Flood as De-Creation/Re-Creation
Creation Re-booted
The Fall Renewed
The Agent of Disorder
Genesis depicts the flood as a de-creation/re-creation. For example, in creation, the waters that cover the earth are separated into waters above and waters below, and the separation of the waters allows the dry land to appear. In the Flood story, the “fountains of the great deep,” the waters below, and the “windows of heaven” are opened. Thus the waters above the earth and below the earth come together, and the dry land disappears. That is the de-creation.
Creation Re-booted
Then, after the rains stop, Noah sends out a dove, which returns after flying about over the waters. This is a reenactment of the spirit hovering over the waters before creation. In case you’re wondering if this is a legitimate interpretation, it is reenacted at Jesus’ baptism. There, the Holy Spirit “like a dove” hovers over Jesus’ head, either as he is still standing in, or after he has just passed through, in the waters of the Jordan.
The second time that Noah sends out the dove, it returns with vegetation, indicating that the dry land has reappeared. There are more details, but this shows that the Creation is being repeated in symbol.
The Fall Renewed
In this re-created world after the flood, The Fall is also renewed. But this time, Noah is the new Adam, the one from whom all humankind will arise. Where Adam sinned in a garden,, and was found shamefully naked, Noah sins in a vineyard, and is found shamefully naked. And in both cases, the penalty for this falls upon the seed. There are many more parallels, but due to space limitations these will have to suffice for now.
In the Creation story, the serpent functions as the agent of the devil, the bringer of disorder. The serpent tells the woman that if humans eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they will be as gods, knowing good and evil. That is truth. Humankind had only known good before they tasted the fruit, but afterwards, they became like God in that one narrow sense — they now knew evil.
The Agent of Disorder
In the re-created world after theFlood, where is the equivalent of the serpent? Babel/Babylon fills that role. But instead of telling humankind in general that they shall be gods, the denizens of Babylon declare themselves to be “like God.” How do they do this?
They declare that they will build a tower that will reach into the heavens — something only God could do. And they will make a name for themselves. In the Old Testament, names represent character. For example remember how Jacob becomes Israel.so the inhabitants of Babylon will make their own name — their own character.
As mentioned in an earlier blog, Babylon appears in Genesis, Chapter 11, and will be present in one form or another until almost the end of time, as portrayed in Revelation 17 and 18. And one of her consistent tools for sowing confusion is the perversion of language. She manipulates symbols of all kinds — but especially words. What Jesus said of Satan is true of Babylon, his agent in this present world: “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44, NIV).
Lies are the native language of Babylon, but with Satan, the lies are mixed with half-truths to make them more believable. One of the ways we know that we are living in Babylon is the perversion of language. And it is another way of “moving ancient landmarks.”
Babylon constantly uses words and language that have had clear and common definitions for generations, and changes them, sometimes subtly, and sometimes not so subtly. The result, of course, is confusion. Soon, we shall see examples of exactly how this takes place.
