World’s Largest Ten Commandments
Driving at the Great Smokey Mountain’s Highway 294 in Murphy, North Carolina may be an uplifting experience for drivers and passengers as it is where the World’s Largest Ten Commandments can be located. A favorite tourist attraction, the Fields of the Wood also houses other world breaking biblical monuments of Golgotha and Joseph’s Tomb. The Fields of the Woods was built in 1945 by the followers of the Church of God of Prophecy, a church that now has more than 700,000 members in 115 countries, led by Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson. The 300 feet-wide tableaux are composed of individual concrete letters 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide of white-painted concrete and are occupying a mountainside.
For additional superlatives, situated atop the World’s Largest Ten Commandments is what is believed as the world’s largest New Testament with dimensions thirty foot high and fifty food wide. Visitors can climb atop of it, as it features a stair within the structure, which leads visitors to experience the majestic view of the Baptismal Pool, the Star of Bethlehem, and hedges cut to read: “Jesus Died for Our Sins.” The All Nations Cross, displayed in a giant cruciform that is 115 feet wide and a 150 feet long, represents the Cross in which Jesus was crucified and was built to magnify His death. The cross includes poles where flags of the countries of the world, where the Church of God is established, are raised.
Other important markers in the Fields of the Woods are the 80-feet long structure where Tomlinson prayed, which is also noted as the world’s largest altar, Psalms of Praise, Gospel Theater and the Baptismal Pool. A replica of Golgotha, the tomb of Jesus is also featured and it is claimed that it has the same size and shape of the real tomb. It also features nature trails and picnic areas. Visitors can also bring with them memorabilia before they leave, through the Hidden Treasures gift shop that sells T-shirts, books, jewelry, Christian gifts, ties, audio cassettes and CD’s, food items, license plates, shirts, and sunglasses. To those who want to visit the Fields of Woods, it is located in the southwest corner of North Carolina, eighteen miles west of Murphy on Hwy 294, just six miles east of the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The Fields of the Woods admits daily year-round, free of charge.