Apologiaway: 2020-11-15

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Where is Noah’s Ark?

First of all we need to step back from all the media hype, Indiana Jones type legends and most of all,

tradition.

What do we really know to be true?

How do we even know this story of Noah’s Ark really did happen?

The greatest validation for any biblical event are the words of Jesus himself.

Luke 17:26-27 (NIV) “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

Peter also refers to the Noah and the flood

2 Peter 2:5 (NASB) and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

1 Peter 3:20 (NLT) those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.

Also the writer of Hebrews mentions Noah and the ark.

Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV) By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

OK then, where does the bible say the Ark landed?

Genesis 8:3-4 (NIV2011)
3 The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Notice the scripture says “mountains of Ararat”. It does say that it rested on Mount Ararat

The “Mountains of Ararat” in Genesis clearly refer to a general region, not a specific mountain. Biblical Ararat corresponds to Assyrian Urartu (and Persian Arminya) the name of the kingdom which at the time controlled the Lake Van region.

Do we even know there even a place called Ararat?

3 times in the bible the land of Ararat is mentions as being an actual known place.

2 Kings 19:36-37 (ESV) Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. 37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Isaiah 37:38 (NLT) One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria.

Jeremiah 51:27 (HCSB) Raise a signal flag in the land; blow a ram’s horn among the nations; set apart the nations against her. Summon kingdoms against her— Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a marshal against her; bring up horses like a swarm of locusts.

Wow, that’s a huge area. How do we know which mountain it landed on in the region of Ararat?

In the book, Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus wrote: the ark rested on the top of a certain mountain in Armenia … However, the Armenians call this place, αποβατηριον ‘The Place of Descent’; for the ark being saved in that place, its remains are shown there by the inhabitants to this day. Now all the writers of barbarian histories make mention of this flood, and of this ark; among whom is Berossus. For when he is describing the circumstances of the flood, he goes on thus: “It is said there is still some part of this ship in Armenia, at the mountain of the Cordyaeans; and that some people carry off pieces of the bitumen, which they take away, and use chiefly as amulets for the averting of mischiefs.” Hieronymus the Egyptian also, who wrote the Phoenician Antiquities, and Mnaseas, and a great many more, make mention of the same. Nay, Nicolaus of Damascus, in his ninety-sixth book, hath a particular relation about them; where he speaks thus: “There is a great mountain in Armenia, over Minyas, called Baris, upon which it is reported that many who fled at the time of the Deluge were saved; and that one who was carried in an ark came on shore upon the top of it; and that the remains of the timber were a great while preserved. This might be the man about whom Moses the legislator of the Jews wrote.” (I.3.5-6, trans. William Whiston) (1)

Sir Walter Raleigh devoted several lengthy chapters of his History of the World (written c. 1616) to his argument that the “Mountains of Ararat” were anciently understood as including not only those of Armenia, but all the taller mountain ranges extending into Asia far to the east, and that Noah’s Ark must have landed somewhere in the Orient, since Armenia is not actually east of Shinar. (1)
Genesis 11:2 (ESV) And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

There is strong evidence to support the fact that the mountain traditionally know as Mount Ararat in Turkey could not possibly be where the Ark landed.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia agrees with the aforementioned hypothesis that the Ark of Noah would lie in a distinct mountainous region: “The Ark is said to have rested upon the mountains of Ararat, i.e., in the mountainous region of Armenia, the plural showing that the mountain peak known as Ararat was not referred to, this peak lies outside the general region.”

This also makes sense in light of Genesis 8:5 which states: “And the water decreased steadily until the tenth month. And on the first day of the month the tops of the mountains became visible.” (NKJV)

This verse indicates that other mountain peaks became visible subsequent to the ark of Noah landing on the mountains of Ararat. In the Elborz Mountains of Northwestern Iran, there are fifteen peaks over 14,000 feet. Conversely, Mount Ararat virtually stands alone in Eastern Turkey. The Elborz Mountains seem to line up better with this verse than Mount Ararat. (2)

Well, what about all the ark expeditions and sightings that we hear about and see on TV.?

Yes there have been legends for centuries of people finding the Ark and bring down Ark wood. There have been expeditions, some by very reputable groups to the traditional Mount Ararat. Also there have been aerial photographs as well as satellite images of things that look unusual on this snow capped mountain. Still yet no hard evidence to support the existence of Noah’s ark has been produced.

So we really have no idea which mountain the Ark landed or if the Ark could have survived this long..

Why wouldn’t God allow Christians to find the ark and show the world that the bible and God is true?

Think about it. People would be flocking to this mountain and soon it would turn into a tourist trap. Then people would begin to worship the mountain. The Ark itself would be reconditioned, complete with central air, a petting zoo for the kids and handicap approved restrooms. Merchants would begin selling fake ark paraphernalia. Tours would be sold to vacationers from all over the world. The Catholic church would build a huge cathedral at the base of the mountain and the Pope would come and bless the mountain. Universal Studios would buy the movie rights to all Ark movies and photographs, Donald trump would subdivide the entire mountain and begin selling condos all around the slopes and some Christians would propose a Noah’s Ark Amusement Park and Hotel complex.

I think God has enough trouble with idolatry and materialism without turning Noah’s Ark into Wally World.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV) For we live by faith, not by sight.

Maybe God’s just wants us to believe what he has told us.

John 20:29 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountains_of_Ararat

(2) The Ark of Noah In Iran? http://www.baseinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=65

Cartoons Courtesy of Carl D’Agostino

Question: “How can I know if I am one of the elect?”

Question: “How can I know if I am one of the elect?”

Answer: While there are numerous ideas of precisely what election means in regards to salvation, the fact that believers are elect is indisputable (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:4-5, 11; 1 Thessalonians 1:4). Simply put, the doctrine of election is that God chooses/determines/elects/predestines who will be saved. It is not within the scope of this article to determine how election works. Rather, the question is “How can I know if I am one of the elect?” The answer is exceedingly simple: believe!

The Bible nowhere instructs us to be concerned regarding our status of elect vs. non-elect. Rather, God calls us to believe, to receive Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). If a person truly trusts in Jesus alone for salvation, that person is one of the elect. Whether belief secures election, or election causes belief – that is another debate. But what is sure is that belief is evidence of election. No one can receive Jesus as Savior unless God draws him or her (John 6:44). God calls/draws those whom He has predestined/elected (Romans 8:29-30). Saving faith is not possible without divine election. Therefore, saving faith is evidence of election.

The idea of a person wanting to be saved but being unable to, due to not being one of the elect, is absolutely foreign to the Bible. No one seeks after God’s plan of salvation on his own accord (Romans 3:10-18). Those without Christ are blind to their need for salvation (2 Corinthians 4:4). This only changes when God begins drawing a person to Himself. It is God who opens eyes and enlightens minds to the need for Jesus Christ as Savior. A person cannot repent (change the mind about sin and the need for salvation) unless God grants repentance (Acts 11:18). Therefore, if you understand God’s plan of salvation, recognize your need for it, and feel compelled to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, then believe, and you are saved.

If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior, trusting Him alone for salvation, believing that His sacrifice is the full payment for your sins – congratulations, you are one of the elect.

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Behemoth

More Scientific and Textual Evidence of Behemoth’s Identity

by	Jeff Miller, Ph.D.

Job 40 describes a mighty creature that was just as real as Job (vs. 15)—it was not a non-existent, figurative animal. Many scholars, mystified by what Behemoth was, and in many cases writing before many of the dinosaurs had even been discovered in the mid-to-late 1800s, or trained to believe dinosaurs and humans did not co-exist because of evolutionary presuppositions, quickly assume the Behemoth must have been a creature living today, like a hippopotamus or elephant. As we have shown elsewhere, however, the biblical description of Behemoth does not match the hippo or elephant. For example, Behemoth was “chief of the ways of God” (vs. 19, ASV)1 and, unlike hippos or elephants, had a tail2 comparable to a cedar tree (vs. 17),3 a tree known in the Bible for its size and strength. Other clues from the text, however, also preclude the hippo or elephant from being identified as Behemoth.

For example, the text says that Behemoth’s strength was in its hips or loins (vs. 16). The elephant’s strength, however, is in its head (namely, its trunk) and neck. It carries roughly 60% of its weight on its front legs, not hind legs.4 Interestingly, studies have been conducted that compared the weight distributions of elephants with sauropod dinosaurs.5 Scientists have discovered that sauropods, contrary to elephants, had the opposite weight distribution, with sauropods’ center of mass being closer to the rear and having much larger hind legs compared to their forelegs.6 Did God not know where the strength of Behemoth was actually located? Or is it possible that Behemoth was not an elephant?

According to the text, Behemoth’s “bones are like beams of bronze, his ribs like bars of iron” (Job 40:18). Concerning the term translated “beams,” commentator Albert Barnes explains that, while some translate the term as “tubes,” “the more common meaning of the word is ‘strong, mighty,’ and there is no impropriety in retaining that sense here; and then the meaning would be, that his bones were so firm that they seemed to be made of solid metal.”7 The bones of hippos have a marrow cavity that makes up “55% of the total thickness” of its femurs—less than most mammals—but still helping “the animal to walk on the bottom of rivers.”8 Elephant bones have cavities with “spongy bone” in them.9 Sauropod dinosaurs, however, were unique. Many had ribs, vertebrae, and limb bones that were not hollowed-out like most animals, but solid bone.10 Hippos and elephants simply do not fit the description as given in the text. Since we can know that the Earth is young,11 that dinosaurs have existed in the past according to the fossil record, that God would have created dinosaurs alongside man on Day 6 of Creation week (Genesis 1:24-28), that dinosaurs survived the Flood,12 and that post-Flood humans saw them centuries after the Flood,13 why would scholars so vehemently reject the possibility that Job, who likely lived relatively soon after the Flood, was shown dinosaurs by God? Which creature best fits the text?

I have always scratched my head in bewilderment at the mental gymnastics many scholars will engage in to (1) deny the striking similarities that Behemoth had to sauropod dinosaurs, and (2) force the hippo or elephant into the text where they simply do not fit (engaging in eisegesis, rather than exegesis). Why not just let the evidence speak for itself?

ENDNOTES

1 Dave Miller (2008), “The First of the Ways of God,” R&R Resources, 7[3]:9-R, http://apologeticspress.org/pub_rar/28_3/0803.pdf.

2 Note that if Job lived towards the end of the Ice Age, which is probable, elephants as we know them may not have yet been on the scene. The elephant kind was apparently represented by woolly mammoths and mastodons at the time, which have a similar tail length and character as modern elephants (though with more hair).

3 Dave Miller (2011), “Behemoth: A Tail Like a Cedar?” Reason & Revelation, 31[12]:122-131, http://apologeticspress.org/pub_rar/31_12/1112.pdf.

4 Donald M. Henderson (2006), “Burly Gaits: Centers of Mass, Stability, and the Trackways of Sauropod Dinosaurs,” Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 26[4]:912, December; “Jobaria and the Elephant” (2020), Paul Sereno: Paleontologist, https://paulsereno.uchicago.edu/discoveries/jobaria_tiguidensis/jobaria_and_the_elephant/.

5 The large dinosaurs with the generally long necks, long tails, and small heads.

6 Henderson; “Jobaria….”

7 Albert Barnes (2010), Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament, electronic database, Wordsearch Corp, emp. added.

8 J.G.M. Thewissen, Lisa Noelle Cooper, John C. George, and Sunil Bajpai (2009), “From Land to Water: the Origin of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises,” Evolution: Education and Outreach, 2:272-288, https://evolution-outreach.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/s12052-009-0135-2.

9 “Elephant” (2002), International Wildlife Encyclopedia, Volume 6: DUG-FLO, third edition, p. 767.

10 “Dinosaur: Classification” (2020), Encyclopaedia Britanica on-line, Accessed September 23, 2020, https://www.britannica.com/animal/dinosaur/Classification; Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney (2010), The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book (Canton, MI: Visible Ink Press), second edition, p. 64; “Sauropods” (n.d.), On-line Biology Library, Orange County Community College, http://bio.sunyorange.edu/updated2/pl%20new/36%20Sauropods.htm; Andreas Christian, Wolf-Dieter Heinrich, and Werner Golder (1999), “Posture and Mechanics of the Forelimbs of Brachiosaurus brancai (Dinosauria: Sauropoda),” Mitt. Mus. Nat.kd. Berl.,
Geowiss. Reihe, volume 2, https://fr.copernicus.org/articles/2/63/1999/fr-2-63-1999.pdf, p. 68; Samuel W. Williston (1898), The University Geological Survey of Kansas (Topeka: J.S. Parks, State Printer), volume 4: Paleontology, Part 1: Upper Cretaceous, p. 69; “Titanosauria” (2020), Wikipedia, Accessed September 23, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanosauria; Chris McGowan (2011), Dinosaur Discovery (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), p. 6; Mark Hallett and Mathew J. Wedel (2016), The Sauropod Dinosaurs: Life in the Age of Giants (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press), p. 72.

11 Jeff Miller (2019), “21 Reasons to Believe the Earth is Young,” Reason & Revelation, 39[1]:2-11, http://apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1287.

12 Jeff Miller (2019), “Was the Ark Large Enough for ALL of the Animals?,” Reason & Revelation, 39[7]:82ogetics Press).-83, http://apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1299&article=2920.

13 Eric Lyons and Kyle Butt (2008), The Dinosaur Delusion (Montgomery, AL: Apol


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