10 Things to Ponder about Noah's Ark by Chris White

  Recently I have been doing some further reading about the well-known (and, one might say well-worn) story of Noah’s Ark.  I was surprised to learn a few things that I have presented here for your consideration.  If it is a true story, it will be plausible, it would have a bearing in our present reality, and more importantly it presents a call to action.  I think it meets those criteria.  Here are my thoughts:

1.  Many cultures which do not share the heritage of the Holy Bible nevertheless have a legend or oral history which follows the broad contours of the Bible story with their own variations.  These cultures are in disparate locations in both hemispheres.  Is this story widespread because it was popular and passed around a lot or is it because the peoples of the world are descended from the surviving family?

Babylonian Flood story

2.  While it seems hard to imagine features of this present world like Mt. Everest or the Swiss Alps being under 20 feet of water (15 cubits in the Bible), what if the landscape of this present world is the result of the collapsing land masses of the destroyed world and volcanic eruptions and that the previous topography was much flatter?

3.  According to the chronological and genealogical evidence of the Scripture, the world was roughly 1,656 years old when the flood occurred.  The population of the world based on natural human generation and family size would have an extremely conservative estimate of 2 billion people but more likely closer to our present day populace of 6 billion.

4. Where would enough rain be produced to cover the entire globe?  Walt Brown, Ph.D in mechanical engineering from MIT and Chief of Science and Technology at the Air Force War College suggests that the world we see today was created by a worldwide flood.  Brown suggests that the “fountains of the deep” were subterranean water sources ten miles beneath the surface of the earth.  As these broke open the tremendous force caused the water to go airborne and fall to the earth as ice, snow, and rain for 40 days.  As these sources exhausted, the plates collapsed and thus the oceans got deeper and the mountains were pushed up much higher.  Prior to this the seas and the mountains were much shallower and shorter than they are today.  (source: WND.com “Does Science Prove Noah’s Flood?”)  Another suggestion is that the rain was caused by volcanism.  The steam from a small cinder cone at Sicily’s Mt. Etna has been shown to generate enough steam to produce 4.6 million gallons per day.  What if many volcanoes were involved?

5.  As cute as the children’s story books are with Noah waving from the boat and all the animals sticking their heads out two-by-two smiling, the reality painted by the Bible account is much grimmer.  An ark is a chest used for stowing valuable things.  It was constructed of cypress (gopher) wood and then covered with bitumen or dark pitch inside and out.  It had no cabin on top and just a small skylight in the top for light and some ventilation.  In short Noah’s Ark was the original “black box”.  It sailed nowhere, it simply floated and bobbed through the water until it receded.

6.  The dimensions (which are specific in the Bible account) describe a chest with a displacement of about 43,000 tons.  This is comparable in size to the Titanic (only the Ark never sank!)  There were 3 decks in the ark, giving the interior the same cubic feet as a train of today with 1000 boxcars.  If the parent species of each animal was represented there (as opposed to the multiple, multiple varieties we have now) it would be quite plausible could all fit with room for food and people on board.

7.  Genesis is the first book of the Bible but it is not the oldest.  The oldest book of the Bible is Job and surprisingly Job references the Flood of Noah’s day.  It is also important to note that the judgment of the flood is referenced by the Prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles as something they not only believed to be true but also a paradigm for salvation and the final judgment of God.

8.  The Bible tells us the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.  The tallest of this range (in present day Turkey) is 17,750 feet and has been called since antiquity “Mt. Noah”.  The Bible also tells us Noah ended his days as a viticulturist and winemaker (who apparently had a tendency to sample his work a little too much).  It is an interesting coincidence that the grape of today originates in the Near East (Eastern Mediterranean countries) and that the oldest known references to winemaking occurred in the country we know today as the Republic of Georgia, which incidentally is in the same region as Mt. Ararat.

9.  Jesus was asked what will be the sign of his Second Coming and the judgment of the world to which he replied it will be then as it was in the days of Noah (a reference to the times and culture of the people).  The only known record of this era in human history is contained in Genesis chapter four.  The societal conditions it describes are apostasy and godlessness, easy travel and mobility from place to place, city building or urbanization, polygamy and amoral sexuality, agricultural advance, production of music, advanced metallurgy, increased violence and crime.  Add to this the words of Michael the Archangel answering the prophet Daniels question about the end of the world:  “many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase (Dan. 12:4).”  Just before I finished this article, I booked plane tickets to take me to the other side of the world in a month. While researching this article I went to Google to ask several questions of which every single one had over 1 million potential sources of information.  I will be posting this article on my blog next and it will join the other 3.32 billion other pages on the world wide web. 

10.  If God judged the first world for its evil and Jesus says the second world (the one we live in today) will not be spared of judgment and this judgment will occur when humanity’s evil reaches a certain point, and that point of judgment has a resemblance to the culture of Noah’s day, then it follows that wise person will start looking for the ark of God’s provision.  That ark today, according to the Bible is trusting in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Consider these words:

^“ By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”  (Heb. 11:7)

^“ I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk. 18:8)

^“ And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)

Lessons from the Tabernacle of the Wilderness Pt. 10 by Chris White

“If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Jn.13:8

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 Jn. 1:9

The bronze laver stood between the altar and the tent of meeting in the Tabernacle complex.  It was a special wash-basin because it was made of polished metal that acted as a mirror.  This would allow the priests to inspect themselves and make certain that they were fully cleansed from all stains of blood from the altar before entering into the holy place.  As the tabernacle depicts Christ, the laver is a reminder that Jesus was a perfect man without spot or blemish and therefore a perfect sacrifice before the Father on the cross.  As it depicts the Christian life, the laver reminds us of baptism.  After responding to the Cross (which is represented by the bronze altar of sacrifice), the believer is to be washed in the waters of baptism.  Like the priests who became stained through their work, we too become stained with sin as we walk in the world.  We don’t need to return to the altar, but rather the laver.  After baptism we are cleansed through confession of sin and the “washing of water with the word..(Eph. 5:26).”  One of the oldest questions of humanity is “Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? (Job 4: 17).  In the cross of Christ and the continuing process of the Spirit sanctifying the believer, the answer to this is yes and amen.

In closing this series on the Tabernacle of the Wilderness I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and Omega who was and is and is to come.”  The tabernacle was pitched in the very center of Israel’s encampment in the wilderness.  If you could look at it’s furnishings from the altar to the ark of the covenant from above, you would see they are arranged in the form of a cross.  Furthermore, the gate always faced east which is the direction from which our day and hence our lives begin.  There is no back exit for the sun to set on, because in Christ, life is without end.  Death is merely a transition from earth’s pilgrimage in the wilderness to the wonderful communion we will share in the City of God.  May Christ be at the heart and center of your great pilgrimage until then!

Lessons from the Tabernacle of the Wilderness Pt. 8 by Chris White

“And you shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square and its height shall be three cubits.” Ex. 27:1

“..and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  Eph. 5:2

We have now moved from inside the tabernacle to its outer court and its furnishings.  While all parts of the tabernacle teach us about Christ, they also tell us about the phases of Christ’s ministry and perhaps even something about our own spiritual chronology.  The outside court around the tabernacle focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ.  There the brazen altar of sacrifice, and the laver or washbasin are reminders of the front and center accomplishments of the first advent.  Atoning sacrifice and the removal of sin’s defilement were front and center during Jesus’ earthly ministry.  Inside the tent the furnishings remind us of Christ’s ministry after His ascension-that of intercession, guidance, and provision of the Spirit to His Church.  Finally, in the Holy of Holies is pictured the second advent of Christ where earth, heaven, God, and redeemed humanity will all be fully reconnected and in a state of glorification as God is now.  These differing areas also remind us of a spiritual chronology all believers share.  Our entrance is always at the altar of Christ’s sacrifice and by his teaching we are washed clean.  But as we continue in Christ we have fellowship with Him by the Spirit and grow in prayer and His illuminations of our heart.  And finally, we too go through the veil following the steps of Jesus where we enter the blessings of the heavenly realm and the fullness the fullness of God.  Though there are many phases, there is but one life and it all begins at the foot of the Cross.  Next time: The Brazen Altar Pt. 2

Lessons from the Tabernacle of the Wilderness Pt. 5 by Chris White

“Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.”

                                                               Ex. 25:37

The golden lamp stand was the only source of light inside the darkened tabernacle and its seven lights were kept burning 24 hours a day continually being refilled by the priests.  The lamp stand itself was made of pure gold and only the purest of olive oils were burned to create its light.  From the entrance of the tent, the lamp stand stood on the left side of the holy place casting its light on the table of showbread and the altar of incense.  As this touches the Christian it reminds us that Jesus said “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life (Jn. 8:12).”  The Lord Jesus is the pinnacle of God’s revelation and thus the purest and greatest light for the human soul.  As the oil was replaced everyday and the light was kept burning 24/7 we are also reminded that we need the Lord’s illumination of our minds and hearts continually.  The light of the lamp stand highlighted the showbread and the incense altar which in turn remind of Christ’s provision for our needs as through His presence and His intercessions before the throne of God.  It is worth noting that the very first thing God created in the material world was light itself.  As light is the precondition to life in this world, so the knowledge and revelation of God are the preconditions of our salvation.  God’s provision of Jesus Christ is the light of the Gospel and the source of life for all men.  Next time: The Altar of Incense

Lessons from the Tabernacle of the Wilderness Pt. 4 by Chris White

“And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.”

                                                                                                                Ex. 25:30

The table of the bread of Presence or the show-bread was fairly diminutive in size measuring 3 feet in length, 1.5 feet in width, and standing 27 inches tall.  It was made of wood and overlaid with gold.  Its purpose was to display 12 loaves of bread, garnished with incense, representing the 12 tribes of Israel.  These loaves of bread were an offering before the Lord and as they were replaced, the old ones would be eaten by the ministering priests of the tabernacle.  Unlike a food offering to the god of a pagan temple, the table of the bread of presence really is a food offering from God to us.  Jesus said “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst (Jn. 6:35).”  The baked loaves on the table look forward to the sacred offering Christ would make on the Cross that we might eat of Him and receive real, eternal life.  It is worth noting that as there was a loaf for each tribe rather than one large common loaf.  The Lord’s sacrifice on the cross was not a general one but a personal one for you and me.  God brings us into one family but every family is composed of unique individuals with their own story and their own need of redemption.  Bread is also a specified form of nourishment.  God selected this particular form over all others to represent His Son.  In the same way, while there are endless religious messages floating around the world today, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only one that reconciles a person to God.  It is His appointed means of nourishment.  Finally, if the show-bread represents Christ, the table of show-bread points us to our mission as a Church and individual Christians.  It is our job to display Jesus Christ to a world that is literally dying of spiritual hunger.  Next time: The Lampstand