First things first: I do believe that Noah’s Ark actually did exist. I believe the biblical account is an accurate historical record of the events surrounding the Genesis flood.
I do not believe that Daniel McGivern and the other explorers on the upcoming expedition to find Noah’s Ark will find the vessel into which the creatures all came two by two.
It is intriguing. A longtime fan of the Indiana Jones movies, I’ve often wondered what it would be like to find such a treasure. In the words of the character “Short Round” in The Temple of Doom, “fortune and glory” would abound.
There are a number reasons why I don’t think that Daniel McGivern and his team will Noah’s Ark. The likelihood of the boat being there after a minimum of 4,000 years is slim (although there are rare exceptions, such as the 2,000 year old boat found in the Sea of Galilee’s mud). I’ve seen cars in the front yards of rednecks that didn’t last five years before rusting through, and those were of metal construction.
The evidence collected so far seems more the stuff of legend than of hard evidence. The satellite images are really too blurry to make out anything. Who’s to say that Noah didn’t dismantle the Ark for firewood after the flood?
I’m not sure of McGivern’s motives, but doubtless many will see this as an opportunity to “finally prove Christianity.” The problem is that whether or not the Noah’s Ark is found will make little difference to someone who already rejects the Bible as truth. The veracity of the flood story doesn’t hinge on whether or not a boat is found. God has given us his word and it is more than sufficient.
I hope McGivern and his group are successful. It would indeed be an interesting find. But I fear that with all the bravado that is preceding the expedition, McGivern is setting himself up for a media crucifixion (he has said already that he is 98% sure that it will be found).
I doubt the group will be successful, by time may prove me wrong. Unless of course they do find it—and it is whisked away to a warehouse where “top men” will work on it…
So do you NOT want them to find it?
Ochuck, I do hope they find it, I just don’t think that they will–and I don’t think it is necessary to the faith that they do.
I don’t know – given an anaerobic environment, and 4,000 years may not be much. While the Dead Sea Scrolls may be younger, those were just paper, not heavy timber in freezing temperatures – there are bodies completely intact of explorers who died climbing Everest. But I agree, t’ain’t important to faith for them to find it.