What is Noah's Ark Worth?

Literally hundreds of books, websites, and even movies have been made about Noah’s Ark. Hundreds of presentations – but they have all been fiction. But I am here to tell you that “Noah’s Ark” has been found.

“And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.” Genesis 11:2

God’s Word gives us two clues concerning the location of the Ark that He commanded Noah to build to escape the Flood of Judgment. The first is that the ark “came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” The second is that the location is almost due east of the “land of Shinar”. This is now northern Iraq. Noah’s Ark has been called a myth, a legend, and a fairytale. But Dr. Bob Cornuke, a Biblical archeologist who has led searches for many Biblical events and locations, believed God’s Word. Based on a few Biblical clues and the testimony of an army sergeant engineer during World War II named Ed Davis, he became convinced that the true location of the Ark was somewhere in Iran. Dr. Cornuke led an expedition to try and find Noah’s Ark in the mountains of Northern Iran along with such notables as Barry Rand (former CEO of Avis), the author and Christian apologist Josh McDowell, Frank Turek (co-author with Norm Geisler of I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist), Boone Powell (former CEO of Baylor Medical Systems), and Arch Bonnema. They found a huge pile of petrified wood on the top of Mt. Sabalon at 15,300 feet above sea level – one thousand feet higher than Pike’s Peak in Colorado. The wood was darker than the surrounding rock and appeared to have been dyed black with pitch or some other dark substance. The long, hand-hewn timbers sticking out of the mountain were squared off at the ends. Pictures show that the timbers were between one and two feet thick. The pile is about 400 feet long and is surrounded by marine fossils that originated under water. Copyright laws prevent me from posting photographs here, but you can see a video and seventeen high-resolution photographs at www.arkfever.com. However, I do have terrible news for you. This find, incredible as it is, will not trigger a huge rush of converts to Jesus Christ. Some may be convinced by the preponderance of evidence. Oh, but the turnout will be small – very small. A famous atheist once said, “Even if they find a big boat up on Mount Ararat and drag it down Main Street, I wouldn’t believe that there was a worldwide flood. I wouldn’t believe that there is a God.” A famous man – Jesus Christ – once said that even if a man were to rise from the dead, people would still not believe. There were thousands of people before the Flood that saw Noah’s Ark for almost a hundred years. Yet only eight escaped the Judgment of God. Why will it be any different today? There is a judgment coming. Jesus said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, the most perfect people on the earth, then we will by no means enter the kingdom of God. He said that all liars will have their place in the Lake of Fire that burns for ever and ever. "All liars" is pretty inclusive. It means Hitler. It means Stalin. But it also means Mother Theresa. It also means Oprah. It also means you and me and your next-door neighbor. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is only one name given under heaven by which men might be saved, and that is the name of Jesus Christ. He took the sin of the entire world on His shoulders two thousand years ago. The wrath God had for us was poured out on Him, and only by trusting in Him alone for forgiveness of our sins can we escape the wrath of God. Noah’s Ark is an amazing discovery that will bolster the faith of many and may even push some over the edge. But it is not a license to send a non-Christian an email and let “the evidence” do the rest. It will never replace the holy conviction of the Holy Spirit that comes from the Holy Law of God – the Ten Commandments. In Him, David S. MacMillan III This article was first posted at Regenerate Our Culture. It is part of the July 4, 2006 Noah's Ark blogburst.