King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, January 03, 2026
Chapters: Genesis 6-8
Message: Genesis: The Great Flood
Hello My Friend,
As we continue through the book of Genesis, we come to the sobering account of the events that grieved God so deeply that He determined to remove mankind from the earth. Yet in the midst of widespread corruption, one man—Noah—found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Through him, God chose to preserve the human race. We also learn about the great flood, a judgment that swept away not only humanity but every living creature upon the earth, [Genesis 6:7-8 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. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.]
Many people question God when they witness catastrophic storms, floods, and natural disasters that devastate entire cities. Instead of turning to Him, they often use these events as justification for their unbelief. There is a saying among those who acknowledge God’s existence yet reject His authority :they have gone the way of Cain and that pretty much sums it up, [Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.]
If what we are witnessing today is troubling, imagine how severe the corruption must have been for God to decide to destroy the world the first time. From Creation to the days of Noah was roughly sixteen hundred years. In the beginning, humanity was essentially divided into two lines: those who called upon the name of the Lord through Seth’s lineage, and those who followed the rebellious path of Cain. But as time passed and these groups began to intermingle, the distinction between righteousness and wickedness was no more.
[Genesis 6:1-3 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the LORD said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.]
The sons of God are believers and the sons of man are unbelievers. Beside the fact that the sons of man tend to reproduce more offspring, in many ways unbelievers have always been more skilled and productive than believers. However, because of this they hold nothing back, they give into every desire of their flesh. The influence of corruption spread rapidly, and the world’s moral decay accelerated to the point where it grieved God that He even created man.
[Genesis 6:4-6 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 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. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.]
Think about just how deeply humanity must have fallen before God finally brought the Flood. When Adam and Eve sinned, God had every reason to end the human story yet they found His grace. When Cain hardened his heart, rejected God, and murdered his own brother, God again had every reason to wipe humanity out—but even then, grace was extended. In those sixteen hundred years God showed patience, mercy, He gave space for repentance, which by the way is the hundred and twenty years that God was referring to. So as the generations multiplied and wickedness spread like wildfire as believers and unbelievers crossed the line where every thought, every intention, every imagination of the heart was continually evil that was when God had had enough and judgment began.
[Genesis 6:9-13 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.]
This brings us to an important question: Why did God choose to destroy everything living on the earth when it was humanity that had become wicked? The answer is found in understanding how deeply human sin affects all of creation. When God placed Adam in the garden, He gave him dominion over the earth. Humanity was meant to steward creation, reflect God’s character, and bring order and blessing to the world. But when mankind fell into corruption, creation itself fell under the weight of that corruption. The world God made to be good had become poisoned by the rebellion of the very beings meant to care for it. So when God brought the Flood, He was not simply judging people; He was cleansing a world that had been ruined by the sin of those who ruled over it. And now He instructs Noah on what he was to do to prepare for the destruction of the earth.
[Genesis 6:14-17 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.]
God had a very good reason for commanding Noah to build the Ark, it would become a means of salvation to all that entered it. God was about to establish the very first covenant between not only Him and man, but life itself. This covenant was not only with Noah, but with all who entered the Ark. It was God’s promise of preservation, protection, and future hope. Yet even as judgment approached, God was already laying the foundation for grace.
[Genesis 6:18-22 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.]
One of the most challenging aspects of this entire account is that up to this point, rain had never existed. The earth was watered by a mist that rose from the ground, not by storms falling from the sky. Noah was not responding to something familiar or predictable, he was simply obeying God by faith. And anyone who helped him would have been stepping out in faith as well, having never experienced nor could fully comprehend it themselves. So Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives did exactly as God commanded them. I can only imagine the looks they received from those who watched them year after year. It is very likely that doubt and ridicule surrounded them, especially since the construction lasted the entire one hundred and twenty years that God had appointed. As soon as the Ark was complete, God commanded them to get on it.
[Genesis 7:1-4 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.]
Noah had one week to bring every person and every creature on board the ark. Noah might not have fully understood why God was doing this, but he obeyed exactly as he was commanded. God always gives humanity the opportunity to repent. At any moment, if any of the others had chosen to enter the ark, God would have allowed it. The door of mercy stood open until the very last moment. Yet, tragically, only eight people chose to enter.
[Genesis 7:5-9 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.]
The Ark itself is a powerful picture of Christ. Just as the Ark was the only place of safety from the coming judgment, Christ is the only refuge from the judgment that is to come. Those who entered the Ark were saved, not because they were perfect, but because they trusted the means of salvation that God had provided for them. In the same way, all who come to Christ find salvation, protection, and life, [Hebrews 11:39-40 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.]
Noah was six hundred years old when God Himself shut them in the Ark, as soon as the last insect crawled on board God Himself shut them in. It not only rained, a giant earth quake erupted, water shot up from every body of water on the earth.
[Genesis 7:11,13-16 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; 14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.]
I love this truth. It was God who closed the door of the ark, sealing Noah and his family inside and preserving them from the catastrophe that was about to take place. It grieves God deeply to watch His own creation reject His Son. His desire is not for a single soul to perish in hell, which is why He waits so long before He sends the final judgment. Now, for forty days and forty nights the rain fell without ceasing. What God had warned for one hundred and twenty years was now coming to pass.
[Genesis 7:17-21 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:]
This is the moment where I can almost picture the scene in my mind. People pounding on the Ark. Hands scraping against the wood, trying to climb it. Voices crying out in terror as the waters rose, desperate for a second chance, but the opportunity they once had was gone. God Himself had shut the door, and no human strength could open what He had sealed. That single act was a demonstration of divine protection, mercy, and finality. Once God shut the door, nothing outside could harm them, and nothing inside could be lost, [Luke 13:24-25 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:]
That strait gate is the same as the door to the Ark, if we do not go through it our soul will not survive. This is exactly what Jesus does for every soul the moment a person receives Him as Saviour. He preserves that soul. He seals it. He guards it. Salvation is not held together by human strength, human effort, or human faithfulness. It is held together by Christ Himself, [2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.]
It is heartbreaking to imagine, yet it is the sober reality that every human being and every creature that was not inside the Ark perished. Not because God delighted in destruction, but because they rejected the only place of salvation He had provided. The same door that protected Noah and his family became the barrier that separated life from death for all who refused to enter, [Genesis 7:22-24 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.]
For one hundred and fifty days—that is six full months—the waters covered the entire earth. Even the tallest mountains were submerged beneath more than twenty‑two feet of water. The world that once flourished with life was now completely buried beneath the judgment of God. And if you have ever wondered why archaeologists continue to find fossils of sea creatures on mountain ranges all over the world, this is the reason. The Flood was global and catastrophic, both in carrying marine life with them and in depositing their remains in tact. The very rocks testify to the truth of Scripture, [Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.]
Let me tell you, it is only the few and faithful from this generation that is holding God back from His final judgment upon the entire earth right now. God, never forgets His promise, He remembered that He told Noah that He was going to establish His covenant with him and that was when the waters began to recede.
[Genesis 8:1-4 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.]
I love this truth. God breathed over the entire earth, and at His command the waters not only stopped, they began to dry up. The same breath that spoke creation into existence now moved across the flooded world, pushing back the waters and preparing the earth for new life. Judgment had done its work, and the breath of God ushered in restoration. This is proof that God’s anger is but for a moment and everyone who chooses Him will survive, [Psalms 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.]
At this point, they had been inside the ark for ten months. The waters were steadily receding, but the ark still rested upon the mountains. Noah, eager to know how much of the earth had dried, longed for some sign that the world outside was becoming livable again. So he took a couple of birds from their nests, opened the window of the ark, and sent them out, hoping they would return with evidence that life was beginning to reemerge.
[Genesis 8:6-9 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.]
I picture Jesus doing this with His children whenever they become restless. Just as Noah drew those birds back into the ark for their safety, Jesus gently pulls us back to Himself and gives us the rest our souls desperately need. He is our complete and utter rest from everything that weighs us down. We only need to come to Him in order to receive it fully. In His presence, we find shelter, peace, and the calm our hearts long for, [Hebrews 4:9-11 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.]
One more week passed before Noah sent the dove out again, and this time there was a glimmer of hope. By now it had been nearly one full year since Noah, the people, and all the animals had entered the Ark. Not one soul or creature had died, and there had been no strife among them, but I am certain they were all eager for the day they could finally step onto dry ground again. Nevertheless, the day finally came, when he sent the dove out the third time she did not return.
[Genesis 8:11-14 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.]
Exactly one year after the rain began and the flood destroyed the earth, the land was finally dry, and life was once again sustainable upon it. The long season of judgment had ended, and a new beginning was unfolding. Then God commanded Noah, his family, and every creature to come out of the ark. After a full year of confinement, waiting, and trusting, God released them into a renewed world.
[Genesis 8:16-19 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.]
That phrase has always made me wonder about the earliest generations as well. It is very possible that, in the beginning, women gave birth more frequently, and it is also possible that multiple births were more common. Humanity was starting over, and God had commanded them to fill the earth. In His wisdom, He could have allowed both a shorter time between pregnancies and a higher likelihood of twins or multiples. Either way, the command was clear: life was meant to flourish again. I will never forget my mother quoting this verse often, [Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.]
What would be the very first thing you would do if you were confined to a space for a year and now had newfound freedom? I imagine that some would kiss the ground, others would run around shouting with their hands in the air, something I the line of, “I’m free!” I know how I get when I am cooped up for a while, as soon as I walk out the door and see the sun I say, “Thank You, God.” Well, Noah did not run, stretch, explore, or celebrate first. The very first thing he did was worship God. In fact, he built an altar.
[Genesis 8:20-22 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.]
Wow! Several significant firsts began at this moment in history. First, this was the beginning of the blood sacrifice for redemption. Noah’s altar marked the start of a pattern that would continue throughout Scripture, pointing forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, [Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.]
Second, both people and animals began to eat animal flesh. Predatory animals took on their new nature, and God placed a natural fear of mankind within them. Third, the temperatures of the earth would now change with the seasons. Humanity would experience rain, snow, hail, heat, and cold, all supplied by God to help them sustain life, [Ecclesiastes 3:1-2,14 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.]
Finally, life as they knew it was completely changed. Since God understood that mankind was born with a sin nature, each person would be responsible for his or her own actions. No one would face judgment for another person’s sin. God established personal accountability, making it clear that every individual would answer for his or her own choices, [Romans 3:10-12,21-22 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:]
Today’s Prayer::God, You make it simple to have a blessed life here on earth, follow Your commands and life, but that only happens by first accepting Your Son as our Saviour. In doing so we not only get saved through our faith in Your Son, we receive Your favor, and that is truly amazing. I am humbled to be one of the faithful and few who serve You continually, but it is not of my own doing, it is You who lives in me that I am who I am, and I am justified freely through my faith in Jesus. Lord, lead me and guide me, fill me with Your grace, keep my heart open and tender as I deal with the floods of life with You, let it always be willing to serve You however You lead me, and enable me with Your mercy, power, and strength to follow Your commands and live. In pray this in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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