Archaeologist Says Evidence Supports Noah’s Flood; Replica Ark Opens in the Netherlands

The flood was made the news:

Evidence Suggests Noah’s Ark Flood Existed, Says Robert Ballard, Archaeologist Who Found Titanic

12/10/2012 6:38 pm EST | Updated: 12/11/2012

Robert Ballard, one of the world’s most famous underwater explorers, has set his sights on proving the existence of one of the Bible’s most well known stories…

“We went in there to look for the flood,” Ballard said. “Not just a slow moving, advancing rise of sea level, but a really big flood that then stayed… The land that went under stayed under.”

Many have claimed to have discovered evidence of Noah’s Ark, the huge ship that Noah filled with two of each creature to repopulate the planet following God’s devastating flood. But in the 1990s, geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman gathered compelling evidence that showed a flood–if not an ark–may have occurred in the Middle East region about 7,500 years ago, PBS reports. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/evidence-noahs-flood-ark-real-robert-ballard-archeologist-titanic_n_2273143.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

It should be mentioned that dating of such events is not as precise a science as many believe and if the above is related to the biblical flood, it happened more like 4400 years ago, instead of 7500 years ago. There are many historical recordings of a worldwide flood–probably 300 or more (see 300 Versions of the Flood). A couple of years ago, another researcher speculated that the worldwide flood began in Canada (see Worldwide Flood Triggered from Canada?).

Of course, the account that we in the Church of God rely on is the biblical account. My book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect discusses the biblical account and compares it to certain Mayan-related predictions of a coming flood that some are worried about (which will NOT happen on December 21, 2012).

Interestingly, and also in the news, is a report about a Dutchman who has been working on creating a fairly full size version of Noah’s ark, which is now open:

11 December 2012

A carpenter who spent three years and more than £1million building a full-scale replica of Noah’s Ark has opened it to the public.

As many as 3,000 tourists a day can step aboard Johan Huibers’ gigantic wooden boat in Dordrecht, in the Netherlands, which now boasts two cinemas and a restaurant alongside its menagerie of life-sized plastic animals.

Mr Huibers was inspired to embark on the ambitious project after having a dream in which he saw part of his native Netherlands submerged in a flood like the one featured in the Book of Genesis. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246247/Dutchman-Johan-Huibers-launches-life-sized-Noahs-Ark-replica-Dordrecht.html#ixzz2EkgX52n4

Monday Dec. 10, 2012. The Ark has opened its doors in the Netherlands after receiving permission to receive up to 3,000 visitors per day. http://www.sfgate.com/world/slideshow/Noah-s-Ark-53720.php

DORDRECHT, Netherlands — Just as the first storms of winter roll in, Dutchman Johan Huibers has finished his 20-year quest to build a full-scale, functioning model of Noah’s Ark — an undertaking of, well, biblical proportions.

Huibers, a Christian, used Genesis chapters 6-9 as his inspiration, following the instructions God gives Noah down to the last cubit.

Translating to modern measurements, Huibers came up with a vessel that works out to a whopping 427 feet (130 meters) long, 95 feet (29 meters) across and 75 feet (23 meters) high…

Huibers thinks that new floods are possible, not least due to global warming. He cites a New Testament passage prophesying that “the cities of the coast shall tremble” near the end of times.

But he’s not worried the whole Earth will ever be flooded again. In the Bible, the rainbow is God’s promise it won’t be.

“I had a call from American television,” he says, laughing. “This has nothing to do with the end of the Mayan calendar,” he said.

He said his motivation is ultimately religious, though. He wants to make people think what their purpose is on Earth.

“I want to make people question that so that they go looking for answers,” and ultimately find salvation through God and eternal life, he said. http://www.mercurynews.com/weird-news/ci_22162752/dutchman-builds-life-size-replica-noahs-ark

The Dutchman apparently hopes to remind people that the Bible is true and offers salvation.

A concern that I have had for many years is that if at least part of the original ark that Noah built was found that this would be used to help not only persuade much of the world of the validity of the Genesis flood account (which is a good thing), but that it would also be used as a tool to recruit people to support the religion of the Beast of Revelation 13:1-8.

Both biblical and non-biblical prophecy warn of a time when an ecumenical religion will take over much of the world. If the biblical flood is ever truly accepted as having happened, this will likely represent part of a major turning point in getting more of humanity to accept a coming world religion that claims to be Christian.

Since many cultures have a tale of the flood, this will make the coming ecumenical religion acceptable even to certain cultures that do not normally refer to the Bible for their beliefs.

The end of this age is fast approaching, so more information on the flood and possibly even an identification of the Ark certainly seems possible, if not likely.

Some articles of potentially related interest may include:

Have the Turks and Chinese Just Found Noah’s Ark? Some have so claimed. If true, this could change how much of the world views events from the Bible.
The Bible: Fact or Fiction? This is a booklet written by Douglas Winnail that answers if the Bible is just a collection of myths and legends or the inspired word of God.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against.
Why Should American Catholics Should Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster?