Question:
I don't mean to catch you by surprise, but I have a question about the ark. When I ask Christians they just say that I have to believe and no one can explain this question. How did Noah get all the varying species on the Ark? I find it hard to believe that Noah could fit that many animals on the ark and feeding them would be nearly impossible. Can you explain this to me?
Answer:
The Bible does not say that Noah stored 2 of every species, it says 2 of each
kind (Genesis 6:20). That may sound like I'm arguing semantics, but it is a very
significant difference. An example of this would be dogs. It is a fact that all
dogs come from a common ancestor (the dingo I believe) and it is also a fact
that if you leave dogs to interbreed they will return to the common ancestor. It
is only by selective breeding (preventing nature from running its course) that
new breeds emerge. There may be hundreds of dog breeds but dogs are a single
kind. The same is true for pigeons, livestock and every other kind.
Land dwelling creatures and what has breath are the only creatures taken on the
ark. The ark was 3 floors deep and almost two football fields long. Estimations
are that there was enough room on the ark for 125,000 sheep. In our present
world there are 18,000 species known that would qualify for a trip on the ark.
Even if we doubled that to make room for extinct species that may have been
around in Noah’s day, we would still only have 36,000 species. If we double that
to take two of each kind, that would be 72,000 animals. The average size would
have been much smaller than a sheep. However, it would be unnecessary to take 2
of each species, you would only need 2 of each kind. This would greatly reduce
the number of animals on the ark. But even if each species were represented,
there would be ample room to spare. However, the Bible calls for 2 of each kind,
not each species. But whether God chose each species or each kind and the
species are variants of each kind, the ark still accommodates the numbers.
As far as feeding each animal, that is also unnecessary. Observe wild animals
during storms. Do you ever see birds flying and singing during a violent storm?
Animals naturally find shelter and become dormant during adverse conditions.
I don't think these types of questions should 'catch a Christian by surprise'.
If the scriptures are true, all evidence should point to God and observable
evidence should agree with scripture. That does not mean that Bible critics will
agree with scripture nor does it mean that critics viewing the same facts will
draw the same assumptions. It does mean that we as Christians can be confident
that true science and honestly represented facts will agree with the Bible. I
know that some avoid the facts because they are afraid that it may undermine
their faith. However, if we truly believe God is real and the Bible is His Word,
we have no reason to avoid the truth. Either the Bible is true, or it is not. I
believe it is true, therefore I search out both sides of the argument to get the
full picture.
The fear factor works both ways. I have engaged many atheists who are afraid to
look at the evidence unless it is filtered through atheist resources. They never
see the whole picture. From my own observations I have found that when the issue
is honestly examined by reading well documented arguments from both sides of the
issue, the whole picture always validates the Bible.
For more information on the flood, click here.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
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