It’s called the “Ark Encounter” and is located at 1 Ark Encounter Drive, Williamstown, KY 41097. What is the Ark Encounter? The vision of Ken Ham and his ministry, Creation Science Research, the Ark Encounter is a full-sized replica of the Genesis 6 ark built by Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The exhibit opened July 7, 2016, and is located 40 miles from its popular sister attraction, the Creation Museum. The ark is impressive! The Chicago Tribune says it is, “An undeniable spectacle, and it must be seen to be believed.” Former President Jimmy Carter declared, “The Ark is remarkable. It's some of the best wood-working I've ever seen.”The ark stands 510 feet long and is 50 feet high. It is the largest timber-frame structure in the world! It’s solid wood center beams are nearly 10 feet around!
As you recall from the Genesis 6-8 account of the worldwide flood, God saw the wickedness of mankind on the earth and He determined to wipe out every living thing and start over. Noah was the only righteous man on the earth; the only one who sought after God. The Bible says Noah “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). God commanded Noah to build an ark to save himself, his wife, his three sons and their wives, and a male and female of everything in which was the breath of life: birds, beasts, and creeping things, plus seven pairs of every clean animal for sacrifice (Genesis 7:2). The ark was to be made of gopher wood (unknown today), sealed with pitch (tar). Noah was to build it with three decks and many rooms on each deck in which to store food and the animals. The ark was to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high (Genesis 6:15). A cubit is a pretty imprecise measurement. It is the length of a man’s arm from his elbow to his longest finger. I’m 6’5” tall so my cubit is probably longer than yours. Most Bible scholars reckeon a cubit as approximately 16-20 inches in length. If it were 20 inches long, the ark would measure 500 feet long x 83.3 feet wide, and 50 feet high. Ken Ham has the correct dimensions for his ark replica!
When the flood came in the 600th year of Noah, the “floodgates” from the sky opened and the “fountains of the great deep” burst open. The day it began to rain, Noah and his family, all the animals, birds, and insects entered the ark. The final act was for the door of the ark to be closed and the Bible says, “the Lord closed it” (Genesis 7:16).
Christ is the Ark of God. In Him is safety and protection from the storms of life. In Him is provision for all your needs. He will save us from the evil world which God will judge when the last soul is safe in the Ark of Christ. Entering the ark was on God’s timetable, not Noah’s, and God chose when the last soul had entered the ark before He closed the door. Get into the Ark of God today! You don’t know if this will be the last day before God closes the door of salvation. The Bible warns us there is a second purging of the earth coming but, unlike the first purging with water, the second purging will be with fire (2 Peter 3:6, 7). God is showing you mercy and patience and wants you to be saved. Turn to Him today, invite His Son to be your Savior, enter the Ark of God, Jesus Christ, and be saved!
Irv