catbert,
It is impossible for me to tell you why God chose a flood instead of a virus or some other means of wiping out man. I agree it seems a little unfair as all the land animals also perished. God knew this and that is why he had Noah bring representatives of each kind of animal onto the ark - to mate and fill the earth with land animals again.
Peacefulpete:
Thanks for the information about whitcomb. I need to find out more about his beliefs before I spend money on his book. I am not a new earth believer and I cannot see how he can believe in a global flood and the new earth theory at the same time. This is why;
There is no way that every species of land animal on the earth today could have had ancestors of each one on the ark. To hold all this animal life, the ark would have had to have been at least 100 times the size it way, maybe larger. The bible says two of each kind were brought onto the ark. That would mean, two birds, two wild cats, etc. From these animals we today have sometimes hundreds of species within each kind. This would be impossible if the flood were only a few thousand years ago. The animals would not have had time to evolve (thats right I said it) into all the species we have today. There are so many different species of just bugs that Scientists have not been able to catalog all them yet. And yet, some will say that Noah had all these on the ark with him? This is impossible.
I personally believe the flood story although recorded by the Jews a few thousand years ago, is actually an event that happend much longer ago in history than that. It would of had to have been in order for the animals to not only procreate, but develop (evolve) into all the variety of species we have today.
So, therefore, I cannot see how you can reconcile these two beliefs. If you believe in a global flood, you have to believe that it happend in the distant past. And thus cannot be a new earth enthusiast. To believe otherwise would go against too much scientific evidence to the contrary. There are even now new species developing. By the way this proves there are forms of evolution also. I believe God planned it that way. For animals and humans to survive, we have to evolve and adapt to our environment over time and I believe the ability to do this was put into our genes by our Creator. The universe is also still expanding so apparently God is not done with much of his creation.
I do know of some Witnesses when I was in the borg. that literally believed the earth was flooded a few thousand years ago and not only that they would say every animal in the world today was on that ark. Even my kids did not believe that one!
Anyway, thanks again, Lilly