Several dozen Amish carpenters used their traditional
techniques and authentic Bible specs to help build this largest
timber-frame structure in the world.
(Williamstown, KY)—[ http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2016/February/First-Look-Ark- Encounter-a-Jaw-Dropping-Experience - CBN News ] Did you ever doubt that Noah could have built an ark so large all those animals could have fit on it? (Screengrab via CBN News)
Well, visual proof is here as the Noah's ark re-creation near Williamstown is close to completion. CBN News went behind the scenes at https://arkencounter.com/ - Ark Encounter
on an invitation-only sneak peek at the giant ark as it comes together.
Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis and head of the Creation Museum,
gave the long and winding tour up, down and all around this structure
that's almost the length of two football fields. With the ark looming
far into the sky behind him, Ham told CBN News, "This is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, 51 feet high."
"It's built 15 feet off the ground," he
continued. "One of the things people say when they come here, they stand
and look at it and they say, 'Wow, we never realized this was so big.'"
That's a feeling every visitor will have as
they park on a neighboring hill and take shuttle buses down through a
valley and drive up towards the monstrous boat, finally queuing up in
the vast space directly underneath it.
"The
immensity of this structure—over 500 feet long—I would call it a
jaw-dropping experience," Mark Looy, co-founder of Answers in Genesis,
said. People are used to those bathtub arks with straws sticking out the
chimney, about to sink at any moment," Ham said with a smile. "And
when they see the size of this, then they start saying, 'Well maybe Noah
could fit the land animal kinds on board.'" (Screengrab via CBN News)
"That's really what we're doing here:
showing the feasibility of this: how could Noah feed them? How could
they get rid of the waste?" Ham continued. It only gets better when you
go inside this massive structure, the three decks and the top floor,"
Looy added.
Speaking of the 132 exhibits that will fill
the vast interior, he said, "The exhibits in the ark itself will be
stunning, very similar in professionalism and quality to what's seen at
the Creation Museum 40 miles away."
"Up to two million people a year will come to
this. It's going to be a world-class attraction," Ham said, quoting
research done specifically about Ark. "I believe it's going to be one of
the greatest Christian outreaches of our era of history."
Ark Encounter opens to the public July 7, and Ham said there's a special reason for that.
"In Genesis 7:7 it says that's when Noah and
his family entered the ark," Ham explained. "So we thought the 7th of
the 7th would be a good time to open."
Several dozen Amish carpenters used their
traditional techniques and authentic Bible specs to help build this
largest timber-frame structure in the world.
"What
we want people to take away from this is 'I didn't realize Noah's Ark
was so big and wow, they answered a lot of questions.'" (Screengrab via CBN News)
"And we're not forcing the Christian message
on them, but it's going to be there for them," Ham said. "And if
people just go away saying, 'Hmm, maybe I need to look into this. Maybe I
need to consider what the Bible says,' then to me, we've accomplished a
lot."
Ark Encounter won't stop with just an ark.
There'll also be a massive petting zoo and a restaurant that sits more
than 2,000. And as the money comes in to build more, Ham, Looy and their
partners have planned out an entire theme park.
"Over the years, we're also going to recreate other events from the Book of Genesis and even the Book of Exodus," Looy told CBN News. "We'll get into other events of Biblical history like the Tower of Babel and also Exodus and the parting of the Red Sea."
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