Noah and the creatures left the ark through the top, after Noah removed the ark's covering — not through the door, which God had shut.
Genesis 8:13 says Noah removed the covering of the ark. Les Feldick explains that the door had been shut previously by the Lord Himself, so Noah removed the roof or covering and they went out through the top. The exit was therefore through the top of the ark, not through the sealed door.
Genesis 8:13 — This verse records the actual action of Noah removing the covering of the ark, which is how the ark was opened for exit.
Genesis 7:16 — This verse establishes that the LORD shut Noah in, meaning the door was not the way out.
The biblical account does not describe Noah opening the door to leave the ark. In Genesis 7:16, after the animals entered, "the LORD shut him in." The next mention of the ark being opened is in Genesis 8:13: "And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry." Then God told Noah, "Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee." Genesis 8:18-19 records the result: "And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark." The recorded exit is through the top after removing the covering, not through the door.
Les Feldick makes the point plainly: "they didn't go out the door" (Clip 3). He explains that the door had been shut previously by the Lord Himself, so Noah removed the roof or covering of the ark, and they went out through the top (Clip 7). Les also connects the shut door to salvation: once someone enters the one door of salvation, God seals it, and there is no other way in. The ark had only one window, and it was not in the side — it was in the top of the ark, in the roof (Clip 1). After the exit, Les teaches that the earth was completely different: a different climate, with weather and the four seasons, rather than the pre-flood environment.
In Les's teaching, they didn't go out the door because the door had been shut previously by the Lord Himself. Clip 7 says, "The door had been shut previously by the Lord Himself, and so Noah removed the roof or the covering of the ark, and they went out through the top." The biblical record in Genesis 7:16 confirms the LORD shut the door, and Genesis 8:13 records Noah removing the covering.
Les points out that the ark had only one window, and it was not in the side where anyone on the outside could reach it. Rather, it was in the top of the ark, in the roof. He also mentions a band under the roof line for ventilation. This means the way Noah and the creatures left was through the top, after Noah removed the covering.
Les teaches that after the flood, the earth was completely different: a different climate, with weather and climatic changes such as the four seasons. He also speculates that this may be when the Lord instigated the tilting of the earth for seasonal changes, while noting it is only speculation.
Noah’s Flood & The Middle East Oil Prophecy | Genesis Bible Study
Now, I think the analogy here is, what kind of a bird is a raven? Well, it's like a vulture. It's a bird of prey, and it's something that, it's carnivorous. And so I think what you have here is this old raven goes out, and it doesn't come back because it could find ample of stuff floating on the water that had already died and was perfectly at home with him.
The door that God shut and the top window
Les shows that once God shut the ark's door, the only window opening was in the roof, not in the side — leaving the top as the only way out.
Noah’s Flood Was Not Just Rain: The Fountains of the Great Deep Explained
It just goes to show you how impressionistic young minds are. And I've almost had 100% of people I've ever said it to nod their head. You know, they know what I'm talking about. Well, listen, the ark was not just a little rowboat. It did not just have a little shed stuck in the middle, and there were no animals with their heads sticking over the edge.
They didn't go out the door
Les explicitly reminds his class that Noah and those with him did not go out the door of the ark.
Noah’s Ark & Your Salvation: A Deep Bible Study on Eternal Security
And it was the pitch that sealed the ark against the waters of judgment and consequently then made the ark a place of safety for those within. And then I pointed out that the blood of Christ is what makes our salvation secure. If we're not under the blood, then we have no salvation.
The Hidden Meaning of "Pitch" in Noah's Ark | Genesis 6 Bible Study
It was something that would seal out the water. And you've got to put this whole picture together. The waters of the flood were to be judgmental, not on the righteous family of Noah, but on the unbelieving multitudes. And so the floodwaters become waters of judgment.
The Hidden Meaning of "Pitch" in Noah's Ark | Genesis 6 Bible Study
So I like to think of the ark not as most people think of the ark, and everyone I've ever had in my classes, immediately I can tell by the smile on their face, when you mention the ark, visions come into their mind of those little pictures they saw back in Sunday school as a kindergartner, and you saw that little old round tub with a little old box-like shed in the middle, and out in the front was…
Noah removed the roof and exited through the top
Les explains that because the Lord had shut the door, Noah removed the roof or covering of the ark, and all went out through the top.
Genesis 7:16: And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
This verse explains why the door could not be their exit: the LORD Himself shut it.
Genesis 8:13: And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
This is the central verse showing the opening Noah made: he removed the covering.
Genesis 8:16: Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.
God's command to leave the ark confirms Noah did not leave on his own timetable.
Genesis 8:18-19: And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
The fulfillment of God's command shows Noah's family and every kind of creature going forth out of the ark.
No. Genesis 8:13 says Noah removed the covering of the ark. Les Feldick says they did not go out the door because the door had been shut by the Lord Himself; they exited through the top.
The Bible says every beast, creeping thing, and fowl went forth out of the ark (Genesis 8:19). In Les's teaching, this happened after Noah removed the roof or covering, so the creatures went out through the top with the family.
Les points out the ark had one window in the top of the roof, not in the side. It was above the roof line, and there was a band under the eave for ventilation, letting air flow without water splashing in. The exit came through the top once the covering was removed.
Watch the Teaching: Noah’s Flood & The Middle East Oil Prophecy | Genesis Bible Study