I’m dividing this day in two parts, because there are a lot of pictures!
First view of the ark!
Inside the ark
Looking at deck 2 from deck 3
Looking up at all three decks from deck one
The living courters were beautiful
Having fun in the ark
The animals
This is a replica of the ark. On the left hand side you can see what possibly could've been the method for getting water to all three decks.
God created a perfect world, but after the fall everything became corrupt. We begin to see abuse of creation (Gen 6:5), man living for pleasure (Gen 6:12), devastation of war (Gen 6:11), and corrupt marriages (Gen 4:19). This is why God sent the flood. The interesting thing is that Noah preached for 120 years while he built the ark and no one listened.
The Wunambal Legend thinks it was a double raft that was about 40’x20’. The people, animals, and supplies would’ve been washed overboard or if the raft were large enough it would break apart.
The Vanuatu Tale believes it was a large canoe that was 50’x10’. No tree is large enough to hold all people and animals and a canoe would be quickly swamped in the flood.
The Epic of Gilgamesh says it was 204’x204’ cube. The problem with that would be lighting and ventilation for the lower decks if the ark. Tilting and rocking in the waves would make voyage virtually unbearable.
The Akkadian Tablet says it was a large coracle that was 220’ in diameter. On a coracle the sides would’ve been too short to prevent waves from washing over and sinking the boat. It also would not have been strong enough to support the weight it would’ve had to carry.
Of course we all know the little fairy tale ark we see in children’s Bibles and cartoons. This can really cause children to question their faith. After all, how could Noah and the animals fit on that tiny ark? Noah almost always looks happy in the pictures too. Do you really think he was happy that God destroyed all of mankind, except his family, because they were so wicked?
Building the Tower of Babel
One of the exhibits that I really enjoyed was about the spread of the gospel throughout the world:
Ezra in Jerusalem
Saul/Paul in the Mediterranean
Frumentius in Ethiopia
Myles Coverdale in Europe
Hudson Taylor in China
Carl Strehlow in Australia
Ernest Shakleton in the Polar Lands
Chief Shoefoot in South America
John Eliot in North America
A Bible translated by Miles Coverdale
Some of these artifacts actually belonged to Hudson Taylor
John Eliot Indian Bible leaf
At the door of the ark. I thought it was neat how they correlated how there was only one door on the ark with how Jesus is the only door, way, for sinners to get to heaven.
We enjoyed having lunch in the ark restaurant! The boy were very enthralled with all of the stuffed animals.
posted by Sarah
