Question 61 – Where did all the water from the flood go?

Skeptics frequently argue that there is no evidence for the biblical flood and that believing in it equates to intellectual suicide. Indeed, those who refuse to see remain blind. They cannot see the forest for the trees. The question is not about the existence of evidence but rather how we interpret observed reality. All scientists work with the same fossils, the same layers, the same nature. However, if one assumes millions and billions of years for the Earth's age and development while also preemptively dismissing the biblical message, they must inevitably interpret reality differently from those who do not hold such positions. Despite these strong claims, many scientists find numerous pieces of evidence for this unprecedented catastrophe and assert that many geological features show signs of catastrophic origins. Catastrophism is being increasingly embraced by secular geologists as well. While they do not accept biblical conclusions, they are increasingly compelled to acknowledge catastrophic causes for many findings. They often interpret reality in a way that suggests it was shaped by many smaller catastrophes.

What is the evidence for the flood?

First and foremost, it is important to realize that, like any other ancient event, no one was present to record the biblical flood scientifically and precisely, thus the exact details of the process remain unknown, and some questions remain unanswered even for believing scientists. We can rely solely on the interpretation of facts and evidence that we find now—thousands of years after the events took place. Let us therefore ask what we might expect to find in our world if the flood actually occurred. Consider a few examples yourself...

1. Sediments

They form the majority of the Earth's surface. Many of these sedimentary layers can be observed across entire continents.

2. No erosion of layers

When observing many sedimentary layers, we find they show little to no signs of erosion, as we would expect if they had formed over millions of years. On the contrary, they are often flat and sharply edged—exactly as we would expect during a fast, catastrophic event [69].

3. Bent layers

Rock layers are frequently found to be bent, but not broken, as one might expect. A natural explanation here is that all these sedimentary layers were deposited rapidly and immediately folded (while they were still soft and pliable), much like a potter shapes malleable clay [70].

4. Polystrate fossils

These are fossils of upright trees found in an intriguing position, as they penetrate vertically through several layers of rock.

5. Coal, oil, natural gas

Many are unaware that coal (and even diamonds) can be created in a laboratory in a matter of days or months, given the right conditions of pressure and, particularly, temperature. Coal thereby demonstrates a catastrophic origin. It often appears that coal is not from trees that grew in the locations where it was found, but rather that these were transported there. Similarly, oil and natural gas were formed by pressures and temperatures acting upon animal and plant remains. Some scientists suggest these resources can also form in a short period, rather than over millions of years [71]. Additionally, various man-made objects and skeletons have gradually been found in coal, a find that the flood theory can easily explain.

6. Fossils

One of the strongest arguments supporting the biblical catastrophic event is the preservation of animals and various plants, which were 'conserved' by the waters and muds of the flood.

a) The world as a massive graveyard

Countless (literally billions of plant and animal) fossils are found in extensive fossil 'graveyards' worldwide. These graveyards contain numerous animals mixed together, even though they do not cohabit (terrestrial and marine animals). Frequently, these fossils are found 'in distress,' further underscoring their fight for survival in flowing waters. Exceptionally preserved details, such as a fish eating another fish, the clear lines of 'jelly' jellyfish, animal tracks, or even raindrops, also testify to the rapid succession of events [72].

b) Graveyards where you'd least expect

Another compelling argument for the global scale of the catastrophic flood is the presence of marine fossils (and others) found in mountainous regions high above sea level. Geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling comments:

"The fossilized sea creatures and plants found in rock layers thousands of feet above sea level are thus silent testimonies to the ocean waters that flooded over the continents, carrying billions of sea creatures, which were then buried in the sediments these ocean waters deposited. This is how billions of dead marine creatures were buried in rock layers all over the earth." [73]

Additionally, many terrestrial dinosaurs bear clear signs of having died in water.

7. References in nearly all world cultures

There are approximately 300 legends of a global flood across all cultures of our planet, showing very similar basic features (such as destruction by water, divine intervention, warning beforehand, only a few people surviving along with animals, and the means of rescue being a ship). For many of these cultures or tribes, it was impossible to have acquired these accounts through contact with missionaries [74]. This is not undeniable proof, but a neat piece of the argument mosaic. After all, what would we expect if a global flood genuinely occurred? Wouldn't we expect that accounts of it (albeit in culturally adapted versions) would also be passed down by other nations?

If these legends did not exist, skeptics might argue why no one else ever mentions it. However, now that these references do exist, they dismiss them by claiming they were always local floods.

Summary

Classical evolutionary geology, of course, attempts to devise various models, theories, and proposals to address many of these realities, sometimes offering more, sometimes less credible possibilities of their origins. I do not intend to debate here the rationalities or pitfalls of these theories. I simply wanted to briefly present several examples from the real world, which beautifully illustrate what the Bible has claimed for thousands of years.

Was the flood global?

Many critics admit (and many Christians also accept this conclusion) that the Bible may partially accurately describe the flood. However, in their view, it was local (perhaps within the region of Mesopotamia), not global. They also interpret biblical text in such a way that "universal" or "worldwide" refers only to the known world at the time. However, there are numerous clues and arguments suggesting the global scope of this catastrophe. For clarity, these arguments can be categorized as observed (empirical) and biblical. Some empirical indicators were suggested in the previous section; now some biblical observations:

• - If it was just local floods, why would Noah spend many years building an ark? He could have simply walked far away in a few months or climbed the highest mountain.
• Why build an ark large enough to house so many creatures? Such an ark wouldn't be necessary for local floods.
• Why would Noah bring representatives of various animals onto the ark? Even if 100% of animals in one location were wiped out, the ecosystem could naturally recover through reproduction.
• Why take birds onto the ark as well?

Furthermore, both the Bible and Jesus Himself associate the flood with a judgment on all, which is to come again. The Bible also describes waters covering the mountaintops, and God promises never to send such a flood again. If proponents of local floods are correct, God must be misleading, as numerous enormous local floods are well known. I emphasize that the idea of uniformitarianism (a very popular view in geology that current processes are keys to explaining history) is increasingly challenged by modern science and discoveries, which frequently show that geological realities on our planet were created by catastrophic processes. Derek Ager, former geology professor at Swansea University, expressed on this matter:

"In other words, we have allowed ourselves to be brain-washed into avoiding any interpretation of the past that involves extreme and what might be termed 'catastrophic' processes." [75]

Where did all the water come from?

Critics claim a global flood could not occur because there wouldn't be enough water on Earth to cover Ararat (5,137 m above sea level) or Mount Everest (8,848 m above sea level). Several sources likely played a role. Let's consider three examples:

- Subterranean water reservoirs – The Bible describes that at the onset of catastrophic events, "all the fountains of the great deep burst forth" (Genesis 7:11). We know from geology today that many underground reservoirs could have previously been a significant source of these waters. While it's impossible to determine the number and extent of these reservoirs (or whether they still exist), they certainly point to the real possibility of a source for the required water volume.
- Heavenly gates – Another source cited by the Bible was the so-called heavenly gates. Genesis mentions that it rained continuously for forty days. It is uncertain exactly what this refers to (whether merely extraordinary rains or possibly a 'mist vapor' or a combination with gushing underground waters). This source was probably more supportive.
- The pre-flood world was different – It's critical to realize that at that time, there were no such depths or such high mountains as we see today. These features are the results of the great natural disaster. Some researchers suggest that mountains then were not higher than approximately 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level. Mountains formed through catastrophic processes during and after the flood. This naturally contradicts the traditional view that geological processes took hundreds of millions of years of gradual change. If such an event did occur, the geological changes would have been unimaginable. Let us consider even minor details like the discovery of marine fossils on Mount Everest thousands of meters above sea level, which aligns well with the biblical flood model.

Where did all the water go?

• The largest part is likely in today's oceans.

• Some water froze at the poles due to rapid cooling.

• The flood created deep ocean basins and the aforementioned rock-forming processes (which formed many previously non-existent mountains). These processes resulted in the retreat of some water, exposing more land (remember, most of our planet's surface is comprised of water bodies).

• Some water is in the atmosphere.

Some scientists claim that if the Earth's surface were perfectly smoothed (without mountains and depressions), the water would cover the entire planet to a depth of more than 2.5 km (about 1.5 miles)! This clearly shows we have more than enough potential water reserves to flood the planet. An interesting fact is that the colossal amounts of water on Earth remain an unsolved riddle for evolutionary theorists.

Why do we not see such massive bodies of water on other planets? How did oceans form on Earth, supposedly hot and later cooled down? Currently, even the comet theory—suggesting comets brought the water—is unsuccessful since water on comets is composed differently than Earth's water. Explaining such vast amounts of water evolutionarily is very complex, if not impractical. Let us end our discussion with the words of the Apostle Peter:

"Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly." (2 Peter 3:3–7)

Summation

While we cannot speak dogmatically about the specific details surrounding the flood, many probable and promising scenarios exist to show how the biblical account of the flood could have occurred. Moreover, we find various pieces of evidence supporting this account, even in the realm of scientific inquiry.