Don Stewart :: Was the World Different after the Flood?

Was the world before the Flood the same as now or was it vastly different?

Before And After

One possible difference in the world before the Flood was water above the earth. During the second creative day, the Bible says God separated the waters above the earth from the waters below the earth.

Then God said, 'Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters' . . . And God called the expanse Heaven (Genesis 1:6-8).

This has been interpreted in various ways. Some have seen this as referring to a water vapor canopy that enveloped the earth. The canopy produced a greenhouse effect keeping the climate at a moderate temperature worldwide. This would allow for rich vegetation as well as a long life for the inhabitants of the earth.

Rain Clouds

Others believe the firmament consisted of ordinary rain clouds. They argue that the Scripture itself speaks against the view of a canopy:

Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And your waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made decrees which shall not pass away (Psalm 148:4-6).

According to this passage, the waters above were still in existence when the psalmist wrote. Furthermore it states that they would remain forever by the unalterable decree of God.

No Rain?

The Bible possibly teaches that there was no rain before the Flood:

Before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth . . . but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground (Genesis 2:5,6).

Even though this verse is speaking of the original creation, there is no mention that the conditions changed until the time of the Flood. There is no reference to rain having occurred until the time of the deluge. This, however, is an argument from silence. The Bible only seems to indicate it did not rain before the Fall, not before the Flood.

Uniform Climate?

The climate before the Flood may have been much more uniform than today, not having the extremes in temperature. The Bible seems to indicate that the seasons were established after the Flood when God said to Noah:

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, and winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8:22).

This may indicate the seasons did not exist in pre-Flood days.

Vegetarians?

Scripture possibly teaches that humankind and the animals were not meat eaters until after the Flood.

And God said, 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food' (Genesis 1:29).

After the Flood God allowed humans to eat meat.

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even the green herbs (Genesis 9:3).

Again, there is nothing that directly says they could not eat meat before the Flood-only that they did not eat vegetables.

Longevity

Before the Flood, the people lived much longer. The Bible says Methuselah lived 969 years (Genesis 5:27), Jared 962 years (Genesis 5:20), Mahalaleel 895 years (Genesis 5:17). The people living at this time were close to the first male and female, Adam and Eve. Although sin had entered the universe the degeneration that resulted from sin was not as developed.

Summary

Therefore, we see that some of the conditions of the earth changed after the Flood. After the Flood there were:

1.Longer life spans.

2.Possibly rain for the first time.

3. Possibly different climate and the four seasons.

4.The possibility for people to eat meat.

The only certain changes after the Flood were the longer life spans.