The Ark Encounter: A Memorial and a Guidepost

Guest article by Dr. Bill Greenhaw

What do those stones mean to you? . . . these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever. (Joshua 4:6–7)

After the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River into the promised land, God instructed Joshua to build an altar using stones from the river. This was intended to be a memorial to serve as a reminder for future generations about God’s provision and salvation and his grace toward his people.

In the same manner as Joshua’s memorial, AiG’s Ark Encounter project will also stand as a reminder to God’s people today. It is a witness to a time in history spoken of in Scripture about a real event—Noah’s flood—and alluded to in cultures around the world. The judgment of this global flood should remind us of the terrible consequences of sin, as the Creator judged the evil of men with a worldwide flood, resulting in death and mass extinction (except for eight souls and the animals that had refuge on the ark). Furthermore, for us today, the ark symbolizes Christ Jesus, who is our ark of salvation.

In addition, 2 Peter 3:10–13 shows how this historic event over 4,000 years ago connects prophetically to a judgment yet to come, when the sovereign God shall again intervene in earth history. He will put down human sin and rebellion and will bring to final fruition his agelong plan of redemption. The Ark Encounter in Northern Kentucky—within a day’s drive of almost 2/3 of the US population—will serve as a road sign to remind people of the truth of biblical history and their need for redemption.

The historic event of a global flood in the book of Genesis is referred to throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus himself spoke of the historicity of Noah (Matthew 24:37).

In Jeremiah 31, the Lord admonished his people to set up reminders to guide them in the right direction.

Set up road markers for yourself; make yourself guideposts; consider well the highway, the road by which you went. Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities.

How long will you waver, O faithless daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth: a woman encircles a man.

Jeremiah’s message was a call for Israel to return home and to God and also a messianic prophesy referring to the time of Christ and the church. That “new thing” prophesied was fulfilled 2,000 years ago but is still being accomplished as the church is fulfilling its calling.

As a supporter of AiG for several years, I know that Answers in Genesis is being obedient to a mandate to build a full-size Ark as a testimony of the worldwide flood of Noah’s day. Furthermore, such an Ark will be a memorial to remind people of the sovereignty of God and the salvation he offers. Seeing the full-size wooden Ark at the Ark Encounter will be a type of “guidepost,” reminding this nation of its heritage and calling all nations to the truth of Scripture and to faith in the God of the Bible.

Dr. Bill Greenhaw has practiced general dentistry in southeastern New Mexico for 39 years. He has been a strong supporter of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum for many years.

Dr. Greenhaw graduated from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1972. His pre-med science major was biology, and this field and the other curricula were presented from a strong evolutionary viewpoint and he totally accepted the naturalistic and evolutionist story of life. After receiving Christ as Savior, Dr. Greenhaw quickly recognized that there was a conflict between biblical Christian faith and what he believed about evolution. He has been an avid creationist ever since.