“And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.” (Genesis 6:15 NKJV)
The Fairy Tale Ark Room and Real Sized Ark by Lee and Dan
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Birdwatching On The Ark Encounter – Provisions II
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Water and Food Holders for the Cages – Lee at Ark Encounter
This is the fourth blog about Birdwatching on board the Ark Encounter. The Ark Encounter is a full-sized model of the Ark that is located in Williamstown, Kentucky.
James J. S. Johnson, Dr. Jim as I call him, writes articles here, but he also has a blog called Rockdoveblog. He has been writing limericks lately, and this one fits well with today’s article.
The Floating Zoo by Dr. James J. S. Johnson
There once was a boat called the Ark:
Peep, meow, baa, hee-haw, and bark!
Its size was quite large,
As afloat went this barge:
Noah’s at-sea zoölogical park!COMMENTARY: See Genesis chapters 6 through 9.
I am sure it WAS interesting on board the Ark, with all the many critters. In the Birdwatching On Board The Ark Encounter – The Provisions I article, I showed you how they stored the food and water for them and the critters. There are more photos to show and tell you about. As the waters were lifted up, and the ark began to float, there had to be a rise in the noise level of the critters on board.
“And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.” (Genesis 7:17-20 KJV) [emphasis added]
The Fairy Tale Ark Room
Surely the critters were frightened at times, as were the humans. When the fountains of the deep broke up and the rain fell, it was not a smooth sailing cruise liner. Yet, the Lord God had given Noah the measurements and design for the Ark. Our Omninescient Creator knew exactly how the Ark would hold up during the upheavals and wave actions of all that was going on outside the Ark. (See “Lifted Up From The Earth” by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., How Could All the Animals Get On Board Noah’s Ark? and The Survival of Noah’s Ark, John D. Morris, Ph.D.)
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” (Genesis 7:11-12 KJV)
Most of our readers are familiar with the details of the Flood, which was universal and not a local flood, as some claim. In fact, one of the rooms at the Ark Encounter they call the “Fairy Tale Ark” room. They have a collection of children’s books and others, depicting the ark with a giraffe sticking his head out the roof, and other critters on deck. You’ve seen them. Here are our photos:
How would you provide for the people, birds and other critters for a year and at least 10 days, (see Provisions I), on those little arks? You couldn’t!!! More on this point another time.
The following is a quote from Chapter 10 of the New Answers Book 1 – Was There Really a Noah’s Ark and Flood? (Online)
“How Did Noah Care for All the Animals?
Just as God brought the animals to Noah by some form of supernatural means, He surely also prepared them for this amazing event. Creation scientists suggest that God gave the animals the ability to hibernate, as we see in many species today. Most animals react to natural disasters in ways that were designed to help them survive. It’s very possible many animals did hibernate, perhaps even supernaturally intensified by God.
Whether it was supernatural or simply a normal response to the darkness and confinement of a rocking ship, the fact that God told Noah to build rooms (“qen”—literally in Hebrew “nests”) in Genesis 6:14 implies that the animals were subdued or nesting. God also told Noah to take food for them (Genesis 6:21), which tells us that they were not in a yearlong coma either.”
“Were we able to walk through the Ark as it was being built, we would undoubtedly be amazed at the ingenious systems on board for water and food storage and distribution. As Woodmorappe explains in Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study, a small group of farmers today can raise thousands of cattle and other animals in a very small space. One can easily imagine all kinds of devices on the Ark that would have enabled a small number of people to feed and care for the animals, from watering to waste removal.”
Vervain Hummingbird (Mellisuga minima) WikiC
If God did choose to have the “animals hibernate,” then, this would have required less provisions and time feeding the critters. That could be one way to stretch the food they had on board. Just from today’s behavior, we know that Hummingbirds go into a “torpor” state. Here is a quote from “How Do Hummingbirds survive Cold Nights? Hummingbirds and Torpor” (ScienceBlogs)
“Torpor is a type of deep sleep where an animal lowers its metabolic rate by as much as 95%. By doing so, a torpid hummingbird consumes up to 50 times less energy when torpid than when awake. This lowered metabolic rate also causes a cooled body temperature. A hummingbird’s night time body temperature is maintained at a hypothermic threshold that is barely sufficient to maintain life. This threshold is known as their set point and it is far below the normal daytime body temperature of 104°F or 40°C recorded for other similarly-sized birds.”
I can see again, we are going to need a Part III to this. But before we end this one, we need to not lose the fact of the applications with these provisions. Our Lord has provided us with daily provisions and meets our many needs. Yet, this Ark was for the preservation of those inside. Many were invited to get in the Ark, but they refused. Judgment was coming, they had been warned, yet they refused to heed the warnings. Then, it was too late. The Door was shut.
Today, the offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior is before us. Will we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior or we “fluff” it off like those who refused to enter the Ark. Judgment is coming. Many like to talk about the love part of the Lord, but there is also the judgment side. Hebrews 9:26-28 says,
“For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:26-28 KJV)
Before the Flood, man was able to look ahead to the cross, and now we look back at the cross. The Door was available the pre-flood people, they refused, except eight. Now the Door is open to us. Praise the Lord, Dan and I, along with many of you have opened the door of your hearts and let the Lord in.
The Door at the Ark Encounter – Dan and our friends
“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:7-9 KJV)
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The Door of the Ark by Lee
This is the third article in the Birdwatching On Board the Ark Encounter. Below are links to the other articles. This time I would like to share some of the ways they showed how critters and birds were provided with provisions to sustain them. [All the bolding is added emphasis by me.]
In Genesis 6, the God was instructing Noah about building an Ark with all the directions or instructions. Then He informs Adam that his family and the critters are to be onboard also. They were to “keep them alive.”
Genesis 6:18-22 KJV
(18) “But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
(19) And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
(20) Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
(21) And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
(22) Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”
How Could They…?
That is a huge undertaking. How would they do that? On the Ark Encounter, it was interesting to see how they visualized this part of their commission to keep the critters alive, especially the birds. That is what this is concentrated on. Also, that same command was given again in:
Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 7:3 KJV)
They Went In the Ark
They went in:
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” (Genesis 7:11 KJV)
And came out:
“And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.” (Genesis 8:13-17 KJV)
Now if we do the math, Adam, his family, and the critters were in the ark at least one year and 10 days. That is a lot of provisions to have on board! So, let’s see how the Ark Encounter stored their provisions and provided for all on board.
Here are some of the ways thy stored water and grain:
Now that they have provisions stored, the next photos are food preparations for the humans, I suspect:
In the first articles of the series, you were shown the birds and their cages, but now, they have to be fed. Here are some of the photos from the Ark Encounter suggesting how some of this could have taken place. [Please forgive the photos, they were shot in low light, after all the Ark didn’t have modern lights and fluorescent lighting like today.] I tried to get as many close-ups of the signs as I could. Reading their signs is how the different operations are explained.
As I have been putting this together, it appears we will need a part II. Stay tuned!
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See Also:
Birdwatching On Board the Ark Encounter – The Doves
Birdwatching On Board the Ark Encounter – More Birds
Avian Kinds on the Ark – Introduction
Avian Kinds on the Ark – What Is A Kind?
Avian Kinds on the Ark – Birds Embarking
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Osprey at the Ark Encounter
“And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.” (Genesis 6:19 KJV)
The first article about our visit to the Ark Encounter which is part of Answers in Genesis was Birdwatching On Board the Ark Encounter – The Doves. Now I would like to show you the other birds we found on the ark.
First, there are no live animals on the this ark, but there are representations of the birds. Some are beautifully sculptured, and the others were real birds that had been stuffed by a taxidermist. Having live animals on-board would be quite involved. The purpose of the Ark, in this respect, is to show how the animals would have been kept on board. More like museum displays.
Bird Enclosures at the Ark Encounter
After entering the ark, there are areas where the cages or enclosures for the animals, birds, and creeping things were held. The cages for the birds were very interesting. For once, my not being able to get a shot through the cage, worked out okay. Now you can see the wood pretty good.
Bird Enclosures at the Ark Encounter – with a Hornbill
All of them were made of wood, and they were of different sizes, of course. Bigger cages for the larger birds like the Cassowary,
Bird Enclosures at the Ark Encounter – with a Cassowary
medium to large size for birds like the Sacred Ibis,
Medium to Large Enclosure for the Scarlet Ibis
and smaller yet for the Parrots.
Parrot the Ark Encounter
We also found onboard these birds: A Motmot, a Pigeon (I think), an Osprey, an Owl, a Quail, and another two that I am not sure of. Looks like one of the unknowns is some sort of water bird. If you would like to leave a reply with the names, please do. I have added the photos so they can be seen larger.
In the gift shop, I found these birds for sale. :)
Birds at the Ark Encounter Store
At the Ararat Ridge Zoo, behind the Ark, we found an Emu.
That is about the sum total of the birds we saw. Of course, the Doves that were shown in the first article. It was a little disappointed, but we understand their reasoning. There will have more about the birds and how they were provided for in another Ark Encounter article.
“Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.” (Genesis 6:20 KJV)
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Birdwatching On Board the Ark Encounter – The Doves
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“But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.” (Genesis 8:9 KJV)
Noah taking the Dove Back on board the Ark Encounter by Lee
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Noah taking the Dove Back on board. the Ark
On Monday, September 12, 2016 we visited the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. One of my goals was to find as many birds as I could on the Ark. Dan and I were on vacation for almost two weeks and the highlight of our trip was a visit to the Ark. When you first see the size of the, it is overwhelming. The picture below is almost deceiving. The Ark spans ” 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high.” (From the website)
Dan and I sitting way out front.
“And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” (Genesis 6:19-22 KJV)
The first bird I observed was a carved bird in a workshop on board the Ark. It appears to be a dove, maybe.
Bird being carved in Workshop
The Workshop with the Dove
Then we saw a dove resting before its next venture out of the Ark.
Dove resting on board the Ark
“And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.” (Genesis 8:11-12 KJV)
The next dove we saw was on a mural depicting various events in Genesis.
Mural Showing the Dove on the Ark
Mural on the Ark
Stay tuned as the other birds are revealed. We know from Scripture that there were seven pairs of every “kind” of birds/fowls on board the ark. I have more to show you.
“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 7:1-3 KJV)
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Just some of the latest articles here about the Ark:
Birds of the Bible – Foundation – The Ark
Birds of the Bible – Loading the Ark
Birds of the Bible – Leaving the Ark
Avian Kinds on the Ark – Introduction
Avian Kinds on the Ark – What Is A Kind?
Avian Kinds on the Ark – Birds Embarking
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“A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.” (Genesis 6:16 KJV)
The Door of the Ark at Ark Encounter by Lee
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Ark Encounter During Construction
You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. (Genesis 7:2-3 NKJV)
Today in Williamstown, Kentucky, they had the Grand Opening of the Ark Encounter. The building of the Ark Encounter was mentioned in Birds of the Bible – Foundation – The Ark. Now, it is open and we are looking forward to the opportunity to go see this modern day, full sized Ark. It’s about 900 miles from where we live, but it is definitely on my “bucket list.”
What I want to do, in a series of articles, is to introduce the Avian Kinds, Bird kinds, that are thought to be on board. An article, An Initial Estimate of Avian Ark Kinds, appeared on Nov. 27, 2013. It was written by Dr. Jean Lightner. Here is her abstract from that article.
Creationists recognize that animals were created according to their kinds, but there has been no comprehensive list of what those kinds are. As part of the Answers in Genesis Ark Encounter project, research was initiated in an attempt to more clearly identify and enumerate vertebrate kinds that were present on the Ark. In this paper, using methods previously described, 196 putative bird kinds are identified. Due to the limited information available and the fact that avian taxonomic classifications shift, this should be considered only a rough estimate.
I bolded the “196 putative bird kinds are identified” because that is what these articles are going to be about. According to I. O. C., the naming list that this site uses, there are 239 Families. On the Birds of the World family page, you will see this:
Lee’s Birds of the World, based on the IOC World Bird List 6.2 contains 10,637 extant species (and 154 extinct species) classified in 40 Orders, 239 Families (plus 2 Incertae Sedis) and 2289 Genera and 20,490 Subspecies.
If my math is correct, 239 minus 196, equals 43. Okay, where did those 43 extra families come from? That is what this series is going to try to find out. (Not Today)
Ark Encounter – First Look, By TV station
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Birds of the Bible – Foundation – The Ark
An Initial Estimate of Avian Ark Kinds
Grand Opening of the Ark Encounter
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Ernesto Carrasco’s Noah’s Ark Model – Noah’s Ark Model
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Hebrews 11:7 KJV)
We will continue on with the Birds of the Bible – Foundation series.
If you have not read the previous blogs:
Foundation #1 Updated – Foundation #2 Updated – Foundation #3 Updated – Foundation #4 Updated
(These articles are being updated because they were written back in 2009 and needed a little dusting off. The Truths are the same, just updating the photos, etc.) This article about the Ark is a new one. It needs to go between #4 and #5, but I didn’t want to call it #4.5.
Ark with Animals ©CreationWiki
What this Foundation article is about, is the Ark itself. We read about the birds going into and out of the ark in the other Birds of the Bible Foundation articles. But what about the Ark?
Noah’s Ark © SketchPort
How did Noah, his family, the animals and our birds all fit in the ark? Was it like you see depicted many times in drawings with of a small boat with a giraffe sticking his head out?
Giraffe at Lowry Park Zoo by Lee
If it was a small ark, as some suppose, it is because they do not believe God’s Word. God said He was going to destroy all flesh except those on the Ark.
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. (Genesis 6:17-20 KJV) (emphasis mine)
They don’t believe those verses. They think that it was only a local flood. If it were, why did the birds have to come on board? They could have just flown off to some other part of the earth. So, for those that only believe in a partial flood, a small ark with a giraffe sticking out is sufficient.
But, did those verses not say that “flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh” and “every thing that is in the earth shall die”? Is God a liar? The exception, of course, are those with Noah in the Ark.
Ark Model at Creation Museum ©Flickr Daniel Tuttle
And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. (Genesis 8:13 KJV)
So, we need a big Ark, one that the Giraffes and birds don’t have to hang out the windows. Right? So, how big was the Ark?
“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.” (Genesis 6:14-16 NKJV)
The reason for this article is that, today, there is construction of a life size Ark underway. It is being built by the Answers in Genesis organization. The Ark Encounter, as the location will be known as, is in Williamstown, Kentucky. The planned opening is July 7, 2016. We will be going to Indiana this summer and are planning to visit the Ark during the trip.
Here are two videos showing the ark under construction. They have all those men and great technology. Noah took 120 years. During that time he was preaching and trying to get others to join him and his family.
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I trust those videos will give you a new perspective of how large the Ark actually was. There was even more room for more people to be saved, had they only believed God’s Word. We have the same issue today. John 3:16 is right before our eyes almost daily. Even ball games have banners reminding people of this promise of salvation. If they would only believe.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:15-19 KJV)
If I took verse 19 and changed it thus; “And this is the condemnation, that AN ARK WAS come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.“ (John 3:19) (My paraphrase) This is why they didn’t seek to join Noah. That is the same reason sinners refuse to be saved today.
Continue to Birds of the Bible – Foundation #5 (Updated version coming soon)
Some links to some informative articles about the flood and the Ark:
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Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 