I would like to open a discussion, hopefully pleasant for all, regarding the flood of Noah's time and what it was like that God decided to flood the earth and save Noah and all the 8 living persons and life (saved animals and such) in the Ark back then. I will quote some specific scripture that discusses the state of man before that time. Are we approaching a state on earth like that? (see Genesis 5-9). We as Christians, some of us atleast desire to watch for things that are approaching like Jeus' return.
Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 6 - New King James Version
Genesis 6:5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
In the above message from God we find that the intents of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually. And I know that hearts can be damaged and afflicted in evil ways, like abuse and following temptation from evil sources and acting on those tempting influences. And those would be afflictions of the heart of mankind. And what I see in the above scripture is that after damage of the heart, that can cause various thoughts which might be directed towards evil thoughts. And if entertaining and dwelling on those thoughts, which is unwise, problems can arise. God can heal our hearts, and relieve unhealthy thoughts.
We as Christians direct people to confess their sins and become baptized, then confirmed with the Holy Ghost by priests of Christian church organizations. And later receive the bread and wine of Jesus our Lord. Together God the Father, Jesus the Christ and the Holy Ghost protect us from evil and damage and we seek him in humble loving prayer for guidance, healing and many other areas, including protection from those that desire evil works for themselves and also others.
We also have scripture about intents of the heart from the Lord Jesus in the New Testament:
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 5:27-28 - New King James Version
Matthew 5:27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
And it is clear from that passage that there is a line we don't cross as Christians and children of God regarding adultery, which is the act of stealing someones spouse or engaging in sexual relations with a married person. There is also fornication which is a more general description of improper sexual relations and may not be married persons.
Keep in mind that the verse quoted above from Jesus in the New Testament relates to other crimes against God's laws, not only adultery.
There are also a few verses in the New Testament regarding the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ:
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 24:37-39 - New King James Version
Matthew 24:37 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.
The other scripture that comes to mind for me is the following which also relates and is directed at atleast Jesus and his apostles time back then:
Matthew 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 16 - New King James Version
Matthew 16:1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
Interesting is the story of Jonah and being caught in the belly of the whale, which he describes similar to an abyss and dead experience for not following God's direction to warn Ninevah of their pending destruction.
Jesus in the previous verse says he ended up in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights. Was that for a similar reason as Jonah? Did Jesus speak in parables to the wicked and not warn them of some pending destruction? To fullfill the fall of Adam and Even, Jesus died, descended into spirit prison in the heart of the earth and there preached and did good to the spirits still there which were the locked up souls from flood. Jesus is the Son of God, and I'm not sure how he descended into the spirit prison heart of the earth, as he is part of his Father and God also, and followed his father's direction perfectly. Jonah did not and ended up in the belly of a whale and got eventual vomitted up onto the beach. Then Jonah repented of not warning Ninevah.
Bible Gateway passage: 1 Peter 3:18-22 - New King James Version
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, 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. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 6 - New King James Version
Genesis 6:5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
In the above message from God we find that the intents of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually. And I know that hearts can be damaged and afflicted in evil ways, like abuse and following temptation from evil sources and acting on those tempting influences. And those would be afflictions of the heart of mankind. And what I see in the above scripture is that after damage of the heart, that can cause various thoughts which might be directed towards evil thoughts. And if entertaining and dwelling on those thoughts, which is unwise, problems can arise. God can heal our hearts, and relieve unhealthy thoughts.
We as Christians direct people to confess their sins and become baptized, then confirmed with the Holy Ghost by priests of Christian church organizations. And later receive the bread and wine of Jesus our Lord. Together God the Father, Jesus the Christ and the Holy Ghost protect us from evil and damage and we seek him in humble loving prayer for guidance, healing and many other areas, including protection from those that desire evil works for themselves and also others.
We also have scripture about intents of the heart from the Lord Jesus in the New Testament:
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 5:27-28 - New King James Version
Matthew 5:27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
And it is clear from that passage that there is a line we don't cross as Christians and children of God regarding adultery, which is the act of stealing someones spouse or engaging in sexual relations with a married person. There is also fornication which is a more general description of improper sexual relations and may not be married persons.
Keep in mind that the verse quoted above from Jesus in the New Testament relates to other crimes against God's laws, not only adultery.
There are also a few verses in the New Testament regarding the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ:
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 24:37-39 - New King James Version
Matthew 24:37 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.
The other scripture that comes to mind for me is the following which also relates and is directed at atleast Jesus and his apostles time back then:
Matthew 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 16 - New King James Version
Matthew 16:1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
Interesting is the story of Jonah and being caught in the belly of the whale, which he describes similar to an abyss and dead experience for not following God's direction to warn Ninevah of their pending destruction.
Jesus in the previous verse says he ended up in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights. Was that for a similar reason as Jonah? Did Jesus speak in parables to the wicked and not warn them of some pending destruction? To fullfill the fall of Adam and Even, Jesus died, descended into spirit prison in the heart of the earth and there preached and did good to the spirits still there which were the locked up souls from flood. Jesus is the Son of God, and I'm not sure how he descended into the spirit prison heart of the earth, as he is part of his Father and God also, and followed his father's direction perfectly. Jonah did not and ended up in the belly of a whale and got eventual vomitted up onto the beach. Then Jonah repented of not warning Ninevah.
Bible Gateway passage: 1 Peter 3:18-22 - New King James Version
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, 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. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
Last edited: