Topical Bible: Water: The World not to be Again Destroyed By

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In the biblical narrative, water holds significant theological and symbolic meaning, particularly in the context of divine judgment and covenant. The most prominent account of water as an instrument of divine judgment is the Great Flood, as recorded in Genesis 6-9. This cataclysmic event was a response to the pervasive wickedness of humanity, where God decided to cleanse the earth through a deluge, sparing only Noah, his family, and pairs of every living creature aboard the ark.

The Berean Standard Bible recounts this event in Genesis 7:17-24, where the floodwaters prevailed upon the earth for forty days, covering even the highest mountains. This act of judgment underscores the severity of sin and the holiness of God, who cannot tolerate iniquity. However, the narrative does not end with destruction but with hope and renewal.

Following the flood, God establishes a covenant with Noah and his descendants, promising never to destroy the earth again by water. Genesis 9:11-15 states, "I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." The sign of this covenant is the rainbow, a perpetual reminder of God's mercy and faithfulness. The rainbow signifies not only the cessation of divine wrath through water but also the assurance of God's ongoing commitment to creation.

This covenantal promise is foundational in understanding the relationship between God and humanity. It highlights God's sovereignty and His ability to execute judgment while simultaneously extending grace. The assurance that the world will not be destroyed by water again is a testament to God's unchanging nature and His desire for redemption rather than destruction.

Theologically, this promise is significant in the broader biblical narrative. It sets the stage for the unfolding account of redemption, culminating in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The flood narrative and the subsequent covenant with Noah foreshadow the ultimate deliverance from sin and death through Christ, who offers salvation to all who believe.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter references the flood in 2 Peter 3:5-7 , drawing a parallel between the waters of the flood and the future judgment by fire. He writes, "By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." This passage reinforces the idea that while water will not again be the means of global destruction, divine judgment remains a reality, emphasizing the need for repentance and faith.

In summary, the biblical promise that the world will not be destroyed by water again is a profound declaration of God's mercy and covenantal faithfulness. It serves as a reminder of the seriousness of sin, the certainty of divine judgment, and the hope of redemption through God's enduring promises.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 9:8-15
And God spoke to Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Peter 3:7
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved to fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

That Water Does not Cleanse Without the Spirit is Shown by the ...
... And as though buried to the world in that element ... people alone, for in some even
the water is deceitful. ... of those who are baptized ought to be not in appearance ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter iv that water does.htm

V. ...
... convince us that, as in that very case he has not lied, so again he will not lie ...
At that time, when God destroyed the world by a flood, the water pressed down ...
/.../chapter iii v 2.htm

God did not Make Evil, nor is He at all in any Way the Author of ...
... after the time of being touched by the water of sanctification ... then is it, if the
universe be not destroyed, that the ... to call the change of the world from its ...
/.../methodius/from the discourse on the resurrection/part i god did not.htm

Titus when the Jews were not at all Mollified by his Leaving Off ...
... things under their command; for what part of the world is there ... how the Nile failed
of water? ... were captives for seventy years; yet were they not delivered into ...
/.../chapter 9 titus when the.htm

How those that Stirred up this Sedition were Destroyed, According ...
... fit for drinking, and didst furnish us with water that came ... as will take them out
of the world, not in an ... that such as saw it afterward did not perceive that ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 how those that.htm

The Cleansing of the Earth.
... them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel ... are now, by the same word
['whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished' v ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the cleansing of the earth.htm

The Kingdom of Christ
... the light of it; and that the river of the water of life ... into peevishness and terrified
lamentations, when they discover that the world will not go their ...
/.../kingsley/discipline and other sermons/sermon xxiii the kingdom of christ.htm

Created Things are not the Images of those ??ons who are Within ...
... grant to that God who formed the world, that of ... means be their images"as, for instance,
water and fire ... the first place, these things [below] ought not to be ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter vii created things are not.htm

The Story of Noah and the Ark
... the earth that I have made; because the men of the world are evil ... So Noah knew that
the water had gone down enough to let the trees ... I will not again destroy the ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of noah and.htm

Psalm LXVI.
... The river is all the mortality of the world. ... Is it not thus with the
water of a river, that from earth springeth and floweth? ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxvi.htm