This is a little bit long, so if you don't want to read it all, I don't blame you. But I'd appreciate it if you did! I wrote this report in September, but not until today did my mom even read it and edit it! I forgot about it. And then I had another report that I put off until almost THE LAST minute, which I had to write today. So I spent a lot of time this afternoon on Microsoft Word! LOL. I'm planning on posting that next week. So, stay tuned!

The story of Noah and his ark has been made into somewhat of a fairy tale for children, as have a few other stories in the Bible. Many people do not believe that there actually was a worldwide flood. Others believe that there was a flood, but they do not believe that it was a worldwide flood. They say it was simply a local flood. What really happened? Well, first let’s look at what the Bible says. Then we will examine a sample of the physical evidence for a worldwide flood.

 
Adam and Eve sinned in the third chapter of Genesis, and everything went down from there. Man continued to neglect God and his words and commandments, and do things his own ways. In fact, only three chapters later, we read, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:5-7) It seems like it was a very short time between the first sin and when God decided to destroy the creation, but in reality, well over one thousand years had passed! That goes to show the longsuffering of the Lord!

 
Only one man “found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” and that man was Noah. You know the main story. God told Noah to build an ark. When the ark was finished, Noah, his family, and two of every kind of animal, entered the ark. God shut the door on the ark, and after seven days, it began to rain. Now, you must keep in mind that this was not some calm, drizzling rain, nor was it even pouring. You and I have never seen it rain as hard as it rained during the flood. This was a violent disaster! The Bible says that the mountains were covered. No wonder it had to rain so hard! It rained for forty days. After many more days of waiting, the earth had dried enough for Noah, his family, and the animals to leave the ark. Noah built an altar, offered sacrifices to God, and worshipped him. Then God set his rainbow in the clouds, promising that there would never be another worldwide flood again to destroy the creation.

 
There is evidence of a worldwide flood all around us! The flood was such a dramatic event that the entire planet was affected! Job 12:8-9 says, “Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?” Now I will explain why this was not a local flood, as many believe. First of all, if this was only a local flood, why did Noah have to build an ark? Wouldn’t it have been a lot faster and a lot easier for his family and the animals to travel to a different region until the flood was over? Also, God promised that never again would there be flood to destroy all flesh. There have been numerous local floods since then. If it was only a local flood in Noah’s day, then that makes God a liar. And Titus 1:2 states that God cannot tell a lie. Period.

 
Now let us look at some evidence that what the Bible says is true. Actually, we should have enough faith that we do not need to see some physical evidence, but such a flood as that could not possibly happen without leaving any effects. The first evidence I present to you is the legends of people groups around the world. According to Vance Ferrell, author of The Evolution Cruncher, out of forty-one different groups of people (most of them ancient races), all of them believed in a past destruction by a flood. Thirty-eight groups said that some humans were saved, and thirty-six groups believed that a boat saved them. Twenty-four of the forty-one groups agreed that the flood caused universal destruction, and fourteen groups said that the flood was caused because of man’s sins! As generations pass the story down, the details change a little here and there, but the main idea remains the same.

 
Some of most convincing evidence is the fossils found all over the world. Do you know what a fossil is? “Fossils are the remains of living creatures, both plants and animals, or their tracks… These fossil remains may be shells, teeth, bones, or entire skeletons. A fossil may also be a footprint, bird track, or tail marks of a passing lizard… Many fossils no longer contain their original material, but are composed of mineral deposits that have infiltrated them and taken on their shapes.” (Excerpts from The Evolution Cruncher, by Vance Ferrell) The recipe for fossils is mud, pressure, and lots of water. The flood could have done that! The key here is that fossils have to form rapidly -- otherwise the animal or plant will decay. A fossilized molting Marrella has been discovered (Marrella splendens is a soft-bodied arthropod). Molting takes place very quickly when an animal sheds its skin, or exoskeleton, so this is proof that the animal was buried and fossilized very quickly. This points to a flood.

 
The flood affected the climate. There is evidence that the entire earth was, at one time, a tropical planet with very few or no oceans. There were no deserts or high mountains. It was literally a tropical paradise! But, as we can see today, that has all changed! Although the earth has changed drastically as a result of the flood, our planet is still suited for life! God has made the world wonderfully! “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:31)