April 26, 2026
The following headline appeared on Fox News recently: “Researcher believes Noah’s Ark found in Turkey after new underground scans.” The article reported on the possibility that the remains of Noah’s ark have been discovered, thus verifying the Biblical account of a worldwide flood. That report has received considerable attention on social media in recent days.
“Researchers working in Turkey say fresh scan data uncovered what appear to be tunnels inside a long-debated landform, bolstering their case that the site may be a manmade object that they believe to be Noah’s ark. Noah’s Ark Scans researcher Andrew Jones told Fox & Friends First on Wednesday that he believes the peculiar formation near Mount Ararat is the real deal. ‘I do believe that this is the real, decayed, buried remains of Noah’s Ark, the famous ship. And we’re doing our best to convince the skeptics and show the world this site,’ he said.”
Many researchers are skeptical. Even some Christian archaeologists urge caution and suggest that what looks like a premature announcement may be motivated by the desire to sell books and gain notoriety.
How should Christ followers handle this type of report?
Be discerning and verify. We’ve all seen times when someone immediately relays breaking news as absolute fact, but later retracts it—often with embarrassment or apology. Christians should be careful not to do the same because it places our credibility and testimony at risk.
Early in my ministry, when computers were new and revealing impressive facts, a story surfaced that astronomers had used a computer model to rewind the solar clock and discovered a day was missing. I excitedly reported in a sermon the claim that the “missing day” proved the account in Joshua 10:12-14, when the sun miraculously stood still for nearly twenty-four hours. That computer “study” later proved to be fabricated, and I was embarrassed that my naivete had undermined my personal credibility and may have given occasion for the enemy to mock, “See, Christians are gullible and will believe anything!”
Let’s not be overly eager to report speculation about a discovery of Noah’s ark as fact, only to have to apologize later. The same principle applies to the Shroud of Turin and to dramatic claims of dying people visiting heaven and returning to earth. Let’s wait and see, and not undermine the credibility of the gospel by being naive. The apostle John told us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). That kind of testing takes time and study.
The foundation of our faith is the resurrection of Christ. No further verification is needed. When the Pharisees demanded a sign beyond the impressive miracles Jesus had already performed, He pointed them not to a new spectacle but to the one sign that would settle everything — His own resurrection.
“Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.’ He answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth’” (Matthew 12:38-40).
If the resurrection of Christ from the dead isn’t enough to persuade you to believe, then nothing will. Don’t always be looking for additional signs and wonders. Examine the Biblical evidence, decide what you believe, and take a confident stand. Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
If the discovery in Turkey is proven to be Noah’s ark, then let’s rejoice and be eager to share the news. Jesus said that if people didn’t give testimony to His deity, even the rocks would cry out (Luke 19:40).
Be slow to endorse premature claims, but at the same time be slow to accept premature dismissals. The Bible doesn’t need our exaggerations, and it doesn’t fold under honest scrutiny either.
Over the years a number of archaeological discoveries have consistently confirmed the truth of God’s Word.
Perhaps in these last days God is using such discoveries to reaffirm the faith of the faithful, silence the skeptic, and call sinners to repent and turn to Christ before it’s too late. But my confidence that the account of Noah’s flood is literally true does not depend on the discovery of the ark’s remains. The reason I believe the account is because Jesus believed it and used it to warn of His return in judgment. He said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37-39).
If additional excavations provide undeniable proof that it’s Noah’s ark, we can rejoice that the Lord is once again underscoring the truth of His Word. Until then, let’s hold our certainties where Scripture places them — at the empty tomb, not at the dig site.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:9-12).
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Bob Russell is a retired senior pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.