Noah waited more than two months while the water kept going down. After that he sent out birds to see if the distant land below was still flooded. At last one of the birds returned with a green leaf in its beak, after which it flew away and failed to return. This proved to Noah that the water had drained off to where plant life had started redeveloping, and that the valleys were ready to live in again. (Gen. 8:11)
A dove which Noah let out returns with a fresh olive leaf.
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The men opened the top of the ark, then the only eight people left on Earth excitedly came out on the top deck to view land for the first time in more than a year. (Verse 13)
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Noah and his family come out to view the land for the first time in more than a year.
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All the animals, birds and insects left the ark to repopulate the Earth.
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After being cooped up for so many months, the sight of dry ground was a wonderful welcome sight to Noah and his family, but it was strange to look down on a silent world where there was nobody to scoff at them.
Noah offers a sacrifice to God
to thank Him for having preserved
them through the terrible flood.
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The rainbow becomes a sign
that no flood will ever again destroy
man or beast from the earth.
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A New Life Begins
"Come out of the ark," God told Noah. "Bring the creatures with you. I want all living beings to spread out over the Earth and produce families." (Verse 17)
The large door in the side of the ark was broken open, and a wide ramp type of gangplank was built from the door to the ground. Then all the creatures were freed from their stables and cages to return to a new life amid the new greenery of the Earth.
But Noah didn't set all of the animals and birds free. He was so thankful to his Creator for sparing him and his family that he built an altar on the mountain, and sacrificed some of the clean creatures as an offering to God. (Verse 20)
God was pleased with Noah. He blessed him and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. They were told to rebuild homes and raise children, so that many people would again live in the world from which the disobedient had been purged.
"I shall never again bring a flood over the whole planet," God told Noah and his sons. (Gen. 9:11) "As a promise to you that it will not happen again, look at this sign that will sometimes be seen in the sky." (Verses 12-17)
Thereupon the Eternal caused a beautiful arc of many colors to appear from horizon to horizon. Whenever people see this colorful arc, called a rainbow, they are seeing the sign of the promise God made to man more than four thousand, three hundred years ago!
The land of Shinar became the center of civilization shortly after the Flood.
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