Were only Noah and his family saved from the flood?

QUESTION:

When the flood came to earth in the days of Noah, God destroyed everything on earth. I wonder if anyone repented or saved their souls? Did everyone really go to hell?

I assume you know this Bible story and the fact that not all of them died, but eight souls were saved. If you ask about others besides Noah’s family, then no, no one else was saved. Here is what the Bible tells us in this regard:

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.  So the Lord was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  Then the Lord said, “I will wipe out mankind whom I have created from the face of the land; mankind, and animals as well, and crawling things, and the birds of the sky. For I am sorry that I have made them.”  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.  And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for humanity had corrupted its way upon the earth.

 Then God said to Noah, “The end of humanity has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of people; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.  Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and cover it inside and out with pitch.  This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.  You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and put the door of the ark on the side; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.  Now behold, I Myself am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.  But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. ( Genesis 6:5-18 NASB)

The reason God brought the flood to earth was precisely because man’s wickedness was great on earth and all the thoughts in his heart were directed only to evil every day. Something similar to today, or what about a businessman who wastes all the money he earns on debauchery and sexual impurity and who degrades women he has sex with, even making them ride in his private plane on their knees and with their hands tied, like animals. And he takes pictures of how he does this and posts on social networks for as many people as possible to see, to admire him and to do like him. This is how all the people who lived in the days of Noah became, and God intervened. Noah was a righteous man, and this gave him favor before God to stay alive and survive the flood. If any man be righteous, yet shall he live: for it is written in the prophet Ezekiel, saying,

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,  “Son of man, if a country sins against Me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and eliminate from it both human and animal life,  even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only save themselves,” declares the Lord God.  “If I were to cause vicious animals to pass through the land and they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the animals,  though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not save either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be saved, but the country would be desolate.  Or if I were to bring a sword on that country and say, ‘A sword is to pass through the country,’ and I eliminated human and animal life from it,  even though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not save either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be saved.  Or if I were to send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath on it in blood to eliminate man and animal from it,  even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not save either their son or their daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.” (Ezekiel 14:12-20 NASB)

The people of Noah’s day were utterly indifferent to God’s call and despised Him. But whoever despises God despises his own life. Today there is a lot of indifference toward God. I’m amazed at how people remain cold-hearted and after hearing and knowing a lot about God, they refuse to listen to Him and follow Him, because they like the darkness in which they live. Before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, people will have an attitude like those who lived before the flood. Here is what the Lord Jesus said about this:

For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ( Matthew 24:37-39 NASB)

When Noah built the ark, everyone saw, because nothing more gigantic had been built before. Today, if someone made such a ship, it would still arouse everyone’s curiosity, but even more so then. Throughout the construction, Noah preached to the people, but they remained indifferent. Here is what Scripture tells us:

Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;  and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, held for judgment; ( 2 Peter 2:5 NASB )

Noah’s righteous way of life was a powerful testimony to the people before the flood, for his holy conduct contrasted greatly with their way of life.

 who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.  ( 1 Peter 3:20 NASB )

Noah’s righteous way of life was a powerful testimony to the people before the flood, for his holy conduct contrasted greatly with their way of life.

Translated by Aliona Soltan