Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. – Genesis 6:11-13

Notice how the fullness of the “earth” is corrupted. What God had originally created has fallen into a worsening condition because of the works of man. The corruption of man and his sin corrupt the created order.

In God’s judgment, He will destroy both the earth with man. In the simplicity of the text, the earth itself is destroyed and purified in this judgment! This imagery of destruction and judgment is pertinent to our understanding of New Testament prophecy.