The flood in Scripture
Genesis 6–9 tells how the earth was “corrupt before God, and… filled with violence.” Yet “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” God told Noah to build an ark, and He brought Noah, his family and the animals through the waters. Afterward God set His bow in the clouds as a covenant sign that He would never again destroy the earth by a flood.
Genesis gives a precise date: the waters came “in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month” (Genesis 7:11). The ark rested on the mountains of Ararat in the seventh month (Genesis 8:4).
Read: Genesis 6:5–8 · Genesis 7:11 · Genesis 8:4 · Genesis 9:8–17
A memory shared by the nations
Many ancient peoples tell stories of a great flood. Mesopotamian texts such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Atrahasis story describe a hero who builds a boat, saves living creatures and sends out birds. Similar accounts appear in many cultures around the world. Christians have long read these echoes as distorted memories of one real event, which Genesis records with moral clarity: judgment for sin and grace for the righteous.
The date of the flood and late autumn
Jewish tradition records two views of “the second month” of Genesis 7:11. Some counted the year from the autumn, which places the flood around Marcheshvan (October–November). Others counted from the spring month of Nisan. If the year began in autumn, the seventeenth day of the second month falls in late October or November.
Some writers have noticed that many cultures hold days for remembering the dead around this same time of year. These include the Celtic Samhain (around November 1), All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, and Día de los Muertos. These writers suggest the season may carry a faint memory of the world that perished in the flood. This is a theory, not something Scripture states, and historians debate it. It’s offered here as a point of reflection, not as established fact.
Where Halloween comes from
Halloween is short for “All Hallows’ Eve,” the night before All Saints’ Day (November 1). That day was set by the Western church to honor believers who had died in Christ. In Celtic lands, Samhain marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year. It was associated with the dead and the spirit world, and many customs that became part of Halloween, like bonfires, disguises and going door to door, grew out of that blend of traditions.
Over the centuries, the Christian remembrance of the saints and older folk practices mixed together. That’s why Halloween today ranges from harmless costumes to open celebration of darkness. Believers come to different convictions about whether, and how, to take part (Romans 14:5).
Read: Ephesians 5:11 · Romans 14:5 · Hebrews 12:1
Jesus and the days of Noah
Jesus Himself connected the flood to His return: “as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” People were eating, drinking and marrying, “and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away” (Matthew 24:37–39). The flood is a warning to stay awake and ready.
Peter sees the ark as a picture of salvation. Eight souls were “saved by water,” a figure of baptism, which saves “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:20–21). Just as there was one door into the ark, Jesus says, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9).
Read: Matthew 24:37–44 · 1 Peter 3:18–22 · 2 Peter 3:5–13 · Hebrews 11:7
From fear of the dead to hope in the risen Christ
The flood shows both God’s judgment and His mercy. Halloween’s darkest themes reflect a fear of death. The gospel answers both: Jesus has “abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light” (2 Timothy 1:10). For the believer, the end of October can become a season to remember the faithful who have gone before, to share the light, and to point neighbors to the One who conquered the grave.
Read: 2 Timothy 1:10 · John 8:12 · 1 Corinthians 15:54–57
This is a devotional study from the D’vash house journal. The proposed link between the flood’s date and autumn festivals of the dead is a debated theory, and we present it as such.