50 Years Building His Kingdom - Far Eastern Bible College

Life
Bible-Presbyterian
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Page 72
this, believe that the writer was using “the language of appearance,” that is, the
Flood appeared to be universal because it covered everything within man’s immediate
scope of observation. The following confirms that the Flood was universal
and not local:
i. The Depth of the Flood (Gen 7:19-20).
If the Flood were only restricted in area, it is difficult to comprehend the
fact that it covered the highest mountains, even in a small area, without
overflowing to other areas. The fact that water seeks its own level seems
to be decisively against a local flood.
ii. The Duration of the Flood
It appears that the Flood lasted for over one year in all from the time
Noah entered the ark until he left it; most of that time the water was upon
the earth. No local Flood in history ever lasted that long. Any flood which
endured for such a long period would, therefore, have to be universal.
iii. The Size of the Ark
Why would Noah build a vessel large enough to accommodate all the
land species on earth when all he needed was one large enough to save
the species indigenous to Mesopotamia, of which there must have been
very few
iv. The Need For an Ark at All
More fatal to the local Flood theory is the utter lack of any need for an ark
in such an event, for Noah could easily have walked from the scene of the
impending disaster, taking with him any animals which were in any danger
of drowning. Why spend 120 years building a boat for which there
was no real need
v. The Testimony of Peter
In 2 Peter 3:3-7, Peter argues that at the end of this age God will destroy
the world with fiery judgment. He bases his arguments for the extensiveness
of this judgment on the analogy of the destruction by water in Noah’s
time. If Peter is trying to teach a universal devastation by fire, which he
assuredly is, why would he compare it to merely a local Flood in Noah’s
time
vi. The Testimony of Rock Strata
The great thicknesses of sedimentary rock strata found throughout the
world, and the existence of huge canyons (eg. the Grand Canyon) can be
best explained as the results of a Universal Flood.
15. “We do believe Isaiah 7:14 is a strictly messianic prophecy historically fulfilled only
by Jesus Christ who was conceived supernaturally in the womb of the virgin Mary by
the power of the Holy Spirit as announced by the angel (Matt 1:22-23, Luke 1:26-
35).”
a. Liberal scholars deny that this was the case, claiming that the Hebrew Word for
“virgin” (ha‘almah) should be translated “young woman” (cf. RSV) and claiming
that the word bethulah would have been used if “virgin” was meant (cf. Gen
24:16). Hence, Isaiah had no intention of predicting the Messiah’s supernatural
virgin birth, and Matthew misquoted this verse in Matthew 1:22, 23. Another
view that removes the supernatural element is found in the Ryrie Study Bible
which claims that the virgin was a woman that Isaiah was going to marry (Isa 8:3)
and who would bear his child, but who was still a virgin at the time the prophecy
was made.