Touching The Past
Standing Within The Ark I Was Speechless
I had come to accept that I was not going home any time soon. Near one hundred and fifty years had passed since I met Noah and his sons. Their sons now also had young great grandchildren. The numbers of mankind were growing quickly.
A Deeper Relationship With Noah
Noah had become accustomed to meeting with me and talking as we walked along the river. Sometimes I would think back to when I feared he would dispose of me there. Rather it was a place that brought him some peace so he could think.
In our chats there were things I kept from him. I kept some facts from his boys as well. As crazy as all of this is, the flux capacitor and Doc’s theory of causing a rip in time kept coming to mind from the movie “Back to the Future”.
Particularly I was careful when it came to Bible stories I could remember. I did not understand enough to begin explaining what was really in there. I certainly was not educated enough to form proper questions.
For example, Noah apparently had no idea of who Jesus was as he never mentioned Him. I had no idea of who Yah was, but I know that Noah was in the Bible and followed the same God in the Bible. There were some bridges that we just could not cross.
Other aspects I was afraid could influence history. That is if such an influence is possible, I wanted to be careful. This experience was more than I could handle even years later.
There were parts of life that became normal. Tasks and daily routines for example became normal. These parts of life were an escape from reality while being in that reality. What came next, I would not have expected.
Noah’s Concern For Mankind
Noah came to me and requested another walk, so it was time to talk. As we went to our usual path by the river he would once again pause, look up, and then walk a little further in silence. After this the talking would commence.
“Clay, the world is about to change. I can see it happening and it is a world you are not prepared for.” This of course raised my concern and curiosity.
“How do you mean? Change in what way and how do I need to prepare?” I asked.
“I see tension growing within my grandsons. Some are already beginning to stray away. The heart of man is too wicked to know. As we fail to choose God we turn to our own devices.”
His answer was not really an answer, but rather an explanation of why things would change. This of course left no illusion to some of what he was thinking. He continued after another pause looking up, then walking once again.
“We are low on supplies from before. Go with Japeth and Shem to collect what we need. When you come back, I will forge you tools which you will need. Japeth will help prepare you for what is next.”
“Noah, what are you talking about? Just tell me what this is. Do you want me to leave? Did I do something wrong?” I was concerned.
“No you did nothing wrong, and you need to stay not leave. It will not be long before the hearts of men turn violent once again. Japeth understands the ways of violence. He will teach you the sword.”
I was left in shock. I had never known such peace as these past years have brought. No war, no fighting, no law, no rules other than having a clean life of work. We had total freedom to explore the world. The only threats were from wild and predatory animals.
Noah Explains Why The Flood Happened
Thinking on all of this I could not help but have a question come to mind. Maybe it was a question that was too deep to understand. Nevertheless I wanted the answer.
“If the hearts of man will turn to violence so quickly then why did God bother with sending the flood anyway?” I asked.
When Noah looked at me in the eyes there was something dark there. I remember Sunday School teachers talk about how sin had become so bad and the world became evil. What came next I did not know how to wrap my head around.
“Clay there are some things that are so evil that it is almost unspeakable. In the before there was a time when the Sons of God came to women and the result was a vile and perverted race. They were giants.”
Hold on, what did he just say? “Sons of God? Came to women? Giants?”
I really did not know how much more I could try to accept. Looking at Noah and his family, to me they were giants. I looked like a child next to them.
Noah continued, “The sons of God were the first created beings. They are spiritual beings, angels. They are not of flesh but can take on flesh. They do not marry, but they are capable of physical things when assuming the form of flesh.”
I think what he was about to say next was going to take a seriously dark turn. This was becoming the thing of a horror film or some sci-fi gone wild.
“Clay their offspring produced giants which would hunt men. They are neither spirit nor man. They did not belong in this world, or the one beyond this one. The flood removed them and those who fell so far away from God that they could no longer recognize Him. There is a difference between knowing sin and no longer being capable of knowing God.”
“Yes, the flood happened because of the sin in the world. The hearts of mankind were only evil, seeking evil, and embracing it. The result of such a heart leads to an abomination which should have never existed.” Noah concluded.
Did I fall asleep or something during church on Sundays as a kid? I never remembered hearing this. Is this something that our preachers should have known? Was it real? What could I say to a man who was there for 600 years in the before?
“Go meet the boys, they will take you to the ark. When you are there perhaps touching the past will help you to understand the future.” Noah said.
Finding Noah’s Ark
After dinner the three brothers came to my little dwelling and prepared me for the journey. It was going to be different from other adventures. The goal was to leave empty handed from here and return with a lot of resources.
This meant empty packs for horses and camels. Horses would pull empty carts and only carry enough resources for us to make this trip. It was an empty caravan.
The next morning, we left early some hours before the sun would rise. It would take a little more than a normal day in the sun to reach Ararat. The mountain lay to the northwest of our home.
On the east side of the mountain was a gentle slope which rose in elevation to a steeper but walkable climb. On top of this was the base of the mountain. Reaching the base, I looked up to see the ark. It took my breath away.
Although heavily dismantled it still commanded amazement. I had heard as a child that the ark rested somewhere high up on the mountain. After seeing where it rests, I realized how ridiculous the idea of the mountaintop was.
The animals would have need of walking off the mountain, not rappelling down it. Walking up to the ark and laying my hands on it was once again like stepping into another world. Once inside the size and organization of what it served could only amaze someone.
Shem did not allow me much time for sightseeing. We began to dismantle and process wood where needed and collected iron. Shem disappeared for a while. I saw him emerge with something he placed in his cart. It was a set of containers of some kind.
Was that the real reason why we had come? Either way, while Shem was doing his thing Ham had begun to set camp inside the ark. Clouds were moving in quickly and a storm was on its way.
Describing Living Inside The Ark
The storm that blew in was harsh. It turned a warm day into a bitter cold blast of rain. We sat around the fire which was in a large metal pot. I asked questions about events leading up to the flood and what it was like to live in the ark.
“At first it was a joke. People laughed at dad for what he was doing. Up until the day the water came you would have never guessed what would happen.” Ham started.
Japeth picked up the story, “It was sudden. Imagine a perfect day and then you hear something like the earth tearing apart. A noise so loud that if you screamed no one could hear you. The rain came but first it was the earth shaking.”
“Water came from the earth like a waterskin had ripped open and began gushing. The sky began to rain but it was so hard you could not tell what came from the earth, or what came from the sky.”
Ham continued, “Darkness came on the earth in mid-day that was darker than night itself. It was as if there was no light. When the ark began to lift it did so violently. It is a heavy boat especially when loaded and I wondered if we would sink.”
Shem stated he was not afraid of sinking, that he knew God’s promise would hold true. Yet his concerns were of another kind.
“When we were preparing for what would happen of course we knew we would need provisions. We packed, stored food, straw, and had a way to put the animals to sleep. When we saw how much water was there I could not help but wonder if we had done enough.” Shem was saying.
“The only light we had for weeks were from oil lamps. Dim light, darkness, and then terrible sounds is what it was like for days. It went from being the sound of rain and storm to another sound we cannot describe. It was as if wind struck the boat from every side, the sound of a strong rushing wind, then ice, and bitter cold.”
Japeth continued next, “When the rain ended we went to the top and looked out. Our eyes could not believe what we saw. A world of water in every direction. If one were on the sea before this it would be of no concern, yet where we built the ark there was nothing but land for many miles.”
“While in the boat we would feel vibrations shake us, everything would shake. The world was moving. When the water receded the land was so bare. Everything and everyone was gone.”
We slept that night in safety behind a door which was shut. It was one of the family rooms that has been made for the journey from the old world into this one. Waking in the morning we ate, then continued work.
Reflections Of The Past
We would spend three days in total gathering materials. While we needed to bring back as much as possible, we also did not want to overburden the animals.
Through all of this I began to question what Noah had meant by me touching the past and maybe then understanding the future. Was the world going to be destroyed again? Were there people who would be spared into another new world?
I had listened to preachers talk about Jesus coming back and setting up His kingdom. We were all supposed to be looking for Jesus to return, but that is all I knew. How to connect this to my time within my life I did not know.
What I did know was this, Adam began as being perfect and through time it led to this ark. While I have never seen the world of Adam, I have experienced the peace and simplicity of life with Noah and his family. From now until the time in my world this earth would be covered in blood many times over.
The point is simple, we cannot but help to destroy ourselves. Whether it be by war, or disagreement, even the smallest family seems to have a hard time being whole and good. Something is clearly wrong with us. We are broken.
There was no way for me to understand its full meaning. I know the ark represented a picture of two things. What we became, and then where we were going, or at least where a select few could go. In the end if we are going to have any real solution it will take a lot more than this ark despite how unbelievably amazing it is.
We left this time at night. We took enough time to get some rest but it would be a long push through the night. The moon was exceptionally bright, the stars were out, and Shem decided to make the most of the cooler air.
It was much slower on the return trip as well. Leaving early would afford extra time for some rest and hopefully getting home before dark. Oddly enough there were few predators in the area. Ham was near me when this came to mind, so I asked why.
“We really don’t know why; it seems no animal comes near here. Perhaps because of less water, higher elevation, and less food.” Ham’s point was logical, but in similar geographic areas we visited seeing predators in migration was very common.
It was as if all the animals went from this point to spread around the lands, kept moving, and never looked back. Walking away from this place and the ark felt like closing a permanent chapter of history that would never be opened again.
Maybe the animals knew this as well. There was an eerie feel, a sadness, and it was as if something had been lost. I really did not have words to explain those emotions.