I've heard some argue against a global flood because they claim the Bible only says "the earth was destroyed" and since they have been solely indoctrinated by evolutions promotions of early man as being ignorant, they claim "…the earth back in those days most likely meant the area immediately around ones inhabitants..." We have heard the local flood theories such as, "the Black Sea flood" as well as a variety of others, yet the Bible makes it very clear this was no ordinary flood.

Global vs. Local:
First, if the flood was a global catastrophe and actually happened the way the Bible describes it, what might the evidence be? It would leave many layers of mud, full of fossils, covering immense areas as a result of their sudden-catastrophic burial. Is there evidence for this? Absolutely! A proper interpretation of the rocks and fossils speaks of a global, dynamic, watery catastrophe: the Biblical Deluge. We find this fossilized evidence everywhere, even on the highest peaks of all the continents.

Only denial of Biblical teaching could lead one to misinterpret the rocks and fossils to support long ages. If the flood happened the way the Bible says it happened, then it laid down the rocks and fossils a mere 4,450 years ago, which would leave no more arguments for an old earth, or evolution, for that matter.

Let me urge you to read carefully Genesis 6-9. If God was really trying to describe a local flood, He certainly could have written much more clearly, for over and over again the wording demands a global flood. In fact, I have counted over 100 times in these three chapters when the wording implies a global flood.

For instance:
In Genesis 6:1, "....on the face of the earth…" This wording, "face of the earth" is more descriptive of a planet rather then a specific geographical region.

6:13, "...The end of all flesh." Is absolute about what perished!

6:17, "…bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life from under heaven…and everything that is in the earth shall die."

From under heaven? Now, if the flood was local, why would God use the expanse of the heavens to describe the geographical region where the flood took place? What would be the purpose of gathering the animals in the ark if it were simply just a regional disaster?

What was the purpose of the Ark if the flood wasn't global? Why would God wait 120 years for Noah to finish the Ark if it were simply a local flood? Why wouldn't He just send Noah to some other region? It wouldn't take anyone 120 years to flee an area if God told them He was going to destroy it. Now doesn’t that seem rather silly?

7:19, "And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Again, "all", and "under heaven" are not describing a regional disaster. If you were describing the North Carolina floods of 99, would you use the heavens or the skies to do so? I didn’t hear anyone make that inference.

8:4, "....upon the mountains of Ararat." What a vast region. How did the local flood stay local if it covered this area?

8:5, ".....were the tops of the mountains seen." This verse is talking about the waters residing to where one could finally see the tops of them.

So if the flood was a local flood, what did God mean in Genesis 9:11 when He said, "....neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth?"

For those that believe the Genesis flood was simply a local flood, here's their biggest problem: How many local floods have there been in the past 100 years alone? I'd imagine thousands. So if you truly feel it was a local flood for whatever your reason may be, then God lied to us when He promised here to never again flood the earth and kill all flesh.

Perhaps more convincing is the fact that Jesus Christ based His teaching of coming judgment on all mankind on the fact that Noah's Flood judged all mankind (Matthew 24:36-39, Luke 17:26, 27). A local flood implies a partial judgment.

And finally, we read in II Peter 2:5, "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eight person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world…" And again, in 3:6, "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." Peter based his prophecy that the existing planet: will "melt with fervent heat" (II Peter 3:10) and an entire new heavens and new earth will be recreated (3:13) on the historical fact of the global flood of Noah's day. All things considered, few doctrines are taught as clearly in Scripture as that of the global flood.