Working Replica of Noah's Ark Opened In SCHAGEN,
Netherlands . The massive central door in the side of Noah's
Ark was opened to the first crowd of curious townsfolk to
behold the wonder. Of course, it's only a replica of the
biblical Ark , built by Dutch Creationist Johan Huibers
as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible.
The ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits
wide. That's two-thirds the length of a football field
and as high as a three-story house. Life-size models
of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison
and other animals greet visitors as they arrive in the
main hold. A contractor by trade, Huibers built the ark
of cedar and pine. Biblical Scholars debate exactly what
the wood used by Noah would have been.
Huibers did the work mostly with his own hands,
using modern tools and with occasional help from his son
Roy. Construction began in May 2005. On the uncovered
top deck - not quite ready in time for the opening - will
come a petting zoo, with baby lambs and chickens,
and goats, and one camel.
Visitors on the first day were stunned. 'It's past
comprehension', said Mary Louise Starosciak, who
happened to be bicycling by with her husband
while on vacation when they saw the ark looming
over the local landscape.
'I knew the story of Noah, but I had no idea the boat
would have been so big.' There is enough space near
the keel for a 50-seat film theater where kids
can watch a video that tells the story of Noah and his ark.
Huibers, a Christian man, said he hopes the project will
renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands, where
church going has fallen dramatically in the past 50 years.
Now that I am old and
gray...give me the time to tell
this new generation
(and their children too)
about all your mighty miracles.
Psalm 71:18
Sunday, October 19, 2008
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