It is hard enough to believe that God would save the rebellious dead from hell, much less those who had died in the flood. However, I believe that there is a key reason why He did so – TOO MANY PEOPLE DIED IN THE FLOOD AND NOT ENOUGH WERE SAVED. Huhhhh?!!

I believe that God regretted that all of the then world died and went to hell. Walk with me here:

  • When men began to multiply and become evil, God first said that He would reduce the life span (Gen 6: 3). He did not implement this immediately, because Noah lived 350 years after the flood (Gen 9: 28). It is highly likely that other people enjoyed relatively long lifespans as well.
  • God repented that He had made man and told Noah that He would destroy all flesh (Gen 6: 13). He established a covenant with Noah and his family and told him to build an ark.  However, we learnt from Apostle Peter that Noah preached righteousness for about 100 years and that God waited patiently for the people to repent (1 Pet 3: 20, 2 Pet 2: 5).
  • Genesis 7: 21 – 23 emphasized the extent of the flood’s destruction. It seems as if even God was horrified:

 –  and every man:  All in whose nostrils [was] the breath of life, of all that [was] in the dry [land], died.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.

  • Noah worshipped when he emerged from the ark, engaging God’s favor to the degree that God said in His heart, “neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done“ (Gen 8: 21).
  • To reconfirm His promise with Noah, God reiterated His promise never to destroy ALL flesh by flood:  “neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth” (Gen 9: 11).
  • God took up the issue of the destruction of all humans when speaking with Apostle Peter n 1 Pet 3: 20, regretting that only 8 people were saved.

God is really not willing for any to perish, especially all of the living. This is why only those who had died in the flood had this mercy extended to them.  Does this continue to happen? I believe that this was a one time extension of God’s mercy, found only once in scripture.  This is why Jesus said told Lazarus’ sisters that one does not have to wait until the last day to be resurrected:

Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live (Jn 11: 24, 25).

In the upcoming posts, I will answer these  questions:

  • is there a purgatory?
  • what can Jesus’ actions teach us about the human spirit?

Blessings until next time!