 | Reverend Terry G. Fox is Senior Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church. He is Chairman of the North American Mission Board, member of its Executive Committee and the FamilyNet Broadcast Communications Committee, as well as numerous other subcommittees. He's listed on the Who's Who Among Outstanding Corporate Executives. He is a sought after speaker and has traveled and ministered in many places in the United States, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Rev. Fox and his wife Barbara have three children. You may contact him at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 South Topeka, Wichita, Kansas, 67211; phone (316) 262-1452; or Fax (316) 262-4704. |
Religion
2004-03-01 14:01:00
God said after the flood He would never do it again... will He?
: In the book of Genesis it says that God will not destroy all of mankind the way he did with Noah and the flood. So why is it in Revelations that all of mankind (aside from those who have been saved) will be destroyed during the tribulation?
ANSWER: You haven't read the Genesis passage carefully. Gen. 8:21 says, "And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done." He then expands on this in Gen. 9 where it is put in the form of a Covenant (a word repeated 6 times). Gen. 9:11 "I establish My covenant with you: Never again will life be cut off by waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." God then goes on to state that the rainbow "will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth". This is restated several times between verses 12 and 17. I believe you will agree that no such thing is predicted in Revelation.There are interesting possibilities connected to the flood story. There is geological evidence of a great flood. Also, legends of people all around the world tell of a family and animals that were saved in a boat from a terrible flood that covered the world. Sudden climate changes are evidenced by tropical plant and animal remains found in frigid regions such as northern Siberia. If the earth originally had a cloud shroud at high altitude- somewhat similar to Venus- then the greenhouse effect would give a temperate climate over most of the planet. (See Gen. 2:6) Above 150,000 ft. altitude, where the pressure is very low and air is ionized, the temperature is above the boiling temperature of water. Such a cloud-band around the earth might be unstable and if disturbed in some way (a large meteor?) could fall as an enormous rain. This would explain the rainbow as a symbol; no rainbow would have been seen before since there had been no direct sunlight. Without the cloud shroud, no rain of such magnitude would be possible again. The effect of a cloud shroud on life on earth's surface would be to protect us from some space radiation, and losing it could explain the reduction in life span after the time of Noah. But I may be telling you more than you asked. You are rightly concerned about the prophecies in Revelation. Jesus told us to be always ready for His return and to read the events as we read the weather. We are told enough to know that our eternal destiny is in His hands and our only security is to be committed to Him as Lord and Savior. Only His sacrifice on the cross can pay for our rebellious, sinful attitude and acts. His love invites us to receive forgiveness and become children in God's household for eternity. "But to as many as did receive Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in and rely on) His name." John 1:12 (amplified version).
