by William Trollinger
Answers in Genesis (AiG) recently posted a brief article in which they addressed the question as to how many people were on earth at the time of the global Flood.
According to the folks at AiG, “some people believe the population was relatively low” (whatever that means) because of “wars, diseases, and other factors.” However, if the population growth rate in the pre-Flood world – that is, in the years between 4004 and 2348 BCE – was “equal to the growth rate in 2000, there could have been about 750 million people at the time of the Flood.” But “given the extremely long lifespans prior to the Flood, the growth rate could have been much higher,” and thus the population could have been “close to four billion at the Flood” (Emphases ours).
What? The Earth’s population may have been upwards of four billion in the year 2348 BCE? Even AiG’s more modest suggestion of 750 million people is jaw-dropping, given that scholars have concluded that in year 1 CE – 2348 years later! – the global population was approximately 170 million.
There is much to be said here about what counts as logic for AiG. For now, note the unnamed author’s matter-of-fact tone in telling the story of global slaughter, in casually (even callously) suggesting the possibility that between 749,999,992 and 3,999,999,992 human beings drowned in the Flood, the Flood that young earth creationists use to wash away mainstream geology.
Here are some questions that folks outside the world of young earth creationism would find reasonable to ask about this scenario:
- If even just a few hundred of these millions/billions of people had heeded Noah’s warning of global flood, how would they have fit on the Ark?
- Did every one of these millions/billions of people receive Noah’s warning?
- Did every one of these millions/billions of people deserve to drown?
- Did the millions and millions of infants and small children deserve to drown?
- When the flood waters started to rise, did the eight people on the Ark hear the screams of the drowning people?
- As the eight people on the Ark ate their dinner or went to sleep at night, did they think about the fact that outside the walls of their boat millions/billions of people were dying a horrific death?
- When the Ark came to rest, and the eight people ventured forth, did they shriek in horror at the sight of the skeletal remains of billions of people and animals?
Of course, for AiG the future Judgment is as important as the past Judgment. As the article’s unnamed author observes in the concluding paragraph: “Earth currently has about seven billion inhabitants. How many of them will be judged with eternal condemnation if the Lord were to return soon?”
Approximately 31% of the world’s population is affiliated with Christianity. Let’s leave aside that fact that some percentage of these individuals would not meet an evangelical definition of “Christian.” According to AiG, if the end of history came this year at least 4.8 billion individuals would be cast into a hell where they would consciously endure eternal torment (Righting America, pp. 224-225).
Here, then, is the message of Ark Encounter. The righteous drowning of millions/billions of human beings prefigures the righteous burning of billions of human beings.
Quite the tourist site.
Did the people who died in the flood all go to hell? Adults and children?
Great question, Betty Jo. The logic of their argument would suggest yes, they were all sent to hell, but I have not seen any explicit statement from Answers in Genesis in this regard. By the way, be sure to check out the Thanksgiving Day post — it relates to your question.
Most conservative Christians believe that children die along with their parents as “collateral damage”, but they don’t go to hell because they were too young to make moral choices.
No. For starters, death, or even the manner of death, does not constitute the judgement of God. The Judgement will not take place until after the second coming of Christ. In the meantime, all those who die go to a place called the Spirit World to await final judgement.
The righteous who accepted Christ, strives to obey His commandments and performed the necessary ordinances such as Baptism and receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit, go to one part of that world called Paradise. The wicked and those who have not yet accepted Christ and His ordinances, go to another part of Hathaway world called the Spirit Prison. It is a prison in the sense that future progress is stopped.
However, that does not mean that all those in the Soirit Prison are evil. It merely means there will be many good people who simply haven’t had the opportunity to hear the Gospel on earth and accept its teachings, and repent of their sins.
After Christ was crucified, he visited the people in the Spirit World and commissioned the Righteous souls in Paradise to go into the Spirit Prison and teach the fullness of His gospel of repentance to them. If they accept these teachings, and accept the ordinances performed on their behalf here on earth, then they will move into Paradise to await final Judgement.
Some of those who died in the flood may not have had a full understanding of the Gospel at the time of their death. They will still have the chance to hear it and repent of their ways. Only God truly knows the hearts of women and men and he will provide a way for all to repent and come back to him, whether it is in this life or the life to come.
That doesn’t mean we can willfully rebel and live a life of sin here, the. Repent later in the Spirit World. Our appetites and passions cultivated on earth will probably follow us into the next life. A truly evil and wicked person in earth is not likely to accept the Gospel when they hear it in the next life. But a person who might have changed their ways had they heard Christ’s full Gospel on earth, will likely do so I’m the Spirit World.
Hell is more a state of mind than an actual place. It is the knowledge of what we could have been had we lived righteously. All God’s children will receive some sort of glory at final judgement. For those who accepted Christ’s Gospel, the highest glory of endless progression awaits them.
For those who are good people at heart, but choose not to accept Christ’s Gospel, a lesser glory awaits them, but one still much better than the world we now live in.
Those who reject His teachings and truly love evil more than good. The lowest glory awaits them. It is comparable to the world and all it’s sin in which we now live. Their progress is stopped to the point it was when they died and they will not progress any further. That is their Hell.
One other level exists called Outer Darkness, for those who willfully rebelled against God, even after having a full and perfect knowledge of Christ. A prophet or apostle who has had a perfect witness of Christ and then rebels, will be condemned to outer darkness with Satan and the souls who followed and assisted him in his evil work.
God is a fair God who want who will judge us all independently. Sometimes the righteous suffer the same fate on this earth as the wicked when disaster strikes, but their ultimate place in Heaven will depend on their own understanding and acceptance of the Gospel after they’ve had an opportunity to understand it in full, either in this life or the next.
Rev 22:12 says ” And behold, i come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” When Christ comes, is he coming to judge or to reward? But if he is come to reward as the above text says, does it mean that judgement proceeds the advent?
How do you reward the righteous and the wicked without first passing out judgement?
Consider what Peter says in 1 Peter 4:17 ” For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”
Paul say in 1 Corinthians 6:2 ” Do you know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world is to be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? This can only happen when the saints have passed the judgement.
The final judgement involves eternal destiny of all and it is only just and fair for the great judge of the earth to scrutinize individual cases more closely to vindicate his justice and character and remove any claims of partiality.
Let us consider Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 ” Lets us consider the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandment: for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgement, with every secrete thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil”
Mathew 11:36 ” But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof on the day of Judgement”
2 Corinthians 5:10 ” For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that they have done, whether it be good or bad.”
Does this separate the judgement into two; first the judgement of the righteous and then the judgement of the wicked.
Let us consider the book of Rev. 11:18 ” And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead,that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.”
Revelation 14:6-7 ” And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell upon the earth, and to every nation,and kindred and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give him glory for the hour of his judgement is come….”
The above text bring us to time period when the everlasting gospel goes to all parts of the earth, bringing the attention of all that there is a judgement going on in heaven. Prophet Daniel in a vision saw this time period in the plan of redemption when the Ancient of days sat on His throne surrounded by thousands times ten thousands of angels and judgement was set and the books were opened and the dead were judged out of those things written in the books. Daniel 7:9_14. The 14th verse of Daniel VII tells us that saints receive the Kingdom after the judgement was passed.
Revelation 20:4,6 tells that the righteous reigns with Christ for a thousand years, the time period in which they also sit in judgement of the wicked.
Revelation 20:5 tell us that the wicked have no part in the first resurrection i.e the resurrection of the just.
Revelation 20:11 -15 tell us the judgement of the wicked and destruction of sin and death.
From the above texts it is clear that:
a) When Jesus comes the second time he comes to reward.
b) that judgement precedes the rewarded.
c) the judgement of the saints takes place before their reward.
d) the judgement of the wicked takes place during the millennium when the saints reign with Christ.
e) the righteous will judge the wicked.
The message of judgement preached by Noah to the Antediluvian world is no more different than that of Jonah to the city of Nineveh. If they would have repented, the judgement upon generation would have been delayed.
I believe the Bible does not condemn children that are not old enough to know right from wrong.
Here are some questions that folks outside the world of young earth creationism would find reasonable to ask about this scenario:If even just a few hundred of these millions/billions of people had heeded Noah’s warning of global flood, how would they have fit on the Ark?
It had already been determined, when the warning went out; they had 120 years to repent. Had any repented the flood would not have been necessary. However, YAH knows the end…HE knew it from the beginning.
Did every one of these millions/billions of people receive Noah’s warning?
YES, YAH is just and fair, HE would that none should perish, all were corrupted, remember It was only NOAH and his family who did not worship false gods.
Did every one of these millions/billions of people deserve to drown?
YES, if not they would have gone into the ark.
Did the millions and millions of infants and small children deserve to drown?
Yes, there is in scripture where Saul in particular , YAH ordered the destruction of the amalekite nation which included women and children. This is a case where we trust that our Creator knows things that we do not, Saul lost his Kingdom to David, because he did not obey YAH.
When the flood waters started to rise, did the eight people on the Ark hear the screams of the drowning people?
NO, difficult to hear others when you yourself are in Praise and Worship! They no doubt were giving YAH Glory and Praise, and not looking back to evil, like Lot’s wife.
As the eight people on the Ark ate their dinner or went to sleep at night, did they think about the fact that outside the walls of their boat millions/billions of people were dying a horrific death?
NO, difficult to hear others when you yourself are in Praise and Worship! They no doubt were giving YAH Glory and Praise, and not looking back to evil, like Lot’s wife.
When the Ark came to rest, and the eight people ventured forth, did they shriek in horror at the sight of the skeletal remains of billions of people and animals?
No, that’s not what LOVE will look like, the earth was made new to receive their new assignment. No looking back, remember to witness evil day in and day out for a believer is a vexation to the Spirit of Light and Love. No one in their right minds will ever miss evil. They saw LOVE. Amen