We intend to create and construct an ARK Park and a Museum which will display and educate the history of mankind, as well as provide an interactive learning opportunity on the history of Armenia.
Our commitment is to spread a message of hope, love, faith, salvation and peace to all nations.
ARARAT717 a Division of Ark Family Center is a non-profit faith based organization located in Glendale, California where both the name and logo are derived from the Bible’s book of:
Genesis 8:4
“Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.”
ARARAT717 was created in response to more recent discovery of the Ark in mountains of Ararat by a Hong Kong Ark Research organization NAMI (Noah’s Ark Ministries International). We believe NAMI’s recent discovery is the true Ark of Noah surviving the universal flood as described in the Genesis chapters 6, 7 & 8 and kept intact by grace of God for centuries hidden within the glaciers of the mountains of Ararat to be revealed to all nations according to His will and His time. As in ancient times the Ark was symbolized as the means for salvation. As it is established on the Christian principles, Christ is also symbolized as the door of salvation through faith. Jesus reveals to us about the last days prior to His second coming:
Matthew 24:36-39 & John 10:9
- “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only”
- “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be”
- “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be”
- “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture”
ARARAT717 in cooperation with NAMI will be organizing scientific expeditions in upcoming months to further validate the recent finding of Noah’s Ark. We believe the geographical area of Ararat (about 300 Km. circumference) including Great Ararat (5165 m high-MASIS) and Little Ararat (3925 m high-SIS), was properly moulded by "God's finger" so that after 4370 years when the diluge happened, as Genesis states in chap. 8, vers. 1- 13, it is possible to locate Noah's Ark with astonishing precision. In other words we believe that with respect to Noah’s Ark, the Bible is the true historical document , which describes both the shape and physical dimensions of the ship and identifies the true location of its landing place on great Ararat.
And referring to other historical evidence: The first Century A.D. Josephus was a man of Jewish birth who was loyal to the Roman Empire. He was a man of great intellect and a contemporary of the Apostle Paul.
As the official historian of the Jews for the Roman Empire he had access to all the archives and libraries of the day. He mentions the remains of Noah's Ark three times. All are found in the ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS. The first is found in Vol. IV on p. 43 of the Loeb edition.18. Here he says:
Then the ark settled on a mountain-top in Armenia: . . .
Noah, thus learning that the earth was delivered from the
flood, waited yet seven days, and then let the animals out
of the ark, went forth himself with his family, sacrificed
to God and feasted with his household. The Armenians call
that spot the Landing-place, for it was there that the ark
came safe to land, and they show the relics of it to this
day.
ARARAT717 vision and objectives are to bring awareness about the Noah’s Ark significance, the universal Flood and the Creation story as described in the Bible through education, by visual presentations and scholarly teachings. To achieve all these goals we intend to create an ARK Park or an interactive historical, scientific and biblical type Museum to reveal the truth to all nations specifically to the Armenians and spread the good news of love, hope and salvation and the message of peace to all Nations.
Sis and Masis Climb July 2011
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ararat717&aq=f
”And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the
seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of ARARAT”
Genesis 8:4
-
BACKGROUND:
Mount Ararat
Armenian: Մասիս, Արարատ
Turkish: Ağrı Dağı
Kurdish: Çiyayê Agirî
Persian: کوه آرارات (Kuh-e Ararat)
Greater Ararat (Massis) the tallest peak in Turkey, and the entire Armenian plateau has an elevation of 5,136 m/16,854 ft. And the Lesser Ararat (Sis) has an elevation of 3,896 m/12,782 ft.
Mount Ararat is located in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey between Doğubayazıt and Iğdır, near the border with Iran and Armenia, between the Aras and Murat Rivers. Its summit is located some 16 km (10 mi) west of the Iranian and 32 km (20 mi) south of the Armenian border. The Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan is also in close proximity to the mountain. The Ararat plain runs along its northwest to western side.
Ararat is a stratovolcano, formed of lava flows and pyroclastic ejecta, with no volcanic crater. Above the height of 4,200 m (13,780 ft), the mountain mostly consists of igneous rocks covered by an ice cap.
4. ARARAT & NOAH’s ARK in ARMENIAN HISTORY:
Ark on Ararat and Noah descending from Ararat (by: Hovhannes Aivazovsky)
The Battle of Avarayr by Grigor Khanjian. Yeghishe Vardapet (Եղիշե, 410 – 475 AD; was a prominent Armenian historian. History of Vardan and the Armenian War (left hand picture behind the raised arm is the Ark on top of Ararat within the flag).
Saint Mesrop Mashtots (Մեսրոբ Մաշտոց; 361- 440) was an Armenian monk, theologian and linguist. He is best known for having invented the Armenian alphabet and as shown in the right hand picture he is holding the tablet of the Armenian alphabet (Mount Ararat in the background with the letter of alphabet pointing to the Ark location)
Relic of Noah Ark-1698 & the Coat-of-arms-of-Armenia
Chinese made shroud in
Echmiadzin showing the Ark
of Noah on top Mount Ararat
and the Church of Echmiadzin
on top
5. ARMENIAN HISTORY & NOAH’s GRANDCHILDEREN:
Hayk, Haig (Armenian: Հայկ) the legendary patriarch of the Armenians and a great-great-grandson of Noah.
Bible / Genesis 10
1Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
2The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
3And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah (Torgom).
Genealogy:
- Moses of Khoren gives Hayk's genealogy as: Japhet, Gomer, Tiras, Torgom, and his descendants as Armaneak, Aramais, Amasya, Kegham, Harma, Aram, AraGeghetsik. Hayk was also the founder of the Haykazuni dynasty.
- Hayk, Haig (grandson of Tiras), Armenak (or Aram), Aramais, Amassia, Gegham, Harma, Aram.
Hayk is the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation. His story is told in the History attributed to Moses of Khoren (5th to 7th century).
Statute of Hayk in Yerevan
According to the histories of both Moses of Khoren and Michael Chamich, Armenia derives from the name of Aram, a lineal descendent of Hayk, grandson of Tiras
The native Armenian name for the country is Hayk’. The name in the Middle Ages was extended to Hayastan. The name has traditionally been derived from Hayk the legendary patriarch of the Armenians and a great-great-grandson of Noah, who according to Moses of Korene defeated the Babylonian king Bel in 2492 BC, and established his nation in the Ararat region.
In a straightforward reading of the Bible, the Babel account in Genesis 11 is located between Noah’s Flood (Genesis 6–9) and Abraham (beginning in Genesis 12), suggesting that Babel occurred between the Flood and Abraham.
Logic suggests that the division of languages occurred before the time of Abraham because he came out of one culture and language (Ur of the Chaldees), visited another (Egypt), and settled amongst a third (the Canaanites).
The Bible doesn’t give the date of Babel, but it does indicate the number of generations between Noah and Babel.
According to Moses of Khoren or Movses Khorenatsi (Armenian: Մովսես Խորենացի): Hayk was a handsome, friendly man, with curly hair, sparkling eyes, and strong arms. He was a man of giant stature, a mighty archer and fearless warrior. Hayk and his people, from the time of their forefathers Noah and Japheth, had migrated south toward the warmer lands near Babylon. In that land there ruled a wicked giant, Bel. Bel tried to impose his tyranny upon Hayk’s people. But proud Hayk refused to submit to Bel. As soon as his son Aramaneak was born, Hayk rose up, and led his people back to the land of his forefathers, the land of Ararat. At the foot of the mountains, he built his home, Haykashen.
Genesis 10:25 makes an interesting comment that “the earth was divided” in the days of Peleg, in the fourth generation in the line of Shem. The dominant interpretation in Jewish and church history has been that Peleg’s “division” refers to Babel. For example, Josephus in the first century says Peleg “was born at the dispersion of the nations to their several countries” (Antiquities of the Jews 1.6.4).
If all this is so, Babel occurred sometime during the lifetime of Peleg, whose name means “division.” Based on the ages of people listed in Genesis 11 in our English Bible, Peleg was born 101 years after the Flood, and he lived for 239 years. Abraham was born 292 years after the Flood.
The Bible gives us no more specific information on when Babel occurred—namely, it falls between the Flood and the time of Abraham, probably near the midpoint (around 2,304 BC), give or take a century. (For more details see the first published: Creation 4(1):10–13, March 1981, by Dr J. Osgood).
My personal quest in search of Noah’s Ark & my Armenian Roots
Climbing toward Camp #1
Camp #1
Camp #1 with the local Kurdish people
Camp #2
At the summit of Ararat
At the Summit of Ararat (Massis)
Noah`s Ark found on Mount Ararat?
7. New Evidence Emerges in the Search for Noah’s Ark
Ancient Wood Structure Discovered on Mount Ararat
Chinese and Turkish explorers who found wooden structure on Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey believe is none other than Noah’s Ark
(Press-Conference @ Hong Kong & Beijing April 25 & 28, 2010)
On April 25th, the team from Noah’s Ark Ministries International (NAMI) that explored Mount Ararat announced at a press conference in Hong Kong that the wood specimens they had retrieved last year from the “large wooden structure” which they discovered more than 4,000 meters above sea level were found to be 4,800 years in age – a figure that would correspond with the time of Noah, based upon a literal reading of the Bible.
Backed by Turkish government officials and his group’s own set of experts, NAMI representative Man-fai Yuen said, “We believe that the wooden structure we entered is the same structure recorded in historical accounts and the same ancient boat indicated by the locals.” Dr Oktay Belli, an archaeologist at Istanbul University: “The search team has made the greatest discovery in history.
This finding is very important and the greatest up to now.” According to Belli, there has never been human settlement above 3,500 meters on Mount Ararat, which has long been considered the location of where Noah’s Ark settled following the receding of the flood recorded in the Bible. In Genesis 8, it is recorded that “the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat”.
“Mount Ararat is a holy place and has rich historical accounts about Noah’s Ark on the mountain,” said Belli on Sunday April 25, 2010. “Many people have searched the mountain for the holy Ark.
Professor Belli at the Hong Kong Press-Conference
Mr. Gerrit Aalten, renowned Dutch Ark researcher said, “The significance of this find is that for the first time in history the discovery of Noah’s Ark is well documented and revealed to the worldwide community.”
Just a few of the many details that are matching this find:
“The Ark found above the 4000 meters level”
“The Ark is slightly tilted”
“The Ark has reddish/brown wood appearance”
“The Ark is decayed and broken and has a hole” through which one can enter”
“The Ark is partly embedded in the ice and rock debris”
“The Ark is very solid and of high quality”
“The Ark is very dark, long and rectangular”
In conclusion, Mr. Aalten said, “there’s a tremendous amount of solid evidence that the structure found on Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey, is the legendary Ark of Noah.”
Mr. Ahmet Ertugrul (Parasut), the search team leader, was the first to get information on the location and then started the search. Team of the mountain climbers involved in the Ark expedition. Clara Wei NAMI’s Ark Researcher & Team Leader.
Mr. Murat Güven, Lieutenant Governor of Agri Province reading the headline news day after the Press-Conference in Hong Kong
Specimens from the Ark for Scientific Analysis displayed at the press-conference. The wood specimens were dated as 4,800 years old.
Press-Conference at Beijing International Convention Center, April 28, 2010
Tenon construction was found in the wood structure witnessed by Panda Lee
Panda Lee said, “In October 2008, I climbed the mountain with the Turkish team. At an elevation of more than 4,000 meters, I saw a structure built with plank-like timber. Each plank was about 8 inches wide. I could see tenons, proof of ancient construction predating the use of metal nails. We walked about 100 meters to another site. I could see broken wood fragments embedded in a glacier, and some 20 meters long.
The team has not entered this space. They viewed and took shots from a small opening above. The height and width are estimated to be 5 meters and 12 meters respectively
This room is box-shaped, having a dimension of height, width and length of more than two meters. There is a wooden beam with wooden nails on one side of the wall. It is believed that a rope was hooked on these nails to keep animals in place. On another side of the wall, there are racks
A few wooden staircases were found inside the structure, which seemingly craved by tree logs. Our team climbed one and found a door in the ceiling and concluded the wood structure has more than one floor. We tried to open it but failed. Since we did not want to destroy the structure, we will try again with appropriate equipment in the future
CAD simulation drawing of the wooden structure with seven spaces revealed
For more information about the recent Noah’s Ark discovery please visit NAMI’s official web site: www.noahsarksearch.net
8. MA WAN Park in Hong Kong (Noah’s Ark 1:1 Scale) constructed by NAMI:
Several pictures of the Noah’s Ark Park (Ma Wan Park) constructed by NAMI in Hong Kong
9. The Great Flood and Noah’s Ark as described in the Bible
A. Wickedness of Man (Genesis 6:5-8):
- The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth
- And that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually
- But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
B. Building the Ark:
- Make yourself an ark of gopher wood
- Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch
- Make the ark 300 L X 50 W X 30 H Cubits
- Cubits = 20’’ (0.5 m elbow to fingertip)
- The Ark ~ 150 X 25 X15 meters
C. God’s patience (Genesis 6:3 & 1 Peter 3:20):
- My Spirit shall not strive with man forever
- For he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be 120 years
- It took Noah about 120 years to build the ark
- …God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built
D. Election (Genesis 6:17-18):
- I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes
- Everything on earth will die
- But I will confirm my covenant with you
- So enter the ark—you and your wife and your sons and their wives (total 8 people)
- Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the ark with you to keep them alive during the flood
E. Separation (Genesis 7:16 & John 10:9):
- A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah
- Then the Lord closed the door behind them
F. Judgment / The Flood (Genesis 7:10-13):
- After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.
- …on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky
- The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights
- That very day Noah had gone into the ark
G. Purification (Genesis 7:17-24):
- For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the ark high above the earth
- …The water covered even the highest mountains on the earth
- …All the living things on earth died—God wiped out every living thing on the earth
- The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the ark
- And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days
H. Salvation (Genesis 8 & 4):
- …At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased
- Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of ARARAT
I. Salvation through Christ (Matthew 24:36-39 & John 10:9):
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