Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. This is study #11 of Genesis, chapter 7 and we are going to read Genesis 7:7-10:

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. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

Again, we read in Genesis 7:7:

And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him…

When God speaks of them going into the ark, He made a point of saying that they went in “with him,” referring to Noah. That is because Noah is a type of Christ and it is through Christ that the elect enter into the kingdom of God. Historically, it was through their intimate relationship that the people entered into the ark – it was Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives. It was the close family of Noah that entered into the ark and were saved. They all went in “with him,” just as all those that are saved go into that glorious kingdom of God with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then it says at the end of Genesis 7:7:

… into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

Historically, it is obvious that they went into the ark to escape the flood waters of the flood that God had foretold to Noah. God had given him the reason he was commissioned to build the ark because there would be an overflow of waters that would flood the earth. Yes, we can learn some things about history and history is always interesting as we learn of the historical situation and the events that actually took place over 7,000 years ago when the first earth was destroyed by water. However, learning of historical events does not enable us to grow in spiritual things. The Bible is a spiritual Book and in order to come to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, you have to go beyond the historical application and see what it represents spiritually. What is the spiritual meaning of the historical parable of the flood?

When we think of the “waters,” we know that God likens the water to His Word. It says in 2Peter 3:5-6:

For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

Notice that God refers to it being “by the word of God.” We could say that “By the word of God the world that then was perished.” The waters of the flood relate to the Word of God.

Speaking of the Lord Jesus that spoke to the spirits in prison, it says in 1Peter 3:20:

Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

They were saved by water and that is stretching things a bit, historically, when you are speaking of the flood because if the flood gates had not been opened and the deluge had not taken place, then they would not have been in danger and they would have stayed on dry land, so, historically, I do not know if one could say that the water that posed the danger saved them, although it is true that since they were in the ark the waters did lift them up above the highest mountain. However, it seems to stretch it a little bit if you just look at it literally to say that they were “saved by water.” They were saved by God’s forewarning. They were saved by the ark. But the statement was made that they were “saved by water” because it is definitely accurate when we understand that “water” identifies with the Word of God, the Bible. The Word of God or the Scriptures is that which saves.

When we have that spiritual understanding, we know that everyone that entered into the ark was saved and the ark is a picture of salvation in Christ and because of the Word of God they were delivered: “For faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Salvation has always been a result of hearing God’s Word, so God is relating the “water” to the Word of God, which led them to go into the ark at the threat of the waters. The waters had not yet begun to fall until they were safely in the ark and then God shut them in and then the waters were upon the earth, so it was the threat of the waters that led them into the ark.

I think we can safely relate that to the worldwide proclamation of the message of Judgment Day coming on May 21, 2011, just as this historical account of the flood ties to the judgment on the entire world seven thousand years later on the equivalent day. The judgment had not yet come upon the world when the Word of God was spread across the entire earth and proclaimed in every nation, especially over the electronic medium – radio, internet, television – as well as billboards, tracts, t-shirts and word of mouth. I even remember seeing a picture of some old carriage in Africa and there was a sign on that horse-drawn carriage about Judgment Day being May 21, 2011. This message covered the earth like the waters cover the sea and it was a message of God’s forewarning, just as the Lord had told Noah. We read in Hebrews 11:7:

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

God forewarned Noah of things not seen as yet. At the time of the end, the Lord opened His Word to show the “sword” that was approaching. It would be in that 7,000th year to the equivalent date of the “seventeenth day of the second month” and that message went worldwide and covered the nations. Because of the waters of the flood (or because of the message of God’s final judgment) there was a great multitude – although a remnant – of people that were saved by the advanced warning. The Word of God had brought the message of coming judgment to their ears and faith came by the hearing of the Word and they were able to enter into the safety of the kingdom of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ saved many in China, India, South America, the Pacific Islands, and so forth. He saved His elect people all over the face of the earth and they were all being gathered and brought on board the “ark,” just as the door of the ark was opened until the “seventeenth day of the second month.” The animals were coming aboard from all over as God moved them and led them to the ark.

I recently heard a critic of the flood speak about how ridiculous a thought it was that Noah ran about trying to capture all the animals. That would be ridiculous, of course, but Noah did not have to go out and capture the animals like you would for a zoo. God simply moved the animals to come to Noah. At that time the world was just one continent – there were not several divided continents like we have now. The dividing of the continents did not occur until the days of Peleg, so all the animals were on one giant continent. No matter how far away a species of animals would have been from where Noah was, God would have begun moving in those animals to migrate to where the ark was located and then they were loaded on the ark in the proper time. After all, who is it that controls the animals? God is the one that gave them the breath of life and animated them to give them their existence. God is in control of the animals. He demonstrated that when He caused a donkey to speak. He demonstrated that when He caused a great fish to be at precisely the right spot when Jonah was thrown overboard – God led that great fish right to the place God wanted it to be at a precise moment in time. When the Lord Jesus was called upon to pay taxes, He sent Peter to a particular location to catch a fish. Peter cast in the line and when he pulled up the first fish, inside its mouth was a coin sufficient to pay the tax. Just think of the “amazing odds,” if we look at man’s view of happenings like this. What were the “odds” that the Lord Jesus would know that a fish with a coin in its mouth would be passing by at the exact time Peter threw in his line? We can be sure the other fish in the sea did not have coins in their mouths, but only that fish.

So it is nothing for God to have worked in the various species of animals that He wanted to keep alive to draw them by “twos” or by “sevens” to Noah and the ark. Noah would have had all the animals available and ready for loading when the time came. This is all a picture of God working in His elect across the face of the earth, as He saved them with His Word. What does the Bible tell us concerning the Word of God and how God operates in saving mankind? The Bible tells us in John 6:44:

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

If God draws rebellious men to Himself (against their will), He can certainly draw animals who are not in rebellion against God. If God can draw the worst of the creatures, without question, He can draw the animals. All the animals were drawn to the ark and within them would have been a mysterious desire to “travel” and go toward the ark. They would not have known why they wanted to wander and journey like they did and some of them had never done that before, but it was God’s drawing of the animals that caused them to appear right where they needed to be and Noah could take them in. Everything was done according to the Word of God as they entered into the ark.

It goes on to say in Genesis 7:8:

Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

Again, the animals that were being placed on the ark were clean and “not clean.” We talked about this a little earlier in this chapter because God made reference to this in verses 2 and 3 where He spoke of “clean” beasts and “not clean” beasts. I want to mention this again because God is mentioning it again. The word “clean” directs us in the Bible to that which has become cleansed or washed, so they spiritually represent sinners that have become cleansed from their sin. It pictures God’s elect. But the “not clean” beasts are types and figures of the creation because the “not clean” animals are going to be delivered from the destruction of the first earth. The flood is going to wipe out everything outside the ark with the breath of life and it is as though it pictures the destruction of the entire creation, so when the Lord allows some “not clean” animals to board the ark it is a figure of His intention to deliver the “creation,” because the animals are the highest order of creation apart from mankind. They are spared destruction by the flood and when the flood ran its course, they came out of the ark. The coming out of the ark is a picture of the “new heaven and new earth” and it is as though the creation has been, in a way, redeemed.

I think this is how it has to be understood, for a couple of reasons. Notice that I keep saying, “clean” and “not clean” animals and that is not easy to do because the Bible speaks frequently of “unclean” animals, as far as being ceremonially unclean or someone that is spiritually unclean. However, there is a Hebrew word for “unclean” that is not used here. The words that describe the beasts loaded unto the ark are a literal translation when it speaks of “clean” beasts and “not clean” beasts, with the only difference being the addition of the “negative” that negates the word clean. I think it is significant that God did not say “unclean,” like a leper is “unclean” as he represents sin. This is a lesser or more mild way to indicate that something is “not clean.” I think the reason for this is that the creation was made “subject to vanity,” but not willingly. The creation itself did not willfully sin against God – they did not rebel. It was only man that rebelled and due to mankind’s rebellion God cursed the creation, making it “not clean.” I think that is one reason. Also, I think Romans, chapter 8 explains it best as to what is going on in the loading of the ark with clean, as well as “not clean” animals. It says in Roman 8:21:

Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

This is language of salvation that is being related to the “creation” or “creatures.” Then it goes on to say in Romans 8:22-23:

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

God is joining together the desire of the elect for their new resurrected bodies with the desire of the creation to receive deliverance and redemption and that can only happen when there is a new creation, so the elect and the creation have a mutual desire for the end of the world and the creation of the new heaven and new earth. We see this in the loading of the animals on the ark. There are the people and there are the “clean” animals and there are the “not clean” animals and they are together onboard the ark when the door shuts. Then they wait. They are the only ones waiting. All the people and all the animals outside the ark perish, but onboard you have the elect and the creation together and they share that mutual desire for redemption, but they both have to “groan” and “travail” onboard the ark throughout the prolonged judgment period until their desire can be realized and the waters of the flood recede and it is as though they step out into a new world.

I think it is very clear that this is the picture God paints here in our verse. I do not see any other way of understanding it and I believe it has to be (understood) that way.