Thank you for this interesting essay. I found the link to it by sheer coincidence while reading one of your posts commenting on a Spectrum article published on August 22, 2023, "Dead to the Holy Spirit", written by Chuck Scriven.
Some time ago I had independently come to the same principal conclusions as you have in this essay: 1. Noah didn't build the ark for 120 years; and 2. Noah didn't preach for 120 years. As to the second point, I think you floated right past one of the best arguments without availing yourself of it. Specifically, in Gen. 6:5-7 God pronounced His judgment of destruction on all of mankind, and even destruction of the animals. In verse 8, however, there is a hint of an exception to be made for Noah. In verses 13 and 17 God repeatedly stated His declaration of judgement of destruction of mankind, all creatures, and the earth itself. In verses 14, however, God told Noah to make HIMSELF an ark. Then in verse 18 God expanded the exception from destruction of humans to include, exclusively Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wives. In verses 19-21 God also extended the exception from destruction to a small gene pool of creatures, expanded somewhat in Chapter 7. Then consistent with Gen. 6:18, in Gen. 7:1 God commanded Noah and his family (and no others) to enter the ark. There was never any mention anywhere in the flood account that any other people could possibly find refuge in the ark. Their fate was already definitively sealed by God's declaration of judgment of destruction against them. Thus any suggestions that Noah tried to preached salvation to the inhabitants of the earth are completely contrary to the plain declaration of God that Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wives would be the only humans to be saved from destruction. And the conclusion of no preaching of possible salvation of other humans by entering into the ark is supported and reinforced by Jesus' words in Matt. 24:38 that all the rest of the people knew nothing about what was going to happen until the flood came and took them all away. They were completely oblivious to it all.
Mr. Allen,
Thank you for this interesting essay. I found the link to it by sheer coincidence while reading one of your posts commenting on a Spectrum article published on August 22, 2023, "Dead to the Holy Spirit", written by Chuck Scriven.
Some time ago I had independently come to the same principal conclusions as you have in this essay: 1. Noah didn't build the ark for 120 years; and 2. Noah didn't preach for 120 years. As to the second point, I think you floated right past one of the best arguments without availing yourself of it. Specifically, in Gen. 6:5-7 God pronounced His judgment of destruction on all of mankind, and even destruction of the animals. In verse 8, however, there is a hint of an exception to be made for Noah. In verses 13 and 17 God repeatedly stated His declaration of judgement of destruction of mankind, all creatures, and the earth itself. In verses 14, however, God told Noah to make HIMSELF an ark. Then in verse 18 God expanded the exception from destruction of humans to include, exclusively Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wives. In verses 19-21 God also extended the exception from destruction to a small gene pool of creatures, expanded somewhat in Chapter 7. Then consistent with Gen. 6:18, in Gen. 7:1 God commanded Noah and his family (and no others) to enter the ark. There was never any mention anywhere in the flood account that any other people could possibly find refuge in the ark. Their fate was already definitively sealed by God's declaration of judgment of destruction against them. Thus any suggestions that Noah tried to preached salvation to the inhabitants of the earth are completely contrary to the plain declaration of God that Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wives would be the only humans to be saved from destruction. And the conclusion of no preaching of possible salvation of other humans by entering into the ark is supported and reinforced by Jesus' words in Matt. 24:38 that all the rest of the people knew nothing about what was going to happen until the flood came and took them all away. They were completely oblivious to it all.