I find the timing of the potential confirmation of Noah’s Ark discovery here in 2026 to be of fascinating interest in relation to the pre-tribulation viewpoint held by most Christians about the timing of the future ‘Rapture of the Church’ from Earth by Jesus Christ himself.  The Bible tells us that no one but God the Father knows the exact timing of the ‘snatching away’ of Christians, both dead and living, from the earth to meet Jesus Christ in the air prior to the awful and horrific anti-Christ-dominated seven-year Great Tribulation period detailed in the Bible.

At this point, all signs point to this potential Noah’s Ark discovery matching up with the biblical description of Noah’s Ark.  From its location in the mountains of Ararat, to the detailed physical dimensions of the boat built with gopher wood, the ground-penetrating anomalies discovered by today’s technology, the higher carbon readings within the outline of the apparent manmade structure, artifacts found in the surrounding area, and early drilling tests ruling out a natural rock formation.

Now we wait for drilling samples to be taken to labs for further testing and confirmation of facts connecting this structure to Noah’s Ark.  We wait with anticipation for the ‘Gopher’ camera to penetrate the apparent interior spaces, giving us a look around into those areas resembling corridors and stalls on three levels, just as the Bible tells us that the Ark had three levels.  The rover’s name ‘Gopher’ is perfect for exploring this potential boat by Noah.

The confirmation, or not, of this particular boat-like formation as being Noah’s Ark will not shake the faith of Christians, who believe by faith that the Bible is God’s Word to us and infallible in its accuracy.  However, the confirmation of this being Noah’s Ark could certainly rattle the minds and convictions of non-believers’ thoughts about what the Bible has to say about world history, Jesus Christ, and everything else biblical in nature.  I want to point out that various accounts of a historical flood story have been found to exist in at least 200 worldwide cultures, adding credence to a worldwide flood having taken place at some point in time.

If the biblical ‘Flood’ story is proven to be true, then what the Bible has to say about Jesus Christ is true as well, and that will likely scare many non-believers to the core, to realize they have been living in sin all their lives.  It is true we are all sinners from birth due to the ‘curse of Adam’ handed down to all humanity through the ages.  It is just that Christians have realized their sinfulness at some point in their lives and have asked for forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Jesus died for us on a cross as the ‘one time’ sacrifice to make us righteous with God the Father, allowing us to go to heaven to spend eternity with Jesus Christ, and all our Christian family members, friends, and Christian saints from down through history.

In conclusion, let me add a personal opinion about the potential confirmation of the discovery of Noah’s Ark at this particular point in time.  As I have said in a previous article, I am not a date setter as to future events.  I do not know exactly when the ‘Rapture’ will take place; it would be foolish of me to predict exactly when, when the Bible makes it clear no one knows the time for sure.

But let me share a thought with you which some of you may find interesting.  The Bible uses many round-figure numbers when it comes to major biblical events.  Most biblical and other scholars believe the year of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, 40 days after his resurrection, to be in May of 30 A.D.  Jesus was 33 years old at the time of His crucifixion.  He began a three-year ministry when he was 30 years old.  Jesus was most likely born in December of 5 B.C. or early in 4 B.C., before the death of Herod later in 4 B.C., and many scholars believe Jesus died in April of 30 A.D.  Keep in mind that 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. counts as just one year.  There was no zero year.

The increasing frequency and intensity of biblical ‘signs of the times’ seem to be pointing to a sooner rather than later rapture of Christians.  Keeping biblical round numbers in mind, what better time (in my human thinking) for Jesus to return for Christians than in 2030, exactly 2,000 years from the time of His ascension into Heaven in May of 30 A.D.  God the Father only knows!

If the identity of Noah’s Ark is confirmed later this year, could it be that God the Father is now unveiling the Ark to us in order to give unrepentant sinners a few more short years to repent and be saved before condemnation comes upon the earth during the Great Tribulation years.  Just like the Ark saved Noah and his immediate family from the condemnation that came upon the earth and all other human life at the time of the Great Flood, the Ark is a symbol of Jesus Christ and how he can save all who believe in Him from the next earthly condemnation.

The door of opportunity for salvation is still open—enter into salvation through the one and only door available to us—Jesus Christ!  Jesus saves all who will believe in Him with His shed blood.  Jesus, the Lamb of God, took our rightful place on the cross and replaced it with His grace!

God the Father is not willing for anyone to perish (Matthew 18:14).

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that (they) turn from (their) ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23).

“So, if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11).

“And this is the will of Him (God the Father) who sent Me (Jesus), that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day” (John 6:39).

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

 

Most of us baby boomers can remember in elementary school, high school, and even in college when teachers handed out the dreaded paper report cards inside envelopes at regular 6-week intervals during a school term and then at year-end, long before there were personal computers in schools or homes.  Today, school grades are delivered to parents and students primarily in real time, making grades accessible and viewable electronically at any time during a school year.

In the past, different grading systems were used by teachers.  There were primarily the old letter grades of A through F, the 100-point percentage system, or the 4.0 GPA scale.  In grade school, some secondary subjects were scored with an ‘S’ for satisfactory, or ‘U’ for unsatisfactory, or ‘O’ for outstanding.  In college, you might earn an ‘I’ for incomplete in a certain class subject.  Some higher education teachers and professors made tests so hard, they had no choice but to grade on a curve, or else virtually no one in the class would have passed the test.

The valedictorian of our high school class was my high school sweetheart.  The salutatorian of our class was a girl I had known since we were four years old in Sunday School class.  I had two first cousins who went on to earn achievement letters behind their names, like ‘M’ for masters, and ‘PhD’ for doctorates, which then earns you the letters of ‘Dr.’ before your name.  All these people are examples of students who took home very good report cards throughout their years in the educational system.  Earning good grades can be gratifying steppingstones on your way to a potential life of good works.  Students are rewarded for their good work, not their good heart.

Higher education and good report cards can earn a person valuable rewards in this life, in the form of status, great jobs, and monetary security.  In other words, people who are highly educated, with excellent careers, can be considered very successful in the eyes of other people.

But we must consider the way God looks at us and thinks about us.  God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, including the smartest of human beings.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). God grades us by our heart, not by our good works.

When it comes to our ‘final exam’ at the end of our earthly life, God has a very simple grading system known as ‘Pass’ or ‘Fail’ when it comes to allowing us entry into His eternal heaven.

God’s final exam for us is much easier than any earthly academic testing we will ever encounter in this life.  His grading is straightforward, with no gray zone between pass or fail, and which requires a simple one-word answer to His testing of us—yes or no.

We can either ace the test with a ‘yes’ answer or flunk the test with a ‘no’ answer.

What is the only question in God’s final exam as to whether we ‘pass’ to eternal life in heaven?

Do you believe in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, as the one and only way to enter the eternal heaven God has waiting for us?  Your answer of yes or no has eternal ramifications.

The only need to cram for this test is that you must answer ‘yes’ to your belief in Jesus Christ before you physically die, or before the Rapture of all Christians from the earth takes place, whichever comes first.  No late answer to the test question will be accepted by God.

There is no good reason, no good reason at all, to delay your decision to accept Christ as your personal Savior.  Why?  Because the next day, hour, or second of this earthly life is guaranteed to no one.  Seek the Lord today.  As the Bible says, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

The only ‘yes’ answer exception to God’s test is granted only to those children who have not yet reached the age of accountability (and I believe those adults who are born without the mental capacity to understand the salvation question).  Jesus said, ‘let the children come unto me’ (Matthew 19:14). We all must accept Jesus (with childlike faith) to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). Salvation is a free gift from God via His grace and mercy bestowed on Christians.

Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin.  Will you accept God’s free gift of grace at this time?

You do not want to know the eternal consequences of answering ‘no’ to Jesus Christ as your Savior—because it literally leads to eternal hell.  My best advice—is to believe in Jesus Christ!

When I pray, I view Jesus in my mind not only as God the Son and my Savior—but as my friend.

Jesus wants to be your friend as well. The Bible is a big book, the living Word of God, and can be overwhelming to study for our eternal test, but when it comes to salvation, there are only a few Biblical verses you need to zero in on when studying for your eternal exam.  Let’s review them.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave [us] His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

You could die tomorrow in any place, at any time.  We are all God’s children, but each of us must personally choose to accept the free gift of salvation made possible through your belief in Jesus Christ and what He did for you on the crucifixion cross.  Your belief in Jesus’s death (and the shedding of His blood) as the sacrificial Lamb of God is the only way to have your sins redeemed and (you) be made righteous in the sight of God the Father, enabling you to enter eternal life (with Jesus) in heaven (Hebrews 9:28).

Entering heaven can only happen by your belief in the shedding of Christ’s blood for you, His death upon the cross for you, and then His victory over death by His Resurrection.  Jesus is the ONLY way to eternal life.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

To be a Christian means you chose to enter the narrow gate that leads to heaven, through your faith in Jesus, rather than choose to enter the wide gate of unbelief that leads to damnation (Matthew 7:13).

“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

“But God proves His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart, you believe and are justified [in the sight of God], and with your mouth you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

Jesus loves you so much that He allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross with outstretched arms.  Now you just need to ‘nail’ your eternal exam with a ‘yes’ answer, so that Jesus, as our master teacher, can hand out God’s report card to you that will say in big beautiful cursive letters, “well done, good and faithful servant [pupil], enter into the joy of your Master” (Matthew 25:21).