Man builds
working replica of Noah's Ark (to exact scale given
in Bible) 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
animalsgreet 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 might 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, chickens, 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
