The flood of Noah’s day was an act of judgment passed upon men because of sin. Those of us who understand the Genesis 8 account as a literal event do not doubt the extent of the destruction described by Moses. Scripture is clear that except for Noah and his family, all men and animals were destroyed as a result of God’s judgment. There are those who claim the flood narrative is a fable, but no one doubts the existence of men prior to Noah’s flood. Why then doubt the existence of a pre-Adamite world which was destroyed by the flood of Genesis 1:2? That this was a greater flood than the one of Noah’s time, and an act of greater judgment in punishment of more horrible sins is clear from the following contrasts:
Lucifer’s Flood
Earth made waste (Gen. 1:2; Jer. 4:23)
Earth made empty (Gen. 1:2; Jer. 4:23)
Earth made totally dark (Gen. 1:2; Jer. 4:23)
No light from heaven (Gen. 1:2; Jer. 4:23)
No days (Gen. 1:2-5)
All vegetation destroyed (Jer. 4:23-26)
No continual abating waters off earth (Gen. 1:6-12)
Waters taken off earth in one day (Gen. 1:10)
Supernatural work of taking waters off earth(Gen. 1:6-12)
God rebuked the waters (Gen. 1:6-12; Ps. 104:7)
Waters hasted away (Ps. 104:7)
God set bounds for waters (Ps. 104:9)
All fish destroyed because sun withheld from earth
(Gen. 1:2,20-23; Jer. 4:23-26)
No fowls left (Gen. 1:20; Jer. 4:25)
No animals left (Gen. 1:24-25; Gen 2:19)
No man left (Gen. 1:26-28; Jer. 4:25)
No social system left (2 Peter. 3:6; Jer. 4:23-26)
No ark made to save life (Jer. 4:23-26; 2 Peter. 3:6-7)
Cause: fall of Satan (Isa. 14:12-14; Jer. 4:23-26; Ezek. 28:11-17)
Result: necessary to make new fish, fowl
animals, man, vegetation, (Gen. 1:3 – Gen 2:25)
Noah’s Flood
Not made waste Gen. 8:11-12,22)
Not made empty (Gen. 6:17-22; Gen 8:16)
Not made totally dark (Gen. 8:6-22)
Light from heaven (Gen. 8:6-22)
Days (Gen. 8:1-22)
Vegetation left (Gen. 8:11-12,22)
Continual abating of of waters off the earth
(Gen. 8:1-14)
Months abating off earth (Gen. 8:1-14)
Natural work of taking waters off the earth
(Gen. 8:1-14)
No rebuke of the waters (Gen. 8:1-14)
Waters gradually receded (Gen. 8:1-14)
Bounds already set (Gen. 1:6-12; Gen 8:2)
No fish destroyed, only the land animals
(Gen. 6:18 – Gen 8:22)
Fowls preserved (Gen. 6:20; Gen 8:17)
Animals preserved (Gen. 6:20; Gen 8:17)
Eight men and women saved (Gen. 6:18)
A social system left (Gen. 6:18; Gen 8:22; 2 Peter. 2:5)
An ark made to save life (Gen. 6:14-22; 1 Peter. 3:20)
Cause: wickedness of man and fallen angels (Gen.6:1-13)
Result: no new creations were made, for all things were preserved (Gen. 6:18 – Gen 8:22)
The flood of Noah’s day lasted over a year, yet vegetation was not destroyed. But as a result of the flood sent in judgment upon Lucifer, the fruitful places became a wilderness (Jer. 4:23-26). New vegetation had to be planted during the six days of re-creation, for the earth was totally desolate (Gen. 1:11-12; Gen 2:5,8-17). This indicates that Lucifer’s flood was of a much longer duration than Noah’s and, without doubt, was a judgment for a more serious rebellion-a complete rebellion of the pre-Adamite world.
Results of the Flood
Evidence for a great catastrophe that resulted in the destruction of the pre-Adamite world can be found in Scripture, as we have seen, but we can look to the sciences as well for further verification. Most scientists assert that the earth went through at least one great catastrophe at an unknown period in the past. Many animal remains have been discovered that indicate a sudden environmental calamity befalling large populations. Speaking of the flood of Noah, but more accurately describing the results of the flood which destroyed the pre-Adamite world, Douglas B. Sharp states that the flood explains the geologic column, which is the order of the strata and the fossils found in them:
Hydrodynamic sorting action of the water, habitats, the ability of an animal to escape the flood and ecological zones are all factors which would have produced fossil layers. This explanation handles the problem of out-of-order strata and fossils, which is a nasty problem for evolutionists. . . . In many places, large fossils such as trees extend through several strata. Rapid burial is also necessary for coal and oil formation and for fossilization, otherwise the normal process of decay would completely disintegrate the organisms, even the bones.
We’ve mentioned briefly that many fossils have been found which were evidently the result of a great catastrophe, being entombed in the strata instead of being slowly buried by sedimentation over millions of years. During Lucifer’s flood God turned the earth upside down by earthquakes. In Peleg’s time, we read of a great division of the earth. It is interesting that while we have only a brief mention of this catastrophic event, it was significant enough to define an entire generation in the genealogical record: “And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan” (Gen. 10:25).
It’s at least possible that this short account of a division of the earth is a reference to a shifting of the continents and a great division of land masses. Lucifer’s flood and the division of the earth in Peleg’s day may well account for much of the fossil record and help to explain many questions which otherwise remain unanswered by other creationist theories.
As we’ve seen, the other creationist theories struggle to account for scientific evidence which points to an old earth. Part of the difficulty is that these theories are attempting to force the scientific data into a mold that is simply not large enough to contain it. Most creationist theories cannot account for an old earth because they have not factored into the equation the existence of the pre-Adamite world. Only an understanding of an original creation of the earth that preceded the destruction of Genesis 1:2 can shed light on the questions posed by the scientific evidence. The existence and overthrow of the pre-Adamite world resolves the following questions:
Why are we finding remains of animals that never existed in Adam’s day? Quite simply, these animals were a part of the original creation of the earth and were destroyed and buried with the destruction of the earth following Lucifer’s rebellion. The Bible doesn’t tell us how long Lucifer was allowed to remain in rebellion against God before he was cast back down to the earth in judgment. The earth could have existed in a sinful state as a result of Lucifer’s sin, with animals living and dying for centuries before God judged Lucifer and his rebellious followers.
How did the remains of animals get thousands of feet in the earth underneath many layers of solid rock if there was no catastrophe as described in Gen. 1:2; Jer. 4:23-26; and 2 Peter. 3:5-6? The division of the earth in Peleg’s day could account for a part of the fossil record. Noah’s flood, however, could not have resulted in the extensive deposits found deep beneath the earth on a worldwide scale, and no other global cataclysm has happened since Adam.
Why do we find geological evidence pointing to an earth that is much older than Adam’s creation about 6,000 years ago? This is easily explained when we understand that the earth was created in the dateless past, underwent cataclysmic changes during the judgment brought about by Lucifer’s rebellion, and was re-created about 6,000 years ago.