered the sides outside of the Ark considerably. Images taken before and afterward clearly reveal a change to the sides of the proposed Ark shape. Many believe the sides now reveal several vertical rib-timbers used in the Ark’s construction.

​

• Ron Wyatt dug a 6-inch round shaft tunnel into the side of the Ark-shaped formation and claimed to have found petrified animal dung, deer antlers, cat hair, human hair, and other fibers.

 

• Metal detector tests taken numerous times over the years all reveal a very distinct organized pattern of metal beneath the surface, which is consistent with the shape of a large ship. 

 

• Four intact metal rods have been discovered by the Turkish government, each measuring about 4 ft. or 1.2 m. in length.

 

• In June of 1991, an interesting object was discovered, which seems to be a large rivet with a washer around it. It was believed to fasten the large timbers of the Ark together. An analysis of the rivet object showed it was made of various metals such as titanium, aluminum, iron, and other metals. Interestingly, just centimeters away from the rivet object, there were no traces of iron in the soil. 

 

• The Encyclopedia Britannica tells us that because of its chemical activity, aluminum never occurs in the metallic form in nature. It should be noted that the Bible affirms the knowledge and use of iron in Genesis 4:22. It says: As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron. Therefore, Noah certainly had access to iron for building the Ark. 

 

• During a radar scan done by Ron Wyatt in the presence of the local Turkish governor, something unique seemed to appear. The Turkish governor ordered a soldier to dig up the ground, and a petrified piece of wood was uncovered. It was later tested and revealed it was indeed organic in nature and appeared to be four layers of wood laminated together. This is believed by some to be part of a deck timber. Even more surprising were laboratory analyses which not only revealed that the petrified wood contained carbon proving it was once wood, but there were iron nails embedded in the wood! The Turkish government also claims they have found additional petrified wood at the site.

 

• As mentioned, John Larson carried out Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) in 2014, which provides 3D images that are quite convincing that under the surface of the boat-shaped object are what appear to be different decks and structures of a ship.

 

• Researcher Andrew Jones and lead scientist Dr. Fethi Ahmet Yüksel of the Department of Geophysical Engineering, along with Applied Geophysics Department of Istanbul University, believe that the results of the scans indicate a man-made artifact beneath the surface that could well be the Ark, and are eager to continue studying the location. The team believes that the new GPR data shows parallel lines and angular structures 8 to 20 feet down and that these parallel lines and right angles below the surface are something you would not expect to see in a natural, geologic formation.

 

• Using 3D scans of GPR and ERT technology, the researchers claim that they uncovered a man-made boat structure beneath the ground. The formation identified in the scans, according to the team, matches the dimensions of the Genesis description of Noah’s Ark.

 

• Plans are underway to carry out Orthophoto photography, LiDAR imaging, and related mapping studies using aerial drones (UAV) in the region designated as Noah’s Ark.

 

• Core drilling plans are also underway for the boat-shaped object as well.

​​

3. Drogue and Anchor Stones

 

• These drogue and anchor stones were used as ship stabilizers to better withstand storms and cause drag, so ships weren’t driven and tossed on the oceans. 

 

• Found in this area are around 30 of these drogue and anchor stones. They are found scattered along a path running west to east. It appears as the waters were receding, the drogue stones began hitting the land under the water, so they were cut loose. The remaining stones are generally in the area where the Ark eventually came to rest. Many of these stones have holes carved in them for connecting ropes from the Ark to the stones. Some of the holes have broken over the years in some of the stones.

 

• These drogue stones were continually used in ancient times after the Flood and can be found in places like Israel and the Nile River in Egypt.

 

• Many of these stones in the vicinity of the Durupinar site have holes in them that ropes were tied to in order to stabilize the Ark.

 

• These drogue stones are over 200 miles from the closest ocean and about 5,300 ft. or 1,615 m. above sea level. They have no business being here other than that a huge ship like the Ark dropped them here.

 

• The numerous stones discovered near the Durupinar Site are the largest ever discovered in the world. This would make sense as the Ark was massive in size and would need extra-large stones to stabilize it.

 

• Many of these stones have crosses carved on them from early Christians visiting this site, and others have crosses that are from the Crusader Period from around 1200 AD. Some of the stones have eight crosses on them, representing Noah and his family that were saved from the Flood. Several of the stones have been used as grave markers as well.

 

• One of these stones has an ancient carving that appears to be the Tower of Babel.

 

• Another stone has unknown ancient writings on it that have yet to be interpreted and translated. 

 

• All these carvings reveal that this site was venerated long ago and visited by religious people for thousands of years.

 

• Another large stone is believed to have been used as a sounding stone for measuring the depth of the water under the Ark.

​​

4. The names of the surrounding places affirm this site as Noah’s Ark location.

 

• Village of the Eight – This village was named after Noah and his family that God saved from the Flood. It used to be called Kazan and today is called Goller.

 

• Kargaconmaz – Means: The crow or bird won’t land. This refers to Noah letting birds out of the Ark to see if there was dry land.

 

• Ziyaret Dagi – Means: To make a voluntary pilgrimage. This likely refers to the pilgrimage of Noah and his family aboard the Ark.

 

• Uzengili Town – This was formerly called Mahser, which means: To be drawn out of the water or judgment day. The name Moses has the same root. In Genesis 10:30, it says regarding the descendants of Noah: Now their settlement extended from Mesha going toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. Mesha shares the same root word as Mahser.

 

• Mahser Location – This has the same meaning as the town of Uzengili but is the location of the area.

 

• Nasar – Means: To make a sacrifice. This likely refers to the sacrifices Noah made to God in worship after he and his family were saved from the Flood.

 

• Yigityatagi – Means: Hero’s anchorage. This refers to the place where the drogue and anchor stones came to rest in this area of the mountains of Ararat.

 

• Arz-zapt (Arzap) – Means: To capture the earth. In the Semitic version of Arz-zapt, which is Eretz-tsab, means: To cling to the earth. These names are linked to the place where the Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The name for this town today is Sagliksuyu and is where some drogue stones, the ruins of Noah’s house, and Noah’s altar are located.

 

• Nuhun Gemisi – This name means Noah’s Ark in Turkish. It is referred to as the location of Noah’s Ark today, and road signs placed by the government use it to mark the route to Noah’s Ark National Park. 

​​

5. Due to the history and evidence at the Durupinar Site, the Turkish government designated this place as Noah’s Ark National Park. This gives more weight to this site as the location of the Ark.

 

6. There are many road signs today and from the past that mark this site as genuine. 

 

7. Interestingly, what is believed to be the remains of Noah’s home, the grave of Noah’s wife, gravestone markers, a stream by Noah’s home that would have provided water for planting crops, vineyards, and animal husbandry, and a large rock that many believe was the altar Noah used for sacrificing animals to God has been discovered in the town of Arzap.

 

• The remains of Noah’s home are believed to be located here in this area. It was once somewhat erected but has been torn down over the years by treasure hunters.

 

• A sarcophagus was discovered by Ron Wyatt, which is a stone coffin or a container to hold a coffin that had skeletal remains of a person who was about 15 ft. or 4.5 m. tall. It’s believed before the Flood that people and animals were much bigger as they lived longer. The remains are believed to be those of Noah’s wife. The sarcophagus has been hauled off by treasure hunters and sold on the black market. However, its depression in the ground is still visible today. It’s also believed the jewelry she was wearing was robbed and sold on the black market for millions of dollars. Some of the skeletal remains have survived and reveal the size of the person who was in the grave.

 

• Two tombstones were found in front of what’s believed to be Noah’s home. On one of the tombstones found by Ron Wyatt, it had carvings of 8 people, a rainbow, and a dove on it. This tombstone is believed to be that of Noah’s wife, as the second-largest person is looking downward with their eyes closed. 

 

• Remains of ancient corrals have been discovered where it’s possible Noah kept his animals are nearby, along with a stream, pastures, and so forth that could have been used by Noah and his family.

 

• A large rock nearby is believed to be an altar Noah could have used for animal sacrifice after the Flood.

​​

8. There have been found in the area around the site many sea life fossils and an abundance of sea coral that give evidence that this area was once underwater for a significant period of time. This would match the Genesis account of the Great Flood as found in the Bible.

 

9. Broken remains of an ancient stele, which is a stone or wooden slab erected in the ancient world as a monument, were claimed to have been found on top of a ridge near the Iranian border by Ron Wyatt. The broken pieces were quite large, and most were exposed, which allowed Ron to photograph them for later piecing together. 

 

• This stele contained numerous inscriptions of what looked like 3 different forms of writing. One segment was particularly legible. This was a scene depicting the unique ridge just above the site, a mountain peak in the background, a ship with 8 faces in it, and 2 ravens (one flying above the ship and one above the mountain.)

 

• The rest of the inscription featured several animals. But the importance of the stele was that the shape of the boat was almost identical to the 1950s aerial photo of the boat-shaped object. The 8 faces within the boat needed little explanation according to Wyatt. But most importantly, this stele was just beyond the site where Ron had found the 120 x 40-foot section he believed to be a portion of the bottom of the ship. He would study the inscription more later, but at that time, it appeared to him that it was marking the location of the original landfall of the ark.

 

10. An ostracon was found by Dr. Bill Shea around 100 ft. or 30.48 m. from the boat formation.

 

• An ostracon is a teaching tool usually made up of a piece of broken pottery that has something written or sketched on it that passes along an important story.

 

• On one side of the ostracon, as interpreted by Bill Shea, it has an inked-on drawing of a man with two birds. One is on his arm, and the other is being released. Below it is a bird flying back that has a branch in its mouth.

 

• The other side shows a man with a mustache and a beard, and has a hammer and spike in his hands. Shea interprets this as Noah likely building the Ark. 

 

11. Dr. Robert Michelson discovered an ossuary in 1998 above the Durupinar site that dates back to around 1600 BC, 900 years after the Great Flood.

 

• This would have been the time Noah’s descendants inhabited the area.

 

• An ossuary is an item the deceased person’s bones are put in and kept for long-term purposes. This was only done for very important people.

 

12. There are also other ancient relics one would expect to find at a site that has been venerated for thousands of years. 

 

Historical Accounts of the Location of Noah’s Ark

 

• The Gilgamesh Epic gives Mt. Nisir as the landing place of the Ark. The local name for the town where the Ark was found is Nasar.

 

• The town just above the boat-shaped object was formerly called Nasar. This is similar to Niser that the Babylonian writer Berossus described as being near the Ark site in the third century BC.

 

• Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian living around the time of Christ, wrote: “Its remains are shown there by the inhabitants to this day.” This means the Ark was not on top of Mt. Ararat as it’s covered in ice virtually year-round. 

 

• Theophilus of Antioch (115-185 AD) said the Ark could be seen in his day in the Arabian mountains. Later, Church Fathers also mention the Ark as late as the mid-7th century AD.

 

• Ptolemy’s Geographia (1548) mentions the mountains of Armenia as the place of landing. So does the traveler Nicolas de Nicolay (1558).

 

• It was reported that Pilgrims visiting the site would gather bits and pieces of the petrified wood which would be used as charms to ward off evil. When they encountered the drogue and anchor stones, they had no doubt as to their association with the Ark. 

 

• All these accounts suggest that the location of Noah’s Ark was in an accessible place like the Durupinar Site and not on the inaccessible upper part of Mt. Ararat.

 

Is There Evidence for Noah’s Ark on Mt. Ararat?

 

• Over the past several hundred years, some have claimed to have spotted the Ark on the upper part of Mt. Ararat, but no substantial evidence has been produced. For example, Fernand Navarra claimed to have touched the Ark and supposedly brought down from the mountain wood from the Ark. However, when the wood was tested, it was far too young to be that of Noah’s Ark, and those accompanying him later revealed that Navarra carried the wood up to the mountain earlier and then brought it down to promote his book called, “Noah’s Ark: I Touched It.”  There have been others as well who have claimed to have found pieces of the Ark, but they have been discredited as hoaxes.

 

• Many claim the evidence points to Mt. Ararat as being a more recent volcano that happened after the Flood. This is evidenced by the type of rock formations, the lack of sea fossil records, and no sentiment deposits that would result from the mountain being underwater. If this is the case, then it would be impossible for Noah’s Ark to be on Mt. Ararat because it wouldn’t have even existed when the Flood occurred. 

 

• Another major reason why Noah’s Ark is unlikely on top of Mt. Ararat is that the Bible and geology support that before the Flood, there was a water canopy above the earth that caused a greenhouse-like effect on the whole earth. This is why there has been found lush tropical vegetation evidence at the northern and southern poles. 

 

• When the Flood occurred, the water canopy in the sky came down upon the earth, and the earth’s climate was permanently changed. The earth was exposed to the upper atmosphere without a water canopy, causing instant freezing toward the northern and southern poles and the higher elevation mountains. Mt. Ararat is the tallest mountain in Turkey and is about 17,000 ft. or 5,165 m. above sea level. The claims to the locations of Noah’s Ark on Mt. Ararat are at the upper elevations where the glaciers are found. Most of these proposed sightings are above what is called the “tree line.” This is the level where vegetation stops growing. 

 

• With this being the case, it seems illogical and contrary to God’s supernatural protection of the Ark, and those in it, to allow the Ark to rest on the upper elevations of Mt. Ararat as it would have been in a place of severe freezing temperatures, a harsh environment, extremely rough terrain, and hard to descend from to lower elevations. In fact, of the deaths occurring to those who climb Mt. Ararat, most happen on the descent down the mountain. 

 

• All this causes me to question the validity of Noah’s Ark being on the upper part of Mt. Ararat, as some claim. It just seems unlikely that God would cause the Ark to rest on the top of a massive mountain with such a harsh environment for Noah and the animals to have to confront. Also, there would have been no vegetation at such a high altitude for survival. They would have had to rapidly descend the mountain in order to survive. Again, it all seems contrary to God’s nature and His care for those inside the Ark. It seems much more logical to believe the Ark came to rest at the Durupinar site, which is much lower, flatter, and environmentally friendly for life after the Flood.

 

The Durupinar Site Is the Best Candidate for the Location of Noah’s Ark

 

In summary, taking into account all the evidence at the Durupinar Site, it is by far the best candidate for the location of Noah’s Ark. Now while the boat-shaped formation is intriguing, I believe all the other evidence is sufficient to believe this area is the site of Noah’s Ark even without taking into consideration the boat-shaped formation. The names of the places in the area, the drogue stones, the relics, carvings on the stones, and so forth provide weighty evidence that this is very likely the true site of Noah’s Ark. 
In archaeology, the history and length of time a site has been venerated is highly valued. It’s certain that this site has been venerated for thousands of years and wouldn’t have been so if it wasn’t highly valued. This Durupinar Site certainly meets all the criteria of archaeology to be considered the most likely place of Noah’s Ark.

 

Faith Lesson from Noah’s Ark

 

1. Do we truly believe that the biblical account of Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood really happened?

 

• Today, there is a raging battle taking place between those who want to eliminate a literal account of the creation of the universe and the Great Flood account as found in Genesis 1–8. The battle is between those who attempt to explain every earthly event by using only the natural laws of nature. In other words, they eliminate the existence of God and the supernatural. Therefore, they are only left with natural explanations for everything that occurred in the past.

 

• God tells us that the answer to these apparent dilemmas is faith. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that: By faith we understand that the worlds were framed [created] by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

 

• Creation was a supernatural event that we should believe by faith. 

 

• Additionally, God says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 says: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

 

• Mankind’s problem is that they trust in their own intelligence and beliefs rather than trusting in God. Proverbs 3:5 clarifies this problem and the solution: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

 

• God identifies unbelief as a sin in the Bible. Hebrews 3:12 says: Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

 

• What about us? Do we believe God created the universe and all that exists in six literal days, as the Bible says, or do we lean on the understanding of so-called scientists and others who say otherwise?

 

• Also, do we believe there was a literal flood like God says, or do we believe people instead? It’s really a matter of whom we choose to believe. Do we believe what God says in the Bible or people? It’s that simple.

 

2. Do we understand why God sent the Flood?

 

• The purpose of the Great Flood was to destroy all the wicked people on the earth. Now while this might sound cruel, it is actually an exercise of God’s mercy and justice. Sin causes heartache and suffering. When sin reaches such a severe state, then God will step in and eliminate it. This is what He did with the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Canaanites, and so forth. Also, we believe children go to heaven if they die before the age of accountability. So, instead of having to suffer at the hand of the wicked, they go to heaven. And lastly, everyone will die sooner or later, so in the grand scheme of time, it doesn’t matter a whole lot if a person dies young or old. What matters is that they are right with God and following Him.

 

• Also, God is just in punishing the wicked, whether it be during their time on earth or after they die.

 

• So what about us? Do we realize that we all will stand before God and give an account of our lives? If we are believers, we will be judged for how we used our gifts and abilities for God, not whether we will go to hell. Those who reject God and His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ will be judged and sent to hell.

​

3. Do we believe Noah and the Great Flood are examples of judgment to come?

 

• Before God destroyed all the wicked in the Flood, He gave them sufficient time to repent. However, they continued in their wickedness and rejected their Creator. It is the same today. Jesus said in Matthew 24:37–39: But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the Flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the Flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

 

• And 1 Peter 3:20 speaks of how God patiently waited for the wicked to turn to Him before He sent the Great Flood: When once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

 

• Moreover, 2 Peter 2:4 says: For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the Flood on the world of the ungodly. 

​

4. Do we believe God is patiently waiting, like in the days of Noah, for people to turn from their sin and get right with their Creator?

 

2 Peter 3:3–14 says: Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people. 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be discovered. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found spotless and blameless by Him, at peace.

 

5. What about us? Have we received Christ as our Savior, and are we right with God?

​