Ark Encounter Blog

When you visit the Ark Encounter, you’ll walk by one of the most popular photo stops during our guests’ visit—the Ark’s door.

This door reminds us that we must go through a door to be saved. Jesus Christ is our one door to salvation (John 10:9), the “ark” that saves us from God’s judgment for eternity.

And on the third deck of the Ark Encounter, you can find our Why the Bible Is True exhibit. This exhibit, which brings the graphic novel Searching For Truth to life, follows three friends discussing their beliefs after a world religions class and includes a powerful gospel presentation.

Near the end of the exhibit, one friend answers questions about common objections to trusting God’s Word. He sketches biblical history by talking about certain doors mentioned in the Bible that highlight aspects of God’s love and mercy in a beautifully unique way.

As we enter Easter weekend, let’s explore a couple of these doors and their significance to this time of the year.

God instructed Noah to build an ark to save his family and representatives of land-dependent animals. God flooded the earth to wipe out an exceedingly evil world.

The door of the ark symbolizes God’s justice and mercy—judging the wicked world and saving the righteous Noah, his family, and certain animals. It also symbolizes that there was only one way to be saved from the physical consequences of the flood.

Jesus said, “I am the door of the sheep. . . . if anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” This door represents how Jesus is the only way for us to be in a relationship with God. At that time, shepherds in Israel and the Middle East rested in the opening to the sheepfold. That way, the sheep could only come and go through their “door.”

Jesus, the good shepherd and our door to eternal life, foreshadowed his sacrificial death by explaining that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Each door mentioned in our Why the Bible Is True exhibit provides aspects of the good news. Man is sinful and separated from God (temple door), so he needs his sins to be blotted out. But because the punishment for sin is death, only a sacrificial death can remove sin. The blood of a spotless lamb was required to remove our sins.

And like the ark door symbolized man’s means of safety from death in the flood, Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, laid down his life for us, and he is the only means of eternal salvation from sin.

Along with the crucifixion scene, this door is the climax of the gospel presentation—the door of the tomb. When Jesus died and was resurrected, the angel rolled away the stone that acted as the door to his grave, showing that Christ had power over death. Apostle Paul would later joyously exclaim that since Christ was raised from the dead, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. This is the hope of all Christians—that we will have eternal life with God in heaven.

These doors, or gates, are mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught that many people are on the path to death and destruction that they reached through the wide door. Our hope and prayer is that millions more will enter through the narrow door, which leads to eternal life. Jesus offers the gift of eternal life to all who believe in him (John 3:16). This is truly good news.

This powerful exhibit is an amazing way to share the gospel with friends or family who may be struggling with some of life’s tough questions. Plan your visit today, and be sure to reflect on what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross—not just during Easter weekend but all year long!

Genesis states that people in the pre-flood world played musical instruments and worked with bronze and iron. We also know that Noah was capable of building the ark. What other technologies might they have developed?

As people filled the earth, certain innovations surely grew. Tools for farming and construction, along with roads and various means of transportation by land and water, were surely invented. The longer lifespans could have enabled innovators and inventors to collaborate for decades, or even centuries, to produce sophisticated technologies.

From early history, men like Tubal-Cain worked with bronze and iron, but the flood buried the sources of metal. As Noah’s descendants populated the earth, metals needed to be rediscovered and lost technologies had to be reinvented.

Men began to rebuild, but they soon faced another technological setback—the judgment at Babel. As the various people groups scattered from that place, scientific achievements and technological advancements came slowly since most people struggled to meet their basic needs, such as food and shelter.

The only remaining building of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Giza, is a massive engineering marvel. Built in the first few centuries after Babel, its precision in design and sheer size have baffled researchers as they try to figure out how it was constructed.

• Originally, the pyramid stood over 480 feet tall (currently 455 feet)
• The base of the pyramid covers more than 13 acres and is within 15mm of being perfectly flat
• All four base sides are approximately 755.9 feet long, varying by an average of just two inches
• An estimated 2,400,000 stones weighing an average of 2.5 tons make up the pyramid
• Stood as the tallest building in the world for over 3,000 years

The Great Pyramid of Giza. Image by MusikAnimal, via Wikimedia Commons. (CC BY-SA 4.0)

One of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, Stonehenge is another engineering marvel constructed without the use of modern technology. Early settlers of England moved these huge rocks, called megaliths, into place and arranged the stones to align with the sunrise of the summer solstice and sunset of the winter solstice.

• The largest stones, called sarsens, measure up to 30 feet tall and weigh 25 tons
• The sarsens were likely transported from a quarry 20 miles to the north
• The smaller stones, called bluestones, weigh up to four tons and were probably transported more than 100 miles
• Researchers disagree about the original purpose of Stonehenge, but it is generally believed to have been used for sacred rites
• Restorations were completed in the past century to erect stones that had fallen

Stonehenge. Image by Old Moonraker, via Wikimedia Commons. (CC BY 2.0)

The intelligence of early humans is demonstrated through their understanding and use of astronomical observations for timekeeping and navigation. The incredibly precise Mayan calendar is probably the best-known of these ancient devices, but many sites and artifacts dating back to the second millennium BC have been discovered around the world that display our ancestors’ ingenuity.

We have experienced rapid growth in technological achievements over the past century, but this does not mean we are smarter today than our great-grandparents. The innovations enjoyed today were built upon the shoulders of our predecessors, including the technology that allows us to travel to and explore space.

Few of us will ever see God’s wonders from space, but during a unique one-day event at the Ark Encounter, you can meet three men who give God the glory for the ability to see his handiwork from a vantage point that’s out of this world!

Hear from three of America’s astronaut heroes:

• Captain Barry Wilmore, who was the commander of Boeing’s Starliner on its test flight to the ISS last June
• Colonel Jeffrey Williams, who flew 534 days on four space flights to the ISS
• General Charlie Duke, who was the 10th man to walk on the moon

You’ll also hear from Ken Ham and explore some of God’s handiwork for yourself by sun spotting with astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner (weather dependent). Registration includes a two-day Ark Encounter ticket.

Upgrade your experience to enjoy a delicious dinner (it won’t be astronaut food!) with the astronauts in the evening.

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity by registering today at GetAnswers.org/astronaut.

The evolutionary story often portrays ancient man as a brutish caveman. Over the years, he evolved to become a hunter-gatherer. During the “Agricultural Revolution,” these hunter-gatherers became farmers and raised flocks. Eventually, men advanced to the point that they began to build cities.

Once again, the biblical account of man makes better sense of what we have observed. Cavemen, hunter-gatherers, farmers, and city-builders definitely existed, but they all existed at the same time. In fact, each of these types of people can be found in the world today.

Rather than reflecting an evolutionary progression of early man, these different societies are consistent with what we would expect to find following the Babel incident. People scattered from Babel, bringing their own set of skills to the areas they settled. Some areas were more favorable for hunting, while others were better for farming. Certain groups spent much of their time scraping out a living trying to find enough food for the day, while societies that produced abundant food could devote time to developing their technology.

We have experienced rapid growth in technological achievements over the past century, but this does not mean that we are smarter today than our great-grandparents were. The innovations we enjoy today were built upon the shoulders of our predecessors.

Evolutionists claim that man descended from apelike ancestors, but no intermediate fossils have ever been found to verify this idea. The so-called “missing links” between apelike creatures and humans were either fully ape (e.g., Lucy and Ardipithecus), fully man (e.g., Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon), or complete frauds (e.g., Nebraska Man and Piltdown Man).

The Bible clearly states that God made man from the dust of the ground and woman from his rib. Our ancestry does not include apelike creatures.

The concept of “prehistoric” events, animals, and people contradicts the biblical worldview. Prehistoric means “before history” and refers to a time when man was either not around or was incapable of keeping records of his world.

But man was made on day six. He was fully capable of recording events through oral or written testimonies and passing on those details to the following generations. The first five days could not really be considered prehistoric since God revealed the history of what he did on those days. So the concept of prehistoric time does not make sense from a biblical perspective.

Many people assume that humanity’s religious beliefs began with a form of animism or spiritism. Eventually, these beliefs gave way to polytheism (belief in many gods) and then to monotheism (belief in one all-powerful God). However, the Bible explains (and historical studies have confirmed) that the opposite is true. Man began with a belief in the one true God, but knowledge of the Creator diminished in many cultures, giving rise to the false views of polytheism, animism, and spiritism.

The popular flat-earth myth that ancient peoples believed was popularized in the late nineteenth century by John Draper and Andrew Dickson White. These men sought to belittle Christians by making the Medieval church look ignorant and anti-science. In reality, people have long known the earth was round. In the third century BC, Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the earth to within one percent. The Bible also includes passages that imply a round earth.

Start planning your trip to the Ark Encounter today, and learn more about how intelligent ancient man really was in our Ancient Man: Brilliant or Brute exhibit on the third deck of our life-size Noah’s Ark!

Have you ever wondered if the pre-flood world had a written language?

Because of evolutionary ideas, many people view humans from the past as less intelligent than modern humans. But humans, made in God’s image from the start, have always been incredibly intelligent and creative.

There’s no reason the pre-flood world couldn’t have had a written language. And archaeological discoveries, like the Ebla tablets, reveal that some of Noah’s close descendants utilized a sophisticated writing system not long after the flood.

If you visit the Ark Encounter, you’ll see “Noah’s language,” a written language our artists invented, throughout the life-size Noah’s Ark. It’s written right to left like Hebrew or Arabic, but it contains 26 letters and 10 numerals like English (this is so researchers can write out what the text would say in English and a designer can “translate” it to “Noah’s language” when they complete the artwork).

Why go to all this effort to invent a language for Noah? Well, we want to encourage people to expand their thinking of the biblical account of Noah’s ark and the flood.

Yes, humans were intelligent from the very beginning!

Start planning your trip to the Ark Encounter today, and be sure to visit Noah’s library on Deck Two and our Ancient Man exhibit on Deck Three to learn how humans have been intelligent since the very beginning.

When you visit the life-size Noah’s Ark at the Ark Encounter, you’ll see Noah’s family taking part in a variety of jobs that might have needed to be performed during their time on the ark.

There were many different jobs on the ark—which one would you want?

Below are just a few that might have been needed.

The themed animal enclosures on Deck Two display full-scale representations of potential designs for time-saving animal care systems. Included are semiautomated food and water feeders. Members of Noah’s family can be seen utilizing the overhead catwalks or even feeding a favorite animal by hand.

These large animal enclosures include feeding systems that consist of funneled bamboo chutes leading from the catwalks to food troughs in the cages below. The watering systems offer a similar degree of automation. Massive, vacuum-fed water tanks maintain water levels in dishes accessible from two or more enclosures. When drained, the tanks can be refilled from the catwalk by prying a central rod upward, which simultaneously corks the lower outlet and uncorks the upper inlet. The reverse process restores the vacuum seal.

Genesis 4:22 describes Tubal-Cain as an instructor of bronze and iron craftsmen. It is possible that one or more of Noah’s family members also learned this trade, which could have come in handy during the year of the flood.

While most of the foodstuffs would be stored elsewhere in the ark, the kitchen in the Living Quarters area on Deck 3 is stocked with a variety of herbs and spices, as well as a range of utensils for preparing meals for the family. Shem’s wife, Ar’yel, can be seen working on a dish.

A stone oven could be used for baking bread, and a selection of cooking vessels could be used for making soup or hot drinks.

The Living Quarters also includes many items Noah’s family could use for everyday life on the ark, including a large garden area featured near the light well in this area. Herbs and vegetables that thrive in low-light conditions could have supplemented family meals. The third deck would receive more sunlight than the others if the ark had the capability to let light in from the roof area.

Genesis 4:21 mentions musical instruments prior to the flood. Japheth is shown in his room in the Living Quarters playing the flute, while his wife Rayneh displays her artistic talent and livens the place up a little by painting some pottery.

The fact that Noah built the ark demonstrates his proficiency in woodworking, so it should come as no surprise to see a workshop in our life-size Noah’s Ark. This room serves as another reminder that contrary to popular opinion, ancient people were intelligent and highly skilled.

Being on the ark for about a year with thousands of animals would inevitably require maintenance. Damaged cages and tools could be repaired or replaced. It is also possible that someone onboard the ark worked with wood as a hobby.

During your visit to the Ark Encounter, be sure to look all around you and find each member of Noah’s family hard at work. Start planning your trip today!

And if you are interested in working at the Ark Encounter, you are in luck! We are gearing up for our busy season by offering open interviews for our seasonal positions in Admissions, Culinary, Guest Services, Housekeeping, and Retail.

Stop by Mt. Olivet Christian Church to apply for a seasonal job, be interviewed, and potentially be offered a position all in the same day!

• Saturday, March 29: 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
• Thursday, May 29: 3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
• Saturday, July 12: 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
• Thursday, October 16: 3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

If you are interested in applying for a position at the Ark Encounter but cannot join us for our job fair, please apply online! A complete list of open positions is available on our jobs page.

Join us for our upcoming open interviews, or apply online today and be part of our team at the Ark Encounter, where you can make an impact on the lives of people around the world this summer.

Popular models of canyon formation explain that relatively small amounts of water cut them out over long periods of time through slow and gradual processes. However, we have observed many canyons formed by large amounts of water in days rather than eons.

So how can we tell how the Grand Canyon was formed?

The high vertical walls of many canyons show that they were carved quickly. If they were cut slowly over long periods of time, the walls would be sloped due to years of erosional forces.

Many canyons have small amounts of debris, called talus, at the base of their cliffs. Over millions of years, large amounts of talus would have been accumulated. The lack of talus signifies that the debris was carried away as the canyon was rapidly carved by a larger volume of water than what currently flows through it.

Most canyons are many times wider than the river that flows through their base. This indicates that the amount of water responsible for cutting through the rocks was much greater than the current flow.

How do we know the flood of Noah’s day covered the whole earth? Dr. Tim Chaffey explains more in the video below.

To learn more about how the global flood of Noah’s day helped form the Grand Canyon and more, start planning your visit to the Ark Encounter today!

The Truth Traveler virtual reality experience at the Ark Encounter has thrilled countless guests since it opened in 2020 with its innovative retelling of the flood account. By combining state-of-the-art technology with the timeless truths of Scripture, it reinforces the foundational concept that the Bible is literal history.

Building on this success, we are excited to expand this groundbreaking concept into two new, stand-alone locations in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri!

These attractions are designed to immerse guests in a fun, biblical narrative centered on biblical authority. Through cutting-edge VR technology, custom animation, haptic feedback, and immersive sound, the Truth Traveler experience will bring the Bible to life like never before.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what’s underway.

In Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, construction is progressing rapidly, and the results are nothing short of extraordinary. The VR ride is the main event here, featuring custom-developed animation and ride technology that will immerse guests in a journey through the garden of Eden, the flood, and the resurrection of Christ. This experience is a powerful and engaging way to reinforce the Bible’s authority and truth.

Adding to the attraction is a planetarium dome, which will host a custom show developed to complement the VR narrative. The planetarium extends the immersive experience, allowing guests to further explore the wonders of creation and God’s design.

This impressive addition required significant infrastructure upgrades, including reinforced structures and advanced technology systems, ensuring a truly world-class experience.

Visitors will also enjoy exploring the souvenir shop, featuring custom-designed keepsakes and resources on biblical authority to equip them with tools for further study. And for those with a sweet tooth, our Timeless Treats food and beverage shop will offer a wide selection of snacks, including fudge made on-site, ensuring a memorable and tasty visit.

The theming for the time-travel “bays” is now being installed. There’s been a great deal of effort put into every little detail, ensuring a truly immersive and fun-filled experience!

The planetarium is also well underway. It was necessary to conduct some rather major reconstruction in this area to accommodate the dome, and it’s exciting to see it all coming together.

In Branson, Missouri, the construction progress is thrilling to witness as the vision for this incredible attraction comes to life.

The VR attraction takes center stage, promising to transport guests into a vivid, biblical world using cutting-edge VR headsets, haptic technology, and immersive soundscapes. This fully-themed experience will captivate and engage, creating lasting impressions.

Instead of a planetarium, the Branson location will feature a theater that serves as a hub for immersive projection-mapped shows and live performances.

The highlight will be Fear Not, a custom-written daily show designed to enhance and continue the VR narrative by showcasing God’s faithfulness throughout history, focusing on the life of Christ.

The theater also sets the stage for special events, such as the debut of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe this summer, performed on a Broadway-class stage—a first in the US.

As in Pigeon Forge, Branson will also feature a souvenir shop and Timeless Treats, ensuring guests leave with both spiritual and tangible reminders of their visit.

Construction crews are hard at work laying the foundation for the VR ride and the theater.

The Truth Traveler attractions are built on a simple but profound mission: to engage visitors with the truths of God’s Word through immersive and unforgettable experiences. By blending faith, cutting-edge technology, and biblical narratives, these locations are poised to captivate audiences and strengthen their understanding of biblical authority.

As we continue construction in both Branson and Pigeon Forge, we invite you to pray for our teams and these projects. These attractions are not just entertainment; they are tools to glorify God and share his message with the world.

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the grand openings (summer 2025) of these incredible new destinations. Thank you for your continued support and excitement. Together, we are building Truth Traveler into a place where faith and unforgettable experiences meet.

Does Jesus have anything to say about Noah’s ark? Yes! Jesus talked about the ark, Noah, and the flood in Matthew.

Jesus spoke of the global flood as a real, historical event that occurred and compared it to the coming judgment.

So we use our life-size Noah’s Ark at the Ark Encounter as a reminder that God’s Word is true and that Jesus Christ spoke of this as a real event. We also want to remind people that Jesus Christ is our Creator and our Lord and Savior; he died on the cross for our sins, rose again on the third day, and all who place their faith in him will be saved.

Why did we build our life-size Noah’s Ark? To remind people of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When God told Noah to build the ark to survive the flood that he would send on an exceedingly wicked world, he also instructed Noah to put one door in the side of the ark.

Noah and his family entered the ark through that one door to be saved from the watery judgment.

Noah and his family entering the ark through the door reminds us of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Just as God judged the world with the flood, he will judge it again. But the final judgment will be by fire. We have all sinned against our holy Creator and deserve the penalty of death. Unless God forgives us of our sins, we will be separated from him forever when we die, in what the Bible calls the second death (Revelation 20:14).

However, God has provided the means of salvation for us by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to die as our substitute on the cross. Jesus endured the penalty for our sin and conquered death by rising from the grave. Everyone who asks for his forgiveness and trusts in him will be saved from the second death and live with him for eternity.

The ark’s door reminds us that we need to go through a door to be saved. Jesus Christ is our one door to salvation, the “ark” that saves us from God’s judgment forever.

Start planning your visit to the Ark Encounter today, and be sure to reflect on this truth as you stand in front of the enormous door.

As we reflect on the most wonderful time of the year, we encourage you and your family to remember and reflect on the true reason for the season. Christmas is a time to share in the joy of Jesus Christ’s birth and to thank God for his faithfulness.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them (Luke 2:4–20).

There’s still time to join us for ChristmasTime at the Ark Encounter! This event runs until January 4, 2025 (closed Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and New Year’s Eve). So if your family and friends are in town this week, bring them out for an unforgettable evening of festive lights, a hearty, family-affordable holiday buffet meal inside Emzara’s Buffet (open until 7:30 p.m.), fair trade shopping, special programming that includes a gospel presentation, and so much more.

Merry Christmas from all of us at the Ark Encounter!

ChristmasTime at the Ark Encounter is in full swing! This year’s event runs through January 4, 2025, Tuesday–Saturday on select days.

Bring the family for an unforgettable evening of festive lights, a laser-light show on the side of our Noah’s Ark, live music/shows, holiday dining, gift shopping, and so much more during this annual Christmas experience.

Check out this video to see how our grounds transform from day to a dazzling night under the lights of ChristmasTime to catch a glimpse of what you will experience.

Make your plans to join us in celebrating our Savior as we fill the air with the music of Christmas this Saturday, December 14, 2024. A wonderful, full symphony orchestra and a joyous Christmas choir will lead us in carols and songs of Christmas, along with special songs by gifted vocalists. Come prepared to lend your heart and voice to celebrate a “True Christmas,” sponsored by BJU Press and The Master’s University.

Not only can your family enjoy “True Christmas,” but you’ll also love seeing the grounds lit up in multicolored lights; enjoy a hearty, family-affordable holiday buffet meal inside Emzara’s Buffet (open until 7:30 p.m.); shop for unique gifts; take a ride on our indoor carousel; learn about our animals in the Ararat Ridge Zoo; and so much more!

And be sure to enjoy our free scavenger hunt with your children as you explore our beautifully lit grounds! Track down all of our topiaries and receive a prize upon completion. Your family will also be able to take a free family devotional home.

Start planning your Christmas visit to the Ark Encounter today!