Did the flood cover the entire earth or did it cover only a certain locality in the Middle East?⤒🔗

Your question has often been raised. Some commentators, often the more liberal ones, argue that it was regional rather than global, or as they put it, that it was universal within a particular region. Even some who profess a conservative view of Scripture (such as Bernard Ramm and Arthur Custance) think that the flood, though very severe, was limited to the region of the world that was inhabited by man. They conclude that though a tremendous amount of water was involved, the flood was still localized.

We believe that the scriptural data points to a global flood. The following points, when taken collectively, certainly point in this direction.

1. The need for a massive ark, which took a century or more to build, points to a global flood. Had the flood been local, given the time span, God could have warned Noah of the approaching flood, and Noah could have moved to another region in a matter of days or weeks — and he could have had a century or more to do it. God could have said to Noah as He said to Lot, “Flee this Sodom of a world!” The fact that an ark was constructed under divine direction implies that the vessel was the only refuge from destruction not only for Noah, but also for the animals. If only regional animals were on board, why make such a big ark in the first place? Or, why bother even to save them, knowing that other animals would soon migrate to Mesopotamia? Birds, in particular, would not need to be on the ark, as they could readily fly in from other regions.
2. The uniqueness of the Hebrew word used to describe the Genesis flood points to a global flood rather than a localized flood. This word (mabbul) is a technical term used in Scripture on thirteen occasions. Each time it is used only in reference to the Genesis flood, and indicates a tremendous deluge of water. In the prophets, more ordinary floods are mentioned on several occasions, but different words are always used there. For example, Isaiah 28:2 says, “Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.” The word for flood here indicates a flood of some magnitude because it speaks of a flood of mighty waters overflowing. But it is not the word used in Genesis for a unique, unparalleled flood.
3. Notice that God threatened to destroy man with the earth: “Behold, I will destroy them (that is, all flesh) with the earth” (Gen. 6:13b) — not from the earth, but with the earth. The indication is that the whole earth would be overwhelmed with water. That is confirmed by 2 Peter 3:6, 7: “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store.” It is interesting that Peter says that the world perished at the time of the flood, and then speaks of the earth as it exists now. That indicates that it was a flood which impacted the entire globe.
4. Moses uses universal terms at least twenty-five times in Genesis 6 to 9. He speaks of all flesh, every living thing, all the high hills. Such words and phrases can hardly be reconciled with the local flood theory. God uses the most comprehensive terms to indicate something of universal proportions. That is also implied by God’s usage of the Hebrew word for earth (erets) forty-six times in Genesis 6 to 9.
5. Genesis 7:18 says, “The waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth,” and verse 19 similarly says, “and the water prevailed exceedingly upon the earth.” The word prevailed indicates that they were overflowing mightily, covering everything. Verses 19, 20 go on to say that “all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.” So even the high hills and the mountains were covered by at least twenty-two feet. That certainly does not sound like a local flood.
6. Notice that the flood waters continued to rise for 150 days. Genesis 7:24 says, “And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.” These flood waters were so extensive that Genesis 8:5 says the tops of the mountains were not visible for another two-and-one-half months. How could Noah and his family float that long in a local flood without seeing any high hills or mountains? This is no local flood.
7. After the flood, God promised not to flood the world again. He says, “Neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth” (Gen. 9:11). If God’s promise applies only to a local flood, then God has repeatedly broken His covenanted promise. The promise only has significance if the flood was universal and God promised never to perform such an action again by putting the whole world under water. God even gave the rainbow as a sign of His covenanted promise, a sign that is still seen throughout the world.
8. Noah and his family, as Peter tells us, were the only ones to escape the waters (1 Pet. 3:20). Genesis 6:17 tells us that “all” other flesh died. That is also con­firmed by Jesus in Luke 17:26, 27: “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”
   Christ here compares the judgment which overtook the people of Noah’s day to the judgment which will overtake people at the Last Day. The flood, therefore, is a foreshowing of the ultimate judgment — which, of course, it could not be if it was not universal, because when Christ returns we know that all men everywhere will come under judgment. The entire world will come under judgment. This infers that the judgment in Noah’s day was global, not limited.
9. Post-flood, God gave Noah the same commission in Genesis 9:1 that he gave to Adam in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Parallel statements are also made about having dominion over the animals (cf. Gen. 9:2 with 1:28) and about the food that man can eat (cf. Gen. 9:4-5 with 1:29-30). These guidelines are as universal after the flood to the new world commencing with Noah as they were before the flood when the world commenced with Adam.
10. The genealogy of Genesis 10:1-32 implies that all post-flood people are descendants of Noah as much as the genealogy of Adam in Genesis 4:17-5:3 implies that all pre-flood people are descendants of Adam. Then, in Genesis 11 we read that, because these descen­dants of Adam refused to fill the earth as they had been commanded, God confused their one language into many and scattered them throughout the earth.

Finally, in addition to these ten arguments from Scripture for a global flood, let me briefly add that historical and scientific evidence supports a global flood as well. For historical evidence, in his book, The Ark on Ararat, John Morris has collected over 200 flood traditions from around the world that parallel the Gen­esis account, including every habitable continent on the globe. And scientific evidences support it as well, including things like marine shells being found imbedded in mountains 14,000 feet above sea level and rock strata being laid down quickly, one after another, without significant time breaks, all around the world. Physical evidence from fossils and rocks all around the world coincides with what the Bible says about the flood of Noah being universal.

Dear friends, we have escaped the universal flood of Noah, but we shall not escape the universal Judgment Day. Are you ready to meet the living Triune God on that day?

As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.Luke 17:26