NOAH’S ARK: TRUTH or FANTASY?

By Flynn Huseby | September 17, 2015 |

Arguably some of the most frequently asked questions about the Bible are related to the Ark and worldwide flood of Noah’s time. Starting from childhood, many kids are taught the story, yet sadly they are too often taught from picture books or illustrations which include pictures like this one.

A quick Google image search of “Noah’s Ark Kids” brought up literally hundreds of cartoony, overstuffed and undersized boats. Due to their shape and size, some have referred to these stylized depictions as bathtub arks.

 (Screen shot from a portion of the Google search: Noah’s Ark Kids.)

Although these images are undeniably cute and would make great illustrations for a children’s fiction book, they have the very real effect of teaching children that the account of Genesis 6-9 is most assuredly fantasy, not history.

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 Side Note on the Power of Images: This, more than any other generation, is a visual one and unfortunately, in today’s world pictures are speaking louder than most words.  That, of course, does not mean we need to turn God’s Word into an action-packed comic book. It does, however, mean we must be 110 percent intentional and discerning when using illustrations to complement the Scriptures.

The role pictures/images should play while teaching God’s Word is an important discussion all on its own and is one definitely worth having. But for brevity and clarity’s sake, this article is not that place. For a little more information on the topic of images and the dangers they pose, go to:

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After years of being presented with illustrations portraying Noah’s Ark as a fictional story, it’s no wonder so many in the church have grown up questioning the truthfulness of Genesis. But it doesn’t stop there. Once the fantasy notion of Noah’s Ark seeps in, it’s only a matter of time before that sort of devilish thinking spreads throughout our hearts and minds, infecting our understanding when we read all the other pages of Scripture as well.

The well-meaning Sunday School teacher holds up a picture of a cartoon ark and then tells her kindergarten class that they need to trust God’s Word and believe what it says. I’m sorry, but the world is intentionally seeking to seductively tear at the hearts and minds of every generation, seeking to steal away the foundational truth of God’s Word from our thinking. Yet, we as believers, are somehow almost completely unaware of the enemy’s devices and strategies, too often playing right into his hand.

The church body should be filled with the most discerning of teachers. After all, born again believers are filled with the Spirit of truth and equipped with the everlasting Word of God. For some reason though, it seems the opposite has occurred. Although many profess to stand on God’s Word, we are all too willing to hand our hearts and minds over to the world. May it never be!

Praise God for those who continue to faithfully stand upon God’s solid Word, especially in this mass produced, mega/post-modern “church-ianity” era in which we live. A few years back while working at the Creation Museum, I was standing next to a lady and her baby in her stroller. The mom was looking intently at a scale model of Noah’s Ark (pictured here) when I overheard her say, “I finally get it.”

I couldn’t help sending her a smile. She proceeded to tell me how for most of her life she didn’t know how the story of the Noah and the Ark could be true. She also shared how doubt had shaken her faith for years. She said she grew up believing God’s Word and never lost hope, but that her faith was weakened because she didn’t believe she could trust the whole of Scripture…until now. With a little twinge of shame in her voice, she told me that she would be sure to teach the truth to her little girl so she would grow up with her house built upon the Rock, not upon the sand.

Seeing just how big the Ark really was and understanding just how possible it would’ve been to get the animals in it can have a spiritually fortifying effect, strengthening our understanding and trust in the authority and sufficiency of the Bible.  Again, praise God for those who have chosen to willingly and intelligently stand alone on the Word of God. And although there are few, praise God for those ministries teaching the truth about Genesis, Creation, and Noah’s Ark!

A few such creation ministries that we would strongly recommend would be:

(Disclaimer: Please keep in mind we recommend these ministries based on their science and biblical creation teachings. We do not necessarily endorse all other areas of teaching they may inadvertently present from the Bible. As always, please be a Berean (Acts 17:11), checking everything out according to the Scriptures.)

NOAH’S ARK: “ARK ENCOUNTER” – 2016

 

You may have heard that a full size replica of the Ark is in the process of being built and will soon be open to the public.  If so, you’d be correct. The creation ministry based in northern Kentucky, Answers in Genesis, is building a full size Ark along with many exhibits and interactive displays for all ages. They are calling it the “Ark Encounter”. You can track the progress at – https://arkencounter.com. (See below for a few recent photos)

 

 

 

 

Lord willing, they plan to open the Ark Encounter in the summer of 2016.  Please pray for the project and the ministry. It is our hope that many will have a renewed trust and hope in both the Bible and the Lord of the Bible as they perhaps, for the first time, realize that God’s Word can be totally trusted from the very first book!

May it also be an excellent tool of evangelism, reminding the lost that God will not only judge their sin, but also loves them enough to provide the only Ark of their salvation, Jesus Christ! The Ark and worldwide flood are indeed amazing tools to present the glorious Gospel!

THE CREATION MUSEUM
Answers in Genesis already opened an amazing 75,000 sq. ft. Creation Museum in 2007. It is only located about 30 minutes north of where the Ark will be. To see more about the museum, their website is: http://creationmuseum.org/.

If you are like most of us, you have a lot of questions about Noah’s Ark and if you don’t, you should. The world is wondering and we should be able to give them answers.  Here are just some of the questions many Christians and non-Christians alike might be asking –

  • Just how big was the Ark?
  • How did Noah and his three sons actually build it?
  • How did all the animals from around the world fit on the Ark?
  • How could a loving God destroy the entire world with water?
  • Wasn’t it just a local flood?
  • How did everything survive for a year on the Ark?
  • Where did all the water come from?
  • Where did all the water go?
  • What about the Ice Age?
  • Did dinosaurs go on the Ark?

To help provide answers, here are a couple helpful articles.

As always, may we let the Scriptures be our main text!  Let God’s Word interpret God’s Word, allowing the words to speak for themselves and the Holy Spirit to give us true understanding from above.

“Just as Noah was a man of faith toward the Lord, may we faithfully trust God’s Word,  not wavering at any point.” (Hebrews 11:7)

“And just as Noah was a preacher of righteousness, may we boldly and continually proclaim the truth of God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.”  (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5)

“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.” Hebrews 11:7

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