The floodwaters came suddenly and catastrophically on the same day God shut the ark's door, as the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened.
Genesis 7:11 places the bursting open of the fountains of the great deep and the opening of the windows of heaven on the very day Noah entered the ark. Les Feldick explains that this was not a slow, quiet rising of rainwater but an instantaneous, planet-wide cataclysm involving water from beneath the earth, water from above the atmosphere, and rain.
Genesis 7:11 — This verse gives the precise timing and the two sources of the flood: the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep and the opening of the windows of heaven.
Genesis 7:12 — It confirms that rain fell for forty days and forty nights as part of the same catastrophic flood.
The timing is explicit: "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened" (Genesis 7:11). The next verse continues, "And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights" (Genesis 7:12). Genesis 7:16 records that "the LORD shut him in." So the floodwaters came on the same day the door was closed, and they came from beneath the earth, from above the heavens, and as rain.
Les Feldick stresses that the flood did not come as "a simple rising of rainwater" or "a quiet flooding of everything." He describes it as "tumultuous" and "cataclysmic," saying the "whole planet erupted instantaneously" (Clip 1). The same-day timing matters: God shut the door, and the deep exploded upward while the heavens opened (Clips 1, 6). Les also explains the source of the water by pointing back to Genesis 1, where God divided the original water covering the earth and placed part of it above the atmosphere as a "vapor belt" (Clips 2, 4). At the flood, that water "all came back down and covered the planet totally." In addition, Les speaks of "tremendous volcanic and earthquake activity" and the tidal waves that battered the ark (Clip 3). For Les, the flood was an act of judgment, and the pitch-covered ark was the place of safety from those judgment waters (Clip 7).
The Bible says that "same day" the LORD shut Noah in (Genesis 7:16), all the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened (Genesis 7:11), and rain fell for forty days and forty nights (Genesis 7:12). Les Feldick emphasizes that the flood was "not just a simple rising of rainwater" but was "tumultuous" and "cataclysmic" (Clip 1). He points out that the door had already been shut by the Lord (Clip 6), so the destruction began at once.
Les explains that in Genesis 1 the earth was originally covered with water; God removed a portion and placed it above the atmosphere as a vapor belt, while the rest became the seas (Clips 2, 4). At Noah's flood, that vapor-belt water came back down and, combined with the fountains of the deep, covered the planet (Clip 2). The Bible's phrase "windows of heaven were opened" (Genesis 7:11) matches Les's description of water coming from above.
Les says it was "not a quiet flooding of everything" but "the whole planet erupted instantaneously" (Clip 1). He mentions the great tidal waves caused by the earthquakes and volcanoes and the tremendous power involved (Clips 2, 3). The ark, sealed with pitch, was the only safe place as the waters of judgment came (Clip 7).
Dispelling the Little Rowboat Myth
Les debunks the common Sunday-school picture of the ark as a little rowboat, preparing readers to think accurately about the flood event.
The Flood Was Cataclysmic, Not Quiet
Les teaches that the flood was not a simple rising of rainwater but a tumultuous, cataclysmic event that instantly removed the pre-flood civilization.
Two Sources of Floodwater
Les explains that the water came from above the atmosphere and from beneath the earth—all of the water God had separated in creation came back down and covered the planet.
Tidal Waves and the Ark
Les describes the volcanic and earthquake activity that produced great tidal waves and shows that the ark survived because God brought Noah into it.
The Vapor Belt Above the Firmament
Les shows from Genesis 1 that God moved half of the original water into a vapor belt above the atmosphere, which returned to earth at Noah's flood.
Where the Floodwater Went
Les raises the question of where the extra water went and points to the book of Job, while noting that present-day river basins formed as the flood waters receded.
The Door Shut by the Lord
Les notes that the Lord Himself shut the door before the flood and that Noah later removed the roof rather than going out the door, underscoring God's control over the catastrophe.
The Ark Sealed Against Judgment
Les teaches that the floodwaters were waters of judgment and that the pitch sealed the ark so those inside were completely safe from those judgment waters.
Genesis 7:11: In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
This is the key verse establishing the same-day timing and the two primary sources of the floodwaters.
Genesis 7:12: And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
This verse shows that rain was part of the flood, but it came alongside the breaking up of the great deep and the opening of the windows of heaven.
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 records that the Lord Himself closed the door, connecting the timing of the flood's arrival with God's action.
Genesis 1:6-7: And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
This is the original separation of the waters that Les Feldick uses to explain where the floodwater above the atmosphere came from.
No. Rain fell for forty days and forty nights, but on the very day the ark door was shut the fountains of the great deep broke open and the windows of heaven were opened. Les Feldick describes this as a catastrophic, instantaneous flood, not just a rainy period.
The Bible places the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep and the opening of the windows of heaven on the same day God shut Noah in. Les teaches that the entire planet erupted instantaneously, rather than the water rising gradually over many days.
Les teaches that the ark was sealed with pitch, which kept out the waters of judgment, and that God Himself shut the door. Those inside the ark were safe from the cataclysmic floodwaters.
Watch the Teaching: Noah’s Flood Was Not Just Rain: The Fountains of the Great Deep Explained