All Aboard on Noah’s Ark

My dream of several years became a reality recently when my husband, Steve, and I visited the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky.

Before our visit, whenever I met someone who had visited the largest timber frame structure in the world, all they would say was, “It’s amazing!” I wondered, What’s amazing? Its sheer size? Is that the only thing to behold?

I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the park. I love the Bible, science, and history. When the three are combined, I am in “the zone” – where you don’t notice time passing because you are “in the moment” every second of the way.

We arrived in time to watch The Building of the Ark Encounter video presentation. Just as God brought the animals to Noah (Genesis 6:20), He led architects, engineers, builders, and artists to Ken Ham, founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis, to build the Ark Encounter.

The Ark

As we approached the massive four-story, 1½-football-fields-long ark, I thought about Noah. Did his heart also pound with anticipation as he entered?

Once inside, we saw rows of organized shelves and compartments for food storage. I often pondered all the work Noah and his family put into building the ark, but never accounted for the journey’s detailed preparation – food and water needs, space and waste management, and animal enclosure designs.

Our family backpacked on the Appalachian Trail for seven to 10 days at a time. Measuring each ounce of equipment and supplies for a brief expedition was intense. I cannot imagine the detailed planning and storage of food and supplies for an entire year. Noah had a hard-working family!

How Did All the Animals Fit on the Ark?

Even though the ark was enormous and had three decks, two of every animal species in the world wouldn’t fit on the ark. What’s more, God told Noah to bring seven pairs of the clean animals and birds, along with one pair of each unclean animal. (Genesis 7:2-3 ESV)

God told Noah to bring pairs of animals “after their kind,” not species. (Genesis 6:20) For example, horses and zebras were of the horse kind. Tigers and lions were of the cat kind. Additionally, marine animals could survive the flood outside the ark.

God knew how much room Noah needed for his family, the animals, food, water, and supplies. He gave Noah all the required specifications for their journey.

How Could Eight People Take Care of Hundreds of Animals?

Noah was 600 years old when the flood came. That is a lot of time to acquire knowledge and skills. The Ark Encounter presents various technologies Noah’s family may have used for automated food and water systems for the animals and waste disposal. They most likely captured and stored rainwater on the ark’s large roof surface and developed a fresh-water delivery system throughout the ark. Illustrated signs posed possibilities for the specialized care of reptiles and amphibians and ventilation.

Two Worldviews

The Ark Encounter displays the two worldviews for interpreting evidence. Creationists and evolutionists examine the same evidence – the same rocks, fossils, and world. So why do we reach different conclusions about the same evidence?

Our worldviews strongly influence our conclusions. The evolutionary worldview looks at the rock layers around them as the result of slow and gradual processes over millions of years. The biblical worldview looks at the same rock layers and sees overwhelming evidence for their rapid formation during the year-long flood described in Genesis.

For those who want to arm themselves with Scripture against the onslaughts of an ungodly worldview, I highly recommend visiting the Ark Encounter. You will find stunning evidence for the rapid formation of fossils from a worldwide flood. You can weigh the evidence against several long ice ages vs. a brief, single post-flood ice age.

Discover how little man has to do with natural climate change. Learn how superficial biological differences such as skin tones developed. Discover the biblical evidence for one human race vs. the notion of different races and the sin of racism. Find worldwide evidence for the tower of Babel.

You will even learn the truth about aliens and pyramids. And most important of all, you will see how intelligent God made ancient man, contrary to what evolutionists believe.

If you visit the Ark Encounter, you can plan your trip at arkencounter.com. Allow plenty of time to visit their Ararat Ridge Zoo, Noah’s Village, the Screaming Eagle Zip Lines, the Truth Traveler Virtual Reality (VR) Experience, and restaurants. An outstanding selection of books and resources is in the Answers Center bookstore and also online at AnswersInGenesis.org. Admission discounts are available with a visit to the Creation Museum located in Petersburg, Kentucky, less than an hour away. Be prepared to enjoy a family-friendly, exciting learning adventure!

This article appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of GO! Magazine, pp. 26-27.