In class, I did a presentation on one particular mechanism for the flood, the Hydroplate Theory.
This is a theory put forward by Dr Walt Brown in his book In the Beginning-Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood. An early edition (3rd) of his book is in our church library. The current 8th edition is able to be purchased at Dr Brown's website or at Amazon.com. You can also read the most current (revisions done periodically between printings) version of the book online. Use the link above or below for the Hydroplate theory in order to access the entire text. I'll warn you, the book is a substantial one at 447 pages. However, reading the text is not overly difficult since the detailed science is relegated to the footnotes, which also are substantial in number.
I am not very adept at presenting the material for the hydroplate theory of the flood. I prefer to let Dr Brown present the material that he has spent years developing. So at this time I will defer to him, and let you read the material online.
Go to Hydroplate Theory to read about this particular mechanism for the flood. You will need to click through quite a few "next" buttons to read the entire chapter from the book.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Biblical History of Man: The Flood part 3
We don't know, in fact we can't know, what the mechanism for the flood was. We know what God has recorded for us...concerning the "fountains of the great deep" and the "floodgates of the sky". But what was that? What did it mean?
What scientists must do when they want to understand such events is to look at the evidence and create models. A model, in this situation, is a reasonable proposal as to how some event occurred. I know of many models for the flood that attempt to explain the mechanism for this major catastrophic event.
In order to determine whether a model is useful or not, or valid or not, there are some guidelines to evaluate the theories being put forward. What I am posting here is a good guide to evaluate any theory...whether it be of the flood, of evolution, or any other type of theory.
How to Evaluate Theories
What scientists must do when they want to understand such events is to look at the evidence and create models. A model, in this situation, is a reasonable proposal as to how some event occurred. I know of many models for the flood that attempt to explain the mechanism for this major catastrophic event.
In order to determine whether a model is useful or not, or valid or not, there are some guidelines to evaluate the theories being put forward. What I am posting here is a good guide to evaluate any theory...whether it be of the flood, of evolution, or any other type of theory.
How to Evaluate Theories
To explain scientifically an unobserved event that cannot be repeated, we must first assume the conditions existing before that event. From these assumed starting conditions, we then try to determine what should happen according to the laws of physics. Three criteria should be used to evaluate the proposed explanation.
Criterion 1: Process. If we can explain all relevant observations better than any other proposed explanation, confidence in our explanation increases. However, if these starting conditions and the operation of physical laws (or known processes) should have produced results that are not present, then confidence in our explanation decreases.
For example, a frequent and intriguing question is, “What caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?” (We will not address that question now, but will use it to show how to evaluate scientific theories attempting to explain unobserved and unrepeatable events.) Some dinosaur extinction theories assume large climatic changes. While many types of climate variation might kill all dinosaurs, we must also (by Criterion 1) look at other consequences of large climatic changes. Flowering plants and many small animals are more vulnerable to large climatic changes than dinosaurs. Because most plants and animals did not become extinct with the dinosaurs, “climatic change” theories for dinosaur extinctions are weakened.
Criterion 2: Parsimony. (Parsimony here means “the use of few assumptions.”) If a few assumptions allow us to explain many things, then confidence in the explanation will be great. Conversely, if many assumptions are used to explain a few observations, or if we must continually add new assumptions or modify our proposed theory as new observations are made, then we should have little confidence in the explanation.
For example, some say that a large asteroid or comet struck the earth and killed all the dinosaurs. Supposedly, the asteroid or comet, containing the rare element iridium, kicked up a worldwide dust cloud that blocked sunlight for several years, reduced photosynthesis on earth, and choked off the dinosaurs’ food chain. Support for this theory comes from layers of clay, containing iridium, in Europe, New Zealand, and elsewhere. Iridium-rich layers sometimes contain dinosaur fossils and, based on evolutionary assumptions, are about 65 million years old.
An asteroid or comet striking earth might explain the worldwide extinction of the dinosaurs and some iridium layers containing dinosaur fossils. This one starting condition (an impact of a large asteroid or comet) explains two important observations: dinosaur extinctions and iridium layers. This is good.
But there are some hidden assumptions. While most meteorites contain iridium, it has not been detected in asteroids or comets. So, advocates of the impact theory must assume that asteroids or comets have large amounts of iridium (or that meteorites came from comets or asteroids). Other iridium-rich layers have since been discovered too far above and below the layer thought to mark the extinction of the dinosaurs. Further studies have found few iridium-rich layers near known impact craters. (Scientists have recently learned that airborne particles expelled by volcanoes contain considerable iridium and other rare chemical elements that are found in iridium-rich layers.)
Also, many marine plants require daily sunlight. How could they have survived a global dust cloud that killed the dinosaurs? Each problem might be solved by adding new assumptions. However, by Criterion 2, this lowers our confidence in the theory.
Criterion 3: Prediction. A legitimate theory allows us to predict unusual things we should soon see if we look in the right places and make the right measurements. Verified predictions will greatly increase our confidence in an explanation. Published predictions are the most important test of any scientific theory. Few evolutionists make predictions that can be tested within a thousand years.
What predictions can be made based on the “climatic variation” and “impact” theories? Few, if any, have been made publicly. This does not inspire confidence in these explanations. Rarely do predictions accompany explanations of ancient, unobserved events.
However, the impact theory can produce predictions. For example, a very large impact crater should be found whose age corresponds to the time of the extinction of the dinosaurs. Fossils of many forms of life should be concentrated near the crater or, at least, in the hemisphere containing the crater. However, dinosaur fossils are uniformly distributed worldwide, a point worth remembering.
For several years, no suitable crater could be found. Finally, in 1990, an impact site was proposed on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, centered near the village of Chicxulub (CHICK-shoo-loob). Evolutionists initially dated the site as 40–50 million years before dinosaurs became extinct. No crater shape was visible, but a buried crater was claimed based on slightly circular magnetic and gravitational patterns, much imagination, and a desire to explain dinosaur extinctions. Impact advocates then redated the region and, in effect, predicted that drilling in and around Chicxulub would reveal an iridium layer and a buried impact crater. Later drilling projects found neither.
Other dinosaur extinction theories have even more problems. Our purpose in this section is not to settle this issue but to show how scientific reasoning should be applied to unobserved, nonreproducible events. Incidentally, another theory on dinosaur extinction will soon become obvious—a theory involving a global flood and the harsh conditions afterward.
Scientific explanations are never certain or final, and the overused word “prove” is never justified except possibly in mathematics or a court of law. Science is even less certain when dealing with ancient, unrepeatable events, because other starting conditions might work as well or better than the proposed starting conditions. Maybe we have overlooked a physical consequence or have improperly applied the laws of physics. Certainly, we can never consider all possibilities or have all the data.
So, to try to scientifically understand unobservable, unrepeatable events, we should consider many sets of starting conditions, estimate their consequences based on physical laws, and then see how well those consequences meet the above three criteria. Ancient records, such as the Mosaic account in the Bible or legends, do not give scientific support for the truth or falsity of an ancient event. Such records may provide important historical support to people with confidence in a particular ancient record. This, however, is not science.
This evaluation is from the book In the Beginning by Dr Walt Brown of the Center for Scientific Creation.
Biblical History of Man: The Flood part 2
Do other cultures have flood stories?
Yes. An emphatic yes. I found one source online that listed 262 unique flood stories from cultures on all 6 continents. One source I researched claimed to have recorded more than 500 flood stories from many different cultures.
Some samples:
Hawaiians have a flood story that tells of a time when, long after the death of the first man, the world became a wicked, terrible place. Only one good man was left, and his name was Nu-u. He made a great canoe with a house on it and filled it with animals. In this story, the waters came up over all the earth and killed all the people. Only Nu-u and his family were saved.
Another flood story is from China. It records that Fuhi, his wife, three sons, and three daughters escaped a great flood and were the only people alive on earth. After the great flood, they repopulated the world.
Where does the flood fit on the so-called geologic time scale?
The entire geologic time scale that contains fossil remains is sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock is laid down primarily by water, although some is deposited directly in the air.
Therefore, it is in the fossil-bearing rock that we will find the flood deposits. This begins with the Cambrian layer and the marine fossils.
By definition, the Pleistocene is the time of the latest glaciation or ice age. We will see later that the ice age begins immediately on the heels of the flood.
Therefore the flood deposits will be those from the Cambrian period through the end of the Tertiary period. See the chart at left .
Yes. An emphatic yes. I found one source online that listed 262 unique flood stories from cultures on all 6 continents. One source I researched claimed to have recorded more than 500 flood stories from many different cultures.
Some samples:
Hawaiians have a flood story that tells of a time when, long after the death of the first man, the world became a wicked, terrible place. Only one good man was left, and his name was Nu-u. He made a great canoe with a house on it and filled it with animals. In this story, the waters came up over all the earth and killed all the people. Only Nu-u and his family were saved.
Another flood story is from China. It records that Fuhi, his wife, three sons, and three daughters escaped a great flood and were the only people alive on earth. After the great flood, they repopulated the world.
Where does the flood fit on the so-called geologic time scale?
Therefore, it is in the fossil-bearing rock that we will find the flood deposits. This begins with the Cambrian layer and the marine fossils.
By definition, the Pleistocene is the time of the latest glaciation or ice age. We will see later that the ice age begins immediately on the heels of the flood.
Therefore the flood deposits will be those from the Cambrian period through the end of the Tertiary period. See the chart at left .
Biblical History of Man: The Mountains of Ararat
Genesis 8:4
4 In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.
I want to call your attention to the words in this verse.
The ark rested on the mountains (plural) of Ararat. It refers to a region of mountains (plural) not a single mountain.
The mountain that is now called "Mount Ararat" is Agri Dagi. It is located in a remote area of eastern Turkey near the borders of Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
It is a single volcanic cone that rises out of a vast plain. Nearby is a smaller volcanic cone named "Little Ararat" but there are no other mountains nearby. In addition, while the lowest portions of the mountain are truly old basalt, the upper portions of these mountains are the result of relatively recent volcanic activity, not of an age to be a phenomena of the flood.
This mountain did not become known as "Mount Ararat" until about 1200 AD. It is only since that time that the mountain has been thought to be the resting place of the ark.
Genesis 8:5
5 The water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.
This verse indicates that there were other mountains (plural) nearby that became visible as the flood waters receded. I have to question whether the mountain we currently call Ararat really meets the description of the situation in Genesis 8.
But what is the option? Or where should we look?
Genesis 11:2
2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. [NASB]
2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. [NIV]
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. [KJV]
2 but after some of them moved from the east and settled in Babylonia, [CEV]
2 And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. [RSV]
2 And it came to pass as they moved from the east, they found a plain in the land of Senaar, and they dwelt there. [Septuagint]
Shinar has been identified as the area of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys by all but the most fringe Bible commentators. Travel from the traditional Mount Ararat to this plain would be from the north or from the northwest (following a gentler route), rather than from the east. There are no mountainous regions to the west of the plain of Shinar for them to be able to travel "to the east" from a range of mountains. And the route to the southeast in order arrive at a point to be able to enter from the east is a grueling journey.
An alternate location for the resting place of the ark has been suggested by the BASE (Bible Archaeology Search and Exploration) Institute in Colorado Springs. It is a location in the Elborz Mountains along the south coast of the Caspian Sea. While it is only several hundred miles away from the traditional Mount Ararat, it does fit the biblical description much more accurately. Travel from the mountain down to the valleys below is short, albeit rugged, and a direct route down the Diyala River leads through the Zagros Mountains directly to the plain of Shinar.
The photo at right is of the Elborz Mountains on the south coast of the Caspian Sea. There are 15 peaks above 14,000 feet and many, many more above 13,000 feet. It reminds me of the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado.
The left photo is of a portion of the Takht-i-Suleiman (Throne of Solomon) massif that has been proposed as an alternative location for the landing place of the ark.
If you would like to read more about this location for the resting place of the ark of Noah in the mountains of Ararat, I would refer you to this page: The Ark of Noah in Iran or to the book Ark Fever by Bob Cornuke of the BASE Institute.
4 In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.
I want to call your attention to the words in this verse.
The ark rested on the mountains (plural) of Ararat. It refers to a region of mountains (plural) not a single mountain.
The mountain that is now called "Mount Ararat" is Agri Dagi. It is located in a remote area of eastern Turkey near the borders of Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan. 
It is a single volcanic cone that rises out of a vast plain. Nearby is a smaller volcanic cone named "Little Ararat" but there are no other mountains nearby. In addition, while the lowest portions of the mountain are truly old basalt, the upper portions of these mountains are the result of relatively recent volcanic activity, not of an age to be a phenomena of the flood.
This mountain did not become known as "Mount Ararat" until about 1200 AD. It is only since that time that the mountain has been thought to be the resting place of the ark.
Genesis 8:5
5 The water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.
This verse indicates that there were other mountains (plural) nearby that became visible as the flood waters receded. I have to question whether the mountain we currently call Ararat really meets the description of the situation in Genesis 8.
But what is the option? Or where should we look?
Genesis 11:2
2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. [NASB]
2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. [NIV]
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. [KJV]
2 but after some of them moved from the east and settled in Babylonia, [CEV]
2 And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. [RSV]
2 And it came to pass as they moved from the east, they found a plain in the land of Senaar, and they dwelt there. [Septuagint]
Shinar has been identified as the area of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys by all but the most fringe Bible commentators. Travel from the traditional Mount Ararat to this plain would be from the north or from the northwest (following a gentler route), rather than from the east. There are no mountainous regions to the west of the plain of Shinar for them to be able to travel "to the east" from a range of mountains. And the route to the southeast in order arrive at a point to be able to enter from the east is a grueling journey.
The photo at right is of the Elborz Mountains on the south coast of the Caspian Sea. There are 15 peaks above 14,000 feet and many, many more above 13,000 feet. It reminds me of the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado.The left photo is of a portion of the Takht-i-Suleiman (Throne of Solomon) massif that has been proposed as an alternative location for the landing place of the ark.
If you would like to read more about this location for the resting place of the ark of Noah in the mountains of Ararat, I would refer you to this page: The Ark of Noah in Iran or to the book Ark Fever by Bob Cornuke of the BASE Institute.
Biblical History of Man: The Flood part 1
The biblical flood is an event that is a highly-contended issue. Naturalistic scientists do not believe that a world-wide flood as described in the Bible ever happened. They say that there is no evidence to support such an event. As to the many cultural stories of a flood, they claim that they describe only a local flood occurrence.
Unfortunately, many in the church have adopted this naturalistic view, believing that science has shown that a world-wide catastrophic flood never occurred. To try to explain the records in scripture that tell of the flood, they will explain it as an allegory.
But there is much evidence of a global flood. And the evidence is better explained by a rapid flood than by a slow sequence of events that alternately submerge and raise land masses above the water.
So, we will begin with a look at scripture and what it says about the flood.
2 Peter 3:3-7
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For [a]when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Peter tells us that one of the ways men would justify their rejection of God and His word would be in their rejection of creation and the flood. I like the way this is expressed in this passage: it escapes their notice... He even hints at the naturalistic belief that everything "has continued just as has from the beginning"...the doctrine of uniformitarianism.
Well, the evidence is everywhere and people deny it and explain it away. They choose to be ignorant. Why? If someone admits that God judged the world once, then you have to admit that He could do it again. People don't want to think about that, or even consider it, so they choose not to believe that the flood is a historical event. It is similar to the rejection of the existence of God: if God exists, and if He is the God of the Bible, then I have to admit that He has standards I must live by. And some don't want to accept the consequences of believing in God, so they reject His existence.
The New Testament affirms the truth of the flood:
Matthew 24:37-39
37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Luke 17:26-27
26 And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
1 Peter 3:20
20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
2 Peter 2:5
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
Hebrews 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Timetable of the flood: Genesis 7-8
In the 600th year of Noah:
Unfortunately, many in the church have adopted this naturalistic view, believing that science has shown that a world-wide catastrophic flood never occurred. To try to explain the records in scripture that tell of the flood, they will explain it as an allegory.
But there is much evidence of a global flood. And the evidence is better explained by a rapid flood than by a slow sequence of events that alternately submerge and raise land masses above the water.
So, we will begin with a look at scripture and what it says about the flood.
2 Peter 3:3-7
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For [a]when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Peter tells us that one of the ways men would justify their rejection of God and His word would be in their rejection of creation and the flood. I like the way this is expressed in this passage: it escapes their notice... He even hints at the naturalistic belief that everything "has continued just as has from the beginning"...the doctrine of uniformitarianism.
Well, the evidence is everywhere and people deny it and explain it away. They choose to be ignorant. Why? If someone admits that God judged the world once, then you have to admit that He could do it again. People don't want to think about that, or even consider it, so they choose not to believe that the flood is a historical event. It is similar to the rejection of the existence of God: if God exists, and if He is the God of the Bible, then I have to admit that He has standards I must live by. And some don't want to accept the consequences of believing in God, so they reject His existence.
The New Testament affirms the truth of the flood:
Matthew 24:37-39
37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Luke 17:26-27
26 And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
1 Peter 3:20
20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
2 Peter 2:5
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
Hebrews 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Timetable of the flood: Genesis 7-8
In the 600th year of Noah:
- 2nd month 17th day: Floodgates of the sky opened, fountains of the great deep ruptured, rain began.
- It rained for 40 days and 40 nights, then the floodgates of the sky and the fountains of the great deep were closed, a great wind blew, water prevails on the earth for 150 days then began to subside.
- 7th month 17th day: Ark rested on a mountain.
- 10th month 1st day: Surrounding mountaintops become visible.
- 1st month 1st day: Waters are dried up.
- 2nd month 27th day: Left the ark.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Biblical History of Man: From Creation to the Flood part 7
Finally, we can deal with the GOOD news in this situation.
Genesis 6:9 9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
There are two important words in this passage that deal with our subject.
First, Noah is considered "blameless". The Hebrew is tamiym and it can be translated blameless or without defect. It is the word that is used to describe the animals that God considers acceptable for sacrifice...they must be without defect. It also describes the perfection of God's way, knowledge and law; and the completeness of the hours of the day or year.
Second, the word "time" is dor in Hebrew. Genesis 6:9 and 7:1 (both use the same phrase) are the ONLY times that dor is translated time. Many other words are translated as "time" but only in these two verses is dor given that translation. In every other instance...more than 100 other times in the Old Testament...dor is translated generations.
Now, if Noah is "without defect in his generations", what does that mean? In our context, it is obvious that Noah and all his generations at that time have no angel genetics. His genealogy is pure, perfect. No hybridizing.
The purpose of the flood
So, rather than being an act of cruelty, the Flood was God's way of saving the last of humanity...pure humanity...from complete destruction.
Many pastors, Bible scholars, and Bible skeptics alike view the flood as God's way of dealing with humanity after humanity just sinned too much. However, that seems a bit simplistic. After all, I would say that today's society is just as corrupt and depraved as it has been in any past era. So why would such a global judgment only happen in Noah's day? Because, as we have seen, there are a few more issues going on in this time than just sinful humans.
The flood had 3 purposes:
However, the Biblical truth is that God sent the flood to preserve humanity and to make sure we could still receive the promised Redeemer who could save our souls. Without Jesus Christ, there is no hope. There is no future. There is no forgiveness. That means every one of us would be destined for hell. The flood was God's way to keep the hope for all people.
And you would be interested to note that nowhere in the Bible is it ever stated that angels again cohabited with human women. But the problem didn't completely go away. We'll look at this again, I promise.
Genesis 6:9 9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
There are two important words in this passage that deal with our subject.
First, Noah is considered "blameless". The Hebrew is tamiym and it can be translated blameless or without defect. It is the word that is used to describe the animals that God considers acceptable for sacrifice...they must be without defect. It also describes the perfection of God's way, knowledge and law; and the completeness of the hours of the day or year.
Second, the word "time" is dor in Hebrew. Genesis 6:9 and 7:1 (both use the same phrase) are the ONLY times that dor is translated time. Many other words are translated as "time" but only in these two verses is dor given that translation. In every other instance...more than 100 other times in the Old Testament...dor is translated generations.
Now, if Noah is "without defect in his generations", what does that mean? In our context, it is obvious that Noah and all his generations at that time have no angel genetics. His genealogy is pure, perfect. No hybridizing.
The purpose of the flood
So, rather than being an act of cruelty, the Flood was God's way of saving the last of humanity...pure humanity...from complete destruction.
Many pastors, Bible scholars, and Bible skeptics alike view the flood as God's way of dealing with humanity after humanity just sinned too much. However, that seems a bit simplistic. After all, I would say that today's society is just as corrupt and depraved as it has been in any past era. So why would such a global judgment only happen in Noah's day? Because, as we have seen, there are a few more issues going on in this time than just sinful humans.
The flood had 3 purposes:
- to destroy the Nephilim giants
- to punish the angels who committed these illicit acts and make an example of them
- to save humanity from certain destruction
However, the Biblical truth is that God sent the flood to preserve humanity and to make sure we could still receive the promised Redeemer who could save our souls. Without Jesus Christ, there is no hope. There is no future. There is no forgiveness. That means every one of us would be destined for hell. The flood was God's way to keep the hope for all people.
And you would be interested to note that nowhere in the Bible is it ever stated that angels again cohabited with human women. But the problem didn't completely go away. We'll look at this again, I promise.
Biblical History of Man: From Creation to the Flood part 6
I know that I have challenged you so far. So let's look at other scriptures that tell us something about the situation.
Job 4:17-18 17 ‘Can mankind be just before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 ‘He puts no trust even in His servants;
And against His angels He charges error.
(this is Eliphaz telling Job of a vision that he had experienced)
2 Peter 2:4-5 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
Jude 6-7 6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
We might ask, "What are God's thoughts on the situation?" I'd have to say that He doesn't think much of it.
First, He charges His angels with error. Maybe not all of them, but some certainly were in error.
Second, He did not spare them when they sinned, but sent them to hell, there to sit and wait for the final judgment. Again, not all of them, for Satan is alive and well and he has help from angels who are "on his side" here on earth.
Third, He keeps them bound eternally in darkness, waiting for the final judgment.
I would have you notice that these scriptures about God's actions tie the sin of the angels to two things: one, the time just before the flood, and two, the sin of immorality and going after strange flesh, like the situation in Sodom and Gomorrah.
In addition, Jude makes it clear that these angels left their own domain and abode are the ones we are talking about.
Now I have to wonder what exactly drove Satan to do this. It seems bizarre...or extreme...or sick...or something. Of course, none of that is beyond him, but really!
Genesis 3:14-15 14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
Job 4:17-18 17 ‘Can mankind be just before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 ‘He puts no trust even in His servants;
And against His angels He charges error.
(this is Eliphaz telling Job of a vision that he had experienced)
2 Peter 2:4-5 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
Jude 6-7 6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
We might ask, "What are God's thoughts on the situation?" I'd have to say that He doesn't think much of it.
First, He charges His angels with error. Maybe not all of them, but some certainly were in error.
Second, He did not spare them when they sinned, but sent them to hell, there to sit and wait for the final judgment. Again, not all of them, for Satan is alive and well and he has help from angels who are "on his side" here on earth.
Third, He keeps them bound eternally in darkness, waiting for the final judgment.
I would have you notice that these scriptures about God's actions tie the sin of the angels to two things: one, the time just before the flood, and two, the sin of immorality and going after strange flesh, like the situation in Sodom and Gomorrah.
In addition, Jude makes it clear that these angels left their own domain and abode are the ones we are talking about.
Now I have to wonder what exactly drove Satan to do this. It seems bizarre...or extreme...or sick...or something. Of course, none of that is beyond him, but really!
Genesis 3:14-15 14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
Of course we recognize this as a prophetic passage concerning the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He is the seed of the woman. But have you ever considered what is meant by the seed of the serpent, Satan? In this passage Satan was put on notice. A human woman will give birth to a male child who would one day destroy the devil. From this point on he's added the plan to corrupt or destroy the child who will be all man who could possibly fill this prophecy.
If Satan can corrupt the seed of the woman, he could prevent the birth of this Messiah. After all He has to be all human, not part angel. And God promised that Satan would also have a "seed". Thus Satan's plan to thwart God's plan of salvation for all humanity.
They began to dominate the earth and it became corrupt...Then the Lord saw
that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every
intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Man (or man-angels) was thoroughly evil. Humanity is on the verge of being wiped out with no hope of being saved from sin...and that would be the case if every person born became part fallen angel.
Biblical History of Man: From Creation to the Flood part 5
Here's the most difficult question for this time.
What about the Nephilim who were on the earth before the flood?
To begin, let's read Genesis 6:1-5.
1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
This short passage tells a very important story. A group of "sons of God" took wives, whoever they desired to choose, and the children born in this relationship were called Nephilim. We have to ask a bunch of questions when we talk about this passage.
Who are the "sons of God"? The Hebrew words used here are B'nai Ha Elohim. This phrase is used only a few other times in the Old Testament.
Job 1:6-7 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
Job 2:1-2 1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
Job 38:4-7 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5 Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6 “On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
(In Hosea 1 the phrase is used the final time in a prophetic passage about the church.)
The other usages of the English words "sons of the Lord", "sons of the Lord God", etc are different and use Adonai or Yahweh, not Elohim.
It seems obvious to me that B'nai Ha Elohim refers to heavenly beings...angels if you choose. The NIV even translates the phrase as "angels" in Job, but translates the same words in Genesis as "sons of God". Do you see how a translator's worldview or belief system influences his translations?
So. We have angels who decided to select human women and have children with them. Odd. But when we allow scripture to interpret scripture, we have no other choice.
What about these Nephilim? What do we know about them?
These are the offspring of this union of angels and man.
Genesis 6 describes them as "mighty men" and "men of renown".
Mighty men...these are men who are characterised by tallness, strength, power, dominion, and possibly also tyranny and oppression.
Men of renown...these are men who are well-known, yet infamous. They are distinguished by both size and wickedness. They are legendary. We all are aware of mythology that tells of men who are half-gods, men of superhuman ability and strength, men (and women) of large stature. Remember that mythlogy usually has a true story as its beginning, but it has been enhanced and enlarged over time.
They are also described as "giants".
What about the Nephilim who were on the earth before the flood?
To begin, let's read Genesis 6:1-5.
1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
This short passage tells a very important story. A group of "sons of God" took wives, whoever they desired to choose, and the children born in this relationship were called Nephilim. We have to ask a bunch of questions when we talk about this passage.
Who are the "sons of God"? The Hebrew words used here are B'nai Ha Elohim. This phrase is used only a few other times in the Old Testament.
Job 1:6-7 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
Job 2:1-2 1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
Job 38:4-7 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5 Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6 “On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
(In Hosea 1 the phrase is used the final time in a prophetic passage about the church.)
The other usages of the English words "sons of the Lord", "sons of the Lord God", etc are different and use Adonai or Yahweh, not Elohim.
It seems obvious to me that B'nai Ha Elohim refers to heavenly beings...angels if you choose. The NIV even translates the phrase as "angels" in Job, but translates the same words in Genesis as "sons of God". Do you see how a translator's worldview or belief system influences his translations?
So. We have angels who decided to select human women and have children with them. Odd. But when we allow scripture to interpret scripture, we have no other choice.
What about these Nephilim? What do we know about them?
These are the offspring of this union of angels and man.
Genesis 6 describes them as "mighty men" and "men of renown".
Mighty men...these are men who are characterised by tallness, strength, power, dominion, and possibly also tyranny and oppression.
Men of renown...these are men who are well-known, yet infamous. They are distinguished by both size and wickedness. They are legendary. We all are aware of mythology that tells of men who are half-gods, men of superhuman ability and strength, men (and women) of large stature. Remember that mythlogy usually has a true story as its beginning, but it has been enhanced and enlarged over time.
They are also described as "giants".
Biblical History of Man: From Creation to the Flood part 4
So, there's some quandries about this timeframe of history. Nothing big, just places where people will contest the truth of scripture because of these things.
Who was Cain's wife?
His sister. Well, it could have been a neice, but likely his sister. There wasn't a problem with that. God didn't give the prohibitions against incest until the Mosaic law. Remember that the genetics at the very beginning were perfect, or very nearly so.
What does it mean in Genesis 6:3 when God says that man's days shall be 120 years?
There's two possibilities. One is that instead of living 950 years, man would only live 120 years. The only problem with this is that once God said this, the lifespans of man were cut to around 400 years, then to around 200 years. Moses lived 120 years, Joseph lived 110 years, Jacob 147 years. But it would be difficult to say that is what God means, when there is little evidence of it.
The other is that God said that man had 120 years left until judgment. It was a warning. It is interesting to note, however, that Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Noah's sons) were not born yet when God made that pronouncement.
Who was Noah's wife?
Jewish tradition says that she was Naamah, the daughter of Lamech, in the line of Cain. I find it to be an interesting event when a simple fact is recorded that is out of the ordinary, but scripture gives no more information about that fact. Such is this situation when Genesis 4:22 tells us that "the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah." Why is she recorded? Women are recorded in Genesis only when they form an integral part of the stories they are in. This Naamah is never mentioned again.
How many people might have died in the flood?
A lot.
To speculate about how many, here's an excercise I did. I was forced to use Excel since my calculator doesn't have enough spaces.
First, I already said that Adam and Eve had 33 sons and 23 daughters according to Jewish tradition. To be honest, I wanted to deal with nice round numbers. So my Excel table allowed for 30 children...15 sons and 15 daughters. Easier numbers to deal with.
That meant that Seth's generation is made up of 30 people and that made 15 families. Now there's 32 people alive on earth...Adam, Eve, and 30 children.
The next generation, that of Enosh is 15 families of 30 children each, or 450 people. That makes 225 families, and the total population is the previous 32 people plus 450 more, which gives us 482 people. I set up my lovely Excel formulas to calculate the rest of the table. I even set it up to subtract the generations when they died.
So how many people might have been on earth at the time of the flood? Are you sitting down? 82,378,627,232. That's 82 BILLION people. Right now, the world population is estimated at 7,065,393,482. Oops, that just went up... 7,065,393,556.
Of course, that doesn't take into consideration the utter wickedness that scripture tells us was universal. I'm sure murder reduced those figures a bit.
But you cannot tell me that our planet has more people than it has ever had in all history...and you cannot convince me of massive overpopulation. But that is another exercise I did a while back. Something about giving every family of 5 a city lot with a 1600 square foot house and putting schools and shopping centers in every ... well, that's another tale. Suffice it to say, it was eye-opening.
Our last, and probably the most controversial, issue of this timeframe of history comes next.
Who was Cain's wife?
His sister. Well, it could have been a neice, but likely his sister. There wasn't a problem with that. God didn't give the prohibitions against incest until the Mosaic law. Remember that the genetics at the very beginning were perfect, or very nearly so.
What does it mean in Genesis 6:3 when God says that man's days shall be 120 years?
There's two possibilities. One is that instead of living 950 years, man would only live 120 years. The only problem with this is that once God said this, the lifespans of man were cut to around 400 years, then to around 200 years. Moses lived 120 years, Joseph lived 110 years, Jacob 147 years. But it would be difficult to say that is what God means, when there is little evidence of it.
The other is that God said that man had 120 years left until judgment. It was a warning. It is interesting to note, however, that Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Noah's sons) were not born yet when God made that pronouncement.
Who was Noah's wife?
Jewish tradition says that she was Naamah, the daughter of Lamech, in the line of Cain. I find it to be an interesting event when a simple fact is recorded that is out of the ordinary, but scripture gives no more information about that fact. Such is this situation when Genesis 4:22 tells us that "the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah." Why is she recorded? Women are recorded in Genesis only when they form an integral part of the stories they are in. This Naamah is never mentioned again.
How many people might have died in the flood?
A lot.
To speculate about how many, here's an excercise I did. I was forced to use Excel since my calculator doesn't have enough spaces.
First, I already said that Adam and Eve had 33 sons and 23 daughters according to Jewish tradition. To be honest, I wanted to deal with nice round numbers. So my Excel table allowed for 30 children...15 sons and 15 daughters. Easier numbers to deal with.
That meant that Seth's generation is made up of 30 people and that made 15 families. Now there's 32 people alive on earth...Adam, Eve, and 30 children.
The next generation, that of Enosh is 15 families of 30 children each, or 450 people. That makes 225 families, and the total population is the previous 32 people plus 450 more, which gives us 482 people. I set up my lovely Excel formulas to calculate the rest of the table. I even set it up to subtract the generations when they died.
So how many people might have been on earth at the time of the flood? Are you sitting down? 82,378,627,232. That's 82 BILLION people. Right now, the world population is estimated at 7,065,393,482. Oops, that just went up... 7,065,393,556.
Of course, that doesn't take into consideration the utter wickedness that scripture tells us was universal. I'm sure murder reduced those figures a bit.
But you cannot tell me that our planet has more people than it has ever had in all history...and you cannot convince me of massive overpopulation. But that is another exercise I did a while back. Something about giving every family of 5 a city lot with a 1600 square foot house and putting schools and shopping centers in every ... well, that's another tale. Suffice it to say, it was eye-opening.
Our last, and probably the most controversial, issue of this timeframe of history comes next.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Biblical History of Man: From Creation to the Flood part 3
We are going to look at the patriarchs of the pre-flood time.
There is a message in the meaning of the names of the ten men listed.
Adam...man
Seth...appointed
Enosh...mortal
Kenan...sorrow
Mahalalel...the blessed God (His name is where "hallelujah" comes from)
Jared...shall come down
Enoch...teaching
Methusaleh...his death shall bring
Lamech...despairing
Noah...comfort, rest
If I place a few selected words in this message...
Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow, (but) the blessed God shall come down, teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing comfort (and) rest.
Nobody can convince me that God didn't have a hand in this...
Looking closer at some of these men, using other scriptures and extra-biblical sources.
ADAM...according to Jewish tradition, the fall was in year 7 and Cain kills Abel in year 41. Jewish history also says that Adam and Eve had 33 sons and 23 daughters. Well, if you live for 950 years, I would think that's a pretty small number!
SETH...according to Jewish tradition, Adam, Seth, and Enoch established the science of astronomy. The stars contained God's message of redemption and were used to pass on His message. Pagans perverted this message not too much later.
If you would like to read more about this message, called the Mazzeroth in Hebrew, I would refer you to The Heavens Declare by William Banks. There are also a couple of other books, but I can't pull the titles to mind right now. I'll come back and post them when I find them.
ENOSH...In his day, men "began to call on the name of the Lord". To a Jew, this phrase could mean that man began to profane God. But another possibility that has been put forth is that man had to begin to pray...to call on God in a different way. Based on the same word usage in other biblical passages, I lean toward the Jewish interpretation. If that is so, then man fell from faithfulness in only a couple of generations.
ENOCH...was a prophet (Jude14-15) He did teach. Jude quotes some of his prophecy. I would have to warn you that the so-called Books of Enoch may contain some of Enoch's prophecy, but these are later books using Enoch's name.
METHUSALEH...the meaning of his name could also be expressed "in the year he dies, it shall come." Enoch...the prophet...gave him this name. He should know! I would have to ask, why didn't people pay attention and get ready for whatever judgment God had planned? The flood came the year he died.
LAMECH...his name means despairing...did God's people despair because of the wickedness of the land?
NOAH...Lamech gave him his name. The Hebrew construction indicated that he thought Noah would be the messiah. Maybe in a way, he was. Not the Messiah, but he was responsible for the continuation of life after the destruction of the flood. Jewish tradition says that Noah had children before Shem, Ham, and Japheth, but that they were lost in the flood.
Archaeological find
In 1922, in Sumer, some ancient kinglists were discovered on a block of rock that was later called the Weld Prism. This monument records the history of the world in stone and was dated about 2100 BC. Two lists appear on this block...
One list names 10 kings "and then came the flood".
One list names 8 kings "and then came the flood".
Is it possible that one is the 10 individuals in Seth's line, and the other is the 8 individuals in Cain's line?
More to come later in the week...
There is a message in the meaning of the names of the ten men listed.
Adam...man
Seth...appointed
Enosh...mortal
Kenan...sorrow
Mahalalel...the blessed God (His name is where "hallelujah" comes from)
Jared...shall come down
Enoch...teaching
Methusaleh...his death shall bring
Lamech...despairing
Noah...comfort, rest
If I place a few selected words in this message...
Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow, (but) the blessed God shall come down, teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing comfort (and) rest.
Nobody can convince me that God didn't have a hand in this...
Looking closer at some of these men, using other scriptures and extra-biblical sources.
ADAM...according to Jewish tradition, the fall was in year 7 and Cain kills Abel in year 41. Jewish history also says that Adam and Eve had 33 sons and 23 daughters. Well, if you live for 950 years, I would think that's a pretty small number!
SETH...according to Jewish tradition, Adam, Seth, and Enoch established the science of astronomy. The stars contained God's message of redemption and were used to pass on His message. Pagans perverted this message not too much later.
If you would like to read more about this message, called the Mazzeroth in Hebrew, I would refer you to The Heavens Declare by William Banks. There are also a couple of other books, but I can't pull the titles to mind right now. I'll come back and post them when I find them.
ENOSH...In his day, men "began to call on the name of the Lord". To a Jew, this phrase could mean that man began to profane God. But another possibility that has been put forth is that man had to begin to pray...to call on God in a different way. Based on the same word usage in other biblical passages, I lean toward the Jewish interpretation. If that is so, then man fell from faithfulness in only a couple of generations.
ENOCH...was a prophet (Jude14-15) He did teach. Jude quotes some of his prophecy. I would have to warn you that the so-called Books of Enoch may contain some of Enoch's prophecy, but these are later books using Enoch's name.
METHUSALEH...the meaning of his name could also be expressed "in the year he dies, it shall come." Enoch...the prophet...gave him this name. He should know! I would have to ask, why didn't people pay attention and get ready for whatever judgment God had planned? The flood came the year he died.
LAMECH...his name means despairing...did God's people despair because of the wickedness of the land?
NOAH...Lamech gave him his name. The Hebrew construction indicated that he thought Noah would be the messiah. Maybe in a way, he was. Not the Messiah, but he was responsible for the continuation of life after the destruction of the flood. Jewish tradition says that Noah had children before Shem, Ham, and Japheth, but that they were lost in the flood.
Archaeological find
In 1922, in Sumer, some ancient kinglists were discovered on a block of rock that was later called the Weld Prism. This monument records the history of the world in stone and was dated about 2100 BC. Two lists appear on this block...
One list names 10 kings "and then came the flood".
One list names 8 kings "and then came the flood".
Is it possible that one is the 10 individuals in Seth's line, and the other is the 8 individuals in Cain's line?
More to come later in the week...
Biblical History of Man: From Creation to the Flood part 2
There's a lot we can talk about in this section, so let's just start.
Creation
Day 1...God separated...light from dark
Day 2...God separated...the waters above from the waters below (seas). He called the space between "heaven".
Day 3...God separated...the waters under heaven (seas) from the dry land (earth).
God also filled...the land with plants.
Day 4...God filled...heavens with lights (sun, moon, stars) as vessels for the light. They were given for signs, and seasons, and days, and years.
Day 5...God filled...the seas and heaven with water creatures and birds. This includes the tanniym...the dragons.
Day 6...God filled...the land with land-based creatures and man.
We must also remember that there are two different Hebrew words used in this week of creation.
One is bara, which means to create out of nothing, or to create something that didn't exist up to that point. It is used 3 times in the first chapter of Genesis. Our English translations use the word "create" for the Hebrew bara.
Verse 1...God created all matter and energy.
Verse 21...God created living creatures. Something was new in these living creatures, something that nothing had up to that time. I call it the soul. It is a breath of life.
Verse 27...God created human life. Again there was something new here. Man has the soul, the breath of life. But he was created in God's image. Living creatures didn't have that. I call this the spirit.
The other word used in chapter 1 of Genesis is asah, which is translated "make" or "made". God made the lights, land, water, sky, plants, sun, moon, stars, etc.
Does the creation story appear in other cultures?
Yes. Emphatically yes. Not to all the detail given us in scripture, but with striking similarities. At one time I had found a website that listed 260 different creation stories in cultures worldwide. I can't find that site now, but Wikipedia has a page with a variety of stories here . Many tales include the theme of the tree of life.
The origin of the seven-day week.
God established it. In Exodus 20:8-11 He says that the reason for it is because of the pattern of creation week.
The seven-day week is almost universally observed. But it is a puzzle to those who don't believe in the Bible. They can't figure out how it started. It is easy to see that the year is connected to the sun and the month to the moon, but the week? And it's been that way since the beginning.
Not too terribly long ago, Josef Stalin tried to make a 10 day week. Work 9 days and have one day off. Call the days by numbers. It's interesting that he said the reason he wanted to make this change was that he wanted to erase all religious memories. Note that he recognized the source! Only thing was, it didn't work. People couldn't work that much. By the way, in Russia, Sunday is called Resurrection Day.
How would you describe the earth during this time? Now, that's based on the Bible.
One land mass, one area of sea.
Waters above heaven and waters below.
No rain, earth watered by a mist.
Likely: a more uniform climate? no wind? less rugged terrain? more edible vegetation?
How would you describe mankind?
Had language from the beginning.
Built cities.
Animals were tame.
Accomplished in technology. (metallurgy, animal husbandry, musical instruments, construction, boat building.
I will go on in the next post.
Creation
Day 1...God separated...light from dark
Day 2...God separated...the waters above from the waters below (seas). He called the space between "heaven".
Day 3...God separated...the waters under heaven (seas) from the dry land (earth).
God also filled...the land with plants.
Day 4...God filled...heavens with lights (sun, moon, stars) as vessels for the light. They were given for signs, and seasons, and days, and years.
Day 5...God filled...the seas and heaven with water creatures and birds. This includes the tanniym...the dragons.
Day 6...God filled...the land with land-based creatures and man.
We must also remember that there are two different Hebrew words used in this week of creation.
One is bara, which means to create out of nothing, or to create something that didn't exist up to that point. It is used 3 times in the first chapter of Genesis. Our English translations use the word "create" for the Hebrew bara.
Verse 1...God created all matter and energy.
Verse 21...God created living creatures. Something was new in these living creatures, something that nothing had up to that time. I call it the soul. It is a breath of life.
Verse 27...God created human life. Again there was something new here. Man has the soul, the breath of life. But he was created in God's image. Living creatures didn't have that. I call this the spirit.
The other word used in chapter 1 of Genesis is asah, which is translated "make" or "made". God made the lights, land, water, sky, plants, sun, moon, stars, etc.
Does the creation story appear in other cultures?
Yes. Emphatically yes. Not to all the detail given us in scripture, but with striking similarities. At one time I had found a website that listed 260 different creation stories in cultures worldwide. I can't find that site now, but Wikipedia has a page with a variety of stories here . Many tales include the theme of the tree of life.
The origin of the seven-day week.
God established it. In Exodus 20:8-11 He says that the reason for it is because of the pattern of creation week.
The seven-day week is almost universally observed. But it is a puzzle to those who don't believe in the Bible. They can't figure out how it started. It is easy to see that the year is connected to the sun and the month to the moon, but the week? And it's been that way since the beginning.
Not too terribly long ago, Josef Stalin tried to make a 10 day week. Work 9 days and have one day off. Call the days by numbers. It's interesting that he said the reason he wanted to make this change was that he wanted to erase all religious memories. Note that he recognized the source! Only thing was, it didn't work. People couldn't work that much. By the way, in Russia, Sunday is called Resurrection Day.
How would you describe the earth during this time? Now, that's based on the Bible.
One land mass, one area of sea.
Waters above heaven and waters below.
No rain, earth watered by a mist.
Likely: a more uniform climate? no wind? less rugged terrain? more edible vegetation?
How would you describe mankind?
Had language from the beginning.
Built cities.
Animals were tame.
Accomplished in technology. (metallurgy, animal husbandry, musical instruments, construction, boat building.
I will go on in the next post.
Biblical History of Man: From Creation to the Flood part 1
This lesson begins the second part of our study. In the first, we developed a biblical chronology for the world and mankind. We also looked at the conflict between that chronology and the generally accepted timeline prevalent in our world today. The worldviews are in stark disagreement.
This section looks at the history of man in the early part of the Old Testament. We will cover only the time to the Tower of Babel and the beginning of civilizations in this section.
The third section looks at history of man (and the world) that isn't recorded in scripture, but which we will place in its correct context in the biblical chronology. Be prepared for a starkly different view of man's history in this section! I find it definitely exciting! But I've been told that I'm a bit strange that way. Ah, well.
Let's first get a closer look at creation...just to set the stage for where we are going.
In the beginning, God... When was that? Only God is eternal, so it is reasonable to think that "the beginning" refers to TIME. This is the beginning of time. It didn't exist before. Think about that.
What did God do in the beginning? He created the heavens and the earth. Now, He didn't create those at once, so what happened? Let's look at the Hebrew words.
Heavens: Shamayim in Hebrew. Means "stretched out space". God even had to create somewhere to put everything He was going to create.
Earth: Erets in Hebrew. Means dirt. Simple enough. But it has the connotation of being the stuff from which everything was made.
So, at this point we have TIME. We have SPACE. We have MATTER. Only one thing is missing in order to have the building blocks for everything that exists. Atoms are made up of space and matter. Nothing more. But there is now matter but no form. It is not organized. And earth is truly void of what is necessary for life.
Then God says, "Let there be light!" I have to put an exclamation point there. I want one in my Bible too. Because this is truly a great exclamation! And light is much, much more than the small amount of color that we "see". It involves the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from short wave gamma rays to very long wave radio waves. It is ENERGY. In the instant that matter was energized, basic elements took on specific form. Particles were now in motion, and operating in time.
In these few verses, God's first creative act logically defines the basis of ALL physical reality:
TIME...SPACE...MATTER...and ENERGY.
And at the same time, all the physical laws that govern all forms of matter were initiated.
One of the great mysteries of creation is the amount of energy "locked up" in the atom. Man has been able to release some of that energy for use in atomic power plants and atom bombs, but think of the total amount of energy required to put together all the physical matter in the universe. It boggles my mind!
For the lack of clear evidence, some materialist thinkers have theorized that there must be an invisible thing they call "gluons" to hold it all together. It seems a miracle of "science" that the structure of every atom in the universe doesn't fly apart.
What does the Bible say?
"...all things were created by Him [Jesus] and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist [or hold together]." Colossians 1:16-17
I can't take God's act of creation for granted any more.
Thanks to Dennis Petersen for his lesson on this subject, from Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation. It has been the inspiration behind this part of this lesson.
This section looks at the history of man in the early part of the Old Testament. We will cover only the time to the Tower of Babel and the beginning of civilizations in this section.
The third section looks at history of man (and the world) that isn't recorded in scripture, but which we will place in its correct context in the biblical chronology. Be prepared for a starkly different view of man's history in this section! I find it definitely exciting! But I've been told that I'm a bit strange that way. Ah, well.
Let's first get a closer look at creation...just to set the stage for where we are going.
In the beginning, God... When was that? Only God is eternal, so it is reasonable to think that "the beginning" refers to TIME. This is the beginning of time. It didn't exist before. Think about that.
What did God do in the beginning? He created the heavens and the earth. Now, He didn't create those at once, so what happened? Let's look at the Hebrew words.
Heavens: Shamayim in Hebrew. Means "stretched out space". God even had to create somewhere to put everything He was going to create.
Earth: Erets in Hebrew. Means dirt. Simple enough. But it has the connotation of being the stuff from which everything was made.
So, at this point we have TIME. We have SPACE. We have MATTER. Only one thing is missing in order to have the building blocks for everything that exists. Atoms are made up of space and matter. Nothing more. But there is now matter but no form. It is not organized. And earth is truly void of what is necessary for life.
Then God says, "Let there be light!" I have to put an exclamation point there. I want one in my Bible too. Because this is truly a great exclamation! And light is much, much more than the small amount of color that we "see". It involves the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from short wave gamma rays to very long wave radio waves. It is ENERGY. In the instant that matter was energized, basic elements took on specific form. Particles were now in motion, and operating in time.
In these few verses, God's first creative act logically defines the basis of ALL physical reality:
TIME...SPACE...MATTER...and ENERGY.
And at the same time, all the physical laws that govern all forms of matter were initiated.
One of the great mysteries of creation is the amount of energy "locked up" in the atom. Man has been able to release some of that energy for use in atomic power plants and atom bombs, but think of the total amount of energy required to put together all the physical matter in the universe. It boggles my mind!
For the lack of clear evidence, some materialist thinkers have theorized that there must be an invisible thing they call "gluons" to hold it all together. It seems a miracle of "science" that the structure of every atom in the universe doesn't fly apart.
What does the Bible say?
"...all things were created by Him [Jesus] and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist [or hold together]." Colossians 1:16-17
I can't take God's act of creation for granted any more.
Thanks to Dennis Petersen for his lesson on this subject, from Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation. It has been the inspiration behind this part of this lesson.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Competing Worldviews: Part 3
Here is a link to an article I recommend that you read.
http://creation.com/evangelicals-biblical-creation
http://creation.com/evangelicals-biblical-creation
Competing Worldviews: Part 2
What effect has this difference in worldview had on the church?
Unfortunately, the church has been content to sit back and take no stand at all. Without any biblical guidance to the contrary, the average churchgoer either accepts evolution as a fact, both scientifically and historically, or they hide behind weakly supported Bible stories. Too often they ignore the evidence, or they reject it out of fear of looking foolish. It doesn't have to be that way.
The church can stand firm on the Bible...if only we will step up and learn the facts. There is data. There is evidence. And it doesn't fit the evolutionary paradigm.
What if mankind is not ancient as science claims?
What if mankind didn't evolve slowly out of slime?
What if he didn't start out as an ignorant brute?
What if he really was created in God's image?
What if mankind really did gather in one place, build a tower, form a religion and a world government?
What if God really did confuse man's languages, forcing them to scatter across the earth?
In other words, what if the Bible really is true?
And what if the evidence confirms it?
There's another part to this picture. What if Satan is real and is actively perverting God's plan?
For that is what Satan does. He perverts. He cannot create. He uses God's designs and distorts them to fit his own plan. He really wants to make sure that God's plan isn't discovered...inventing an alternate storyline for people to "discover"...enticing them with lies that seem like the truth. And our culture gives them its attention and its praise. We must be on our guard, for the lies are subtly close to the truth.
There's only one thing that the naturalist/evolutionist can do with the facts and evidence that doesn't agree with his worldview...
Unfortunately, the church has been content to sit back and take no stand at all. Without any biblical guidance to the contrary, the average churchgoer either accepts evolution as a fact, both scientifically and historically, or they hide behind weakly supported Bible stories. Too often they ignore the evidence, or they reject it out of fear of looking foolish. It doesn't have to be that way.
The church can stand firm on the Bible...if only we will step up and learn the facts. There is data. There is evidence. And it doesn't fit the evolutionary paradigm.
What if mankind is not ancient as science claims?
What if mankind didn't evolve slowly out of slime?
What if he didn't start out as an ignorant brute?
What if he really was created in God's image?
What if mankind really did gather in one place, build a tower, form a religion and a world government?
What if God really did confuse man's languages, forcing them to scatter across the earth?
In other words, what if the Bible really is true?
And what if the evidence confirms it?
There's another part to this picture. What if Satan is real and is actively perverting God's plan?
For that is what Satan does. He perverts. He cannot create. He uses God's designs and distorts them to fit his own plan. He really wants to make sure that God's plan isn't discovered...inventing an alternate storyline for people to "discover"...enticing them with lies that seem like the truth. And our culture gives them its attention and its praise. We must be on our guard, for the lies are subtly close to the truth.
There's only one thing that the naturalist/evolutionist can do with the facts and evidence that doesn't agree with his worldview...
The topic of ancient man does not have to be complicated or frightening. In contrast, the truth about ancient man can be both intriguing and encouraging. With the right starting point...presuppositions based on the Word of God...ancient history comes alive with truth!
And with our biblical glasses on...we see the truth:
- The earth is young
- History is young
- Man was created intelligent
- Man's history is full of evidence for the truth of the Bible.
Thanks must be given for the outline and some content of this section to Jackson Hole Bible College and their new book The Genius of Ancient Man.
Competing Worldviews: Part 1
We've now established a timeline that is based on scripture. But this is in stark disagreement with the timeline for the history of man that is generally accepted today. Man's attempts to explain his experience on earth can be classified under two broad headings...naturalism and creationism.
In the worldview of naturalism, the universe began in a big bang 13.7 BYA (billion years ago), earth formed 4.5 BYA, earliest signs of life 3 BYA. The earliest fossils, of simple life, are 600 MYA (million years ago), the earliest precursors to man 4.4 MYA, and the earliest homo sapiens or modern man are 100,000 YA (years ago). Man entered the western hemisphere across the Bering Strait land bridge near the end of the last ice age 15,000 years ago, and the first cities were built after the ice age between 10,000 and 4,000 years ago.
To a believer in naturalism, there have been 5 major periods of ice ages, the last beginning 2.5 MYA and ending 10-11,000 years ago. Man began as a primitive being, and gradually became more advanced. He was a brutish cave man who became more civilized. He was a hunter-gatherer who learned agriculture. He had to develop tool use and language. He had to discover fire. And he learned by trial and error.
Life followed the geologic timeline...goo to simple life to sea life to land animals to man.
As Ken Ham might say, "From goo to you, by way of the zoo."
This story of life is based on EVIDENCE. There's all kinds of evidence to be found. We have towns and tools and pottery and inscriptions. There's old trees and fossils. There's geologic features like sedimentary rock layers and river and ice erosion.
As a believer in Creationism we see the same evidence. But we have a totally different story of life. Our timeframe is different than that of a naturalist. Why?
We all base our interpretation of the evidence on what we believe is true.
As a creationist we believe that God exists, that the Bible is God's word and is true in its entirety. God created everything, He is transcendent, He is rational, and has a plan for every person. Man can think and reason because God created him that way. And time is short.
A naturalist does not believe in God. He believes the Bible creation story is a myth derived from other myths, and that evolution is the method that accounts for all life. The big bang created the universe as we see it, which means matter existed eternally, and thus matter can create. Man is essentially good; it is society that is evil. And time is very long.
It is the belief system that a person already has determined that they will trust to be true that determines how they see the evidence.
- Naturalism believes that all evidence is the result of unexpalained substances that have the properties required for evolution.
- Creationism believes that all evidence is the result of design by an unexplained intelligence, that has the capability to put its designs into operation.
In the worldview of naturalism, the universe began in a big bang 13.7 BYA (billion years ago), earth formed 4.5 BYA, earliest signs of life 3 BYA. The earliest fossils, of simple life, are 600 MYA (million years ago), the earliest precursors to man 4.4 MYA, and the earliest homo sapiens or modern man are 100,000 YA (years ago). Man entered the western hemisphere across the Bering Strait land bridge near the end of the last ice age 15,000 years ago, and the first cities were built after the ice age between 10,000 and 4,000 years ago.
To a believer in naturalism, there have been 5 major periods of ice ages, the last beginning 2.5 MYA and ending 10-11,000 years ago. Man began as a primitive being, and gradually became more advanced. He was a brutish cave man who became more civilized. He was a hunter-gatherer who learned agriculture. He had to develop tool use and language. He had to discover fire. And he learned by trial and error.
Life followed the geologic timeline...goo to simple life to sea life to land animals to man.
As Ken Ham might say, "From goo to you, by way of the zoo."
This story of life is based on EVIDENCE. There's all kinds of evidence to be found. We have towns and tools and pottery and inscriptions. There's old trees and fossils. There's geologic features like sedimentary rock layers and river and ice erosion.
As a believer in Creationism we see the same evidence. But we have a totally different story of life. Our timeframe is different than that of a naturalist. Why?
We all base our interpretation of the evidence on what we believe is true.
As a creationist we believe that God exists, that the Bible is God's word and is true in its entirety. God created everything, He is transcendent, He is rational, and has a plan for every person. Man can think and reason because God created him that way. And time is short.
A naturalist does not believe in God. He believes the Bible creation story is a myth derived from other myths, and that evolution is the method that accounts for all life. The big bang created the universe as we see it, which means matter existed eternally, and thus matter can create. Man is essentially good; it is society that is evil. And time is very long.
It is the belief system that a person already has determined that they will trust to be true that determines how they see the evidence.
Biblical Chronology: The Kings and Beyond part 2
In looking at the established dates BC for biblical events, we must recognize one thing. This secular chronology is subject to error and subject to revision. At this point any choices of dates to be correlated with biblical history must be those having the greatest support.
Two well-established dates of biblical events are the dates of the fall of Samaria to Assyria in 722 BC, and the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon in 586 BC. These are considered to be firm dates in history.
Less firmly established, but no less important to our timeline is the date of Solomon's death and the division of the kingdom. There are several choices of dates for this division, all of them with scholarly support. They range from 975 BC to 922 BC, with 931/930 BC being the most widely accepted date.
My choice in the issue has been to use these dates and correlate them to the biblical chronology we have established to this point. My reasons are complex, but in the long run, there are only very minor differences from one interpretation to another. Using these dates helps keep confusion to a minimum when studying history outside the Bible.
So, using these three dates, we can correlate the timeline we have already completed to dates BC.
If Solomon's death occurred in 931 BC, then his 40 year reign began in 971 BC and he began the temple in 967 BC. 967 BC corresponds to 3208 years after creation, and the remaining dates can be filled in to our charts.
Date of Jacob's birth.......................................................2168 AM 2007 BC
Date Jacob entered Egypt at age 130............................2298 AM 1877 BC
Date of Exodus...............................................................2728 AM 1447 BC
Date Temple was begun in Solomon's 4th year..............3208 AM 967 BC
Date Solomon began his reign........................................3204 AM 971 BC
Date of Solomon's death and accession of Rehoboam...3244 AM 931 BC
You'll notice that each of these combinations adds up to 4175, which then is considered our date of creation.
This differs from Ussher's date by 171 years. 215 years longer because we considered the time in Egypt differently, and 44 years shorter because we used a different date for the division of the kingdom. It is only these two dates that give us differences from that timeline.
We can also date other events from scripture:
Creation..........................4175 BC
Flood...............................2519 BC
Tower of Babel.............c 2200 BC
Entry into Egypt..............1877 BC
Exodus............................1447 BC
Entry into Canaan...........1407 BC
David becomes King.......1011 BC
Solomon becomes King....971 BC
Temple begun..................967 BC
Division of kingdom..........931/930 BC
Fall of Samaria................722 BC
Fall of Jerusalem..............586 BC
Book of Ezra....................538-457 BC
Book of Esther.................483-473 BC
Ezra returns.................... 458 BC
Nehemiah returns............445 BC
Book of Nehemiah............445-415 BC
Birth of Christ...................5BC
Then our final chronology looks like this:
Two well-established dates of biblical events are the dates of the fall of Samaria to Assyria in 722 BC, and the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon in 586 BC. These are considered to be firm dates in history.
Less firmly established, but no less important to our timeline is the date of Solomon's death and the division of the kingdom. There are several choices of dates for this division, all of them with scholarly support. They range from 975 BC to 922 BC, with 931/930 BC being the most widely accepted date.
My choice in the issue has been to use these dates and correlate them to the biblical chronology we have established to this point. My reasons are complex, but in the long run, there are only very minor differences from one interpretation to another. Using these dates helps keep confusion to a minimum when studying history outside the Bible.
So, using these three dates, we can correlate the timeline we have already completed to dates BC.
If Solomon's death occurred in 931 BC, then his 40 year reign began in 971 BC and he began the temple in 967 BC. 967 BC corresponds to 3208 years after creation, and the remaining dates can be filled in to our charts.
Date of Jacob's birth.......................................................2168 AM 2007 BC
Date Jacob entered Egypt at age 130............................2298 AM 1877 BC
Date of Exodus...............................................................2728 AM 1447 BC
Date Temple was begun in Solomon's 4th year..............3208 AM 967 BC
Date Solomon began his reign........................................3204 AM 971 BC
Date of Solomon's death and accession of Rehoboam...3244 AM 931 BC
You'll notice that each of these combinations adds up to 4175, which then is considered our date of creation.
This differs from Ussher's date by 171 years. 215 years longer because we considered the time in Egypt differently, and 44 years shorter because we used a different date for the division of the kingdom. It is only these two dates that give us differences from that timeline.
We can also date other events from scripture:
Creation..........................4175 BC
Flood...............................2519 BC
Tower of Babel.............c 2200 BC
Entry into Egypt..............1877 BC
Exodus............................1447 BC
Entry into Canaan...........1407 BC
David becomes King.......1011 BC
Solomon becomes King....971 BC
Temple begun..................967 BC
Division of kingdom..........931/930 BC
Fall of Samaria................722 BC
Fall of Jerusalem..............586 BC
Book of Ezra....................538-457 BC
Book of Esther.................483-473 BC
Ezra returns.................... 458 BC
Nehemiah returns............445 BC
Book of Nehemiah............445-415 BC
Birth of Christ...................5BC
Then our final chronology looks like this:
Biblical Chronology: The Kings and Beyond part 1
Now we are at a point where we need to make some choices. We have some scriptures in the prophets which seem to be giving us some chronological information. We also have archaeological research giving us some relatively firm dates for events contained in the Bible. Lets take a look at both.
First the scriptures (please read these for yourself):
Ezekiel 4:1-7
Ezekiel is instructed to illustrate the iniquity of Israel and Judah:
Jeremiah 25:12
After 70 years, God will punish Babylon.
Jeremiah 29:10
When 70 years are completed for Babylon, God will bring the exiles back to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:20-33
From the exile to the return is 70 years...to fulfill all the Sabbath years not kept.
In the 1st year of Cyrus (Persian)...he issues a decree allowing the Jews to return and rebuild.
Daniel 9:1, 24-27
In the 1st year of Darius (Mede), and after reading the prophecies of Jeremiah concerning the completion of the desolation for Jerusalem, Daniel prays about the future of the Jews. Gabriel is sent to him with a revelation.
I have to admit that interpreting these passages is extremely difficult. It may even be that God does not have a chronology in mind for these times. If He does, then they are definitely hard to understand!
Studying what Bible commentators have to say just increases the confusion. I have found nearly as many interpretations as I have found commentators. And I ended up with more questions about these passages than have been answered.
Regardless of that, the time frame that these many commentators are looking at based on these passages is pretty much the same as the generally accepted dates BC that we will look at next.
First the scriptures (please read these for yourself):
Ezekiel 4:1-7
Ezekiel is instructed to illustrate the iniquity of Israel and Judah:
- by laying on his left side for 390 days...to illustrate 390 years of iniquity for Israel. amd
- by laying on his right side for 40 days...to illustrate 40 years of iniquity for Judah.
Jeremiah 25:12
After 70 years, God will punish Babylon.
Jeremiah 29:10
When 70 years are completed for Babylon, God will bring the exiles back to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:20-33
From the exile to the return is 70 years...to fulfill all the Sabbath years not kept.
In the 1st year of Cyrus (Persian)...he issues a decree allowing the Jews to return and rebuild.
Daniel 9:1, 24-27
In the 1st year of Darius (Mede), and after reading the prophecies of Jeremiah concerning the completion of the desolation for Jerusalem, Daniel prays about the future of the Jews. Gabriel is sent to him with a revelation.
- Seventy sevens are decreed for the Jews and Jerusalem to accomplish 6 things.
- From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah will be 7 sevens and 62 sevens.
- After this time, Messiah will be cut off and the city and sanctuary will be destroyed.
- He (who?) will make a covenant for one seven but in the middle of the seven he will put a stop to sacrifices, then comes abominations, desolation, and destruction for the one who makes the desolation.
I have to admit that interpreting these passages is extremely difficult. It may even be that God does not have a chronology in mind for these times. If He does, then they are definitely hard to understand!
Studying what Bible commentators have to say just increases the confusion. I have found nearly as many interpretations as I have found commentators. And I ended up with more questions about these passages than have been answered.
Regardless of that, the time frame that these many commentators are looking at based on these passages is pretty much the same as the generally accepted dates BC that we will look at next.
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