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Articles
Building Our Ark
This past June, my family and I had the opportunity to visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. If you have previously visited the Ark Encounter, then you know exactly about the awe-inspiring sight of an ark in the middle of field just off of I-75 in Kentucky. Where else can you find a literal visual of an ark measuring 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high in this world? The structure itself is a modern marvel to those who visit in the 21st century, but can we even begin to imagine what it must have been like for those who lived in the days of Noah? We spent a few hours going through the various exhibits inside the ark, but I was left with a gnawing question – Why is this type of an attraction needed in the 21st century? If we are honest in our answer to this question, then we will see the need to start building our own ark!
The events of the day of Noah are not so much different from our own current situation. We are surrounded by those who have abandoned the basic truths of human sexuality. This rabbit hole does not have an end, but rather with each passing day man’s depravity is further revealed by our own fleshly lusts. We are surrounded by violence. Mankind has lost the sense of being able to discuss any topic civilly, but rather both sides are guilty of resorting to divisive tendencies which further perpetuate chaos by means of rioting and looting. We are surrounded by those who find believing in conspiracies as easier than believing in an objective and absolute truth. The effect of post-modernism in our schools and universities cannot be ignored. The Proverb writer instructed us – “Buy truth, and do not sell it…”, but unfortunately the opposite is what is true about our current reality (23:23a).
When God looked down upon His creation in the days of Noah - His patience and long-suffering with mankind had been exhausted. The Lord was grieved by the condition of man and swore – “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land,…for I am sorry that I have made them” (Genesis 6:7). When God looks down upon His creation in our day, what does He see? Are we really that much different from the conditions He saw in the days of Noah?
The reality of God’s judgement should not be ignored in the hearts of men. Our God is long-suffering and patient, but there will come a day when this world will finally meet its Creator. The apostle Peter had these things to say about that fearful day –
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” (2 Peter 3:11-12).
We cannot ignore the promise of God’s judgement, but rather we need to do all we can to prepare for that fateful day.
Our heavenly Father has blessed us beyond measure by manifesting His grace through our Savior Jesus Christ. By God’s grace, we can be saved from the wrath to come through faith and obedience to His will. Just as Noah and his family were saved from the flood, by their obedience in building the ark – we too can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ! The most beautiful thought in this process is that we do not have to collect gopher wood, animals, and an enormous plot of land to build an ark, but rather we are called to trust and obey our Savior. The apostle Paul wrote – “11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,” (Titus 2:11). Do you believe? Will you obey? Are you living faithfully to the end?
The Ark Encounter is truly an awe-inspiring attraction that attempts to give a strong argument for the biblical account of the flood. I am very appreciative to have this type of an attraction that can be used to bolster our faith, but at the same time we cannot be more reliant upon these things than God’s Word. The Bible is inerrant, inspired, and our rejection of its guidance and instructions on the great day of judgement will be inexcusable. This world may be filled with darkness, but we have been called to be lights in this world for Him. May God bless us with hearts that are tender toward His gospel and faithful to His will.
