Science and
The Bible:
A
Brief Study In The Scientific Accuracy of The Bible
Recent scientific discoveries
and their amazing impact have led to a revolution in the traditional
views held by many in the scientific community. These discoveries have
thrust scientific creationism to the forefront of academic and
pragmatic research. This is the view which holds that the universe has
been created by God, and it labors to provide scientific confirmation
of this fact. Many a prominent scientist have been led to re-examine
their views in the light of recent astronomical evidence which
strongly argues that the universe could not have possibly happened by
mere chance. The increase in knowledge, which is owed to radical
advances in technology have, contrary to all belief, drawn the mankind
closer than ever to an understanding of the fact that only the
Almighty God could have created all things.
Although the study of scientific
creationism is a fascinating undertaking, we will approach the topic
of science and the Bible from a different angle. Our study will
proceed to illustrate the amazing scientific accuracy of the Bible.
Although the Lord has not inspired the Bible to be a scientific
textbook such as we would expect to find on a college campus, it
never-the-less contains amazing scientific facts. We will see how the
Scriptures spell out scientific principles thousands of years before
man's understanding advanced to the level of discovering them. In
light of this fact, the Bible is gaining a place of respect within
those scientific circles that do not embrace an anti-supernatural
worldview, i.e., that God does not exist and miracles do not occur.
Indeed the scientists are discovering the hand-prints of God Almighty
all over creation.
Therefore, let us together
embark upon this interesting brief course through the Holy Bible, as
it is to you, God's ultimate creation, which we humbly dedicate this
study.
1.
Origin of Man
According to the Bible, man was
formed from the dust of the ground:
"And
the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
Genesis 2:7
Over the years, scientists
laughed at this passage, arguing that it would be foolish to actually
believe that man could have been formed from the soil of the ground.
Now, however, it is Christians who are laughing! A Reader's Digest
article in November of 1982, reported the discovery made by NASA Arms
Research Center, confirming the Biblical account of man's origin.
These scientists discovered that every single element found in the
human body exists in the soil covering our planet. The scientists
concluded, "We are just beginning to learn. The Biblical scenario
for the creation of life turns out to be not far off the mark."
2.
The shape and suspension of the Earth
"He
(God) stretches out the north over void (i.e., empty space), and hangs
the earth upon nothing." Job 26:7 R SV
This passage correctly states
that the earth is suspended upon nothing in empty space. At the time
this verse was written (nearly four thousand years ago), it was
commonly held that the earth rested upon something, whether a turtle,
an elephant, or on the back of Atlas. For Job to know this fact
without utilizing twentieth century technology is astonishing.
Dr. William Campbell, a
Christian missionary with a background in the medical field notes:
"As
far as we can understand at present, Job could only know this by
revelation from God." (Dr. Campbell, The
Quran and The Bible In Light of History and Science [Middle East
Resources 1992, Paperback, ISBN 1-881085-00-7], p. 167)
Job also realized that the
Northern Hemisphere of space is empty, a fact which has recently been
confirmed by scientists. Mitchel Waldrop, in an article for Science
Magazine stated:
"The
recently announced 'hole in space', a 300 million light year gap in
the distribution of galaxies, has taken cosmologists by surprise...
But three very deep core samples in the Northern Hemisphere, lying in
the general direction of the constellation Books, showed striking gaps
in the red shift distribution." (Waldrop, “Delving the Hole in
Space”, Science magazine, Nov. 27, 1981)
Bible prophecy expert Grant
Jeffrey writes:
"This
relative emptiness in the direction to the North of our solar system
is not visible by the naked eye. It is only as the result of very
careful observation by telescopes that scientists have recently proven
that Job was correct." (Jeffrey, The
Signature of God, Inspirational Pr; ISBN: 0884862550], p. 115)
(Ed. Note - We realize that Job
might be speaking poetically about the north being spread over empty
space, and hence is not foretelling modern scientific discoveries per
se.)
"He
(God) sits enthroned above the circle of the earth." Isaiah 40:22
This passage from Isaiah was
written approximately 2,750 years ago, nearly 750 years before Christ.
The word for circle in Hebrew is khug which means to be made
spherical, which is in total agreement with what we know of the
Earth's shape today.
Another place where the shape of
the earth is mentioned is in Job 26:10:
"He
has described a circle (khug)
upon the face of the waters." RSV
It becomes obvious that a round
earth demands that the waters conform to its spherical shape, once
again demonstrating the scientific accuracy of the Bible.
It wasn't until 200 years after
the writing of this biblical text did a group of Greek philosophers
reason that the Earth was round. It took another 300 years after that
for a Greek astronomer to calculate the exact radius of the Earth. But
in spite of this, the general view up until 400 years ago was that the
Earth was flat.
Equally amazing is the Bible's
view regarding the rotation of the earth, consider the following:
"Has
thou commanded the morning since the days; and caused the dayspring to
know his place; That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that
the wicked might be shaken out of it? It is turned as clay to the
seal; and they stand as a garment." Job 38:12-14 KJV
Dr. Henry Morris, founder of
Creation Research Institute, notes:
This
figurative expression refers to God's initiation of the earth's
rotation and the day-night cycle. Each night, like a rotating clay
cylinder exposing the impressions of the seal, the earth turns to the
sun (or "dayspring"), exposing the wicked and their works of
the night. (Morris, The Defender's Study Bible King James Version [World Publishing
Inc., 1995], p. 593)
3.
Wind Patterns.
"The
wind blows to the south and
goes round to the north; round
and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns."
Ecclesiastes 1:6 RSV
Christian scholars and authors
Mark Eastman and Chuck Missler state:
"The
phrase, 'the wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and
round it goes, ever returning on its course' is an accurate and
astonishing description of the circular flow of air around the earth,
called the 'jet stream,' well known to anyone who watches the evening
news weather reports." (Eastman and Missler, The
Creator Beyond Time and Space, [The Word for Today; ISBN:
0936728612], p. 94)
4.
Deterioration of Earth.
Even more astonishing, is the
Biblical prevision of the steady deterioration of the earth:
"In
the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens
are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they
will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded." Psalm 102:25-26 NIV
"Lift
up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens
will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its
inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my
righteousness will never fail." Isaiah 51:6 NIV
"Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
Matthew 24:35 NIV
Eastman and Missler comment,
"It
is fascinating to find such accurate scientific descriptions of the
universe. Prior to the 20th century, the notion that the universe is
'wearing out' or 'passing away' was foreign to the minds of most
scientists and philosophers. Such scientific foreknowledge could not
have been derived from observation or intuition, when the Bible was
being penned there was no observable evidence the universe was wearing
out. In fact, the consensus of the world's scientists and philosophers
was that it was not decaying." (Ibid., pp. 26-27)
5.
Earth's Structure.
According to the Bible, fire
lies underneath the crust of the earth:
"The
earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire."
Job 28:5
Modern science tells us that
this amazing statement is in complete agreement with the principles of
geology. The following quotation will serve to enhance this point:
"The
earth is an almost spherical body approximately 4000 mi (6400 km) in
radius. The center is occupied by the core, a spherical zone about
2200 mi (3500 km) in radius. Because of sudden change in behavior of
earthquake waves upon reaching this zone, it has been concluded that
the outer core has the properties of a liquid, in abrupt contrast to a
solid mass that surrounds it." (Arthur N. Strahler and Alan H.
Strahler, Geography and Man's
Environment [ASIN: 0471018708], p. 143)
The liquid state of the earth's
outer core is due to the tremendous heat which melts the rock mass
that comprises it, turning it into a literal sea of fire. Even the
layers of earth's mantle which rests closer to its crust, are in a
near molten state. As concerning the movements of earth's crust we
find that:
"Motion
extends into the upper mantle, so that both the crust and upper mantle
move as a single rigid layer, called the lithosphere... Immediately
below the lithosphere is a soft layer, called the asthenosphere. In
this layer the mantle rock is heated close to its melting point."
(Ibid., p. 153)
The lava which flows from the
earth's active volcanoes is an indication that the effect of such heat
results in the formation of a fiery inferno beneath the earth's crust.
The question which we must face is, how was this fact known to Job
thousands of years before the modern science of geology has determined
these facts?
6.
Fluid Dynamics.
Fluid Dynamics is the study of
the combined pressure of both air and water and the effects this
renders on objects:
"For
He (God) views the ends of the Earth and sees everything under the
heavens. When He established the force of the wind and measured out
the waters, when He made a decree for the rain and a path for the
thunderstorm, then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He confirmed
it and tested it." Job 28:24-27
Dr. Henry Morris states in his
book The Remarkable Record Of
Job:
"This
passage is also significant in recognizing that air and wind have
weight, a fact not obvious to the physical senses and not confirmed
scientifically until 300 years ago. The study of air-flows and their
relation to the weight of the air has been developed into the science
of aerodynamics, eventually becoming the basis of all modern Aerospace
developments. The parallel study of water flows and forces is called
hydrodynamics, the basis of ship design, hydroelectric plants, and a
multitude of other hydraulic systems.
"The indication in
this Joban passage that there is a parallel between behavior of air
and water was recognized in the late 19th century when the sciences of
aerodynamics and hydrodynamics were combined into the discipline of
fluid dynamics. This key science embraces the behavior of all fluids,
including the phenomena of petroleum and natural gas reservoirs and
their uses." (Ibid., Master Books; ISBN: 0890512922,
p. 37)
7.
Water Cycle and Cloud formation.
The formation of clouds takes
place when water, (1) evaporates from the sea and earth; (2) becomes
clouds; which (3) gives rain; which (4a) causes the land to bring
forth, and (4b) replenishes the water table which reveals itself by
gushing springs and full wells.
These steps were not discovered
until the 16the century, only 400 years ago. Yet we find the four
steps listed within the pages of the Bible, thousands of years prior
to their scientific discovery.
The book of Amos 5:8 contains
steps 1 and 3:
"He
who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and
darkens day into night, who (1) calls for the waters of the sea and
(3) pours them out over the face of the land - the LORD is his
name."
The book of Job 36:26-28
expounds steps 1, 2 and 3:
"How
great is God - beyond our understanding! The number of His years is
past finding out. He (1) draws up the drops of water, which distill
from the mist as (3) rain. (2) The clouds pour down their moisture and
abundant showers fall on mankind."
We find this to be a remarkably
accurate description of how clouds are formed! As Dr. Morris states,
"Water
is converted by solar energy into the vapor state. Since water vapor
(droplets) is lighter than air, the winds can first elevate, then
transport the water from the oceans to the lands where it is needed.
There, under the right conditions, the vapor can condense around dust
particles, salt particles, or other nuclei of condensation. When this
happens, clouds are formed." (Dr. Morris, The
Remarkable Record of Job, p. 38)
How does then rain pour down
from the clouds? Dr. Morris answers,
"The
water droplets coalesce to form larger and larger drops, which finally
become so large that their weight is greater than the drag forces of
the uprushing atmospheric turbulence, causing them to fall to ground
as rain or snow. Once more, we find the book of Job right on the money
when it says, 'By watering He wearieth the thick cloud.' (Job 37:11)
KJV" (Ibid.)
The book of 1 Kings 18 with
steps 1, 2 and 3:
"And
Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a
heavy rain.' So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to
the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between
his knees. 'Go and look toward the sea,' he told his servant. And he
went up and looked. 'There is nothing there,' he said. Seven times
Elijah said, 'Go back.' The seventh time the servant reported, 'A
CLOUD (2) AS SMALL AS A MAN'S HAND I RISING FROM THE SEA (1).' So
Elijah said, 'Go and tell Ahab, "Hitch up your chariot and go
down before the rain stops you." Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain
(3) came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel." 1 Kings 18:41-45
Finally, two more passages which
contain steps 4a and 4b. The book of Isaiah 55:9-11:
"As
the heavens are higher than the Earth so are my ways higher than your
ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the (3) rain and snow come
down from heaven and do not (1) return to it without watering the
Earth and (4a) making it flourish, so that it yields seed for the
sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my
mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I
desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
The book of Hosea 13:15:
"(4b)
An east wind from the LORD, blowing in from the desert; His spring
will fail and His well will dry up"
Dr. Campbell's comments:
"No
rain in the dry east wind, with the result that the well and the
spring dry up, is clearly the reverse of rain replenishing the water
table. Thus the Torah - Old Testament describes all 4 steps including
the difficult step (1)." (Ibid., p. 164)
8.
Currents in the Sea.
"From
inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said you hurled
me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents
swirled about me; All your waves and breakers swept over me. I said,
'I have been banished from your sight; Yet I will look again toward
your holy temple. The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep
surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the
mountains I sank down; The Earth beneath barred me in forever. But you
brought my life from the pit O LORD my God.' Jonah 2:1, 3-6
"What
is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for
him? You made him ruler over the works of your hands, you put
everything under his feet The birds of the air, and the fish of the
sea, all that swim the depths of the sea." Psalm 8:4, 6, 8
John Ankerberg and John Weldon
note:
"In
Psalm 8:8 we read about the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas. But it wasn't until the mid-ninth
century when Matthew Fountain Maury, the father of oceanography,
published his discovery that the ocean possesses predictable paths or
currents. When Psalm 8 was written, the only seas known to the Hebrews
were the Dead Sea of Galilee, the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea.
These bodies of water did not possess 'paths' or significant
observable currents. It took Matthew Maury a great deal of time to
collect the crude observational data that existed from the fifteenth
to the nineteenth century to make his own discovery. And yet the
Psalmist wrote of 'the paths of the seas.'" (Ankerberg and
Weldon, Ready With an Answer For
the Tough Questions About God [Harvest House Publishers, Inc.;
ISBN: 1565076184], p. 338)
Dr. Campbell,
"Paths
of the sea may only be poetic repetition of the preceding line, but it
is, along with the passage from Jonah, a correct description of the
ocean currents as we know them in the 20th century." (Ibid., p.
165).
9.
Bacteriology and Disease Prevention.
The existence of harmful and
deadly bacteria was practically unknown until the latter years of the
last and the start of this century.
Germs and disease can be spread
through a variety of ways such as coming in contact with a dead human
body or animal carcass, blood transfusion, sexual intercourse, eating
from unwashed plates and with unwashed hands. Millions of people died
throughout the centuries due to the fact that bacteria and its harmful
effects are invisible to the naked eye and could only be observed by a
microscope.
It wasn’t until 1845 when a
Hungarian doctor by the name of Ignaz Sammelweis, realized the direct
correlation between unwashed hands and the high death rate amongst
women who were giving birth to infants. He noticed that the young
interns would examine the bodies of the women who had died and proceed
immediately to the next ward, where they would examine expectant
mothers without washing their hands.
The young doctor then suggested
that all doctors wash their hands thoroughly with water and
chlorinated limestone, in order to prevent diseases from the dead
bodies to spread to others. This practice proved successful,
decreasing the death rate of expectant mothers from more than 15% to
less than 1%.
Thirty five hundred years prior
to these events however, we find within the pages of the Bible, laws
which if kept would have prevented the senseless and needless deaths
from occurring. In the first five books of the Old Testament, called
the Torah/Pentateuch, Moses was given a set of laws which when
observed would prevent Israelites from acquiring deadly diseases. In
Exodus 15:26, God declares:
"If
you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is
right in His sight, give ear to his commandments and keep all His
statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought
on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you."
Here is a brief listing of some
of these laws and their medical benefits:
The law required all infected
and diseased persons to be purified by being washed or sprinkled in
the water of purification. Should the affected persons not have obeyed
the laws of cleansing, they were to be cut off from the rest of the
people in order that the infection and disease may not become
widespread. In the book of Numbers chapter 19, we read about the
sacrificial burning of the Red Heifer and the cedar wood, hyssop and
scarlet. The ashes from this burning would be gathered and used with
fresh water to produce what was termed the water of purification. This
solution would be used to purify those who had touched a dead body or
those who had contracted infectious diseases. We now know that the
water of purification as described in the Bible, possesses amazing
power to destroy germs and infection.
It contained,
"cedar
oil that came from a kind of juniper tree that grew in both Israel and
in the Sinai. This cedar oil would irritate the skin, encouraging the
person to vigorously rub the solution into their hands. Most
importantly, the hyssop tree associated with mint, possibly marjoram
would produce hyssop oil. This hyssop oil is actually a very effective
antiseptic and antibacterial agent. Hyssop oil contains 50 percent
carvacrol which is an antifungal and antibacterial agent still used in
medicine…” (Grant Jeffrey, The
Signature of God, p. 153)
The book of Numbers further
states:
"This
is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who
enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven
days, and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be
unclean. Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been
killed with a sword or has died a natural death, or anyone who touches
a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days. For the
unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering
into a jar and pour fresh water over them. But if a person who is
unclean does not purify himself, he must be cut off from the
community, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD."
Numbers 19:14-17, 20
"When
a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. If he has lost his
hair from the front of the scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean.
But if he has a reddish-white sore on his head or forehead, it is an
infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead. The priest is
to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is
reddish-white like an infectious skin disease, the man is diseased and
is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore
on his head. As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He
must live alone; he must live outside the camp." Leviticus 13:
43-44, 46.
"The
LORD said to Moses, 'These are the regulations for the diseased person
at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the
priest: The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the
person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, the priest
shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet
yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. Then the priest
shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay
pot. He is then to take the live bird and dip it together with the
cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the
bird that was killed over the fresh water. Seven times he shall
sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and
pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird into the open
fields.' The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off
all his hair and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean.
After this he may come into the camp, but he must stay outside his
tent for seven days. On the seventh day he must shave off all his
hair; he must shave his head, his beard, his eyebrows and the rest of
his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and
he will be clean." Leviticus 14:8-9
"When
a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days
for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe
himself with fresh water, and he will be clean." Leviticus 15:13.
These laws clearly indicate that
a person who is infected with a disease like leprosy or has a
discharge or comes in contact with a dead body, must remain outside
and away from the camp of people for a prescribed number of days. This
action will prevent the possibility of a widespread breakout of
infectious diseases.
The laws further state that an
affected person must wash himself thoroughly in running water before
reentering the camp. The command to wash in running water is the most
effective way to remove infectious germs, since washing in a bowl of
water would allow the germs to accumulate and remain on a person's
hands. It must be emphasized that Moses could not have possibly known
about bacteria and germs, since man only discovered their existence
via the use of microscope.
The stunning accuracy of the
Bible in regards to disease prevention is such that Arturo Castiglione
in his book, A History of
Medicine would write in regards to the Biblical prevention of
leprosy that:
"The
laws against leprosy in Leviticus 13 may be regarded as the first
model of sanitary legislation." (p. 71)
Those who try to minimize the
significance of these statements, suggest that Moses simply took these
laws from the cultures surrounding Israel, such as Egypt and Assyria.
On the contrary, the evidence points to the exact opposite direction
since the medical knowledge of the nations of that time would cause,
not prevent, diseases and death. For instance, both the Assyrians and
the Egyptians would prescribe remedies such as blood, animal and/or
human dung or urine for the sick among them. These types of remedies
would kill, not heal, people and would cause greater widespread
illnesses. Hence, the only way for Moses to have known these
disease-preventive laws is for God to have made them known to him.
There are many other similar
notions in the Bible, and the extent of covering each in detail will
be well beyond our brief study. However, by way of example we will
mention a passage which deals with sanitary issues:
"You
shall have a place outside the camp and you shall go out to it; and
you shall have a stick with your weapons, and when you sit down
outside, you shall dig a hole with it, and turn back and cover your
excrement. Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp,
to save you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your
camp must be holy." Deuteronomy 23:12-14
Dr. Campbell's comments,
"As
every reader will realize this command is completely correct according
to 20th century medical knowledge and public health recommendations.
It prevents flies from spreading diseases. But this is not explained.
The reason given is that the camp should be holy in God's eyes."
(Dr. Campbell, p. 167)
10.
Heart Disease Prevention.
It is now common knowledge that
foods high in saturated fats aid in causing certain heart diseases
such as arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. Doctors now recommend
foods which are low in saturated fats to help patients fight off many
possibilities of heart disease and heart attacks. Yet, amazingly,
thirty-five hundred years ago the God of Moses, Yahweh, instituted
laws which prevented the intake of animal fat:
"This
is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live:
You must not eat any fat or any blood." Leviticus 3:17 NIV
The
LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'Do not eat any of
the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. The fat of an animal found dead or
torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must
not eat it. Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an
offering by fire may be made to the LORD must be cut off from his
people.'" Leviticus 7:22-25 NIV
Fat could be used to make soaps,
water proofing etc., but it couldn't be eaten. As William J. Cairney,
former professor of Biology, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
Springs, Colorado, notes:
"The
Mosaic guidance eliminates a critical link in the atherosclerotic
chain." (John Warwick Montgomery, ed., Evidence
For Faith [Probe Books; ISBN: 0945241151], p. 151)
11.
The Circuit of The Sun.
The Psalmist in Psalm 19:6
indicates that the sun is traveling:
"His
(the sun) going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit
unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat
thereof." KJV
This passage is often attacked
as unscientific and as proof that the Bible was written by men who
were influenced by superstitious and pre-scientific ideas (i.e., a
flat earth etc.) commonly held during that time period. But in fact,
this passage is more scientific than what people originally believed.
Dr. Henry Morris states:
"As
a matter of fact, however, the words of the psalmist may be even more
scientific than he could have known. Studies of modern galactic
astronomy have indicated that the sun is indeed moving around a center
in the Milky Way galaxy in a gigantic orbit that would require two
million centuries to complete, even at the tremendous tangential speed
of 600,000 miles per hour. Furthermore, it is well known that our own
galaxy is moving with respect to other galaxies. The sun's circuit is
from one end of the heavens to the other ... Consequently, the
psalmist - instead of using pre-scientific language - was using the
most scientific language he could have used in describing the motion
of the sun relative to the earth."
(Dr. Morris, Science and
The Bible [Moody Press; ISBN: 0802406564], p. 13)
12.
Biology.
"For
the life of the flesh is in the blood." Leviticus 17:11
The importance of blood to the
body becomes evident from Dr. Morris' statements:
"Continuance
of life is now known to depend upon the continued supply of oxygen,
water, and food to the cells of the body. This essential function is
accomplished in a marvelous manner by the blood as it circulates
constantly throughout the body, year after year. The role of blood in
combating disease - producing organisms and in repairing injured
tissues is one of the most significant discoveries of medical science,
and the use of blood transfusions as one of the most beneficial
treatments for many medical needs further testifies to the supreme
importance of the blood in the life of the flesh." (Morris, Science
and The Bible, p. 16)
The importance of blood in the
biological mechanism was not realized until the discovery of the
circulation of the blood by William Harvey in 1616. Yet amazingly the
Holy Bible was aware of this fact thousands of years beforehand.
13.
The Formation of Mountains
Another remarkable aspect of the
Holy Bible is its insight into the history of mountains. One
geological textbook states:
“From
Pre-Cambrian times down to the present, the perpetual process of
building and destroying mountains has continued…
Not only have mountains originated from the bottom of vanished seas,
but they have often been submerged long after their formation, and
then re-elevated.” (The
Book of Popular Science [Grolier Inc., 1967], 213, 214 bold
emphasis ours)
Compare this with what the
Psalmist wrote centuries ago:
He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not
totter forever and ever. You covered it with the deep as with a
garment; The waters were
standing above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled, At the
sound of Your thunder they hurried away. The
mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You
established for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass over,
So that they will not return to cover the earth. Psalm 104:5-9 NASB
14.
The Tri-Universe.
According to the Holy Bible, God
reveals himself through two modes: general revelation and special
revelation. General revelation is the evidence for the existence of
God through creation i.e., the design of the universe. As Paul writes
in Romans 1:20:
"Ever
since the creation of the world his (God) invisible nature, namely,
his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things
that have been made." RSV
Special revelation is God
revealing his nature through prophets and prophetic writings i.e., the
Holy Bible. According to the Bible, the one true God of Creation is
Tri-Personal, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Cf. John 1:1-3; Matthew
28:19)
It is not surprising to find
that this Tri-Personal Being has also revealed his nature within
Creation. For instance, we live in a Tri-Universe which consists of
space, matter and time. The universe is not partial space, partial
matter or partial time but all space, all matter and all time. Space
is the invisible background which manifests itself in matter and/or
energy which is in turn experienced through time. Likewise, the Father
is the unseen source and cause of creation who is revealed within the
Person of the Son and is thus experienced by the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit.
In fact all three aspects of the
universe are trinities in that space consists of three dimensions, one
of length, one of width and one of breadth. Matter is unseen energy
manifesting itself in motion which is experienced through various
ways. For instance, light energy generates light waves which are
experienced in seeing light. Time is conceptualized as future, present
and past time. Each constitute the whole of time and yet distinctly
united, since one has no meaning apart from the other.
Hence, the universe is a trinity of trinities.
(Note- The preceding information
is adapted and modified from Dr. Henry Morris' book titled, Science and The Bible, pp. 21-25)
15.
Inheritance and Acquired Characteristics.
"In
breeding season I (Jacob) once had a dream in which I looked up and
saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled
or spotted. The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob', I
answered, 'here I am', and He said, 'look up and see that all the male
goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I
have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the God of
Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me.
Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land."
Genesis 31:10-13
(Note - To get a complete
understanding of Jacob's situation, it is important to read Genesis
30:25-31:9)
Dr. Campbell gives a detailed
explanation of this passage, showing how truly remarkable the Bible is
in foretelling modern genetic understanding:
"To
understand how God worked this miracle one needs to know that just as
blue eyes are recessive in humans, so spotting is recessive in goats.
This means under normal conditions of mixing, 25% of the goats would
be homozygous (have two similar genes) for the dominant solid color;
25% would be homozygous for recessive spotting and be spotted; while
50% would be heterozygous with one gene for solid color and one gene
for spotting. This 50% would also be solid-colored because the gene
for solid color is dominant and controls the color, leaving the gene
for spotting hidden. Ordinary mating which happens by chance with a
normal (25%-50%-25%) mix of rams and ewes, continues to result in 25%
spotted kids. When Laban (see Gen. 30:25 - 31:9) removed the spotted
25%, this left a herd made up of 33% pure solid goats, and 67% mixed
or heterozygous goats. This would have worked against Jacob resulting
in only 16.75% of spotted goats. But then God stepped in and caused
all mating to be done by spotted (homozygous-recessive) rams. The
first year, result would be 50% of kids born to the 67% heterozygous
females would be spotted resulting in 33% of the total number of kids
being spotted and belonging to Jacob. An additional long-term result
would be that all of the solid-colored kids would be heterozygous with
a recessive gene from the spotted rams which had fathered them. This
would increase the percentage of heterozygous ewes to 75% the
following year, and eventually almost half of the kids would be
spotted, resulting in a doubling of Jacob's wages. Thus the biblical
account from 1700 B.C., while acknowledging Jacob's wrong ideas, is
consistent with modern genetic understanding." (Ibid., p. 196)
Another interesting Scriptural
statement demonstrating an incredibly accurate view of modern genetic
understanding is the Apostle Paul's amazing declaration in 1
Corinthians 11:8:
"For
man is not from woman, but woman from man."
Although Paul is referring to a
believer's position within the body of Christ and the roles of men and
women as outlined in the Genesis account, this verse is scientifically
significant. Paul statement can be taken as hinting to the fact that
it is the male that determines the sex of a child, not the woman.
Scientifically speaking, the woman's chromosomes are always X, whereas
the man's are either X or Y. Hence, it is the male sperm that carries
either X or Y chromosomes that influences the child's gender.
Paul's statement, "the
woman from man," although not directly related to genetics, can
be interpreted in light of modern scientific fact that "the woman
comes out of the man," i.e., that it is the genetic information
within the male sperm which determines gender.
16.
Water in the Universe.
In the Book of Genesis we find
several fascinating references made to the word water.
We read in Genesis 1:2 that:
"The
earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the
deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
waters."
Continuing on to verses 6
through 9 we find this amazing declaration:
Then
God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and
let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the
firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from
the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God
called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the
second day. Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be
gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it
was so.”
The New Testament also affirms
this fact:
"For
this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were
of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, by
which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with
water." 2 Peter 3:5-6
Until recently the significance
of these words had not become obvious to the scientific community.
Recent findings and discoveries in space, however, have utterly amazed
scientists, causing quite a stir.
In a recent article reported by
the Associated Press scientists have commented on the discovery of
water to a much larger and unexpected extent, all throughout the
universe. Below we will
present excerpts of this article which will demonstrate this fact:
"A
European space observatory has discovered water around stars and
planets and in many other surprising places... For 2 « years, the
European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory, known as ISO, has
been exploring the universe at wavelengths that can't be seen with the
human eye, giving astronomers a new view of the solar system.
Scientists have been able to see water throughout the universe, spot
where stars are forming and solve riddles that have puzzled
astronomers for centuries, said Reinhard Genzel, chairman of the
agency's Astronomy Working Group. 'With ISO, for the first time, you
could see water,' Genzel said Tuesday. 'In fact, it has been a
spectacular vista to see water everywhere.' The observatory found
water around dying stars, newborn stars, in interstellar space, in
other galaxies, and in the atmospheres around Mars and all the outer
planets, Genzel said. 'That's actually quite surprising because it's
so cold out there,' he said. 'So water should normally freeze out. So
the fact that there is water in these atmospheres is really rather
remarkable.'"
What is even more remarkable for
the Christians is that the Holy Bible mentions the heavenly waters
thousands of years before our technology could allow the scientists to
observe this phenomenon. Existence of water in the outer universe
serves only to bolster the fact that the Holy Bible is the inspired
word of God. The Lord in His infinite wisdom and knowledge created the
universe and then told us about His wonderful creation in His inspired
record, the Holy Bible.
17.
The Expanding Universe.
Cosmology tells us that about 15
or 20 billion years ago, matter, time and space appeared together with
the cosmic "Big Bang." The energy of this explosion was what
caused the creation of the stuff from which stars and planets were
later formed (cosmic matter), and sent it spreading in all directions
at nearly the speed of light. According to relativity, even space
itself spreads with the mass of the stars.
Amazingly, we find the Holy
Bible hinting to the fact that the heavens (i.e., space-universe) is
indeed spreading:
"He
alone spreads out the heavens,
and treads on the waves of the sea."
Job 9:8 NKJV
"Who
cover yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain." Psalm 104:2 NKJV
"It
is he who sits upon the circle above the earth and its inhabitants are
like grasshoppers, who
stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a
tent to dwell in." Isaiah
40:22 NKJV
Although the Holy Bible does not
specifically convey these scientific connotations in modern scientific
jargon, employing instead non-technical terms, it is rather
interesting to examine the idea of a tent and its connection to the
way the universe operates. For example, just as a tent must be spread
open in order for it to be used, so scientists explain that the
universe had to expand in order to produce the necessary
life-permitting elements that would enable humans to live upon the
earth. Furthermore, just as an old fashioned tent is erected by
leaning upon a center mast, science tells us that the entire universe
revolves around an axis.
Indeed, the Holy Bible is truly
a remarkable record.
After examining all these
passages, one must ask whether the origin of creation as described in
Genesis 1 is scientifically correct.
Noted astronomer, Robert Jastrow director of NASA's John
Goddard Aerospace program, states the answer in the affirmative,
"Now
we see how the astronomical evidence leads to a biblical view of the
origin of the world. The details differ, but the essential elements in
the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same; the
chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply at a
definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy." (God
and the Astronomers [W.W. Norton & Company; ISBN: 0393850064],
p. 14)
The last line agrees fully with
Genesis 1:3 where it says, "And God said. 'Let there be
light.'" It should also be noted that Jastrow is not a Christian,
at least at the time of this statement in 1978.
It is no wonder that Dr. Morris
could say in reference to the book of Job (and all the books of the
Bible for that matter) that:
"There
may be other hints of future scientific discoveries hidden here in
this ancient book, but perhaps of even greater significance is the
fact that in a 4,000-year-old book filled with numerous references to
natural phenomena, there are no scientific mistakes or
fallacies." (Dr. Morris, The
Remarkable Record of Job, p. 48)
A final issue needing to be
addressed before concluding our study, is the false idea that science
and the Holy Bible are incompatible. This belief espouses the myth
that one cannot be a scientist and a Bible-believing Christian at the
same time. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, as
briefly seen from this section, scientific fact (not theory) is in
complete agreement with the Holy Scriptures.
Furthermore, it is a little
known fact that modern science itself can indeed be viewed as a
by-product of Christianity. Most, if not all, of the founders of the
different branches of science were Bible-believing Christians.
The following is a list of some
of the Bible-believing Christian scientists and the branches of
science they helped create:
Joseph Lister, Antiseptic
Surgery
Louis Pastuer, Bacteriology
Isaac Newton, Calculus-Dynamics
(Note- not only did Newton write on the subject of science, he also
authored books on Christian theology)
Johannes Kepler, Celestial
Mechanics
Robert Boyle, Chemistry- Gas
Dynamics
Georges Cuvier, Comparative
Anatomy
Charles Babbage, Computer
Science
Lord Rayleigh, Dimensional
Analysis- Modern Analysis
John Ambrose Fleming,
Electronics
James Clerk Maxwell,
Electrodynamics
Michael Faraday,
Electromagnetics- Field theory
Louis Agassiz, Glacial Geology-
Ichthyology
Lord Kelvin, Energetics
Henri Fabre, Entomology of
Living Insects
George Stokes, Fluid Mechanics
Sir William Herschel, Galactic
Astronomy
Gregor Mendel, Genetics
James Simpson, Gynecology
Matthew Maury, Hydrography-
Oceanography
Blaise Pascal, Hydrostatics
William Ramsey, Isotopic
Chemistry
John Ray, Natural History
Bernard Riemann, Non-Euclidean
Geometry
David Brewster, Optical
Mi