Where only eight people saved in the days of Noah's?

[rush4hire]

[color:#BF0000]1 Peter 3:20 ...when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

So, they say only eight people where saved.

That's not true. Methuselah was saved, but he died just before they entered the ark. So, that's nine people.

But Methuselah was not saved by water. So to say eight people where saved, is not the same as "eight souls where saved by water".

And isn't there the possibility of martyrdom? Maybe so many died as martyrs, by the time the Ark was finished, that there where only nine people left alive.

Ellen White said that back then, they performed human sacrifice:

The people first beheld the destruction of the works of their own hands. Their splendid buildings, and the beautiful gardens and groves where they had placed their idols, were destroyed by lightning from heaven, and the ruins were scattered far and wide. The altars on which human sacrifices had been offered were torn down, and the worshipers were made to tremble at the power of the living God, and to know that it was their corruption and idolatry which had called down their destruction. {PP 99.2}

[Bravus]

Two small comments:

1. 'were', not 'where'

2. Scripture says only 8 were saved. Are you placing your conjectures above that?

[Amelia]

Rush, are you trying to find error in the bible?

[bygjymbo]

I think you're confusing what the word "saved" means.

Eight people were saved from the flood. Not for all eternity.

[Bravus]

Um, and 'Noah' in the thread title, too.

And I'm sorry - I don't meant to be nitpicking and being difficult here.

I didn't have a lot to add to your original post, so I'm trying to help the title be as clear as possible in the hope others will.

I guess the point is that bygjymbo is right, and you might be conflating 'saved from the flood' (i.e. kept alive) with 'saved eternally'. It seems possible that, given his later behaviour, at least one of the 8 may *not* have been saved eternally, although that's not our place to judge.

I'm not too sure about the link with martyrdom at the end of time and the 144,000, either, although I would guess that's what sparked this thread.

[rush4hire]

Two small comments:

1. 'were', not 'where'

2. Scripture says only 8 were saved. Are you placing your conjectures above that?

Or you could just read the post, not just the title. It says 8 where saved "by water". Not saved period. The other interpretation is conjecture. I doubt if you can find anything from EGW to support it.

Sure, there where only 8 people left alive, by the time of the flood. No saved where destroyed by the flood.

----

The where / were thing is sort of a thorn in the side. I hope you can bear with me. It's cause of the word "were-wolf". In American accent, it's pronounced "where-wolf", or "ware-wolf".

[Bravus]

No worries on the grammar and expression stuff, at all - honestly just trying to be helpful. You can still edit it if you want to - up to you.

[rush4hire]

I think you're confusing what the word "saved" means.

[rush4hire]

It seems possible that, given his later behaviour, at least one of the 8 may *not* have been saved eternally, although that's not our place to judge.