Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. This is study #4 of Genesis, chapter 8 and we are going to read Genesis 8:3-4:

And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

The Lord is being very precise. Without any question, He wants His people to know that the outpouring of His wrath that destroyed the first earth, which is a picture of the final judgment of the world, would be accomplished in the space of 150 days. He has taken great care to let us know precise details concerning the timing of the flood. We know it began on the seventeenth day of the second month in Noah’s 600th year and we know the time the waters “asswaged,” which means the waters were appeased or pacified. It has to do with the completion of the wrath that had been poured out and now the waters are stopped, restrained, returned or abated. It is all language describing the waters of the flood and how they are no longer coming down from heaven or rising from the fountains below. The waters are no longer being sent forth to destroy. Everyone to be destroyed had already been destroyed by the end of the 150 days.

Again, God tells us that the flood began on the seventeenth of the second month and then He tells us in verse 4 that the ark rested on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. It is an even five-month period. In our last study we went to Revelation, chapter 9 and we saw that the Bible speaks in this chapter of the terrible, final judgment of mankind and it is a time of five months of torment. The torment that is in view is designed to “hurt” men for five months. The word “hurt” is the same word as “unjust” in Revelation 22, verse 11, where it has to do with one’s spiritual condition being fixed in an unrighteous state – that is the “hurt” that will take place over the course of the five months. The five months has to do with the entire duration of Judgment Day.

We know that Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011. Revelation, chapter 8 spoke of the judgment on the “third part,” which related to the 23-year Great Tribulation period and judgment on the corporate church, but then the judgment transitioned to the final judgment on the entire world, the kingdom of Satan. We saw that the “sun is darkened,” and we know that is what took place immediately after the Tribulation. This is language that takes place immediately after the Tribulation and May 21, 2011 had the underlying Hebrew calendar date of “the seventeenth day of the second month,” which began the 150-day period (five months) that we read about in the Book of Genesis in which all with the breath of life were destroyed. The language of Revelation, chapter 9 picks up that idea and there are “five months” of destruction in which men are “hurt” and are “unjust” throughout this period and there will be no change in their spiritual condition because there is no more salvation.

Let us now take a look at Genesis 8:4:

And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

The ark is a type and figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. Actually, it is Christ and His people that are within. The eight souls and even the animals typify the people of God and, therefore, the ark is really a picture of the kingdom of God. It is the Lord Jesus and all that are in Him, so when it says the ark “rested” it is a very telling word. It “rested.” We know what that means historically. The ark had been sailing the seas that the world had become and the ark was just sailing along, day after day, for 150 days. There would have been no land in view. Everything was submerged because the waters were 15 cubits above the highest mountain, but God arranged things so that after the 150 days (five months) passed, then the ark would “rest.” Notice that God tells us it rested “in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” At that point the lowest level of the ark that was below the water came into contact with the mountain top of Ararat and it rested or ceased to go upon the waters. It came to a stop or “rest” upon these mountains. Why does God stress that after the 150 days or five months the ark came to a rest on these mountains? We know that in the Bible “mountains” have to do with kingdoms, but we will look at that a little later.

First, let us look at the word “rested.” It is Strong’s #5117. This is the same word that we find in the Book of Esther. It says in Esther 9:21-22:

To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

This is speaking of the days of Purim. In the Book of Esther Haman planned to destroy the Jews, but his plot was uncovered and Queen Esther besought the king on behalf of her people and Haman was hanged, but the date still stood because the law of the Medes and Persians could not be changed. So Esther further besought the king again that something might be done and the king gave another law that permitted the Jews to defend themselves against their enemies, so instead of being slain the Jews killed their enemies at the time of Purim. That is why it says in Esther 9, verse 22: “As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies,” because all the enemies of the Jews had been slain throughout the kingdom of King Ahasuerus.

This word “rested” is also found in Nehemiah 9:27-28:

Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee…

This was during the time of the judges of Israel and Israel had enemies all around that troubled and vexed them, but God sent “saviours” or judges. We read in the Book of Judges that after a certain judge would deliver the people, we would read that the land had “rest.” Here, we read that the saviours “saved them out of the hand of their enemies,” and then they had “rest.” Being delivered out of the hands of the enemies is equated to “rest,” exactly as it was with the statement in Esther where they were delivered from their enemies and then “rested.”

Let us go to another place in 2Chronicles, chapter 20 where we find King Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah going forth to battle against an enormous host of enemies, but God fought for them and their enemies were already dead. It says in 2Chronicles 20:24-25:

And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

Then let us go down to 2Chronicles 20:29-30:

And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that JEHOVAH fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

Here, we have the same ingredients. All the enemies are slain and the people of God have “rest.” It indicates what occurs after a great victory of being saved, as it said in Nehemiah that the saviours saved them and they had rest. Historically, they would soon despise that rest and God would raise up another enemy.

But as far as this word “rested” is concerned, can we see how it applies to our verse in Genesis, chapter 8? Where are all the enemies of God and His kingdom? All the enemies of God and His kingdom, after the 150 days, have all been defeated – they are all dead. They are compacted under enormous amounts of water and rocks and mud. They have been destroyed and wiped out. It is an enormous victory for God and His kingdom, so it is no surprise that we read of the ark (the Lord Jesus and all that are in Him): “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month.” After five months, God finished slaying His enemies and there was “rest.”

We can see how that relates to Judgment Day, which began on the seventeenth day of the second month on May 21, 2011, and continues for a figurative five months and concludes with the final destruction of all the enemies of the kingdom of God in all the world. They are completely annihilated and then God brings His people to “rest.” The kingdom of God rests from battle, rests from waging war and destroying all its enemies. Now there is peace and joy and blessings for evermore for all those that God has saved. I think this is what we can understand by this language: “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.”

It is no coincidence, but it was the will of God when He arranged on that particular day, the 150th day and the day that marked the end of five months, for the ark to rest in order to paint the picture of victory over the enemies. But God was also the one that arranged for the ark to come to rest upon these particular mountains of Ararat.

First of all, if things were just haphazard and God was not in control of events, the ark could have been hundreds 0of miles away from the nearest mountain and not come to rest at the 150-day point when the ark would come in contact with these particular mountains and it would rest and no longer sail. God could have selected another mountain. It makes us wonder why God chose the mountains of Ararat, so we need to look into that and look up the word “Ararat.” It is Strong’s #7080 and this name is found four times in the Old Testament. Twice it is translated as “Ararat” and the other two times it is translated as the country of Armenia. For instance, it says in 2Kings 19:36-37:

So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

The second time it is translated this way is in the parallel account in Isaiah, chapter 37. It says in Isaiah 37:36-38:

Then the angel of JEHOVAH went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

Armenia is the identical word to Ararat. We could read that they escaped into the land of Ararat because it is the same Hebrew word, but we wonder, “What is the spiritual picture in these verses in 2Kings and Isaiah?” We know that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, is a type of Satan because he came against Samaria and Jerusalem. We also know that the Assyrian army would be a figure of the emissaries of Satan or his kingdom that assaults the kingdom of God. Jerusalem is a type of the kingdom of God and it was ruled over by King Hezekiah, a good king, so God defended Jerusalem and that would be a picture of Jerusalem above. Again, the king of Assyria is a type of Satan with his army coming against the kingdom of God. Then what happens? God smote the 185,000 Assyrians. Broken down that number is “5 x 37 x 1,000,” with the number “5” relating to the atonement and the number “37” relating to judgment and the number “1,000” relates to completeness. It is the complete judgment of God against the kingdom of Satan. But the king of Assyria escaped, did he not? No, because he went back to the house of his god and then two of his sons killed him with the sword. That is a picture of Satan being smitten. His army had been destroyed and then two of his own sons killed him. It really is a vivid picture of Judgment Day, with the 185,000 destroyed. Then the two sons slew Satan, figuratively, and they escaped to the land of Armenia. To escape means that you find a place of refuge or rest. In Judgment Day, what does God to Satan and his kingdom? He destroys them and there is “rest” in the mountains of Ararat.

We actually have some confirmation that we are understanding this correctly in regard to the Armenia references when we go to Jeremiah, chapter 51, a chapter that describes the fall of Babylon and the king of Babylon. Just like Assyria and its kings represent Satan and his kingdom, so, too, Babylon represents Satan and his kingdom. God utilized Satan to bring judgment upon the corporate church, but once the judgment was complete and the Great Tribulation was finished, God turned around and judged Satan and his kingdom of Babylon. Referring to Babylon, it says in Jeremiah 51:25:

Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith JEHOVAH, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.

We discussed that when all the mountains were under water, it indicated that all of Satan’s kingdoms or all his periods of rule have now come under the wrath of God. That is why Babylon was said to be a burnt mountain because it had come under the wrath of God.

Then it says in Jeremiah 51:27-28:

Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers. Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.

Notice that God calls these kingdoms against Babylon. What do mountains represent? They represent kingdoms. The ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat or the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni and Ashchenaz. Three are mentioned to indicate the purpose of God. It says, “Appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.” Just consider the language of Revelation 9 where it refers to the “locusts” that have the form of “horses.” They are God’s elect, the nations of them that are saved, and that is what these kingdoms of Ararat, Minni and Ashchenaz point to, as well as the kings of the Medes. It is the judgment against Babylon or against the kingdom of Satan. Therefore, when we read in Genesis 8, “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat,” we could understand that the ark rested upon the kingdoms of Ararat, the kingdom of God, as typified by Ararat, Minni, Ashchenaz and the king of the Medes. The ark comes to a rest. God has accomplished His fury. He is done pouring out His wrath upon the wicked kingdom of Satan (Babylon or Assyria) and the final judgment has been brought upon the enemies of the kingdom of heaven because five months have elapsed and now the ark rests victoriously and gloriously. All of God’s elect are resting in their salvation. At that point, God will turn His attention to the new heaven and the new earth. I think that is one of the reasons why from this point on in Genesis, chapter 8 the new earth begins to appear. Of course, it was the same earth back then, but without the waters. But the Bible identifies it as the second earth, so it typifies the new heaven and new earth.