God gave mankind 120 years as an extended warning period before the flood judgment—not as a new limit on how long people could live.
Genesis 6:3 records God's declaration of the 120 years immediately before He tells Noah to build an ark. Noah spent that period building the ark in faith even though it had never rained, and the ark itself stood as a visible testimony that judgment was coming. Les Feldick's teaching stresses the obedience of Noah's faith and the ark as a place of safety through the waters of judgment.
Genesis 6:3 — This verse directly contains the 120-year declaration and sets it in the context of God's coming judgment.
In Genesis 6:3, the LORD says, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." The statement comes as God looks at a violent, corrupt world, and it is followed by His command to Noah: "Make thee an ark of gopher wood" (Genesis 6:14). New Testament passages show Noah as "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5) and say he "prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world" (Hebrews 11:7). The flood account itself identifies Noah as 600 years old when the flood came (Genesis 7:6) and says all his days were 950 years (Genesis 9:29). The biblical text therefore places the 120 years in the context of a coming judgment, not in a genealogy of human lifespan limits.
Les teaches that Noah built the ark because he believed what God told him, even though it had never rained. He calls Noah's response the perfect lesson of the obedience of faith throughout Scripture (Clips 2 and 5). Les also describes the ark as an enclosed rectangular box, not a little rowboat, built not to sail but to withstand the awful rigors of the flood—far more than 40 days of rain (Clips 1 and 3). The pitch sealed out the waters of judgment and kept Noah's family in perfect safety, a picture of the believer's salvation in Christ (Clip 7). God even invited Noah and his family by saying "come into the ark," not "go into the ark" (Clip 4). On the larger timeline, Les places Noah's flood about 1,600 years after Adam, a period in which the whole human race had opportunity to approach God by faith in a blood sacrifice (Clip 6). The 120-year declaration of Genesis 6:3 set the stage for the ark project and the warning it gave the ancient world.
No. Genesis records Noah's age at the flood as 600 years (Genesis 7:6) and his total life as 950 years (Genesis 9:29). The 120 years in Genesis 6:3 appears in the context of God's announcement about man and judgment, not in a list of individual lifespans.
Faith in what God had said. Les shows that although it had never rained, Noah responded to God's word and built the ark. In Hebrews 11:7 he was "warned of God of things not seen as yet," moved with fear, and prepared an ark that condemned the world by its witness.
Les explains that the ark was not a little rowboat and did not need to sail across the sea. It was an enclosed rectangular box—the Hebrew word can also be translated "coffin"—built to withstand the worst rigors of the flood. The flood was far more than 40 days of rain, and the ark had to remain stable for almost a year in the water.
Noah is called "a preacher of righteousness" in 2 Peter 2:5, and Hebrews 11:7 says that by his faith in preparing the ark, he condemned the world. Les connects the ark's construction with the reality of judgment: the floodwaters were judgment for the unbelieving multitudes, but for those inside the ark they were waters of judgment kept out by the pitch, making it a place of safety.
Les places the flood about 1,600 years after Adam, around 2400 B.C. in his teaching. He points out that during that long period the human race had the opportunity to know God after the pattern given to Cain and Abel: bringing a blood sacrifice in faith. Most of the human race rejected it, and the flood came as judgment.
The Days of Noah: Understanding the "Sons of God" & Coming Judgment
Now we know from genetics, in any kind of genetics, that when you begin to cross bloodlines that have been relatively pure on both sides of the fence for a long time, in animals or in plants, and it also comes into the human element, that when you have a long line of bloodlines totally separated from this bloodline, and you begin to cross, and the word we use for that today, of course, is hybrid, …
The Ark Was Built to Survive the Flood
Les describes the ark as an enclosed rectangular box built to withstand the severe conditions of the flood, not as a small sailing vessel.
Noah's Faith Led Him to Build the Ark
Les explains that Noah built the ark because of faith in what God had said, even before rain had ever fallen, and that this obedience condemned the world.
The Ark Was a Coffin-Style Box of Stability
Les shows that the Hebrew word for ark can also mean coffin or box, and that Noah had to build it meticulously to last almost a year in the floodwaters.
God's Invitation Was 'Come Into the Ark'
Les highlights that the Lord said 'come into the ark' rather than 'go into the ark,' emphasizing God's personal invitation to safety.
Faith Made Noah Obey Before the Rain Began
Les uses Hebrews 11 to show that faith is what enabled Noah to act on God's warning of an unseen flood.
The Flood Came About 1,600 Years After Adam
Les places the flood about 1,600 years after Adam and notes that humanity had centuries of opportunity to respond to God in faith.
The Pitch Made the Ark a Place of Safety
Les connects the pitch sealing the ark with salvation: the waters of judgment were shut out, and those inside were safe.
Genesis 6:3: And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
This is the verse that states the 120-year period just before the flood judgment.
Genesis 6:13-14: And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
God announces the judgment and immediately commands Noah to build the ark.
Genesis 7:6: And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
This verse shows Noah's age when the flood arrived, helping readers see the timeframe.
Genesis 9:29: And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
Noah's total lifespan shows the 120 years was not a limit on human life.
Hebrews 11:7: By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
This New Testament verse explains that Noah's obedient ark-building was an act of faith that condemned the world.
2 Peter 2:5: And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
Peter identifies Noah as a preacher of righteousness, showing that the ark-building period was also a period of warning.
God's statement that His Spirit would not always strive with man, and that his days would be 120 years, is immediately followed by the account of Noah building the ark. In context it points to a period of warning before the judgment of the flood.
No. Genesis records Noah as 600 years old at the flood and 950 years old at death. The 120 years appears in the context of God's coming judgment, not as a lifespan cap.
Because he had faith in what God said. Hebrews 11:7 says he was warned by God of things not seen as yet and moved with fear to prepare the ark. Les Feldick calls this the perfect lesson of the obedience of faith.
No. Les teaches that the flood was far more than 40 days of rain, involving the opening of the fountains of the great deep and nearly a year in the water. The ark had to be built to survive those conditions.
Watch the Teaching: The Days of Noah: Understanding the "Sons of God" & Coming Judgment