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Advanced Scientific Knowledge
Though the Bible never attempts to be a science book, it does contain references to scientific facts, many of which are only now being confirmed by secular science.
A finite universe with a beginning
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
(Genesis 1:1)
Most people read this -- the first verse in the Bible -- and move on to the next without another thought. However, an examination of this verse reveals a sophisticated scientific fact. The word "beginning" refers specifically to the beginning of time. The word "heavens" refers to space, and the word "earth" refers to the substance of which the earth is made. So this same verse can be read as follows:
"In the beginning [of time] God created [space] and [matter]."
Even though the Bible is not meant to be a science book, the first words it contains are composed of a scientific statement. It says that God created time, space and matter simultaneously.
"a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time..."
(Titus 1:2) see also 2 Timothy 1:9
The Bible frequently refers to the beginning of time, usually with clear wording that can leave no doubt regarding its meaning. Thus it reveals a knowledge that time had a beginning point. Stephen Hawking and others theorized in the 1960's that time indeed had a beginning.
For many years scientists were convinced that the universe was infinite (without end), and that time had always existed. In 1992, a probe called the COsmic Background Explorer (COBE) proved that the universe is finite and had a definite beginning point. Scientists are also finding that their beloved theory of evolution happened too fast to be plausible. Many are backing away from evolution entirely, though desperate to find another secular explanation. MIT research head Samuel Bowring was quoted in a 1995 Time magazine article about the Cambrian Explosion (new evidence that a huge number of species appeared very suddenly in a short time frame) as saying, "what I like to ask my biologist friends is, 'How fast can evolution get before they start feeling uncomfortable?'"
A round earth hanging in space
"He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing."
(Job 26:7)
It's clear that Job understood the earth was not resting on the back of turtles or elephants, as other cultures of the time believed. He knew the earth was a circular object (see next item) floating in space. How did he know that, since all cultures of the time knew nothing about space or planets?
The spherical shape of the earth
"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in."
(Isaiah 40:22)
"He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters at the boundary of light and darkness."
(Job 26:10)
Take a moment to really consider these verses. Job 26:10 clearly refers to the line of demarcation between day and night. No other interpretation is possible. Such a view of the curved horizon at sunrise or sunset can only be seen from extremely high altitudes reached only by military jets and spacecraft. These writers were given a view of the Earth as a sphere long before Eratosthenes--by measuring shadows in Egyptian wells--determined that the earth was round in 240BC. Although there is a specific Hebrew word for "sphere," the word used in these passages ("khug") can mean both circle or sphere. It refers to the shape of an orange as it might be represented in a two-dimensional picture.
Man composed of the dust of the ground
" the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
(Genesis 2:7)
For many years scientists laughed at the simplicity of this statement. Yet in 1982 researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center confirmed the biblical account by proving that every single element found in the human body exists within ordinary soil. The scientists concluded, "We are just beginning to learn. The biblical scenario for the creation of life turns out to be not far off the mark."
Early entanglement theory
"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
(Colossians 1:16-17)
Only recently did scientists discover that every atom in the universe is mysteriously linked to every other atom. Einstein referred to as the "entanglement theory." According to this theory, atoms are somehow connected, or "held together." In recent tests, scientists discovered that atoms respond instantly to changes made to another atom located great distances away and traveling in the opposite direction. Using this information, a group of international scientists working at Caltech successfully teleported a beam of light over a three-foot distance in October 1998.
Chances that the apostle Paul did not actually know about atoms, and referred specifically to God's omnipotent power over all things physical and spiritual. On the other hand, it is not impossible that he was given special knowledge of atomic structure during his time of spiritual development. In any case, regardless of how much he knew, his statement was stunning in its accuracy.
Atomic structure revealed
"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."
(Hebrews 11:3)
This verse suggests that the apostle Paul understood atomic structure nearly 2000 years before it was discovered by scientists. Some argue that this statement merely refers to the invisible spiritual dimension. While that's possible, a closer look makes it unlikely. He is referring directly to the creation act itself, not to the existence of angels or other invisible spiritual beings. He's telling the reader that the universe was created by matter formed from nothing at all, or that the matter we are familiar with (stones, wood, water, etc.) was created from invisible particles. If that's the case, it shows a remarkable scientific insight for someone who penned this in the first century AD.
Time as a physical property
"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."
(2 Peter 3:8) see also Psalm 90:4
This concept is advanced far beyond any first century understanding about time. Beginning with Einstein's theory of relativity in 1905, scientists finally began to realize that time is a physical property, not a constant. It changes with speed and gravity, a fact confirmed by sophisticated clock experiments in 1971. This verse reveals time as a property when no culture on earth could even conceive of such an idea. God is not constrained by the static march of time as humans are. He lives outside the dimension of time. The eternal soul in Heaven will not be subject to an infinite stretch of harp playing, as cartoons suggest, but will have the ability to move through the dimension of time at any speed, as the angels do (see the book of Daniel for examples).
Saint Peter, Nuclear Physicist?
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat."
(2 Peter 3:10-12)
Did the apostle Peter know about nuclear fission or nuclear fusion reactions? We don't know how much he knew, but this verse is quite startling in its clarity. In the first century, people could not have imagined the sky burning up or the earth itself melting. Peter not only believed this to be true, he made sure to warn people about it.
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