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There is a place in Kentucky, roughly forty minutes away from the Creation Museum that I’ve mentioned several times before on the blog, that as of July is now the home of a life-sized Ark.
And by “life-sized”, I mean it’s built in the exact dimensions and design that the Bible records Noah’s ark to be. Answers in Genesis is really cool, you guys. (I would love to go into detail on who they are and what they do, but that would send me off on a tangent filled with science and indignation, but that’s not the point I’m trying to focus on today, so instead I’ll just link you there^ and let you explore for yourself. ^_^)
So, the Ark. From the very beginning, my family’s been pretty invested in this; my dad is very passionate about apologetics and Biblical creation, and is a huge Answers in Genesis fan. I am too, for that matter, but Dad definitely knows a LOT more than I do on the subjects. (Sadly, my mind is not very good at remembering all the little-yet-significant details. I’m a big-picture person; I get the meaning and am on board with it, but ask me to explain the factual evidence at length and my mind decides to quit on me. Thanks, brain.)
We followed the Ark’s progress as it was being built, and we even “own” a peg somewhere on the finished product, so clearly we had to go see it for ourselves at some point.
Last Saturday, we took a day trip and drove up to Kentucky to see it– The Ark Encounter. And t’was glorious.
As we waited in line with hundreds of others eager to get inside the Ark (which, praise the Lord that many people are curious about the Truth!), I started thinking about the parallels between Noah’s situation and our own.
No, there’s not going to be a global worldwide flood for us; God already made that promise in Genesis, after the first one. But there are SO MANY other similarities that demand to be talked about. {Read Genesis 6-9:17 if you’d like to look for yourself.}
{There were three decks of the ark we were in, and this is the looking-up view from either the first or second deck. It’s more beautiful than I was able to capture. Ark architecture is lovely.}
~~The Aforementioned Parallels~~
-Noah lived in a broken, evil, sin-filled world. Um, yeah. Same.
-Noah “found favor in the eyes of the Lord” {6:8} and “walked with God” {6:9}. As followers of Christ and portraits of His grace, so do we.
-The thing that God called Noah to do (build an ark even though there’d never been any rain before, ever– and also become an animal whisperer) probably seemed absolutely crazy to him at the time– but he did it anyway. This happens quite a lot to us too; so often God’s plans don’t make sense to us on the front end, but we follow them because we trust the Author of our stories.
-And you had better believe that Noah was scoffed by everyone around him while he and his family were obeying God and building the ark. Guys– the exact same thing is happening with this Ark today. Evolutionists, atheists, and general skeptics are laughing at us for building this ark, for having the audacity to believe in a global flood and young-earth creation and God Himself. They mock us for believing in fairytales and brainwashing children against “science” and “reason”. Oh, how terribly wrong they are. It’s funny– the sad sort of funny– how history repeats itself.
-Yet he used the hundred years he had up until the flood to beg the people to join them on the ark. I can imagine the heartbreak Noah felt when everyone rejected the life they were offered in the form of the ark; it looks a lot like the way our hearts break for the lost today. He knew that there was limited time before the flood came– just as we know now that there is limited time before Jesus’s second coming. And once the flood comes and the door of the ark closes, once Jesus returns and gathers up His people, there is no going back. There’s no time to waste.
-Because the door to Noah’s ark was the door to their salvation. The point of the story of Noah is not death and destruction of humanity, as scoffers are trying to claim now. It’s illustration of our own salvation, a portrait of hope and a promise from God to man that He will make all things new. It was speaking of our Savior before He came. In John chapter 10, Jesus gave a sermon and specifically said, in subtle reference to the flood, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved… {v. 9}”. This is yet another parallel connecting the Old Testament to Christ, and I absolutely love how the entire Bible always points back to Him.
-And after the flood, God made everything new, just as He will do in the end. One day, sin and brokenness and death will be erased for eternity, and it’s going to be more beautiful than any of my human words could ever say.
{This is my daddy. ❤ …And some storage space for small ark-animals, most likely, complete with water and food troughs. Biblical technology is more advanced than we typically assume.}
All of this to say– look at how history repeats itself. Don’t let yourself be discouraged when the scoffers mock you for your belief in the Bible’s truth. Be prepared to defend the Hope that you have, because we know the Way into the ark, and there is such a desperate need to share that with our fallen world. Remember the words of 1 Peter 3:14-15:
“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that it in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”
Ours is a reasonable faith– and what’s more, it’s true.
Stand firm, take up your Armor, and keep the faith. Continue to love like Christ and pray for the lost. Share the Truth with the broken so that they may be healed. Never allow the world to hide your Light under bushels or try to snuff it out. Let your Light shine bright, always.
It’s worth it.
He is worth it.
{love always, Em}
{A Portrait of Grace} 