37

Noah

1

Noah

Once again, the Hebrew tribe is in danger. Noah and his relatives are the only uncontaminated family remaining and in perpetual danger. The entire area is plagued with hostile egocentric humans, Demonic Humons, and the Nephilim. Without Angelic intervention, it is unlikely Noah and his family will survive far beyond their own generation. 

The Angels know their help is needed, but their intervention will have to be subtle to ensure the ever watchful Demons remain unaware of their activities. 

Fortunately, the naturally developing crisis the Alliance has been monitoring for some time, is about to present a solution. Excessive meltwater has been collected in the Black Sea. A large section of frozen water and mud has been acting as a plug, but it is about to give way. When it does, events will progress very quickly. The water will rapidly flood the Caspian basin with little or no warning. Noah is situated centrally in that area. 

So far, there has been no indication of the imminent crisis. There has been a lot of terrible weather, and a lot of rain, which will no doubt be blamed when a sudden and unexpected rise in the water level begins. By the time the people realise it is more than just the product of excessive rainfall, it will be too late to act. 

2

Preparing for The Flood

Yet again, it has become necessary to impress upon the pitifully few remnants of the Hebrew tribe, the importance of their purpose. This time, however, the Angels will adopt a different, more forceful strategy. 

It is with regret that the Angels must acknowledge how the Demons have been more successful influencing humans by employing aggressive tactics. The Demons have never attempted to establish a peaceful relationship. They have only used violence, fear and intimidation to exercise control; and the humans have duly demonstrated they deserve no better. Clearly, humans are congruent with coarse brutality. Even the introduction of slavery wasn’t as much opposed as embraced. In fact, humanity immediately adopted the practice of enslaving one another whenever possible. 

3

The ark

Wasting no time, the Angels plan a series of visits. The instructions are relayed directly to Noah by the Angelic emissary, Gabriel. He is told that God is deeply dissatisfied with the Human race because they have failed to obey the simple laws he put in place. He is reminded of their sworn obligation to preserve the Hebrew bloodline; to keep it pure and uncontaminated. Noah must not allow his family to fraternise with anyone outside their own tribe.

It is made clear: God’s patience has run out, and in his fury he has decided to flood the entire territory. There will be no mercy. The entire population will perish. However, he has made one concession: if Noah follows God’s precise instruction, he and his family will be saved. 

Noah is told he must construct an enormous boat, an Ark, of precise specification.  It must be large enough to comfortably accommodate Noah’s extended family, all the animals he can collect, and enough provisions to keep them for anything up to a year. Having no means of propulsion or steering, the Ark will be little more than a floating island, but providing Noah builds it correctly, it will keep them relatively safe and dry. 

When the time comes, Noah must do exactly as he is told. There will be no time for delay; the water level will rise so quickly that any living creature caught in its path will have no hope of escape. A substantial area of land will be consumed in a frighteningly short time, and once flooded, it will remain that way for several months.

The story is not entirely true; the flood will not be caused by God. It is in fact inevitable, unstoppable; but Noah does not know that. From where the family are located, it will seem as though the entire world has been flooded. There will be no land visible at all; though in reality, the flood will be isolated to just the Caspian basin.

The event will impress upon the Hebrews that the Yahweh is indeed a mighty God. 

4

The People Think Noah Is Insane

The Angels leave Noah to toil alone. It is the best way. The Humans are an odd race, including the Hebrews. Enduring hardship is clearly in their nature. They like to wallow in pseudo martyrdom, and if it helps them stay focused, the Angels are happy to play along.

When the building commences, the locals think Noah is going insane. Some help, some hinder. It is irrelevant. The Angels have told him to be perfectly honest about his reasons for the project. No-one will believe him anyway. In fact, the spectacle of the extravagant building project will attract the voyeuristic population into the central area, right where the Angels want them to be. 

It is a monumental task, and a demanding challenge for Noah when considering how he is the only one who has met the Angelic emissary, Gabriel. Even his family are doubting his sanity. But once again, that is the intention; they will only have Noah’s word regarding what the future holds. If they are going to support him, it must be through choice, not coercion.

5

The Water Escapes 

The flood begins. Noah is instructed to load his family, animals and provisions into the Ark, then close and secure the doors. Under no circumstances can anyone else be allowed on board. His family are still doubtful, so far there has been no signs of imminent flooding, but they remain loyal and go along with Noah’s wishes, even in the face of ridicule from the rest of the people.

When the ice gives way, the water begins to rush into the Caspian basin, and by the time the people realise the rising water level is not consistent with the amount of rain falling, it is too late. They can’t outrun the flood, and they can’t get on board the Ark.

Seeing the people and animals drowning around them is heart-breaking for Noah and his family, but they can do nothing. It is the will of God, who considers it important for them to witness how brutal He can be when it is necessary. 

Eventually, the cries of the people clinging to the ark fade to nothing.

6

Much Later

Weeks later the rain abates and the water stops rising; then finally, after seven months have passed, it begins to recede. As it does, the Ark is carried by the wind until it comes to rest by the mountains of Ararat.

When the flood waters are completely gone, there are no people, no animals, and most significantly, no Nephilim remaining. The land is fresh and rejuvenated, providing an ideal environment for Noah’s family to settle and resume their lives undisturbed. 

On board the Space Ark, the UCC reports that the Demons have learnt of the flood and are planning to investigate. To them, the event will look exactly like what it is: a natural occurrence. For now there is little that can be done and nothing  to be achieved by risking confrontation, so the Angels decide to make themselves scarce and undertake another time consuming journey.

They will return in a few generations to see how things are progressing.

7 

A Seven Rule Covenant 

As they leave, Noah is given seven rules by which his people must abide. 

In addition to herbs and plants, they are permitted to eat meat from herbivorous animals; but it must first be killed and drained of blood. Swine is to be avoided. The Hebrews must establish a court of law to issue punishment for the crimes of violence, blasphemy, indecency, idolatry, and stealing. The act of murder must be punishable by death. 

They are told that as a symbol of the covenant, a rainbow will always accompany the rain. The rainbow will remind them how, even when God is not obviously present, he is still watching over them, which of course, in the form of the UCC, is perfectly true.

It is made clear, when other people inevitably begin to re-populate the area, it is imperative that the Hebrew tribe stick with their own, and continue to abide by the laws of the new covenant, because if they do not, when God returns, they will be severely punished.

In reality, there would have been many easier ways for the Alliance to protect Noah and his family from the flood. They could have told them to move to a safer area, or they could have just taken them away and returned them when the water cleared. But the situation provided an opportunity for the Angels to create an impressive and memorable event that will be passed down the generations; a story that will confirm the power and wrath of God, and how God protects the worthy but severely punishes those who enrage him with their disobedience.

Telling the story of the great flood will be an active reminder that compliance is the key to ensuring God’s favour. Issuing threats of retribution has made the Angles uncomfortable, but they have begrudgingly accepted it is necessary. Harsh punishment is a crude deterrent, but then, the Humans are a crude race.

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