Does it matter whether or not Noah and the Ark really happened?

Q: A television documentary told the story of Noah and the Ark but said that it was not a true story. Most Christians believe the flood really did happen. Does it really matter? – B.R.

A: Just because the Great Flood is an epic story does not mean that it isn’t true. The Bible is filled with reality and the story of Noah is a fascinating one, indeed, and important. God told Noah to “build an ark.” Noah was perhaps the most unlikely seaman. He knew nothing about sailing the high seas, and he certainly was at a loss as to how to build a boat. But he believed God.

Noah chopped down trees to build an enormous ark on dry land – far from any ocean – because God was going to send a great flood. Destruction was coming to a godless society. People laughed and mocked Noah, but through his obedience and faith in God, he was the first person in the Bible to be called righteous.

Centuries after Noah lived, Jesus spoke of him. The Bible says that in the days of Noah the world was filled with violence. People loved sin – they idolized sin; they were immersed in sin. The flood was not a natural catastrophe but a moral tsunami. God brought judgment on people who disbelieved Him.

Noah’s building project took 100 years as people heard Noah declare God’s warning, but only Noah and his family climbed aboard the great boat with the animals. It had never rained upon the earth. People scoffed, but Noah believed God and survived the greatest catastrophe the world has ever known.

This is a call to those who do not know that Christ wants to save those from drowning in sin. He wants to lift them up out of the turbulent waters and set them on higher ground. Don’t delay in accepting His salvation.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2021 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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