Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. This is study #20 of Genesis, chapter 7 and we are going to read Genesis 7:18-24:

And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 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: 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. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

I will stop reading there. This brings us to the end of Genesis, chapter 7. In our last couple of studies, we looked at the waters prevailing and the word “prevailed” has to do with victory in battle. We saw that the “waters” represent the Word of God which won the victory over the kingdom of Satan, the world itself. That is why God again, and again, makes reference to the waters prevailing. It indicates that His Word proved faithful and true as He fulfilled His promise and brought judgment upon all the inhabitants of the earth. The Word of God prevailed and was victorious and the waters began to prevail on “the seventeenth day of the second month” of Noah’s 600th year and verse 24 tells us that the waters prevailed upon the earth for 150 days. That is five months from the beginning of the flood until the seventeenth day of the seventh month and we know that because God tells us that in the next chapter. The waters prevailed and they rose and rose until it was 15 cubits above the highest mountain.

I think we mentioned this before, but in Genesis, chapter 7 we find the word “waters” nine times. That is “3 x 3,” to indicate the purpose of God, so it is a strong emphasis that God’s purpose in the Day of Judgment is that the “waters” will be victorious in overcoming the kingdoms of Satan and this world.

In Genesis, chapter 8 we also find the word “waters” nine times. Again, it is “3 x 3,” to indicate the strong emphasis upon the purpose of God and, yet, in chapter 8 the “waters” are abating in all nine instances. The “waters” are decreasing continually. It is not a coincidence that God uses the word “waters” nine times as they rise and another nine times as they decrease. It indicates His purpose in regard to the rising “waters” and the great victory the Word of God won beginning at the point of the day of judgment and throughout the five more months, historically.

We read in Genesis 7:19-20:

And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

The word translated as “high hills” is the same Hebrew word translated as “mountains.” This same word can be translated either way, so verse 19 tells us that all the high hills were covered and verse 20 reiterates that by saying the mountains were covered. It is doubling up on the that truth: the mountains of the world were covered by the waters of the flood. Why is that important? Why is it so significant? God could have brought the water up to the height of three quarters of the highest mountain and still destroyed all with the breath of life outside the ark. Not only did the waters cover the mountains, but it rose 15 cubits above that height, as it says, “Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail.” With the number “15,” we see the number “3,” which represents God’s purpose; and we see the number “5” that represents atonement. The Lord Jesus Christ made atonement for the sins of His people at the point of the world’s foundation. Atonement is payment for sins. That was what sacrifices represented. Sin is transgression of God’s Law and the Law demands satisfaction or atonement, so all the wicked people of the world have offended God by breaking His Law and now comes the time of judgment when God pours out His wrath. In this case, the wrath of God was poured out with water, but in the case of the final Day of Judgment, it starts with a spiritual judgment and then will end with the wrath of God being poured out with fire to destroy this world and its inhabitants. It is all the pouring out of the wrath of God against the transgressors of the Law of God. The sinner transgresses the Law and the Law says that the wages of sin is death and in order to satisfy the Law’s demand for death, God flooded the entire earth. With that action, the unsaved people of the world had to make their own atonement for sin through the sacrifice of themselves, so bringing the water 15 cubits above the highest mountain points to this atonement. So, too, does the 150 days when the water prevailed. The number “150” is “15 x 10,” so we have “3 x 5 x 10” associated with the number of days in which the waters were prevailing. Again, it was God’s purpose for the atonement of the wicked of the world and the number “10” points to completeness, so the death of the wicked would provide complete atonement to accomplish the purpose of God. Wwith both the 15 cubits and the 150 days, God’s purpose is in view and atonement is in view in regard to what was happening on the earth in the days of the flood.

Again, the waters rose 15 cubits above the highest mountain and God wanted that to be known. All the high hills were covered, without exception. The highest mountain was covered and there were no mountains that rose out of that water, no matter where one might sail and the only sailing vessel was the ark. Wherever the ark traveled, it would see no land or even a mountain peak. God made sure that every mountain in all the world was covered by water. The reason He did this is because of what is represented by mountains and we saw this recently in the study of the Book of Daniel. In regard to King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, we are told in Daniel 2:34-35:

Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

In the interpretation of the dream, the stone that became a great mountain is explained in Daniel 2:44-45:

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold…

The stone that became a great mountain is identified as the kingdom of God that destroys the kingdoms of Satan and we can find other language in the Bible that relates mountains to kingdoms.

It says in Revelation 17:9-10:

And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

Then it says in Revelation 17:12:

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

There are seven mountains and seven kings and kings reign over kingdoms.

We also read in Luke 4:5:

And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

Why did the devil take Him up to a high mountain? It is because mountains identify with kingdoms.

It says in Revelation 21:10:

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

In this case, being carried away to the great and high mountain is to view is of the kingdom of God, holy Jerusalem. Again, the vantage point was from a high mountain.

Speaking of Judgment Day, the time in which we currently live, it also says in Isaiah 54:7-10:

For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith JEHOVAH thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith JEHOVAH that hath mercy on thee.

First, God speaks of the waters of Noah and then He says the mountains and the hills are removed. The word “removed” is Strong’s #4131 and it is the same word that is found in Psalm 46:1-2:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Now this is really language of the flood. The waters that God poured out covered the whole earth and the mountains were basically cast into the sea, so this is another image like we saw in Isaiah 54, where verse 9 spoke of the “waters of Noah” and verse 10 spoke of the mountains departing and the hills being removed. The word “carried” in Psalm 46, verse 2 is the same Hebrew word as the word “removed.” Then it goes on to say in Psalm 46:3-5:

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

Notice it speaks of mountains being carried into the midst of the sea in verse 2, but then it speaks of God being in the midst of the city of God, which would be the mountain of God, and she will not be removed or cast into the sea to come under the wrath of God and be destroyed. God is in the midst of her and shall help her and that right early. This idea of mountains or kingdoms being cast into the sea ties into the Book of Hebrews, where it says in Hebrews 12:26-27:

Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Notice the word “removing” is also used here. We (God’s people) will not be moved. The elect of God will not be moved as the wicked of the earth are moved because only the kingdom of darkness is cast into the sea. We have a kingdom which cannot be shaken and, therefore, it remains. This ties in with Christ’s coming when we which are alive and remain on the earth will be caught up.

It goes on to say in Hebrews 12:28-29:

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.

We have a kingdom or a mountain, the kingdom of God that cannot be moved. It is the same idea with the house upon the rock. It is key as to where it is built, whether it is built upon the rock or built upon the sand. The storm comes against both. If you read Matthew 7, it is an identical storm that assaults the house built upon the rock and the house built upon the sand because both are subjected to Judgment Day. In the place of judgment, you will find both the righteous and the wicked. Both are upon the earth in the Day of Judgment and the wrath of God is poured out equally upon both. God shut the door on the righteous and the wicked, as far as the shut door of heaven, except that the righteous are already righteous, so it does not harm them the way it harms the unrighteous. It is not a cause of torment to the elect like it is to the unsaved people of the world. God began to pour out His wrath in a spiritual judgment upon the inhabitants of the earth and the true believers are present, but they endure and their house stands when the storm comes and it does not end up on the midst of the sea because God is with them; they are built upon the rock and they “withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, as we read in Psalm 1. They will fall and their house collapses. The kingdom of Satan is cast into the midst of the sea. They are all similar statements.

Remember what Christ told the disciples in Matthew 21:19-21:

And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

When we examine this parable we find Christ cursed the fig tree, national Israel, and that was the judgment of God upon them. When the veil of the temple was rent in twain, the corporate body of Israel was abandoned by God and the Spirit of God left them and never again would there be salvation within the synagogue system. Individually, Jews could have found salvation according to God’s election program and God would have drawn them out. But Christ said He cursed the fig tree and what He did His followers would do also. The fig tree also represents the New Testament corporate church, so when the proper time came at the beginning of the Great Tribulation God ended the church age. God opened up the Scriptures and uncovered the truth that He had ended the church age and now the fig tree represented the churches and congregations of the world and the corporate church was being cursed in a similar way to national Israel. It was the elect that proclaimed and believed these things and, therefore, by faith they cursed the fig tree, but Jesus said that not only would they curse the fig tree, but He added, “but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea.” What “mountain” is that? God identifies Babylon as a mountain because Babylon is a picture of the kingdom of Satan which encompassed both the churches and the entire world during the Great Tribulation. God says in Jeremiah 51:25:

Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith JEHOVAH…

God is referring to Babylon. Then a little later it says in Jeremiah 51:42:

The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.

This reminds us of when Jeremiah cast the Book or scroll into the sea and it says in Jeremiah 51:63-64:

And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates: And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

Satan’s kingdom of this world (Babylon) will be cast into the sea. The mountains will be removed and they will go into the sea. The “destroying mountain” of Babylon represented all the kingdoms of the earth that Satan ruled over, including the final province of the New Testament corporate church, which would come under the judgment of God and be cast into the sea. God’s people would do that by faith.