Have you ever faced a “God sized” challenge? What if God asked you to build a boat as long as one and a half football fields, half a football field wide, and seven stories tall? Well, it’s happened… and more than once!
The Ark Encounter features a full-size Noah’s Ark located near Williamstown, Kentucky. Answers in Genesis, the ministry that built the ark, said the ship’s dimensions are based on those described in the Bible; 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. According to AiG, it is the biggest wooden frame structure in the world. Ken Ham, president of AiG, said the total cost of the ark is more than $100m and it has welcomed over 5 million visitors since its opening in July 2016.
But just like the days of Noah, not everyone is happy to have an ark parked in their neighborhood. No doubt many don’t like all the traffic, but the bigger problem is what the ark stands for. One article states, “At a popular evangelical tourist site, the Ark Encounter, the image of a ‘wrathful God’ appeals to millions… This emphasis on the overwhelming wrath of God is perhaps the most noteworthy feature of Ark Encounter as a tourist site.” (The Conversation. May 6, 2022) Despite the size of the structure, the amazing engineering it took to make it, and the incredible wonder of all those animals inside, the one thing that stood out to this critic was, “…the overwhelming wrath of God”.
This Sunday we’ll study the challenge it was for Noah to build the original ark. People’s hearts then were no different than they are today. Jesus said in Matt. 24:39 that the people around Noah were oblivious to their evil ways and did not understand until the flood came and took them all away. They missed the message of righteousness that Noah preached and blithely continued on their evil ways.
It’s not like the message wasn’t and isn’t clear. The same article goes on, “According to AiG, this ancient divine slaughter prefigures a future divine slaughter. As the Ark Encounter website puts it, “God will judge this wicked world once again, but this time it will be by fire … God always keeps His promises – judgment will come.” At least the author of the article got that part right.
Fortunately, God supplied a way of salvation then as He does now. The Ark is a symbol of God’s mercy and grace, just as the cross of Christ is. Are we willing, like Noah, to do what it takes to go against the tide around us and stand for the truth? Do we believe what God says about His wrath, but also about His mercy?
In Christ,
Kurt
P.S. Thank you Jesus for such a great Global Outreach Conference last weekend. We had 220 people at lunch along with a great celebration with some of our Global Partners!